Reputation management by Chinese universities: Primary profile and comparative features

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Christensen, Tom; Gavrila, S. Gabriela; Ma, Liang; Ramirez, Francisco O.
• 署名单位: University of Oslo; Renmin University of China; Stanford University
• 刊物名称: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0033-3298
• DOI: 10.1111/padm.12679
• 发表日期: 2020
• 页码: 1027-1043
• 关键词: higher-education; ORGANIZATIONAL REPUTATION; MISSION STATEMENTS; REFORM; responses; members

摘要

In this study, we analyse data from 176 Chinese universities to examine the use of reputation symbols on official websites. We find that Chinese universities prefer professional and performative symbols more than moral symbols. Reputation symbols are mainly observed in teaching, research, history and strategy categories, whereas their use in internal operations and the external environment is limited. A comparison with samples from the United States and Nordic countries indicates that their universities differ in the use of reputation symbols, with relatively high emphasis on professional and moral symbols, respectively. This difference can be attributed to divergent national cultures, higher education regimes and globalization. Here, we discuss the implications of our findings on reputation management by universities in a globalized world.