University Strategy in an Age of Uncertainty: The Effect of Higher Education Funding on Old and New Universities

Abstract

This paper explores the effects of changes in funding arrangements, and particularly in tuition fees, on universities and their strategic responses to these changes. Using data from interviews with senior managers in four universities, it finds the most prestigious, pre-1992, university largely unaffected by tuition fees and the others responding to changes in application patterns and intake. However, the effects of tuition fees on university strategy are not easily separated from other changes in the funding of Higher Education, and universities' strategies were strongly influenced by the need to reduce costs and to generate income. A second major concern of all four universities was quality, both of inputs such as students and staff and of outputs, in degree results and ratings in employability, research, teaching and other activities. Marketing was assuming a position of increasing importance, with universities striving to develop a 'brand' to attract students, staff and funding.

Analyzing a transition to a sustainability-oriented science system in Germany

“…program oriented funding strategies influencing the strategies of universities and research institutes (Geuna, 1999;Geuna and Martin, 2003;Rolfe, 2003).…”

Exploring rationales for branding a university: Should we be seeking to measure branding in UK universities?

“…The body of work in the academic literature concerning branding of higher education does seem to be limited, however (Hemsley-Brown and Oplatka, 2006;Waeraas and Solbakk, 2008) despite branding's rise up the strategic agenda for UK universities (Rolfe, 2003).Aspects of branding have been explored; the role of websites in university branding (Opoku, Abratt and Pitt 2006) the role of heritage (Bulotaite, 2003) the emergence of brand identities ( Lowrie, 2007), and harmonisation within brand architecture of universities (Hemsley-Brown and Goonawardana, 2007).…”

“…Certainly there is evidence of barriers to implementation of branding in universities -not least frequent 'internal resistance' to the very concept ( unless, seemingly, termed 'reputation') or a rather simplistic implementation of branding by university marketing practitioners that is marketing communications led (Chapleo, 2007) although these practitioners arguably increasingly understand branding in a fuller context. In summary, it seems that universities are expending considerable amounts of resource on branding their institutions ( Rolfe, 2003) but the literature on branding in higher education, is limited, despite the assertion that 'higher education and branding go back a long way' (Temple, 2006).…”

Is higher education in the UK becoming more competitive?

“…Rolfe (2003), for example, draws attention to the growing important of league tables, admission requirements, degree classifications and employability measures in student decision making (p. 45) and CHEPS (2006) suggest that, internationally, the most transparent and, therefore, competitive markets in higher education are likely to be found in the UK and USA. One of the most prominent issues in reforms to the public sector in general over the past few decades has been the growth in performance measurement and the use of such measurements for public purposes.…”