Eleventh NEWS Conference, China Three Gorges University, April 22-26 2014

1. Cross-Cultural Dimension and Higher Education: A Global PerspectiveKarl KochLondon South Bank University, London, UK Eleventh NEWS Conference, China Three Gorges University, April 22-26 2014

2. Introduction Linkage between Higher Education and the diffusion of practices in Business/Economics/Management Rapid rate of change of globalisation – driven by accelerating technological and knowledge based innovation Fundamental shifts in global educational landscape (World Yearbook of Education, 2014) Accelerating change in the global higher education environment Globalisation a complex platform generating need for universal communication and comprehension Cross-Cultural Dimension critical but under researched

3. Focus of Paper Interconnectivity demands an understanding of: Global Economics Global Business Environment Higher Education Cross-Cultural Understanding Two contradictory aspects: 1. Collaboration between nation states and institutions 2. Fierce competition in global markets

4. Real GDP Growth in Selected Countries Annual Growth Rate Source: Data from ECB, Monthly Bulletin, March 2014, p. 9.

5. Note: * Rank Order 2010 Source: Statistics from EUROSTAT 2010 and 2013 Mayor EU Trade Partners 2010 & 2013 ( Total EU Trade % )

6. The Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) 2013-2014Source: Statistics adapted from: The Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014, p.15

7. Higher Education in the Global Framework • Complex Global Economic Landscape: Short term issues of academic mobility, Internalisation of tertiary sector. In the long term strategies of Nations/Economic Regions leading to competitive advantages. • Rise of students enrolled outside their country of citizenship at university level increased from 0.8 million world wide in 1975 to 4.3 million in 2011. • Highest % of international students in descending order, in: Australia, United Kingdom, Switzerland, New Zealand, Austria. • Dominance of Asian students enrolled worldwide – 53%.

8. International Students as % of all Tertiary Enrolments in Selected Countries- 2011* Vocational education, **University level education, ***Advanced study & researchSource: Selected & adapted from OECD, 2013

9. International Student Numbers in the UK by Subject, 2011 – 2012Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency, March 2014, Uk

10. Significance of Cross-Cultural Dimension • International or global active enterprises/organisations/NGO’s have increasingly been aware of the role ‘culture’ plays in gaining incremental advantages • Survey conducted over every year of senior executives of 250 southern Californian companies identified “cultural” differences as the most critical international issue (Aigner and Kraemer, 1994 – 2000 • Predominant problem of analysing the role of culture is definitial • Term culture finds application across numerous fields of study: Linguistics, anthropology, psychology, management, business, neurosciences

11. General Definition of Culture • “National culture is defined as the values, beliefs and assumptions learned in early childhood that distinguishes one group of people from another. National culture is embedded deeply in everyday life and is impervious to change.” ( Newman and Nollen, 1996 0

12. National Level Culture • “……..it is important to note that the influence of all the different facets of the four main national factors (i.e. , national culture, national institutions, dynamic business environment and industrial sector) contingent variables (such as size, age, organizations, presence of unions, and HR strategies) and the HR strategy with its organizational strategies and policies of HRM is context specific.” • (Budhwar & Sparrow, 2002)

13. Classic Cross-Cultural Model

14. Recent Advances in Understanding Culture • Boroditsky – Human cognition is not lrgely universal and independent of language and culture • Harzing – Management in the international context is profoundly affected by cultural and language differences • Assmann – Cultural memory is a critical factor in determining cultural behaviour • Chiao – Neuroscience, an emerging interdisciplinary science, is revealing how cultural and genetic diversity affect psychological and neural processes

15. Holistic Culture Definition Culture is intimately linked to language, is deeply embedded in societal behavioural patterns, is a determining factor in defining perceptions, attitudes and actions on specific foci in social systems, and is underpinned by a biological base.

16. Cross-Cultural Dynamic Model

17. Conclusion • Globalisation an encompassing phenomenon • Agent of profound change on the socio-economic and political landscapes of nation states • Accelerating pace of change: greater interconnectivity, emerging economies from Asia, South America, Eastern Europe • Globalisation and its consequences increasingly demand a holistic analysis • Lack of knowledge of the impact of cultural factors on institutions and actors in the global environment • Cultural dimension provides a critical element to the processes and outcomes of globalisation • In particular incremental international competitive advantages are gained, in for example higher education strategies, by cross-cultural awareness and understanding