Abstract
Internationalisation has become a worldwide trend in Higher Education in the rapidly changing globalised competitive market. Universities are pressurised to develop internationalised strategy to build legitimacy and reputation within the knowledge-based economy. An isomorphic tendency has been identified of universities mimicking successful models. Among a wide range of strategic tools, the organisational legitimacy theory allows universities to focus on exploiting their resources and capability to position idiosyncratically against competitors. This study applies Stensaker et al.’s legitimacy framework on cognitive, moral and pragmatic perspectives, to investigate how a university adopts an internationalisation strategy as one of the approaches to achieve the overall institutional objectives. Drawing on a case study of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), the paper explores how the university internationalises in a differentiated position to acquire legitimacy in specific local, regional and global contexts. PolyU strategically emphasises its pragmatic value to connect with its stakeholders in a globalised dimension. The finding broadly supports the notion of comprehensive internationalisation; that internationalisation strategy should be incorporated into other functional strategies to enhance a ‘global’ experience. The analysis of the strength and weaknesses of PolyU’s internationalisation strategies illustrates the challenges non-western universities are facing. This finding, while preliminary, raises the significance of local elements in internationalisation strategies, under the influence of soft power and constraints of organisational capabilities.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
SP: Strategic Plan.
MOOCs: Massive Open Online Courses.
SPOCs: Small Private Online Courses.
References
Altbach, P. G., & Knight, J. (2007). The internationalization of higher education: Motivations and realities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3–4), 290–305
Amey, M. J. (2006). Leadership in Higher Education. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 38(6), 55–58. doi:https://doi.org/10.3200/CHNG.38.6.55-58
Bowman, N.A. and Bastedo, M.N. (2011) ‘Anchoring effects in world university rankings: exploring biases in reputation scores’, Higher education, 61(4), pp. 431–444. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9339-1
Chaffee, E. E. (1985). Three models of strategy. Academy of management review, 10(1), 89–98
Chan, C. L. H. (2019). Hong Kong protests: battered Polytechnic University faces six months of repairs as police say more than 10,000 petrol bombs seized from campuses across city. SCMP. Retrieved from https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3039868/hong-kong-police-expected-lift-cordon-around-polytechnic
Chow, Siu-lun, Fu, King-wa, Ng, Yu-Leung. (2020) Development of the Hong Kong Identity Scale: Differentiation between Hong Kong ‘Locals’ and Mainland Chinese in Cultural and Civic Domains. Journal of Contemporary China, 29(124) 568–584. https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2019.1677365
Crawford, B., & Bethell, L. (2012). Internationalized campuses just don’t happen: Intercultural learning requires facilitation and institutional support. Higher education research in Finland: emerging structures and contemporary issues, ISBN 978-951-39-4647-0.
Davies, B. J., & Davies *, B. (2004). Strategic leadership. School Leadership & Management, 24(1), 29–38. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/1363243042000172804
de Wit, H., & Altbach, P. G. (2020). Internationalization in higher education: global trends and recommendations for its future. Policy Reviews in Higher Education, 5(1), 28–46. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23322969.2020.1820898
de Wit, H., Hunter, F., Howard, L., & Egron-Polak, E. (Eds.). (2015). Internationalization of Higher Education. Brussels: European Union Retrieved from https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/1b743fec-8b6c-45c2-aa9e-2fdf0967757b/language-en
de Wit, H., & Knight, J. (1997). Internationalisation of higher education in Asia Pacific countries / edited by Jane Knight and Hans de Wit. Amsterdam: Amsterdam: European Association for International Education
Deephouse, D. L. (1999). To be different, or to be the same? It’s a question (and theory) of strategic balance. Strategic management journal, 20(2), 147–166
Fumasoli, T., Barbato, G., & Turri, M. (2020). The determinants of university strategic positioning: a reappraisal of the organisation. Higher Education, 80(2), 305–334. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00481-6
Hambrick, D. C., & Fredrickson, J. W. (2005). Are you sure you have a strategy? Academy of Management Perspectives, 19(4), 51–62
Hazelkorn, E. (2015). Rankings and the reshaping of higher education: The battle for world-class excellence. Springer
Hudzik, J. K. (2015). Comprehensive internationalization: institutional pathways to success / John K. Hudzik. London: Routledge
Jin, J., & Horta, H. (2018). Same university, same challenges? Development strategies of two schools at a prestigious Chinese university in a changing higher education landscape. Tertiary Education and Management, 24(2), 95–114.
Knight, J. (2004). Internationalization remodeled: Definition, approaches, and rationales. Journal of Studies in International Education, 8(1), 5–31
Lo, W. Y. W. (2015). Revisiting the notion of Hong Kong as a regional education hub. Higher Education Policy, 28(1), 55–68.
Marginson, S., & Van der Wende, M. (2007). To rank or to be ranked: The impact of global rankings in higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3–4), 306–329
Mintzberg, H. (1994). The rise and fall of strategic planning / Henry Mintzberg. London: London: Prentice Hall
Michael N., Bastedo Nicholas A., Bowman (2010) American Journal of Education, 116(2) 163–183. https://doi.org/10.1086/649437
Mok, K. H., & Cheung, A. B. (2011). Global aspirations and strategising for world-class status: New form of politics in higher education governance in Hong Kong. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 33(3), 231–251.
Musselin, C. (2006). Towards a Multiversity?. In K. Georg, K. Anna, & T. Marc (Eds.), Are Universities Specific Organisations? (pp. 63–84). transcript-Verlag
Pan, S. (2020). Reconceptualising ‘internationalisation’in higher education: The case of Hong Kong. Higher Education Quarterly.
PolyU (2018). Sharping the Future - Strategic Plan 策略發展計劃 2019/20 – 2024/25, https://www.polyu.edu.hk/cpa/splan/StrategicPlan2019/index.html
PolyU (2020). PolyU in Fig. 2019/20. Retrieved from Hong Kong: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/irpo/facts_and_figures.php
PolyU (2021a). About PolyU: Motto, Vision and Mission. Retrieved from https://www.polyu.edu.hk/about-polyu/motto-vision-mission/#link
PolyU (2021b). Admissions: Prospective Students. Retrieved from https://www.polyu.edu.hk/prospective-students/
PolyU (2021c). Alumni. Retrieved from https://www.polyu.edu.hk/alumni/
PolyU (2021d). Chinese Mainland Affairs Office. Retrieved from https://www.polyu.edu.hk/cmao/about-cmao/
Postiglione, G. A. (2013) Anchoring globalization in Hong Kong’s research universities: network agents institutional arrangements and brain circulation. Studies in Higher Education, 38(3) 345–366. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2013.773605
QS. QS World University Rankings. Retrieved from https://www.topuniversities.com/qs-world-university-rankings?utm_source=topnav
Stensaker, B., Lee, J. J., Rhoades, G., Ghosh, S., Castiello-Gutiérrez, S., Vance, H., & Marei, M. S. (2019). Stratified university strategies: The shaping of institutional legitimacy in a global perspective. The Journal of Higher Education, 90(4), 539–562. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2018.1513306
Strike, T. (2018). Higher education strategy and planning: a professional guide / edited by Tony Strike. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge
Suchman, M. C. (1995). Managing legitimacy: Strategic and institutional approaches. Academy of management review, 20(3), 571–610
Taylor, J. (2004). Toward a Strategy for Internationalisation: Lessons and Practice from Four Universities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 8(2), 149–171. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315303260827
THE (2021). World University Rankings. Retrieved from https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings
UGC (2010). Aspirations for the Higher Education System in Hong Kong - Report of the University Grants Committee. Hong Kong Retrieved from https://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/ugc/about/publications/report/her2010/her2010.html
UGC (2020). Non-local Student Enrolment (Headcount) of UGC-funded Programmes. Hong Kong Retrieved from https://cdcf.ugc.edu.hk/cdcf/searchStatSiteReport.action#
Vuorinen, T., Hakala, H., Kohtamäki, M., & Uusitalo, K. (2018). Mapping the landscape of strategy tools: A review on strategy tools published in leading journals within the past 25 years. Long Range Planning, 51(4), 586–605
Vyas, A. (2018). A policy review of internationalization of higher education in Hong Kong: motivation, advancement and development. Journal of Asian Public Policy, 11(1), 46–66
Whittington, R., Regnér, P., Angwin, D., Johnson, G., & Scholes, K. (2020). Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases. Pearson Education Limited
Funding
No funding was received for conducting this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Consent for publication
I have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Conflict of interest
I declare that I have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Appendix
Appendix
Non-local Student Enrolment (Headcount) of UGC-funded Programmes by University, Place of Origin and Mode of Study, 2018/19 to 2019/20
Academic Year / Place of Origin / Mode of Study | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018/19 | 2019/20 | |||||||||||||||
The Mainland of China | Other Places in Asia | The Rest of the World | The Mainland of China | Other Places in Asia | The Rest of the World | |||||||||||
University | FT | PT | FT | PT | FT | PT | Total | As % of total student enrolment | FT | PT | FT | PT | FT | PT | Total | As % of total student enrolment |
CityU | 1719 | - | 726 | - | 169 | - | 2614 | 18% | 1938 | - | 863 | - | 187 | - | 2987 | 20% |
HKBU | 857 | - | 99 | - | 25 | - | 981 | 13% | 838 | - | 146 | - | 36 | - | 1020 | 14% |
LU | 191 | - | 30 | - | 27 | - | 248 | 9% | 262 | - | 35 | - | 29 | - | 326 | 12% |
CUHK | 2887 | - | 882 | - | 121 | - | 3890 | 19% | 2992 | - | 957 | - | 120 | - | 4069 | 20% |
EdUHK | 436 | - | 52 | - | 5 | - | 493 | 6% | 464 | 11 | 67 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 551 | 7% |
PolyU | 1614 | - | 734 | - | 130 | - | 2478 | 15% | 1650 | - | 817 | - | 134 | - | 2601 | 16% |
HKUST | 1617 | - | 1048 | - | 161 | - | 2825 | 25% | 1596 | - | 1068 | - | 169 | - | 2833 | 25% |
HKU | 3001 | - | 1356 | - | 174 | - | 4531 | 23% | 3160 | 2 | 1482 | - | 181 | 1 | 4826 | 24% |
Total | 12,322 | - | 4927 | - | 812 | - | 18,061 | 18% | 12,899 | 13 | 5435 | 1 | 863 | 2 | 19,213 | 19% |
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Cheung, L.Y.C. Internationalisation strategy through the lens of legitimacy: a case study of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Tert Educ Manag 28, 223–239 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11233-022-09099-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11233-022-09099-3