Exporting hospitality & tourism education abroad...

321 Pages·2016·6.69 MB·English

by  Rick Lagiewski

Edinburgh Napier University, UK

Doctoral (PhD) Thesis

Exporting hospitality & tourism education abroad
and its influence on the home programme
internationalisation.
_________________________________

Author:
Richard Mark Lagiewski

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Edinburgh Napier
University, for the award of Doctor of Philosophy
Submission Date: January 2016
Abstract
HEIs have, over the recent decade, been involved in internationalisation of their
academic programmes and in the delivery of their degrees in international locations.
Internationalisation is associated with the incorporation of international facets into the
composition of curriculum, faculty, and students through a combination of activities and
policies. One such activity associated with internationalisation is transnational
education, in which the degree students are located in a different country than where the
institution delivering the education is based.
Transnational education is often categorised in many forms: franchise, twinning,
articulations, double degree programme, partnership, distance education, and
international branch campus. Hospitality and tourism programmes have been identified
as having been involved not only in internationalising their degree programmes, but also
in delivering their degrees internationally in branch campus locations. However, even
though the narrative has been on the start-up, operations, and management of these
IBCs, less is known about the impacts the international branch campus has on the
exporting hospitality and tourism programme.
This research, based in management, tourism, and international education, and viewed
through a post positivism and critical realist perspective, presents an understanding of
the effects that exist between hospitality and tourism programmes in HEIs and their
IBCs. This is achieved through developing a typology of the influences that overseas
expansion has on the exporting hospitality and tourism programme. To address the
objective of this research, a case strategy approach was used to support the exploratory
and descriptive nature of this topic of study. The methodological design consisted of a
mixed-methods approach, exploring three hospitality-tourism programmes in the United
States delivering their degrees at international branches campuses. A conceptual
framework based on elements associated with overseas expansion of both firms and
HEIs and the theoretical foundations regarding internationalisation, guided data
collection and analysis.
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The significance of this study is twofold. First, it contributes to greater understanding of
IBCs from the perspective of the home campus. Much of the literature surrounding
exporting education through IBCs broadly focuses on three themes: market entry, risks
and benefits, and quality control issues. Understanding these influences back at the
home campus programme contributes to an underdeveloped area in the transnational
literature. Secondly, the research contributes to the topic of internationalisation specific
to the academic field of hospitality and tourism management. Although there is much
consensus that academic programmes should prepare students for an international
industry and a global marketplace, it is unclear the role that exporting hospitality and
tourism degrees on IBCs has in internationalising the exporting degree programme
specific to students, faculty, and curriculum.
Greater insight was gained regarding IBCs and internationalisation by assessing the
influences of IBCs through the experiences of home campus faculty and staff.
Additionally, findings may also prove useful to organisations, both academic and
commercial, seeking to expand internationally. Findings of this research demonstrate
that delivering a degree internationally is motivated by both internal and external
factors, but home programme leadership combined with pull factors from the
international location may be the catalyst in the decision to expand internationally.
Additionally, the justification for international expansion and the outcome of this
activity appears to be most associated with expanding the programme’s brand and
credibility in the area of international education.
Impacts on faculty, students, and curriculum diverge somewhat when considering the
mobility between both the home campus and international branch campus. Students at
the home campus experience internationalising influences based on two factors. The
first is their study abroad experiences at the branch campus, and the second is their
interactions with foreign students who transfer to the home campus. Similarly, faculty
who engage with the branch campus onsite in the international location are in some
cases gaining international exposure that allows them to internationalise their
perspective on the industry and their students. Faculty and staff at the home campus
identify the challenges of supporting both the necessary resources of the international
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branch campus, and the requirements to serve the changes associated with the home
campus environments.
Keywords
Internationalisation; transnational education; IBCs; hospitality and tourism programmes;
study abroad
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Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the invaluable support of my Director of Studies, Dr. Paul
Barron, and second supervisor, Dr. Anna Leask. I am extremely thankful for their
assistance and encouragement throughout my Ph.D. study. Completing their degree
while working full-time in the United States and raising a family, I could not have found
two more understanding individuals. I am truly grateful to Dr. Paul Barron who went
far above-and-beyond what a research student could expect one’s supervisor to do.
Special thanks must also go the School of Marketing, Tourism and Languages at
Edinburgh Napier University and the University’s Research Degrees Assessment Board,
who supported the extra time required to complete this work. This flexibility and
understanding not only allowed me to make up for my misjudgement of being registered
for the full-time programme when the part-time programme was a more realistic path,
but allowed me to achieve the credentials needed to carry on my academic career.
Dr. Lois Farquharson was the first one to welcome me to Edinburgh Napier University
and whose friendliness and passion for the School of Marketing, Tourism and
Languages helped assure me that I had made the right choice. My thanks also go to Dr.
Janice McMillan who has served as a great sounding board and official internal
examiner of my research process. Her style and recommendations are much
appreciated. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Anne Munro, Annie Ogletree, Jim
Doyle, and Sally Williamson for making all of my research conference visits successful,
both personally and professionally. I extend my thanks to all of my fellow research
students who made me feel welcome and part of the cohort during my time on campus.
It is important to thank all of the faculty and staff from Florida International University,
Rochester Institute of Technology, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas who
participated in this research. Without their willingness to share the inner workings of
their academic programmes, this research would not be possible. Special recognition
goes to professors Jonathan Pernick, Dr. Carol Whitlock, and Dr. Patrick J. Moreo who
helped support data collection at these schools.
I would also like to thank Debra A. Lockwood for her time and effort spent transcribing
the interview stage of this research. I am so appreciative of Dr. Muhammet Kesgin for
his assistance and help with NVIVO and SPSS issues and questions.
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Thanks must go to my past department chairs who supported me with time and financial
resources: Dr. Marilyn Chase, Dr. Francis Domoy, and Dr. Carol Whitlock. I would
also like to recognise those scholars who have inspired my career choice in academia:
the late Dr. Richard Marecki, Dr. James Myers, and Dr. Ronald Savitt. Without their
inspiration, this journey would have never begun.
My final thanks are to my family. To my wife, Clare, I would like to thank you for
everything, especially your love, support, and patience through a most difficult journey.
Thank you for keeping me sane and for being there always when I needed you. To my
sons, Ricky and Christopher, I apologise for the times when I was stressed or too busy
to help you when you needed it. Special thanks to my sister, Lori, who hosted and
organised annual family gatherings and helped our parents when I was unable to. I
would also like to say a particular thank you to my parents, Dick and Jeanne Lagiewski.
Their parenting and love has been the key to all of my successes, big and small.
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Author’s declaration
I, Richard M. Lagiewski, declare that the work presented in this thesis is original. It has
been produced by me, except as acknowledged in the text, as the result of my own
research. The material has not been submitted, either in whole or in part, for a degree at
this or any other university.
Quantitative findings from data collected in this study were utilized to present a refereed
conference paper titled: The Role of Exporting Hospitality and Tourism at the
Education in a Transitional Environment and Internationalization - 29th EuroCHRIE
Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia October, 2011 (see Appendix P).
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List of Contents
Abstract ............................................................................................. ii
Keywords ............................................................................................ iv
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................... v
Author’s declaration ................................................................................. vii
List of Contents .........................................................................................viii
List of Tables .......................................................................................... xiv
List of Figures ........................................................................................... xv
Abbreviations .......................................................................................... xvi
SECTION ONE: Introduction to the study .......................................... 17
Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................ 17
1.1 Background ....................................................................................... 17
1.2 Statement of the problem .................................................................. 20
1.3 Purpose and significance of the study ............................................... 20
1.4 Research Aim and Objectives ........................................................... 21
1.5 Scope and Assumptions .................................................................... 22
1.6 Definition of Terms ........................................................................... 22
1.7 Study Methodology ........................................................................... 24
1.8 Thesis Structure ................................................................................. 24
SECTION TWO: Literature review ..................................................... 26
Chapter 2: Internationalisation ................................................................ 26
2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................... 26
2.2 Defining Internationalisation ............................................................ 27
2.3 Rationale for internationalisation ...................................................... 30
2.4 Methods and Measures of internationalisation.................................. 32
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2.4.1 Faculty and staff ......................................................................................... 34
2.4.2 Students ...................................................................................................... 37
2.4.3 Curriculum .................................................................................................. 39
2.4.4 Institutional leadership and support ............................................................ 41
2.5 Summary ........................................................................................... 43
Chapter 3: Transnational education ........................................................ 44
3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................... 44
3.2 Motivations for transnational education ............................................ 45
3.3 Forms and methods of transnational education ................................. 49
3.4 Management Issues in Transnational Education ............................... 53
3.5 Methods used to study internationalisation and transnational
education ........................................................................................... 56
Chapter 4: The concept of internationalisation and the multinational
organisation ............................................................................ 57
4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................... 57
4.2 ‘Corporate Internationalisation’ defined ........................................... 59
4.3 Influence of international operations................................................. 60
4.4 Central Themes in the Literature ....................................................... 65
4.4.1 Return on Foreign Venture ......................................................................... 68
4.4.2 Reverse knowledge transfer ....................................................................... 71
4.4.3 Internationalisation ..................................................................................... 72
4.5 Conceptual Framework ..................................................................... 75
4.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................... 76
SECTION THREE: Research Methodology ........................................ 77
Chapter 5: Methodology ........................................................................... 77
5.1 Introduction ....................................................................................... 77
5.2 Methodological Reflection ................................................................ 78
5.3 Research Objectives .......................................................................... 79
5.4 Methodological Organisation ............................................................ 80
5.4.1 Research Philosophy .................................................................................. 81
5.4.2 Ontological and Epistemological Meanings ............................................... 82
5.4.3 Research Paradigms.................................................................................... 83
5.4.4 Postpositivism and Critical Realism ........................................................... 86
5.4.5 Critical Realism .......................................................................................... 87
5.5 Research Approach ........................................................................... 88
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5.6 Research Design – Case Strategy ...................................................... 89
5.7 Choices of Methods (Mixed Methods) ............................................. 94
Chapter 6: Methods ................................................................................... 96
6.1 Techniques and procedures for data collection and analysis ............ 96
6.1.1 Ethical Considerations ................................................................................ 97
6.1.2 Phase One – Identifying academic programmes with an IBC .................... 98
6.1.2.1 Identifying hospitality and tourism programmes delivering their degree at an IBC99
6.1.2.2 Surveying hospitality and tourism management programmes to determine study
sample ................................................................................................................... 100
6.1.2.3 Analysis of US hospitality and tourism management programmes ...................... 101
6.1.3 Phase Two – Online survey of faculty and staff at case programmes ...... 102
6.1.3.1 Quantitative Data Collection from faculty and staff at FIU, RIT and UNLV ...... 102
6.1.3.2 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 104
6.1.4 Phase Three – Interviews of faculty and staff at FIU, RIT and
UNLV ....................................................................................................... 105
6.1.4.1 Sampling ............................................................................................................... 105
6.1.4.2 Data Collection Faculty / Staff Interviews ........................................................... 107
6.1.4.3 Interview Analysis ................................................................................................ 111
6.2 Study Sample Higher Education Institutions .................................. 112
6.2.1 Florida International University ............................................................... 112
6.2.2 Rochester Institute of Technology ............................................................ 115
6.2.3 University of Nevada, Las Vegas ............................................................. 118
SECTION FOUR: Analysis and Findings .......................................... 123
Chapter 7: Why academic programmes offer their degree overseas . 123
7.1 Introduction ..................................................................................... 123
7.2 Pull factors for exporting the hospitality and tourism degree ......... 124
7.3 Government demand to meet changing social and economic
conditions ........................................................................................ 125
7.3.1 China’s goal to prepare students for growth in the tourism sector ........... 125
7.3.2 Croatian aim to rebuild tourism sector and provide western
education .................................................................................................. 126
7.3.3 Singaporean economic development initiative ......................................... 128
7.4 Financial incentives for western academic degree programmes ..... 129
7.5 Push factors for exporting the hospitality and tourism degree ........ 131
7.5.1 Entrepreneurial leadership ........................................................................ 133
7.5.2 Expand the brand internationally .............................................................. 134
7.5.3 Internationalising the home programme ................................................... 136
7.5.4 Growing enrolment and increasing revenue ............................................. 138
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