Female Academics in Greek Higher Education: Issues of Organizational Change, Economic Crisis and Social Responsibility

2016 ◽  
pp. 119-136
Author(s):  
Antigoni Papadimitriou
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Organizational Change ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Economic Crisis

Modernisation of Higher Education – Willful Action or Wishful Thinking? The Case of Bulgaria

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-17
Author(s):  
Elena Blagoeva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
National Level ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

The impact of the last global economic crisis (2008) on the European economy put a strain on higher education (HE), yet it also pushed the sector towards intensive reforms and improvements. This paper focuses on the “Strategy for the Development of Higher Education in the Republic of Bulgaria 2014-2020”. With a case study methodology, we explore the strategic endeavours of the Bulgarian government to comply with the European directions and to secure sustainable growth for the HE sector. Our research question is ‘How capable is the Bulgarian HE Strategy to overcome the economic and systemic restraints of Bulgarian higher education?’. Because the development of strategies for HE within the EU is highly contextual, a single qualitative case study was chosen as the research approach. HE institutions are not ivory towers, but subjects to a variety of external and internal forces. Within the EU, this is obviated by the fact that Universities obtain their funds from institutions such as governments, students and their families, donors, as well as EU-level programmes. Therefore, to explore how these pressures interact to affect strategic action on national level, the case method is well suited as it enabled us to study the phenomena thoroughly and deeply. The paper suggests the actions proposed within the Strategy have the potential to overcome the delay, the regional isolation and the negative impact of the economic crisis on the country. Nevertheless, the key elements on which the success or failure of this Strategy hinges are the control mechanisms and the approach to implementation. Shortcomings in these two aspects of strategic actions in HE seem to mark the difference between gaining long-term benefits and merely saving face in front of international institutions.

scholarly journals Communication of Socially-Responsible Activities by Higher Education Institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 483
Author(s):  
Libena Tetrevova ◽  
Jan Vavra ◽  
Simona Munzarova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Communist Country ◽  
Public Higher Education ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
The Czech Republic

Higher education institutions play a fundamental role in the scientific, economic, social, and cultural development of each and every society. In view of new challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of their social responsibility and ability to effectively communicate the socially–responsible activities which are performed is growing. The aim of this article is to analyze and evaluate the scope and structure of socially-responsible activities communicated on the websites of public higher education institutions operating in a small post-communist country where education plays a traditional role—the Czech Republic, and to formulate recommendations for improvement of the level of communication of social responsibility by higher education institutions. Primary data was obtained using latent analysis of the content of the websites of all public higher education institutions operating in the Czech Republic. The CE3SPA method was applied. The survey which was performed shows that the level of communication of social responsibility by higher education institutions in the Czech Republic is low. Activities in the field of economic and social responsibility are communicated in the greatest scope. On the contrary, activities in the field of environmental responsibility are communicated the least. Public higher education institutions in the Czech Republic should therefore apply the measures proposed in the article, these also being transferrable to practice in other countries.

scholarly journals Organizational Change Management in Higher Education through the Lens of Executive Coaches

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 269
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Vlachopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Organizational Change ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Organizational Change Management ◽  
Executive Coaches ◽  
Leadership In Higher Education ◽  
Education Leaders ◽  
Higher Education Leaders

This study investigated perceptions of organizational change management among executive coaches working with British higher-education leaders and factors that make leaders effective when managing change. This basic qualitative research used semi-structured interviews with eight executive coaches selected through purposeful sampling. As main challenges to efficient, inclusive change management, participants mentioned leaders’ lack of a strategic vision or plan, lack of leadership and future leader development programs, and lack of clarity in decision-making. They recognized that leaders’ academic and professional profiles are positively viewed and said that, with coaching and support in leadership and strategic planning, these people can inspire the academic community and promote positive change. Additional emphasis was given to the role of coaching in the development of key soft skills (honesty, responsibility, resiliency, creativity, proactivity, and empathy, among others), which are necessary for effective change management and leadership in higher education. The paper’s implications have two aspects. First, the lessons of the actual explicit content of the coaches’ observations (challenges to efficient change management and views of leaders); second, the implications of these observations (how coaching can help and what leaders need).

scholarly journals Strategic stakeholder management by corporate social responsibility: Some conceptual thoughts

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Stiglbauer
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Strategic Management ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Corporate Responsibility ◽  
Stakeholder Management ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Supervisory Boards ◽  
Corporate Strategic Management ◽  
Corporate Social

The sustainability and responsibility of corporate strategic management has become an important issue in recent years, not only against the background of the current financial and economic crisis. Companies are expected not only to succeed economically, but also ecologically and socially. Companies can use the issue of corporate responsibility to capture new markets and opportunities. But new requirements arise. Thus, stakeholders may exert pressure on companies to assume social responsibility, whereas executives shall lead by example. This paper tries to assess possiblities to meet stakeholder expectations towards companies by implementing corporate social responsibility concepts. We identify primary and secondary stakeholders of companies by using salience theory and try to give conceptual answers how the well-known concept of Caroll‟s corporate social responsibility pyramid my help to improve the current situation and to take top management and supervisory boards into account to establish a change of focus on corporate social responsibility not just as a hot topic.

scholarly journals Student Auditing of University Social Responsibility - Reform through Reflective, Experiential Learning?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Menezes ◽  
Márcia Coelho ◽  
Fernanda Rodrigues ◽  
Peter Evans ◽  
Brian Martin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Initial Data ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
European Universities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Teaching Support ◽  
The Impact

The emphasis on the social responsibility of higher education institutions emerged more systematically in the Post-Bologna European context. This paper presents an overview of a case study on a certificate in university social responsibility auditing, based on three European universities: Edimburgh, Kaunas and Porto. The goal is to develop an auditor training for students based on experiential learning, that is coherent and replicable in diverse contexts and that involves the various stakeholders. The project is based on a set of benchmarks of university social responsibility developed in the context of a European project, namely:  Research, Teaching, Support for Learning and Public Engagement; Governance; Environmental and Societal Sustainability; and Fair Practices. We will report on the initial data generated by the ESSA Project, in respect of student recruitment, baseline attitudes and the impact of participation in the training and the first audit.

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