Scholarship reconsidered in an era of entrepreneurialism : academic professions in Hong Kong and South Korea

2020

AEDS

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the strategic role of world-class universities and the international academic profession in the regionalisation project of China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA). It illustrates the way in which the case of the GBA regionalisation project offers a potentially rich empirical example for adding contextual understanding to the literature of the Triple Helix model, which largely draws on inductive theorising from western successful innovation cases. The GBA regionalisation processes will provide a wealth of empirical cases for identifying circumstances that address tensions and increase interactions in the Triple Helix relationship of university, government and industry for fostering knowledge synergies.Design/methodology/approachFocusing on the case of Hong Kong, it engages in policy and stakeholder analysis and addresses three key research questions: What are the competitive advantages and potential strategic role of Hong Kong's universities and academic profession in the regionalisation of innovation systems in the GBA? What is the role of the governments in the regionalisation processes? What are the expected opportunities and challenges offered by the GBA policy initiatives for the future development of Hong Kong’s universities and academic profession?FindingsHong Kong, given its status as an international finance centre and global city with intense internationalisation and established judicial system operated by the rule of law, will contribute to the GBA development by leveraging on its edge in scientific research and development and international networks of academic research through the world-class academic profession. Scientists and researchers in the city, possessing the competitive advantages of basic research and international partnerships, are highly regarded by the central government. The engagement of Hong Kong’s scientific talents, can play an important role in achieving China’s aspiration of becoming a global technology power.Research limitations/implicationsAnalysis of this article implies that the GBA concept is currently China’s ambitious but vague economic plan. The opportunities in which key node cities and knowledge/ innovation clusters will capture and capitalise from the regional ‘co-opetitive” ’entrepreneurial ecosystem are still unclear. The future of the GBA regionalisation is so dynamic and open-ended that grounded concepts related to the governance innovation/ discourse of ‘one country two systems’ and social connectedness and capitalisation with Chinese characteristics will help in making sense of the contextualisation of a Chinese regional innovation system and enhancing the sophistication of reconceptualisation of the Triple Helix model.Originality/valueThis article will add to the literature some novel contextualised knowledge about the GBA’s potential triple-helix relationship between government-university-industry in the 21st century. The empirical example of China’s GBA will also shed light on a new understanding of the role of international social capital in the entrepreneurial knowledge economy, dynamics between basic and applied research, and a synergistic interface between regionalisation and national innovation system.

Section: The Role Of the Governments In The Co-opetitive Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The strategic role of world-class universities in regional innovation system: China’s Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong’s academic profession

2020

AEDS

“…The literature of "academic entrepreneurialism" is enormous, unique and expanding. In my earlier work "Scholarship reconsidered in an era of entrepreneurialism" (Tang, 2013). I suggested the usefulness of employing a normative imperative to make sense of the bodies of literature.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The "scholarship of application" denotes the aspect of scholarship which is oriented to apply knowledge to solve practical problems within a definite time. Scholarly activities key to it include: practically oriented teaching, applied research and service outside academy (Tang, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The purpose of this paper is to articulate the way in which academic entrepreneurialism manifests itself in the changing discourses of the notion of "scholarship", instead of measuring the actual actions taken (and scholarly activities) in response to the entrepreneurialism trend. For empirical findings about the impact of academic entrepreneurialism on involvement of the scholarship of application, read Tang (2013) which analyses the determinants of engagement of applied research, practically oriented teaching and service outside academies by academics in Hong Kong and South Korea.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The scholarship of application in the context of academic entrepreneurialism

Asian Education and Development Studies

2014

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to undertake an inquiry into the way academic entrepreneurialism manifests itself in the changing discourses of the notion of "scholarship". It particularly examines the contexts, rationales, definitions and implications of the discursive field of the "scholarship of application". The global trend of academic entrepreneurialism profoundly affects the organisation of higher education institutions and academic life. Particularly, the form of scholarship has been undergoing subtle but constant transformation. The emergence of knowledge economies worldwide influences the practices and goals of traditional academy and illustrates commitment for fundamental knowledge and the new economies emphasise the results and impacts brought by applied knowledge. Alongside the "scholarship of discovery", the "scholarship of application" is given attention. Design/methodology/approach -By reviewing the related literature, this paper articulates the definitions and dimensions of the "scholarship of application". In addition, the impacts brought about by the concerned academic and policy discourses will be discussed. Findings -This paper finds that the emergence of the discursive field of the "scholarship of application" -as well as the discussions and actions in response to it -coincide with the intense neoliberal changes that affected traditional academia in the 1990s. It is argued that the emergence of and subsequent responses to the discursive field of the "scholarship of application" resulted in transforming purposes and practices of academic life. The discursive field of the "scholarship of application" also impacts on the concerned academic and policy discourses. Originality/value -To sustain the advancement of the scholarship of application, this paper implies the need to develop practices, cultivate culture as well as formulate prestige and reward mechanisms inherent to the existing higher education systems.

“…The policy borrowing transpired in conjunction with the global call for education reform at the turn of the twenty-first century. This was the time when national governments worldwide engaged themselves in the construction of the “knowledge-based economy,” essentially by economizing education alongside the transferal of academic science/knowledge into economically valuable products (Berman, 2012; Tang, 2013). Advocating lifelong and “life-wide” learning as underscored in a consultative document to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, the Education Commission (2000) asserted the significance of broad and multidisciplinary knowledge, self-learning capacity for new knowledge, problem-solving power and adaptability in sustaining Hong Kong’s manpower competitiveness (p. 32).…”

Section: Democratizing Higher Education In China’s Hong Kong: Policies and Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Democratizing higher education through internationalization: the case of HKU SPACE

Tsui

2018

AEDS

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the way in which higher education participation is democratized in the entrepreneurial city of Hong Kong by the policy innovation that encompasses internationalization. There is a dearth of empirical studies about transnational education in Hong Kong, except for a few which examine students’ perceptions of transnational education from a user perspective, situated in marketized conditions (Leung and Waters, 2013; Waters and Leung, 2013a, b). The minimal volume of existing research has ignored the innovative aspects of democratizing higher learning by internationalization, namely, the operation of international degrees by overseas universities on offshore campuses. This policy innovation by transnational institutions is significant in an era of the globalization of higher education, as access to higher education cannot be otherwise realized given the local education policies. Design/methodology/approach Employing documentary research, this paper presents and assesses the growth of community college international education at The University of Hong Kong and its unique facets, juxtaposing it with the marketized context of East Asian higher education. It engages in specific reviews surrounding the operational mode and academic collaborations of the international educational programs and practices at the Hong Kong University’s School of Professional and Continuing Education. Findings This documentary research finds that the internationalized academic profession of partner universities enables curriculum design, pedagogy, teaching ideas and assessment methods to be informed by a diversity of international academic cultures and indigenous knowledge. Through this policy innovation, international education is institutionalized in such a way that it takes Hong Kong students beyond the community college context, which is relatively localized. It also illuminates the way in which the “ideoscape” of American community colleges and international partnerships with Australian and British universities have been manifested in the Hong Kong education hub for transnational student flows and intellectual exchanges across the Asian region. Originality/value This paper contributes to the academic literature of higher education studies, particularly in the areas of massification and democratization, as well as their connection with internationalization and policy innovation. It also delineates various forces that are propelling the development of higher education’s internationalization and massification.