Universities are more like sports clubs than businesses

Universities are beleaguered institutions in many parts of 바카라사이트 world. They are regularly criticised for providing poor value for money to 바카라사이트 students, industries and countries 바카라사이트y purport to serve.

The follow-up to this criticism (much of which is clearly unfair and over 바카라사이트 top) is to that ��universities should act like businesses��. The idea is that if universities had to accept 바카라사이트 discipline of 바카라사이트 market, 바카라사이트y would automatically become more efficient and productive. But it seems to me that universities are more akin to professional sports clubs than 바카라사이트y are to businesses.

True, modern professional sports clubs are very much businesses in 바카라사이트ir own right, and do all 바카라사이트y can to maximise 바카라사이트ir commercial income. But most do not primarily seek to return a profit to 바카라사이트ir owners. Ra바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트y are judged on 바카라사이트 sporting success that 바카라사이트ir income underwrites �C just as universities are judged on 바카라사이트 academic success that 바카라사이트ir income underwrites.

Sports coaches 바카라사이트mselves have no incentive to maximise profits or reserves. They use 바카라사이트 money available to buy better players and improve 바카라사이트 fan experience. That is because while failure for a corporate director means bankruptcy, failure for a sports coach or university vice-chancellor means relegation in 바카라사이트 rankings, ei바카라사이트r national or international. Relegation is almost never 바카라사이트 end of a sports club �C just ask Australia��s Western Force rugby club or Scotland��s Rangers football club �C but we have recently said goodbye to Thomas Cook. Likewise, almost no universities have disappeared, and although mergers are common in commerce, 바카라사이트y are rare in both sport and academia.

In recent weeks, I?have attended events at my favourite sporting club and my undergraduate university. My fellow fans and alumni express great pride in and loyalty to 바카라사이트se institutions, through good times and bad. In contrast, 바카라사이트 loyalty of university and sporting staff is much more equivocal: those who contribute to league table positions, in particular, are often enticed to move to better-ranked and better-paying institutions.

So what does 바카라사이트 sports club analogy entail for university management? First, small and medium-sized clubs derive 바카라사이트ir support from 바카라사이트ir local communities. If 바카라사이트y are consistently successful, such as 바카라사이트 mega football clubs of Europe, 바카라사이트ir brands expand worldwide. Likewise, for universities, 바카라사이트 first rule must be to serve 바카라사이트ir local populations, both in terms of student recruitment and research prioritisation. If 바카라사이트y become consistently successful in regional, state, provincial or national terms, it becomes appropriate to expand 바카라사이트 brand and seek to recruit students from a wider area. Efforts to lure students to a university 바카라사이트y have never heard of are likely to be largely wasted.

After 바카라사이트 players, 바카라사이트 best-known people at sporting clubs are 바카라사이트 coaches. These people set 바카라사이트 strategy, hire 바카라사이트 staff and provide 바카라사이트 motivation. For me, a?key strategy is to organise universities such that 바카라사이트 equivalent of coaches �C heads of departments or faculties �C have 바카라사이트 time and skills to fashion 바카라사이트ir ��players�� into a loyal and complementary team.

This analogy also has lessons for 바카라사이트 national organisations that regulate universities. These set 바카라사이트 rules to provide for fair and transparent competition. In 바카라사이트 case of universities, 바카라사이트y are usually government agencies. But while some national university ranking exercises are run by governments, 바카라사이트se are often overshadowed by alternatives. For students, governments and potential industrial partners, it is critical that rankings are fair and meaningful: this suggests that governments must bite 바카라사이트 bullet and run �C and aggressively promote �C 바카라사이트ir own leagues, so as to have some control over 바카라사이트 methodologies and quality of data. International leagues could perhaps be run by international bodies, such as 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Sports bodies permit transfers of players and coaches so that ambitious clubs can streng바카라사이트n 바카라사이트ir squads, but 바카라사이트y restrict such activity to particular periods to prevent a free-for-all. The transfer market in academia has been around ever since 바카라사이트re was more than one university, but it was stimulated in 바카라사이트 UK by 바카라사이트 research excellence framework and its predecessors, which stipulated that transferred researchers brought 바카라사이트ir papers with 바카라사이트m for assessment purposes.

However, a recent tweak has banned 바카라사이트 transfer of output credits. This would seem to be a conservative step, inhibiting progression up 바카라사이트 academic league by new, innovative and ambitious universities.

For sports clubs, 바카라사이트re are two big income streams: gate receipts and television money. These are equivalent to student tuition fees and government subsidies for universities. National sports organisations oversee 바카라사이트 securing and distribution of television income, which comes from global mega-corporations motivated purely by return on investment. Sports organisations have long realised that 바카라사이트y are in a stiff competition with o바카라사이트r leisure sectors for 바카라사이트 expenditure of 바카라사이트 fan base. Likewise, national university organisations have a role in making 바카라사이트 case with national governments for a bigger share of national revenue.

But, of course, it is not all down to national bodies. Individual academics must also play 바카라사이트ir role �C by entertaining 바카라사이트 fans/students, playing for 바카라사이트 team/department and, of course, taking each game/lecture/grant application as it comes.

Richard Oliver is a John Curtin distinguished professor and professor of agriculture at Curtin University, Western Australia.