Papers by Stephen Wilkins
Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 2025
This study compares the impact of transnational higher education (TNHE) on student identity in tw... more This study compares the impact of transnational higher education (TNHE) on student identity in two types of operating model, namely the international branch campus and Sino-foreign institute. The developmental characteristics of both types in China over the past two decades are reviewed, with a focus on students' identity positioning in the contexts of institutional purposes. A qualitative approach is adopted to delve into participants' narratives and reflections, followed by an analysis of their identity development through the lens of Bildung theory. Differences in the purposes and strategies of the two types of TNHE institution were found to have an impact on students' experiences and perceptions of their ongoing self-identity formation. By comparing the two types of institution, the research provides new insights for the further development of higher education internationalisation in China and other countries that offer different models of transnational education.
Elgar Encyclopedia of the Sociology of Education, 2025
International branch campuses (IBCs) are satellite bricks-and-mortar entities established by a hi... more International branch campuses (IBCs) are satellite bricks-and-mortar entities established by a higher education institution in a foreign country. The increased popularity of neoliberal ideology has spurred the ambitions of entrepreneurial higher education institutions, but also host governments have often instigated such initiatives. At the start of 2023, 333 IBCs were operating globally. IBCs are often associated with neocolonialism, as source countries such as the United Kingdom, France and Russia were former colonizers, while host countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Uzbekistan were former colonies. IBCs generally aspire to replicate Western models of higher education, where students follow Western curricula using Western pedagogies, and where the language of instruction is English. This contribution addresses research on IBCs from a sociology of education perspective; themes that figure largely are the motivations for setting up or hosting IBCs, neo-colonial/Westernized curricula, student diversity and quality assurance.
Quality and Quantity, 2024
Purposive sampling (PS) is one of the most commonly used approaches in qualitative research acros... more Purposive sampling (PS) is one of the most commonly used approaches in qualitative research across a wide range of scientific disciplines. Despite its popularity, there is still no researchbased framework for conducting, teaching and evaluating PS applications. In this study, we articulate a framework developed from insights collected from thirteen professors and senior research experts at leading universities and research centers worldwide, across eight distinct social science disciplines in the fields of education, business and health policy. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and then analyzed using the codebook thematic analysis technique. The proposed PS framework embraces the flexibility, inductive and coherence principles of qualitative inquiry. It provides an application guide for novice researchers and postgraduate students, and an appraisal tool for academics, principal investigators and journal reviewers. Additionally, the results highlight the important role of supervisors and principal investigators in the entire research process.
Journal of Studies in International Education, 2024
International branch campuses (IBCs) are commonly used by nations and universities to achieve int... more International branch campuses (IBCs) are commonly used by nations and universities to achieve internationalization. Although existing research has examined students’ attitudes and behaviors toward IBCs, few studies have investigated these issues in an intra-country context. Hong Kong institutions’ IBCs in the Greater Bay Area of Mainland China are examples of cross-border education that is offered under China’s ‘one country, two systems’ policy. Using the concept of global-national local imbrication as the theoretical lens, this qualitative study explores contextual factors influencing students’ motivations to enroll at a Hong Kong institution’s intra-country IBC. The findings suggest that students are drawn by global (e.g., high level of internationalization), national (e.g., shared culture), and local (e.g., high function-price ratio) factors to enroll at IBCs. These findings have generated new insights into students’ motivations within a unique environmental context, and the global-national-local imbrication paradigm provides a new attempt to explain the destination and institutional choices of students in transnational education.
Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 2024
Between 2018 and 2022, 23 foreign higher education institutions established a campus in Uzbekista... more Between 2018 and 2022, 23 foreign higher education institutions established a campus in Uzbekistan, resulting in it becoming the nation with the third largest number of international branch campuses globally, behind China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The purpose of this research is to understand the Uzbek government’s and foreign institutions’ rationales for engaging with transnational education (TNE) in Uzbekistan, as well as the founding and operational challenges, and the early outcomes. The data used in this study were obtained primarily from a range of expert stakeholders, who have expert and up-to-date knowledge on the development and operation of TNE institutions in Uzbekistan. Guided by our participants’ views and the secondary data examined, an optimistic outlook is anticipated for higher education development in Uzbekistan. The paper concludes with sets of recommendations for local policy makers, TNE institutions, and host countries aspiring to elevate their higher education through TNE.
Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 2024
Based on the first ratings of international branch campuses (IBCs) by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human... more Based on the first ratings of international branch campuses (IBCs) by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), which are further supported by findings in the literature, we investigated students’ institution choices and satisfaction focusing on country of origin and campus environment as possible key influences. The study adopts an inductive qualitative research design involving semi-structured interviews with 53 IBC students in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We found that an IBC’s country of origin influences both students’ institution choices and students’ overall satisfaction with their institution. Although we also found that campus servicescape and facilities impact upon students’ institution choices and satisfaction, these were secondary when compared to education-related factors. We conclude that while a favourable campus servicescape may contribute less to overall student satisfaction compared to other factors, a campus environment with poor or inadequate facilities and equipment may result in student dissatisfaction.
Journal of Strategic Marketing, 2024
Rollover contracts are agreements that automatically renew, or ‘roll over’, when the contracted t... more Rollover contracts are agreements that automatically renew, or ‘roll over’, when the contracted term is completed, unless the customer has previously given notice to terminate the agreement. Although ubiquitous, academic examination of this contract model is scarce, and it is not known the extent to which rollover contracts influence consumer satisfaction and individuals’ subsequent behaviors. A conceptual model was developed and tested using structural equation modeling. The data were obtained from a survey of 994 service consumers in the United States. Perceived value emerged as the strongest enabler of consumer satisfaction with rollover contracts, followed by convenience, while consumer confusion – e.g., caused by lengthy and complex contracts – has the strongest negative effect on consumer satisfaction. The strongest relationships in our model are between satisfaction and staying intentions, word of mouth, and future rollover acceptance with other firms and products. The paper presents important theoretical contributions and managerial implications.
Computers & Education, 2023
Previous research has indicated that the quantity and quality of lecturer-student interaction may... more Previous research has indicated that the quantity and quality of lecturer-student interaction may enhance student engagement in online lessons, and that student engagement may promote student learning and satisfaction. However, the effectiveness of such interaction may depend upon the lecturer's leadership characteristics and technology use. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify lecturers' charismatic leadership and technological use that enable student engagement, and ultimately, student learning and satisfaction. An online survey was used to obtain data from 659 higher education students in the United States, which were analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling. Lecturer charismatic leadership and technology use are each significantly related to student engagement, which predicts students' learning performance and satisfaction. Further, it was found that in the lower self-efficacy student group, lecturer charismatic leadership and technology use significantly improves students' behavioral engagement. The findings of this research emphasize the importance of lecturer and learner characteristics for effective interaction and outcomes in online lessons.
International Journal of Educational Management, 2023
Breakout rooms are commonly used by lecturers as a means to achieve collaborative learning in onl... more Breakout rooms are commonly used by lecturers as a means to achieve collaborative learning in online lessons. Although breakout rooms can be effective at encouraging student engagement, interaction, and learning, many students dislike being forced to interact with peers, and for some students it can lead to feelings of anxiety and stress. Successful collaborative learning depends upon having the 'right' individuals working together, so the purpose of this research is to identify specific learner attributes that are associated with purposeful interpersonal interaction in breakout rooms. An online survey was used to obtain data from 664 higher education students in the United States, which were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Students' technology readiness, social identification, and intercultural communication competence are each significantly related to the achievement of purposeful interpersonal interaction, which is strongly related to students' perceived learning. The breakout room represents a unique and specific context for collaborative learning, where there may be minimal lecturer supervision, and where students may choose to disengage by turning off their cameras and microphones, or simply listen without participating (known as lurking). The existing literature has given little attention to how lecturers allocate students to online breakout rooms. The findings of this research emphasize the importance of lecturers considering learner attributes when forming breakout room groups.
Merits, 2023
Encouraged by the perceived success of new public management (NPM) in other nations globally, the... more Encouraged by the perceived success of new public management (NPM) in other nations globally, the Abu Dhabi government adopted this system of management after 2010. To date, limited research has investigated the advantages and disadvantages of NPM for both the organization and the employee. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which NPM influences employee behaviors, particularly focusing on any possible negative effects of NPM on employee work–life balance. An exploratory, inductive, qualitative research method was adopted, which involved a total of 42 semi-structured interviews, conducted in two rounds with 21 public sector managers in Abu Dhabi. It was found that the strategic objective of maximizing customer satisfaction increased the workload of most managers, and one-third of our research participants perceive that their work–life balance has deteriorated since NPM was adopted. However, removing levels from organizational hierarchies and increasing individual responsibilities were generally reported as motivating. Although studies undertaken in other countries have suggested a link between NPM and worsening employee work–life balance, this link does not always hold true among our participants. Indeed, most individuals reported high levels of loyalty toward their organization and high levels of organizational citizenship behaviors. The reasons for these positive outcomes are explained.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution.
Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, 2022
Purpose-The study examines the role of social media technologies as a driver of organization cult... more Purpose-The study examines the role of social media technologies as a driver of organization cultural intelligence and new product development capabilities, and how the complementary effects of these capabilities contribute to multinational corporations' (MNCs) performance. Further, the study investigates the capabilities-performance relationship under conditions of high and low market and technological turbulence.
Design/methodology/approach-A quantitative survey method was implemented, with the data provided by senior marketing managers employed in MNC regional offices. The proposed model was tested using structural equation modelling and multi-group moderation analysis, and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis.
Findings-The results indicate that social media technologies support the development of organization cultural intelligence and new product development capabilities, which in turn contribute to MNC regional performance. A high level of technological turbulence only weakens the relationship between organization cultural intelligence and performance.
Research limitations/implications-The results suggest that organization cultural intelligence contributes to MNCs' performance, by deploying social media information, and complementing the organization's new product development capability under a specific environmental context.
Practical implications-The paper offers practical recommendations to MNCs on social media use when developing and launching new products in different regional markets. MNCs need to recruit culturally intelligent managers, who consider the level of market and technological turbulence when combining different types of capabilities.
Originality/value-Within the dynamic marketing capabilities literature, this is the first study to incorporate and reliably measure cultural intelligence capability. The research offers empirical evidence that organization cultural intelligence and new product development capabilities are necessary to achieve superior MNC performance, and depend on the levels of market and technological turbulence.
Journal of Marketing for HIgher Education, 2022
Previous research suggests that campus design and facilities may influence students' institution ... more Previous research suggests that campus design and facilities may influence students' institution choice, perceived teaching and learning quality, student experience, and student satisfaction. However, to our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate-from the student perspective-the possible benefits of a new purpose-built campus in a transnational education setting. It was found that campus design, physical environment, and facilities may influence students' choice of institution, but these have less weight than other factors such as the university's reputation and teaching quality. Most students believe that opportunities for higher quality teaching and learning exist at the new campus, as all participants reported that the new teaching rooms have improved layouts and incorporate more technology. Also, most students perceive their overall student experience at the new campus as good or excellent, and every participant rated their overall satisfaction as the same or higher at the new campus compared to the old campus. No student was less satisfied with the new campus. The research findings suggest that institutions and students may both derive considerable benefits from a new purpose-built campus that has been well-designed and constructed.
International Journal of Educational Management, 2022
Universities worldwide struggle to retain students, so it is important to identify the factors th... more Universities worldwide struggle to retain students, so it is important to identify the factors that may improve retention levels. The research investigates key factors that have an impact upon student satisfaction and students' staying and supportive intentions. Of particular interest is the extent to which organizational identification and institution reputation influence student satisfaction and behaviors. A conceptual model was developed and tested using covariance-based structural equation modeling. The data were obtained from a survey of 419 first year full-time undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates. Perceived quality of teaching, organizational identification and institution reputation were found to be significant predictors of student satisfaction in our model, with student satisfaction having both direct and mediating influences on students' staying and supportive intentions. The research highlights that although perceived quality of teaching has an influence on student satisfaction, the influences of organizational identification and institution reputation are stronger. The findings suggest that universities should undertake activities that strengthen student-university identification and institution reputation, as these may strongly influence students' attitudes and behaviors. The paper discusses strategies that institutions may implement to develop and maintain organizational identification among students.
Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions, 2018
The book chapter provides a definition and discussion about transnational education.
Citation:... more The book chapter provides a definition and discussion about transnational education.
Citation:
Wilkins, S., & Juusola, K. (2018), Transnational Higher Education, In P. Teixeira and J. C. Shin (Eds.), Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Dordrecht: Springer Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_249-1.
Journal of Studies in International Education, 2021
This research investigates the attitudes, working conditions, experiences, and job satisfaction o... more This research investigates the attitudes, working conditions, experiences, and job satisfaction of academic staff employed at offshore campuses. An online survey questionnaire was completed by 72 academic staff in 10 different countries, which included China, Malaysia, Qatar, the UAE, and Vietnam. It was found that the desire for adventure and travel, and to experience a foreign culture, were the most popular motivations for working at an offshore campus. Common challenges and disadvantages of teaching at an offshore campus are the lack of job security, support for research, academic freedom, and opportunities for development and advancement. However, such academics often have motivated students, smaller class sizes, greater autonomy at work, fewer meetings, higher disposable income, and less of the 'publish or perish' culture. Almost three quarters of our research participants believe that it is possible to have an attractive career teaching in transnational education, at offshore campuses.
Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 2021
The purpose of this study is to analyze how firm cultural intelligence and social media technolog... more The purpose of this study is to analyze how firm cultural intelligence and social media technologies influence the international marketing capabilities of multinational enterprise (MNE) regional offices. The data used in this research were obtained from MNE regional offices located in the Emirate of Dubai, which were analyzed using structural equation modelling. The results indicate that firm cultural intelligence and social media technologies have unique and complementary contributions to the development of international marketing capabilities, and these capabilities play an essential role in firm performance by lessening the adverse effects of foreign market turbulence.
Journal of Strategic Marketing, 2021
Rollover contracts are becoming increasingly commonplace in a range of service markets. Such cont... more Rollover contracts are becoming increasingly commonplace in a range of service markets. Such contracts automatically renew for a further term when a contractual period comes to an end. Rollover contracts represent a unique form of loyalty, because a consumer who signs a rollover contract at the time of initial purchase, signals a commitment to stay loyal to the firm before they have even experienced the service delivery. Prior studies of automatic renewal have predominantly been undertaken in the domain of consumer economics, and the psychological dimension of buyer decision making has yet to be explored. The desire for convenience was found to have the strongest influence on consumers' propensity for rollover service contracts. Additionally, trust as a mediator of reputation, and perceived value also influence consumers' attitudes and behavioral intentions for selecting these products. It is concluded that service providers should ensure that consumers recognize that there is an element of reciprocity which is mutually beneficial to both parties in the provision of such contracts.
The International Journal of Management Education, 2021
The aim of this research is to discover the views, practices and advice of experienced doctoral e... more The aim of this research is to discover the views, practices and advice of experienced doctoral educators on how doctoral students in the fields of business and management may be encouraged and supported to write for publication, in order to promote their development as future academics. The data used in the study came from an online questionnaire survey completed by 54 individuals worldwide, who teach and/or supervise on doctoral business/management programmes. The job titles of the survey participants include dean, director of doctoral programmes, full/titled/chaired professor, and associate professor. Our survey participants unanimously agree that it is imperative for doctoral students who intend to pursue an academic career in higher education to achieve publications before they graduate, and that institutions and supervisors should share the responsibility to equip students with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to become effective and successful academic authors. The paper concludes with recommendations for students, institutions and supervisors/advisors. To our knowledge, this is the first international study that has explored the attitudes and practices of experienced doctoral educators to doctoral publishing, in the contexts of student development for an academic career, and doctoral supervisors acting as career mentors alongside their supervisory role.
Middle East Journal of Management, 2021
In numerous markets, companies from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are among the global market le... more In numerous markets, companies from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are among the global market leaders, and are therefore arguably 'punching well above their weight'. This research aims to uncover some of the key factors that explain the success of UAE multinational companies. The study adopted an inductive, exploratory qualitative research methodology involving interviews with elite informants who held positions at, or near, the top of their organisational hierarchies. An iterative process of thematic analysis led to the conclusion that UAE firms tend to possess a can-do culture. Although some firms have previously been described as having a can-do culture, researchers have not attempted to identify the underlying components of this culture. We conceptualise a can-do culture as a bundle of firm attributes that together generate firm competitive advantages. The five dimensions of a can-do culture are transformational leadership, market and entrepreneurial orientations, support for innovation, and possession of dynamic capabilities.
Journal of Strategic Marketing, 2022
Margin management is an important aspect of marketing mix decision making. We argue that when pro... more Margin management is an important aspect of marketing mix decision making. We argue that when production costs increase, product managers must eventually choose among three alternatives: raising selling prices, reducing pack quantities, or decreasing product quality. Thus, the purpose of this research is to ascertain consumer trade-off preferences-among product price, pack quantity and product quality-for different types of FMCG products. Adopting a choice-based conjoint analysis research design, the study used three samples of American consumers. It was found that for each of the three FMCG product categories tested, quality is the product attribute most favoured by the respondents. For two of the three products, pack quantity was rated the least important product attribute, suggesting that manufacturers may have a better chance of maximising profit by reducing pack quantity, rather than increasing price or lowering quality. In the context of margin management, this is, to our knowledge, the first study to examine consumers' preferences related to the trade-off between product price, pack quantity and product quality.
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Papers by Stephen Wilkins
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution.
Design/methodology/approach-A quantitative survey method was implemented, with the data provided by senior marketing managers employed in MNC regional offices. The proposed model was tested using structural equation modelling and multi-group moderation analysis, and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis.
Findings-The results indicate that social media technologies support the development of organization cultural intelligence and new product development capabilities, which in turn contribute to MNC regional performance. A high level of technological turbulence only weakens the relationship between organization cultural intelligence and performance.
Research limitations/implications-The results suggest that organization cultural intelligence contributes to MNCs' performance, by deploying social media information, and complementing the organization's new product development capability under a specific environmental context.
Practical implications-The paper offers practical recommendations to MNCs on social media use when developing and launching new products in different regional markets. MNCs need to recruit culturally intelligent managers, who consider the level of market and technological turbulence when combining different types of capabilities.
Originality/value-Within the dynamic marketing capabilities literature, this is the first study to incorporate and reliably measure cultural intelligence capability. The research offers empirical evidence that organization cultural intelligence and new product development capabilities are necessary to achieve superior MNC performance, and depend on the levels of market and technological turbulence.
Citation:
Wilkins, S., & Juusola, K. (2018), Transnational Higher Education, In P. Teixeira and J. C. Shin (Eds.), Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Dordrecht: Springer Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_249-1.