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Our paper addresses the analysis of how the collaboration between HEIs and companies affects the employability of HEIs students. We approach the paper from a social capital theoretical framework, and the perspective of companies, investigating how the intensity of collaboration between HEIs and companies, as well as the diversity of mechanisms used, affects the satisfaction of employers in HEIs graduates in companies. We use the database on 'Employers' perception of graduate employability' from Flash Eurobarometer of the European Commission, collecting the responses of 7,036 companies in Europe. From the theoretical point of view, our paper contributes to expanding the previous literature, showing that creating an active collaboration between the university and the company both in-depth and in breadth is a facilitator of the employment of HEIs graduates. The second contribution of our paper is rooted in managerial implications. Our results highlight the importance of establishing strong ties with HEIs, in terms of achieving a higher level of satisfaction with the employer of HEI graduates in the companies.

A range of different factors drive student decision-making with respect to studying abroad, they are called push and pull factors. They influence in the (non)-mobility experience of students. This paper focuses on the international student experience, predominantly focusing on: credit-degree mobility and bachelor -- master students. The aim of this paper is to identify enablers and obstacles within the process of going abroad according to service provision along the international student lifecycle. By applying an innovative method -- Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) -- to employ new techniques when looking for hidden structures in large numbers of texts (73,715 reviews from international students), we conclude that they exist significant differences between degree and credit mobility students, and not when comparing bachelor and master students. As a result, both groups of students place importance on three main aspects during their international experience: offerings of the city, social life and academics.

Classifications are a basic tool for research, which allow summarizing the diversity of objects in a number of categories that fits the cognitive abilities of the human mind. Their relevance for higher education is emphasized by the differentiation of institutional profiles. Yet, unlike in the US, there is currently no classification of European Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This paper fills this gap by developing a classification of European HEIs, which focuses on differences in activity profiles and subject scope. To this aim, it uses data from an enriched version of the European Tertiary Education Register on a sample of more than 2000 HEIs in a large number of European countries. The classification comprises six classes that occupy distinct positions in a configuration space defined by two dimensions, i.e. research vs. educational orientation and subject specialization. Ex-post analysis shows that classes are identifiable and can be attributed meaningful labels; the class of research universities comprises most European HEIs competing in international rankings, while a class of generalist HEIs with lower research orientation that cuts across the traditional distinction between universities and Universities of Applied Sciences can be distinguished. Furthermore, three classes of specialist HEIs can be identified. The classification provides a meaningful representation of European higher education that is more fine-grained than the distinction between university and non-university sectors while remaining parsimonious. We, finally show how national categories map to the classification, displaying its potential to compare differences in national institutional settings across Europe.

Temporary contracts are increasingly used in academia. This is a major concern for non-tenured researchers, since weak job security may hamper job satisfaction. This paper presents an empirical analysis of the role of academic tenure for job satisfaction of researchers in European countries. The work uses data from the MORE2 survey, a large-scale representative survey of researchers in all European countries. The results show that, "ceteris paribus," academics with a permanent contract are on average more satisfied with their job than those that are employed on a temporary basis. We also show that academic tenure is a relatively more important factor of job satisfaction for researchers at an intermediate stage of the career. Finally, we point out some important differences in the working of the model among European countries.

Using a unique European dataset for graduates, this paper examines the determinants of college satisfaction and investigates the relative importance of human capital, course composition, and subsequent employment outcomes. We find that aspects of the degree programme related to the mode of teaching and personal development were considerably more important in determining college satisfaction, relative to the field of study, or the subsequent jobs that they obtained. Our results highlight that practical learning approaches and an experience that enhances non-cognitive personal development (NCPD) are some of the course attributes most valued by students retrospectively. Therefore, universities can enhance the quality of student experiences, and also equip them with aspects of human capital allowing them to prosper within the labour market, with an increased focus on both applied learning experiences and non-cognitive personal development.

This paper examines interactions between the presence of top-ranked universities and other conditions that encourage regional competitiveness. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was conducted to assess the combined effect of the conditions. The analysis yields several noteworthy conclusions. First, no single condition is necessary for a region to be competitive. Second, R&D expenditure is important for regional competitiveness. Third, different configurations of conditions are sufficient for high competitiveness in different regional clusters. Furthermore, some of these configurations do not include the presence of top-ranked universities. A 'magic recipe' consists of the combination of a private research system, an inter-firm collaboration network and high levels of human capital. The analysis shows that university excellence is valuable. However, in terms of its contribution to regional development, it is not crucial and must always be contextualised. This conclusion is important for smart strategic planning of local knowledge systems.

The purpose of this paper is to carry out an empirical examination of the supply-side factors influencing dropout rates in MBA programs. We analyze the extent to which the resources and characteristics of the program (content, teaching methodology, course load, class size, partnerships, reputation) influence these rates. A GLM analysis was conducted on data obtained from a final sample of 94 executive MBA programs in Western Europe. The results indicate that several supply side factors significantly affect dropout: intensity of case study learning, number of credits per month, class size, and proportion of lessons given at partner institutions. Several implications for the design and management of higher education programs have been drawn from this research.

Expansion and changes in doctoral education globally have challenged universities to meet the needs of practising professionals. Values and purposes, structure and content and pedagogy of the provision are key considerations. This curriculum evaluation work investigated the views of 68 higher education staff mainly from Europe and North America involved in the development and delivery of professional doctorates on current issues in designing an appropriate curriculum for practitioners. Analysis of views from two international workshops suggested that while the social benefits of practitioner research were acknowledged, staff struggled with tensions in their higher education contexts to manage practitioner-focused elements, including the balance between theory and practice, recognition of practitioner methodologies and provision of appropriate supervision. The paper concludes that a wider understanding of the values and purpose of doctoral education within and beyond the academy is required that recognises the production of knowledge through practice, and supports ethical social action.

A key role for educational leaders within undergraduate medical education is to continually improve the quality of education; global quality health care is the goal. This paper reports the findings from a study employing a power model to highlight how educational leaders influence the development of undergraduate medical curricula and the resistance they encounter related to this activity. Sixteen educational leaders at a medical university in Northern Europe were purposefully sampled and interviewed through semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that the educational leaders are feeling powerless when it comes to engaging their colleagues in the process of developing medical education. As a result, these leaders appear having to create a "vicarious legitimacy"; legitimacy connected to other areas than education, such as research or clinic. Research results from this study can be used to develop faculty development programs for health education leaders on national and international levels.

Various studies show that higher education institutions contribute to regional economic development by R&D, creation of human capital, knowledge and technology transfer, and by creation of a favourable milieu. It is brought out that the basic procedure is to sum expenditures of the college community (students, faculty, staff and visitors) created by the presence of the institution and apply multipliers to account for the interdependency of economic activity in a local economy, resulting in an estimated "local economic impact." The aim of the paper is to investigate the relationship between students in tertiary education and economic growth in NUTS 2 level in Europe from 1998 to 2008 by looking whether the share of tertiary students (measuring human capital) is correlated with the share of knowledge-intensive employment (KIE) in different regions. The increase in KIE is related to increasing levels of GDP per capita and R&D expenditures. Taking into account regional-level fixed effects, the share of tertiary students is not statistically significant. We found out that the increase in KIE is related to increasing levels of GDP per capita and R&D expenditures. The share of students five periods ago has a positive relation with the KIE: as we assumed, it takes time for the human capital to contribute to the economic development.

The paper addresses the problem of the financial regulations' impact on the share of private financing in higher education institutions (HEIs). The authors postulate the trade-off between the size and stability of public financing and the regulations fostering stability of HEIs' funds. If the public sources are insufficient then the regulations increasing the stability of financing are expected. Such a policy increases the private-source financing at the expense of public-source financing, and it can be tested econometrically. The predictions are tightly related to the portfolio theory of Markowitz, where risk-averse management of HEIs minimizes the variance of available funds. The econometric analysis covers the impact of selected financial regulations on the private financing of tertiary-level education. The components of financial regulations are distinguished on the basis of the legal comparative study. The authors identify four financial regulations whose prevalence affects the diversification of European universities' financing and can improve their financial stability.

Since the 1950s, the Council of Europe has established conventions and information networks to enhance student mobility and qualification recognition in Europe. In contrast, Asia did not take this issue into consideration until 1983, when the UNESCO Regional Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees in Higher Education in Asia and the Pacific (the "1983 Convention") was adopted. The recognition of a joint degree when the schools are in two different countries is even more challenging than for a conventional degree, because they do not belong to any single national higher education system. The first purpose of this study is to describe the current situation in the recognition of foreign qualifications in higher education institutions in Europe and Asia. Next, schemes, procedures and challenges for recognizing a joint degree will be analyzed. The role of recognition bodies and quality assurance agencies in qualification recognition will be discussed at the end of the paper.

One element of the recent reforms of higher education sectors across Europe is the formation of new governance structures in universities. Supervisory boards are part of these reform processes. However, despite the importance of these boards, surprisingly little is known about their actual work. This article discusses the situation of boards in three European countries: the Netherlands, Austria and the UK. It compares the boards' constitutions with respect to composition, independence, accountability and transparency. Several problems and dilemmas come to the fore. The article concludes by indicating potential areas for improvement in the current board structure and working practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]