In the early stages of internationalisation, universities have typically focused on international student recruitment and accumulating large numbers of bilateral international university partnerships. Often these partnerships had little strategic value other than as a response to pressure to internationalise. Frequently these partnerships went no further than signatures on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and were not operationalised in any way. While the stated intent of such MoUs was often promoting research collaboration and cooperation, this was rarely communicated to the faculty members who could have made this a reality. In recent years, a number of global university networks have been established, many of which now have waiting lists of potential members. This session will provide an overview of the different types of university networks and institutional partnerships being established across the world and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the alternative models. It will also consider the benefits associated with membership of a global network, as opposed to institutions developing alliances with a more specific focus. Additionally, institutional strategies aimed at encouraging widespread participation and involvement in these partnerships across the university and beyond the international office will be discussed.
Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) 5th Annual Conference, Griffith University, Brisbane, April 2010
Good Stuff Happens in 1:1 Meetings: Why you need them and how to do them well
The role of international strategic alliances in higher education: a New Zealand perspective
1. Asia Pacific Association for International Education 2010
The role of international strategic alliances in
higher education: a New Zealand perspective
Professor Nigel Healey
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Canterbury
2. Overview of Part I
Strategic Alliances 101
Forms of international cooperation –
nigel.healey@canterbury.ac.nz
Uppsala vs non-commercial
Benefits and costs of each form
Small or large networks?
Conclusions
Gold Coast 2010
3. Forms of international cooperation
Uppsala sequencing model drawn from the
literature on the internationalisation of
business:
nigel.healey@canterbury.ac.nz
Exporting The
Licensing production ‘third
Joint ventures/strategic alliances wave’
Foreign direct investment
How well does higher education fit this model?
Gold Coast 2010
4. The Uppsala sequence in higher
education
Exporting educational services = providing education to
foreign students by teaching students on home campus
or „pure‟ distance learning‟
nigel.healey@canterbury.ac.nz
Licensing production = licensing a foreign partner -
“McDonaldization” of higher education
Third wave = offshore campuses, part– or wholly-owned
by universities, for-profit providers riding third wave
through acquisitions (Doha trade round)
Gold Coast 2010
5. How useful is this model for explaining
universities’ international cooperation?
Universities mix of public, not-for-profit and for-profit
Uppsala explains the behaviour of for-profit universities
and “mixed systems” like UK, Australia and New Zealand
nigel.healey@canterbury.ac.nz
– public universities with “private” dimensions
Does not capture other dimensions of universities‟
activities in terms of mission, government policy, non-
commercial goals
Excludes cooperative activities in terms of:
Faculty and student exchange
Joint teaching programmes
Research partnerships
Gold Coast 2010
6. Benefits and costs of Uppsala
partnership-based cooperation (1)
Franchising
Benefit: income generating
Cost: seen as exploitative, principal-agent problems,
nigel.healey@canterbury.ac.nz
misaligned strategic goals, time-limited
Third Wave
Benefit: income generating, reach new student markets;
build brand internationally
Cost: high risk, often built on faulty business models,
potential reputational damage
Gold Coast 2010
7. Benefits and costs of non-commercial
partnership-based cooperation (2)
Student/faculty exchange
Benefit: creates international learning opportunities
Cost: expensive, may get little meaningful engagement
nigel.healey@canterbury.ac.nz
Dual degrees
Benefit: income generating, reach new student markets;
build brand internationally
Cost: high risk, misalignment of partners‟ objectives,
quality assurance issues
Research partnerships
Benefit: economies of scale/scope, brand/profile
Costs: top-down, little real collaboration
Gold Coast 2010
8. Bilateral versus multilateral
cooperation
Increasing economies of scale and scope
“A single thread can’t make a chord, nor a single tree a
forest” 一个线程不能引起了共鸣,也没有一棵树的森林
nigel.healey@canterbury.ac.nz
versus…
…increasing coordination and management costs
Parallel is between bilateral free trade agreements and
multilateral trade negotiations (eg, New Zealand –
China FTA versus WTO Doha Round)
Gold Coast 2010
9. Multilateral cooperation: an
economist’s perspective
$ Marginal cost (coordination costs)
standardisation Marginal benefit
nigel.healey@canterbury.ac.nz
(economies of scale)
Costs of research
equipment, faculty
communication
technologies,
standardisation
size of network N*
Gold Coast 2010
10. Multilateral cooperation: a
management perspective
High
“Country Club” “Investment Bank”
Low Coordination costs
nigel.healey@canterbury.ac.nz
“Boutique” “Fast Food”
Low Economies of scale High
Gold Coast 2010
11. Multilateral cooperation: a
management perspective
High
Socrates
Universitas 21
Low Coordination costs
nigel.healey@canterbury.ac.nz
UMAP
Laureate
LSE/NYU/HKU
Astronomy
Low Economies of scale High
Gold Coast 2010
12. Conclusions
The increase of international partnerships partly
explained by sequential model of internationalisation…
…but range of other motives for international
nigel.healey@canterbury.ac.nz
partnerships in terms of universities‟ missions
Good partnerships can transform learning experience
for students, open up new possibilities for collaborative
research
Need to be managed carefully to ensure return on
investment, not presidents‟ vanity
Final thought: is global warming a growing threat to
traditional models of international partnership?
Gold Coast 2010