Quality measurement as a basis for resource allocation: research assessment exercises in United Kingdom universities

The research assessment exercises covering universities in the United Kingdom aim to produce quality ratings as a basis for the allocation of much of the research funding from central government. For each subject area a panel drawn from higher education and research users awards a grade to each university department. Each subject is allocated a predetermined share of the total research fund. The sum each university then receives is determined by the number of active research workers and the grades awarded.
The first research assessment exercises were carried out in 1986 and 1989. By the time of the 1992 exercise the number of universities in the United Kingdom had increased dramatically with the conferment of university status on all the former polytechnics and a small number of other institutions. This paper describes the way in which quality was assessed and the results of the 1992 exercise together with the changes made for the next exercise taking place in March 1996.
The research assessment exercises have required the new universities (principally the former polytechnics) to compete on an equal footing with the established universities for research funding and thus for their staff to engage more fully in research. The result is a major change in the environment, particularly in the new universities. This paper offers a preliminary examination of the attempts by universities to this change with the consequential effect upon the labour market.     

Business and University Technical Research Cooperation: Some Important Issues

As their product life cycles continue to shorten even further, high-tech firms can be expected to seek more external product research and development assistance. At the same time, as university budgets tighten, aggressive universities will seek more industry funds. These trends lead Don Snyder and David Blevins to predict more business–university cooperation. A nationwide U.S. survey indicates that universities that successfully attract industry funds promote both their willingness and capability to develop new commercial products. They do not insist on a minimum project size and are willing to delay publication of research results. There are, however, some ethical issues that need resolution. Commercial laboratories operated on a for-profit basis have questioned such ventures, citing unfair competition and an inappropriate interpretation of the role of universities.     

How can research on research contribute to a better management of university research?

In recent years new forms of research organizations have been established at universities, which have been faced to a much higher degree with problems of research management. This circumstance provides the main reason for starting research on research in the university field on a new basis. In the ‘Sonderforschungrbereich 79', a large interdisciplinary research unit at Hannover University concerned with ‘water research in the coastal area', a symbiosis and active co-operation was arranged between a small group of scientists engaged in research on research and a large number of scientists and engineers of several disciplines. The strong liaison between R o R scientists and their subject of investigation is institutionally organized. The purpose of this liaison is to involve R o R scientists in a feed-back process with a large university research organization and its actual management problems. The results to date have been encouraging and indicate that such an experiment can be a very worthwhile exercise.     

The development of strategic management: Journal quality and article impact

Quality ratings of strategic management journals by experts correlate closely with objective quality measures of current article impact and cumulative journal influence. In part, journal quality seems determined by editors' research stature. Over 12 years, scholarly influence of strategic management periodicals has grown nearly three-fold, as two new journals directed to conceptual development of management as a whole have risen to prominence. Expansion of strategic management research and growth of its influence may be in response to challenges posed by the continuing crisis of managerial and business performance.     

高校固定资产管理绩效评价体系构建

固定资产是高校进行教学、科研的重要物质基础,但目前高校固定资产方面存在管理制度不健全、使用效率低下等许多不利因素,因此本文提出了构建高校的固定资产管理绩效评价体系,分析如何有效使用、合理配置高校固定资产,探寻一种可操作的资产运作和管理综合评价方法,以提高固定资产的使用效率。     

高校基建项目工程造价管理

高校基本建设项目的造价控制,是高校基本建设管理工作中十分重要的工作。当前高校基建规模较大,建设资金靠贷款,如何在保证工程质量的前提下,加强建设项目的投资控制,有效地节省建设资金,使有限的投入获得最大的效益,显得特别重要。     

高校科技创新、技术溢出与区域技术进步——基于2002~2014 年数据的实证研究

本文运用Eviews7.2 软件,采用面板数据模型实证研究了高校科技创新对我国区域技术进步的影响,得到了面板数据回归结果。结果表明,高校R&D 人员投入和专利技术产出对中部和西部地区的技术进步起着显著的促进作用,R&D 经费投入对中部、西部及东北地区的技术进步起着阻碍作用,同时科技论文产出对区域技术进步的影响不显著。这表明高校应当改革传统的以论文数量、科研经费为导向的高校科研考核制度,改进和完善科研评价体系,加强人才队伍建设,整合人才资源,形成优秀的科研团队,同时要加强产学研合作,建立企业与高校之间的信息平台,从而实现信息交流和资源共享,促进高校的科技成果向企业转化。     

A hub-and-spoke model for multi-dimensional integration of green marketing and sustainable supply chain management

Since the concept of sustainability was transformed into business mainstream, both sustainable supply chain management and green marketing have become key topics of academic research and managerial practices. Great advances have been made in the two areas in parallel. It has been recognized that green marketing and sustainable supply chain management should be seamlessly integrated so that green customer's needs can be better met by the supply chain capabilities. Existing research has explored point-to-point integration approach. This paper proposes a new hub-and-spoke integration model to integrate green marketing and sustainable supply chain management from six dimensions: product, promotion, planning, process, people and project (called the 6Ps). Empirical study has been undertaken with industries to test the 6Ps integration model. Results from the empirical study on integration dimensions, integration strategies, and drivers and obstacles for multi-dimensional integration are presented together with managerial implications. The new integration model allows the flows of resources such as information, materials and funds between green marketing and sustainable supply chain management through multiple direct pathways. It has the potential to achieve better overall business performance against the triple bottom line objectives.     

The Creativity Audit: introduction of a new research measure during programmes for facilitating organizational change

A programme of intervention research is described centred around the application of a new instrument, the Creativity Audit. The audit has been administered to managers across a range of environments.
Respondents indicate their perceptions of their organization's characteristics; results are fed back as profiles of mean scores and compared to data base standard profiles. Major deviations between the two profiles are taken as indicators of starting points for consideration in change programmes.
The methodology of developing a research instrument at the same time as it is being applied in intervention activities is presented as a legitimate one, and preferable to present designs for studies if the focus of attention is primarily to assist change. It is suggested that the more traditional validatory exercises can still be conducted if further refinements in the instrument are required.     

R&D as a business – what are the implications for performance measurement?

There have been considerable changes in the way that Research and Development (R&D) has been managed over recent years, many of which have been influenced by the external environment. These have been discussed in a number of publications with much of the debate centring around the movement from the so‐called first generation to fifth generation models of R&D management.
What has not been debated to the same extent are the implications of recent and likely future trends in R&D management for the way performance is, and should be, measured. In this paper we focus on these implications, drawing upon both the existing literature on performance measurement (PM) in R&D and our own research into organisations which have chosen to move towards a more profit‐centred approach to the management of their technical resources.
Finally, we present and discuss the findings of our review, which indicate that although there are common features, some differences, requiring careful consideration by management, can be identified when movement from a cost‐ to a profit‐centred approach occurs.     

An individual‐level assessment of the relationship between spin‐off activities and research performance in universities

One of the most problematic aspects in the creation of spin‐offs by university personnel concerns the relationship between entrepreneurial activity and research activity by researcher‐entrepreneurs. The literature has expressed varying and opposing views as to the nature of the relationship, but very little has been produced to empirically legitimate one position or another. The present work proposes to address this shortcoming by exploring the relationship existing between academic spin‐off generation and the research performance of enterprise founders. The study investigates whether, and to what extent, scientific performance by academic entrepreneurs is different than that of their colleagues, and if the involvement in entrepreneurial activity has an influence on the individual's research activity. The research questions are answered by considering all spin‐offs generated by Italian universities over the period 2001–2008 and evaluating, through a bibliometric approach, the scientific performance of founders relative to that of their colleagues who carry out research in the same field. The data show better scientific performance by the researcher‐entrepreneurs than that of their colleagues, and in addition, although there are some variations across fields, the creation of a spin‐off does not seem, on average, to have negative effects on the scientific performance of the founders.     

Creating a bridge between university and industry in small European countries: the role of the Industrial Liaison Office

The frequent and intermittent need for new scientific knowledge has resulted in an increasing focus on links between industry and academic institutions. This has been particularly pronounced in the flows of knowledge between the two partners, which may lead to considerable diffusion of scientific and technical knowledge, particularly into the small firm sector. This development could be of particular benefit to smaller peripheral economies, which have demonstrated low levels of indigenous industrial technological development. As a result, universities could become increasingly important for local economic development in smaller countries on the periphery of Europe. However, a greater understanding is required of the pro-active role that the university itself can play in developing strong linkages with industry, particularly through mechanisms such as the Industrial Liaison Office (ILO). In particular, there needs to be an examination of the strategies and policies that are undertaken to increase the process of technology transfer from academia into local indigenous business within smaller countries. This paper will therefore examine the role that universities play in the regional economic development in two contrasting small countries of Europe, namely Sweden and Ireland. Drawing on interviews with key individuals in the processes of technology transfer between academia and industry (including ILOs), as well as secondary data, it will examine the general role and function of the industrial liaison office and how this has changed. It will also discuss the involvement of the university in different types of industrial links, the main opportunities and barriers to the development of links between university and industry, the benefits to the university from industrial links, and the perception of industry’s assessment of the relationship with universities. The research will provide valuable insight into the role of universities in developing innovation and entrepreneurship within the smaller and peripheral countries of Europe and will determine whether these universities are undertaking a pro-active role in encouraging the growth of innovative indigenous industry. This may have significant policy implications, especially with regard to the development of specific regional programmes to encourage academic-based entrepreneurship.     

An empirical analysis of the relationship between university investments in Technology Transfer Offices and academic spin‐offs

The aim of this paper is to analyze the role of university Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) in contributing to the creation and the performance of academic spin‐offs (ASOs). More specifically, it investigates the relationship between resources invested in TTOs in term of employees and the creation and growth of ASOs. The empirical analysis refers to Italy, where since 1999 academicians have been allowed to be actively involved in setting up companies for the ‘industrial use of research’. We used data on ASOs and resources invested by Italian universities in TTOs during the 2002–2011 period to investigate if and to what extent such investments contributed to the birth and growth of ASOs. We also controlled the results using information on university and on local context, in which university is located. The results of the empirical analysis show that in a first phase academicians reacted more promptly than universities to the opportunities offered by the new legislation, which may in part be due to the organizational rigidity that characterizes Public Administration in Italy. However, the empirical analysis also shows that after this initial phase the size of the TTOs (in terms of employees) has had a positive influence on the number of new ASOs (i.e. birth), but not on the performance of ASOs (i.e. growth), which is influenced by both long‐term investments in research (i.e. the quality of research results) and other variables linked to the regional and national contexts, such as the presence of incubators or the level of economic development. Our results regard a widely studied topic and should provide incremental findings for the community of entrepreneurship scholars and relevant implications for policy makers and TTO managers.     

系统动力学在民办高校财务管理中的应用

民办高校是市场经济体制的产物,是一种社会资本寻利的行为。稳健的财务状况是学校有效运行的可靠保障。运用系统动力学主导结构反馈环分析方法,为高阶、非线性、复杂的财务系统管理目标最优化提供新的分析方式,并为决策层加强财务管理提供战略决策建议以及有效依据。结果表明,短时间内招生费用的支出,对可用资金增加做出巨大贡献,而办学水平与教学质量的提升才是高校未来立足于社会的根本。     

Perceptions of United Kingdom exporters in transferring technology into the People's Republic of China

The objective of this study was to identify for UK firms active in transferring technology into the PRC, their perceptions of the market and their clients. The research was progressed by questionnaire and interview. The companies approached were selected on the basis of contracts listed in Chinese government publications and the financial press.
The main findings relate to the lack of awareness in the UK of the role of the Chinese research institutes, the poor quality of Chinese management, the inadequacy of infrastructure and training needed to support the new technology and the absence of problems arising from cultural differences or leakage of proprietary information. The Chinese are eager to obtain new technology although there is some difficulty in identifying suppliers.     

Foreign‐born academic scientists: entrepreneurial academics or academic entrepreneurs?

Although foreign‐born scholars make up a significant portion of the US professoriate, little is known about how their ‘foreign‐born’ identity directly or indirectly affects their entrepreneurial prowess. This article integrates role identity theory with theoretical arguments from social network and cultural proximity theories to examine whether foreign‐born academic scientists can better be characterized as entrepreneurial academics (strong government grant productivity) or academic entrepreneurs (strong involvement in the creation and commercialization of university‐invented technologies). Our analysis indicates that foreign‐born academic scientists seem more successful in attracting research resources, but are less successful in exploiting their inventions through entrepreneurial activities. They can therefore be best described as entrepreneurial academics. These findings may partially explain the tepid performance of many research‐intensive universities in terms of technology transfer and commercialization. We discuss the policy implications of our findings and provide guidance for academic entrepreneurs.     

The Formation of Fairness Perceptions in the Cooperation between Entrepreneurs and Universities

For entrepreneurs who intend to exploit university‐owned technologies, a cooperative relationship with the university is critical. This study aims to better understand this entrepreneur–university cooperation. A key factor influencing the quality of this cooperation is the fairness perception of the entrepreneur. However, little is known about how these fairness perceptions are formed in this context. Therefore, to increase insight in entrepreneur–university cooperation, this study explores the formation of fairness perceptions by entrepreneurs who cooperate with universities (in so‐called university spin‐offs). This study assesses how the rules these entrepreneurs employ to form fairness perceptions differ from fairness rules that have been established in previous studies on organizational justice. The results show that, in addition to established fairness rules, there are also fairness rules that are more specific to this entrepreneurial setting. These specific rules complement the established fairness rules to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the formation of fairness perceptions by entrepreneurs cooperating with a university. Moreover, this study explores to what extent different entrepreneurs form fairness perceptions differently and finds that both experience and relational capital of the entrepreneurs within the university are two key sources of heterogeneity. Overall, this study contributes to the literature by conceptualizing how entrepreneurs form fairness perceptions in cooperating with universities and how this extends established wisdom in organizational justice theory. Moreover, the rules identified in this study provide clues for entrepreneurs who wish to improve their collaboration with universities, and may also apply to the relationships between entrepreneurs and large corporations and between entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.     

我国封闭式基金的业绩和驱动因素研究

以基金的平均周收益率、詹森指数、特雷诺指数、夏普指数以及基金的选股能力、择时能力、抗跌能力为基础研究了54只封闭式基金的业绩排名,发现平均周收益率高的基金经过风险调整后的回报率仍然很高,这说明能够在一定程度上控制风险的基金其业绩较佳;大多数平均周收益率高的基金其收益突出是因为其选股能力突出,而这些选股能力突出的基金中大部分的基金抗跌能力也很强;少数平均厨收益率高的基金其收益突出是因为其择时能力突出,但这部分择时能力强的基金却未表现出强的抗跌能力。根据这些指标提出了基金的诊断式评级,以为投资者和监管机构提供更多的信息。     

Time allocations across collaborations of academic scientists and their impact on efforts to commercialize novel technologies: is more always better?

We investigate how time spent in different collaborative research arrangements by academic scientists affect their propensity of involvement in the commercialization of novel, university-originated technologies. Three common collaborative strategies used by academic scientists: (1) internal (within the research group or within the home university) research collaboration; (2) cosmopolitan research collaboration (with scientists in other US or foreign universities); or (3) university–industry research collaboration are assessed. Drawing on the concepts of cognitive and spatial distance, the empirical findings suggest that only one internal research collaboration strategy has a significant impact on the propensity of academic scientists to engage in the commercialization of novel technologies with a private firm; however, this relationship is inverse U shaped. More importantly, academic scientists adopting a university–industry collaboration strategy and spending more research time in such an arrangement have a significantly stronger propensity for being involved in technology commercialization with a private firm; however, this relationship is inverse U shaped as well. We discuss the managerial and policy implications of the findings.     

Foreign‐Born Academic Scientists and Their Interactions with Industry: Implications for University Technology Commercialization and Corporate Innovation Management

This study examines and characterizes the way foreign‐born academic scientists interact with private firms. Using status characteristics theory, this inquiry explores how foreign‐born tenured and tenure‐track academic scientists in the 150 most research‐intensive U.S. universities interact with the private sector by means of six discrete interaction modes. The study further investigates whether foreign‐born academic scientists' interactions with private firms are more of a formal or informal nature vis‐à‐vis those of native‐born scientists'. The empirical analysis indicates that foreign‐born academic scientists have lower odds of having been approached by private firms to ask about their research activities, lower odds of having served as a paid consultant to firms, and lower odds of having been engaged in the joint transfer and commercialization of technologies with private firms relative to their U.S.‐born counterparts. In contrast, foreign‐born academic scientists have significantly higher odds of having coauthored scientific articles with private firms than their U.S.‐born counterparts. The paper discusses the implications for university technology commercialization and innovation management in firms.