scholarly journals A Project Management Perspective of PhD Supervision Process – Towards Effective and Efficient Model [Abstract]

10.28945/4349 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Process Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Graduate Studies ◽  
Doctoral Studies ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Supervision Process

Aim/Purpose: Continuing low percentage of on-time-completion of doctoral studies suggest the exploration of new approaches to the process is desirable. Background: PhD studies may be viewed as a project- it is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product. Project management practices have proven to be helpful in numerous domains. Methodology: Process analysis method will be applied, using: 1) semi-structured interviews with supervisors and supervisee, 2) data gathered by the school of advance graduate studies in higher education institute. Contribution: The research will explore the appropriated measurable indicators of successful PhD and identify project management practices that promote better process and outcomes of PhD studies. Impact on Society: Better and more efficient process will support lower individual and national spending on doctoral studies Future Research: Further research should explore relevance of the findings in various settings (characteristics of the supervisor and supervisee, higher education system etc.)

scholarly journals Online Courses in the Higher Education System of Iran: A Stakeholder-Based Investigation of Pre-Service Teachers’ Acceptance, Learning Achievement, and Satisfaction

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 117-142
Author(s):  
Reza Dashtestani
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning Achievement ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
University Instructors

This study focused on the acceptance level of higher education stakeholders of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) of online courses in Iran and pre-service teachers’ learning achievement in online courses. Three cohorts of participants who were teaching or learning in online courses included pre-service teachers of TEFL (n=104), TEFL university instructors (n=23), and heads of TEFL departments (n=10). A questionnaire was designed. The Kruskal Wallis test was used to detect differences among the perspectives of the participants. Semi-structured interviews were also utilized. Results indicated that there were significant differences among the perspectives of the three groups of participants about online courses. The pre-service teachers appeared to be relatively positive about online learning, while the university instructors and heads of departments showed a lower level of satisfaction. The participants pointed out several challenges, including the lack of rigor of online courses, the incredibility of the certificates, the lack of technological infrastructures, technical problems, the impractical content of the lessons, the lack of human interaction, the low competence levels of online learning students, and employers’ lack of interest in employing graduates of online courses. The participants also mentioned that pedagogical and technological training was required for both university instructors and pre-service teachers of TEFL. The comparison of pre-service teachers’ mid-term and final scores in the online courses showed a significant difference and improvement of students’ learning achievement in online courses with medium to large effect sizes. In the interviews, the participants also confirmed that online courses could improve student learning.

scholarly journals The use of adaptive project management practices and methodologies in the development of a professional doctoral program

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-62
Author(s):  
Gabriel Barroso De Azevedo ◽  
Emerson Antônio Maccari ◽  
Nader Asgary
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Management Tools

Purpose – Higher education institutions have used more and more project management tools to run development projects to create new professional postgraduate programs. The purpose of this research was to propose an adaptive project management model for creating a professional doctoral course in Business Administration, in order to fulfill the goals established by CAPES.Design/methodology/approach – For such, the qualitative approach was favored with the adoption of the single case study method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with academic coordinators who are experts in the field in addition to the gathering of documents, thus using data triangulation to explore the phenomenon. The analysis of primary data and the analysis of documents from the Coordinating Agency for Advanced Training of Graduate Personnel (CAPES) served as inputs for analyzing and interpreting the results.Findings – As a result, we developed an adaptive project management model with the following characteristics: a) constant planning of activities, occurring in every cycle of interactions; b) iteration using short activities, allowing for more control of the project; c) validations performed continuously to ensure the goals proposed by CAPES are reached; and d) adaptable to change of scope during the execution phase of the project life cycle.Research limitations/implications – Among the limitations of the study is the lack of other studies related to the use of adaptive project management methodologies for developing postgraduate programs. And for future researches, we point out the need for applying the proposed model, to verify its efficacy and adherence to the development of a professional doctoral course.Originality/value – This study contributes to the academy by highlighting the need for project management as a tool and technique for the development of stricto sensu professional graduate programs. In this way, HEIs will be able to use a model of adaptive project management practices to achieve the objectives proposed by the CAPES evaluation process. As a result, HEIs are strengthened in the management, control and monitoring of the progress of their programs.

The hidden side of sub-supplier firms' sustainability – an empirical analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
pp. 1771-1799
Author(s):  
Shobod Deba Nath ◽  
Gabriel Eweje ◽  
Aymen Sajjad
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Supply Management ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Second Tier ◽  
Institutional Types ◽  
Institutional Actors ◽  
Normative Logic

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how sub-suppliers decouple the implementation of sustainable supply management practices in supply chains, and what institutional logics permit these suppliers to do so.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a qualitative design, we conducted 23 in-depth semi-structured interviews with owners and managers of apparel sub-suppliers. To corroborate research findings, the views of owners and managers were triangulated by further interviewing 18 key representatives of wide-ranging institutional actors.FindingsThe findings suggest that owners and managers of sub-suppliers use two decoupling responses: (1) consensual strategy to compromise sustainability requirements (2) concealment strategy. In addition, this paper identifies multiple institutional types of conflicting logics: instrumental logic, legitimacy logic complexity and gaps in normative logic, which interplay amongst sub-suppliers whereby permit to decouple the implementation of supply management practices.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the current paper provides an early contribution from the perspectives of second-tier and third-tier suppliers, future research could be extended to include further upstream sub-suppliers and downstream tiers including the end consumers.Practical implicationsIt is important for brand-owning retailers and first-tier suppliers to predict sub-suppliers' decoupling behaviour and conflicts for supply management practices implementation since they may present potential vulnerability for buyers and lead suppliers.Originality/valueThis study extends the application of institutional theory and contributes to the literature on extended suppliers' supply management practices in a developing country context, which is an under-researched area.

scholarly journals The Structure of Human Capital Management Practices in the Higher Education System of Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-94
Author(s):  
Nadeem Uz Zaman ◽  
◽  
Jan Mohammad ◽  
Abdul Naeem ◽  
Beenish Malik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Exploratory Factor Analysis ◽  
Education System ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Human Capital Management ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Higher Education System

This study attempts to explore the structure of human capital management (HCM) practices in the higher education system of Pakistan. The study does not consider the respondents to be conceptually aware of the concept of HCM, yet the prevailing practice within the HRM system might reflect a transition towards HCM. We collected our data using a selfadministered online questionnaire from 299 employees in the University of Pakistan. The data thus collected were analyzed using an exploratory factor analysis first and then a confirmatory factor analysis to further validate the structure highlighted in the data in the exploratory factor analysis. We found that there does exist a structure that can be related to HCM in the universities of Pakistan. Five components, as such, were highlighted in our analysis though we had initially added seven to the original survey. The component of talent was merged into knowledge and the component of retention was merged into supporting activities. This suggested the relevant correlations between these pairs. Thus, the structure suggests that Pakistani Higher Institutes (HIs) look for talent within education and knowledge rather than any separable aspect of human capital. Moreover, we found the retention is embedded into supporting activities. The study implicitly finds and claims that the mindset towards the implication of HCM is developing and performance evaluation and reward system are being considered as important trends in HIs of Pakistan. The study mainly focused on all the universities of Pakistan. It might be possible that the situation is different in the private and public sector HIs.

scholarly journals The challenges of project management in small and medium-sized enterprises: a literature review based on bibliometric software and content analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Letícia de Almeida Parizotto ◽  
Aldo Tonso ◽  
Marly Monteiro de Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Planning And Control ◽  
Literature Overview ◽  
Systems Collaboration ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
And Control

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to design an overview about Project Management (PM) in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) by analysing the evolution of publications and the main topics since 1996 to 2016 to motivate future research that helps SMEs to apply PM practices more efficiently. This study performed bibliometrics associated with content analysis of publications collected in scientific bases Web of Science and Scopus and in the periodic International Journal of Project Management. For that, the software VOSviewer, Nvivo, Minitab, and Excel were used in the analyses. The scan of 235 papers about Project Management in SMEs supported a literature overview. Furthermore, four thematic categories are highlighted: Project Management Practices, Planning and Control Systems, Collaboration, and Knowledge Management. Moreover, it was observed that SMEs requires a lighter PM methodology, focused on people and flexible. Besides that, the results show that the main challenges involve a lack of resources and qualified people and the high turnover. However, overcoming these issues, PM can benefit growth and innovation in SMEs. Therefore, this study presents a conceptual framework of benefits and challenges in Project Management in SMEs, reducing the research gap. Furthermore, recommendations for future research, mainly in Brazil, are given.

scholarly journals Grafting New Values into Public Institutions by Reforming the Accounting System: Lessons Learned from the Italian Higher Education System

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Guido Modugno ◽  
Ferdinando Di Carlo ◽  
Manuela Lucchese ◽  
Tommaso Agasisti
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Accounting Information ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Accounting System ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Organizational Issues ◽  
Accounting Rules

The paper wants to highlight some accounting practices in the early stage of the adoption of accrual accounting in Higher Education Institutions. The accounting reform was one of the core aspects of a process of enforced hybridization of HE institutions. Exogenous and endogenous (organizational) issues emerge, that undermine transparency and comparability of accounting information. Based on structured interviews in 14 Italian universities, the paper provides evidences of the main aspects that hinder the transparency and the comparability of accounting information with the risk to deprive the new accounting rules of their potential for change. Resistance to change could be observed, resulting in a partial or distorted adoption of the new accounting rules: some practices, in particular, aimed at safeguarding the interests of a particular group. The paper propitiates further research based on case studies aiming at understanding how public organizations tend to design internal accounting procedures that preserve the prerogatives of particular groups within the organization. The research overturns the rhetoric of the adoption of managerial practices for the enhancement of efficiency, effectiveness and economy by showing how organizations shape these practices in order to keep the status quo unchanged.

scholarly journals The system of higher education quality evaluation in France: history and modernity

2018 ◽  
pp. 139-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Durdas
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education System ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
Quality Evaluation ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Education Quality ◽  
Doctoral Studies ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Higher Education Quality ◽  
Quality Evaluation System

The features of the contemporary higher education system of France have been considered in the article. The types of higher education institutions in France and their peculiarities in the context of development tendencies have been studied and analyzed. The specific features of doctoral studies in France have been studied. The historical peculiarities of the quality evaluation system in the French higher education and its contemporary state have been highlighted.

scholarly journals Information Technology – the key enabler of multiple project management in higher education institutions

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1002-1011
Author(s):  
Raluca Vasilache ◽  
Alexandru Capatina ◽  
George Cristian Schin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
The Body ◽  
Public Institution ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Multiple Project Management ◽  
Value Of It ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The body of knowledge related to the impact of IT on project management (PM) acknowledges the driving and restraining forces for PM software implementation. However, the peculiarities of such kind of approach have received little research attention at the level of Romanian public institutions. This paper addresses this research gap in the attempt to outline how PM software becomes the key enabler of solution to level the resources involved in multiple projects managed in the same time by a public institution from higher education system. The methodological approach involves a case study, which highlight the value of IT support in the process of identifying and leveling the overallocated resources within multiple project management.

scholarly journals Using complexity and volatility characteristics to guide hybrid project management

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvana Costantini ◽  
Jon G. Hall ◽  
Lucia Rapanotti
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Current Practice ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Primary Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Method Approach ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe paper aims to provide methodological support for hybrid project management, in which the discipline of predictive methodologies combines with the flexibility of adaptive ones. Specifically, the paper explores the extent complexity and volatility dimensions of organisational problems inform choices of PM methodologies both theoretically and in current practice, as a first step towards better methodological support for hybridisation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes a mixed method approach, including both secondary research and primary research with practitioners. Primary research consists of a small scale survey (n = 31) followed by semi-structured interviews, with findings triangulated against secondary evidence.FindingsThe paper provides empirical insights on how complexity and volatility of organisational problems can inform hybrid project management practices. Specifically, it suggests a mapping between volatility and complexity dimensions and predictive and adaptive risk controls as a first step towards the systematisation of hybrid combinations in projects.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the small participant sample, the research results may lack generalisability.Practical implicationsThe paper includes implications for the development of methodological support for setting up hybrid projects in practice.Originality/valueThe paper addresses a gap acknowledged both in the literature and by practitioners.

scholarly journals Starting Doctoral Dissertation Journey with a Solid Research Problem Statement – A Four Stage Framework

10.28945/4770 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azad Ali ◽  
Shardul Pandya
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
The Other ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Student Adjustment ◽  
Problem Statement ◽  
Graduate Studies ◽  
Doctoral Studies

Aim/Purpose: Provide methodology suggesting steps to doctoral mentors to work with students in constructing their research problem statement in their dissertation. Background: Doctoral students face difficulties writing their dissertation and they begin by writing the research problem statement. Methodology: This paper uses a framework widely used to describe student adjustment to graduate studies in general and to doctoral program in particular. Contribution: This study provides a framework to mentors/advisors that is helpful in guiding the students to writing their research problem statement. Findings: Writing a research problem statement is difficult by itself. Following a methodological approach suggested in this study could help with writing it. Recommendations for Practitioners: A methodological approach in writing the dissertation is helpful to mitigate the difficulties of writing the dissertation. Our study tackles difficulties with writing the research problem statement. Recommendations for Researchers: More research needs to be done on methodological approach to writing the other sections in the dissertation. Impact on Society: Our findings in this research will help doctoral mentors/advisors as they guide students in completing the writing of their research problem statement Future Research: Intention for future research is to follow similar methodological approach in guiding students in writing the other sections of the dissertation. *** NOTE: This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 16, 469-485 Click DOWNLOAD PDF to download the published paper. ***

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