Governance of agents in the recruitment of international students

A Typology of Contractual Management Approaches in Higher Education

Bibliographic Data

ID4846258
AuthorsIona Yuelu Huang (0000-0003-0559-3952, Harper Adams University, corresponding author), David Williamson (0000-0003-3826-7889, Staffordshire Business School, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK), Gary Lynch-Wood (0000-0003-3369-4291, School of Law, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK), Vincenzo Raimo (0000-0001-8584-4445, Pro Vice-Chancellor’s Office (Global Engagement), University of Reading, Reading, UK), Charlotte Rayner (Portsmouth Business School, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK), Lindsay Addington (Global Engagement, National Association for College Admission Counselling, Arlington, VA, USA), Eddie West (UC Berkeley Extension, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA)
Year2022
Volume47
Issue6
Pages1150-1170
Publication date2022-06-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueStudies in Higher Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0307-5079 • E-ISSN: 1470-174X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03075079.2020.1861595
OpenAlexW3111143496
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited36

There is an increasing reliance on international education agents for student recruitment in Higher Education (HE), but the governance of education agents is under-researched. This study explores contractual governance approaches adopted by HE institutions for managing international education agents in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis of survey data from HE managers was undertaken involving contractual specificity, coordination, within-contract monitoring, relational contractual governance, market power and number of agents used. It produces a typology of four archetypes: strategic hybrids, pragmatic operators, flexible friends and laissez faire operators. The study reveals that, while the laissez faire approach is a path to failure regardless of the number of agents used and market power, there is no ‘one-size fits all’ linear contractual governance solution to agency problems and the achievement of results. The findings enable HE managers to better understand their agent management choices and associated outcomes

Accountability · Business · Corporate governance · Economic growth · Economics · Higher education · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Typology · Higher Education Governance and Development · International Business and FDI · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Finance

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