scholarly journals What can be done to improve higher education quality and graduate employability in Nigeria? A stakeholder approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 358-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chinyere Augusta Nwajiuba ◽  
Paul Agu Igwe ◽  
Abiola Deborah Akinsola-Obatolu ◽  
Afam Ituma ◽  
Michael Olayinka Binuomote
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Employability Skills ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Private Organizations ◽  
Graduate Employability ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Higher Education Quality

The purpose of this study is twofold. First, it identifies the extent to which Nigerian higher education institutions (HEIs) enable the development of graduate skills and employability. Second, it outlines the roles of the major stakeholders in higher education and suggests ways to improve graduates’ knowledge, employability and skills. The study is based on a qualitative design incorporating interviews with representatives of public and private organizations, education agencies and members of non-governmental organizations in Nigeria. The data were analysed thematically to ascertain the perceptions of key stakeholders. The findings reveal that there is a minimal collaboration between HEIs and industry and many HEIs in Nigeria lack the necessary pedagogy, funding and infrastructure to carry out the teaching of employability skills. Several practical and policy implications arise from the study regarding improving graduate employability in Nigeria – in particular, the need to create a culture and environment that are conducive to HEI–industry–government collaboration and the need to design the curriculum to enable the teaching of employability skills.

scholarly journals Transnational sustainability certification for the bioeconomy? Patterns and discourse coalitions of resistance and alternatives in biomass exporting regions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Vogelpohl
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Political Economies ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Sustainability Standards ◽  
Discourse Coalitions

AbstractThe bioeconomy is nowadays widely proclaimed by governments and corporations around the world as a new paradigm for a sustainable economy. Essentially, it broadly denotes the promotion, development and establishment of the use of biogenic resources in diverse kinds of industrial technologies, production processes and products. Yet, in order for the bioeconomy to be sustainable, it has to be assured that these biogenic resources are sourced sustainably. In the last 30 years, transnational sustainability certification (TSC) has established itself as a popular instrument in this context, for example in the case of European biofuels sustainability regulation. In the last decade or so, however, TSC initiatives in several biomass production sectors like palm oil, soy, fruits, aquaculture or fisheries—mostly initiated by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and corporations from the Global North—are increasingly met with resistance from actors from the resource-producing countries, mostly located in the Global South. Issues brought up in this context concern their lack of legitimacy and respect for national regulatory sovereignty and conflicting priorities in terms of sustainable development. Consequently, governmental and corporate actors from the resource-producing countries have developed sustainability standards that now at least partly compete with TSC. Against this background, this contribution investigates this apparent dilemma of biomass certification by taking stock of existing TSC initiatives and territorial responses to them in several sectors of the bioeconomy in order to discover general patterns and dynamics of transnational biomass sustainability certification. This analysis is based on a review of existing empirical studies on these issues as well as on conceptual literature on discourse coalitions and transnational hybrid governance for the classification of the different aspects and developments in the individual sectors. Results show that TSC is indeed challenged in all sectors around story lines of sovereignty and sustainability, employed by closely associated state and industry actors in the specific context of the prevalent state-industry relations and the practices and institutions of the respective international political economies. Beyond this general pattern, these alternative systems take on different shapes and complex relations between transnational and territorial sustainability governance emerge that are not always antagonistic, but also exist in parallel or even complementarily and involve various hybrid configurations of public and private actors. Overall, this casts some doubt on the potential of TSC as an instrument to safeguard the sustainability of the bioeconomy and shows one of its potential pitfalls, which is reflected upon in the conclusion.

scholarly journals THE CONTRIBUTION OF NGOS IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: AN EVALUATION OF STAKEHOLDERS' PERCEPTION

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 47-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
VIRGÍNIA TALAVEIRA VALENTINI TRISTÃO ◽  
JOSÉ AMÉRICO MARTELLI TRISTÃO
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Education ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Private Sector Organizations ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Public And Private Sector

Abstract Environmental education practiced by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) presents itself as a new teaching method directed at changing habits, attitudes and social practices seeking solutions for the social-environmental degradation afflicting the contemporary world. This work seeks to identify the perception and expectations of stakeholders regarding the contribution of NGOs in environmental education. The research was guided by the Delphi method and, as a result, verified that the involved stakeholders understand that environmental education practiced by NGOs must be ample, free, professionalized and directed towards all the segments of society via partnerships with public and private sector organizations.

Non-State Actors and the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention in Asia: Achievements, Problems, and Prospects

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 461-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro CHECHI
Keyword(s):  
World Heritage ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
World Heritage Convention ◽  
Private Interests ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Outstanding Universal Value ◽  
State Actors ◽  
The One

AbstractThe philosophy underlying the UNESCO World Heritage Convention of 1972 [WHC] consists in promoting a system of international co-operation in the context of which the States Parties commit to preserving the cultural treasures of “outstanding universal value” located within their territories. However, it is a fact that today many properties inscribed on the List set under the WHC are endangered. This paper will focus on the role played by “non-state actors” in the enforcement of the WHC. It will thus dwell upon the relationships between public and private interests, on the one hand, and between international and domestic legal orders, on the other. Its purpose is to map out and discuss the most salient problems about the involvement of non-state actors—particularly non-governmental organizations [NGOs] and private companies—in the monitoring and implementation of the WHC.

The Relevance of Stakeholders in an International Context

2019 ◽  
pp. 196-214
Author(s):  
Jaime Guerrero-Villegas
Keyword(s):  
Stakeholder Theory ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
International Context ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
High Level ◽  
Point Of Reference

The study of the stakeholders is key to a firm's survival and success. This chapter serves as a point of reference for managers by providing a better understanding of stakeholder theory and of the different groups of stakeholders. Additionally, the chapter analyzes the international scenario characterized by globalization and a high level of competitiveness in order to understand the role played by specific stakeholders such as shareholders, employees, governments, and non-governmental organizations. After reading this chapter, readers should be able to understand the basic principles of stakeholder theory; to identify the different groups of stakeholders, analyzing the role that they play in the firm; to understand the motives which push firms to operate internationally and the different methods that they can use to carry this out; and to reflect on the key stakeholders in an international context.

Open Educational Resources for MOOC

2018 ◽  
pp. 220-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Kumar Deval
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
End Users ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Time Space ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Government

The higher education sector is being influenced by many factors, and a paradigm shift from conventional learning to virtual learning can easily be observed. MOOCs are an innovative initiative in promoting and imparting virtual learning to the end users that are restricted to pursue their higher education due to time, space, and money constraints. Open educational resources are an integral part of MOOCs, and to sustain the viability of MOOCs, quality open educational resources are a need of the hour. Issues related to MOOCs and open educational resources are being taken up by various governmental and non-governmental organizations in accelerating the e-learning concepts among their citizens and to fill up the gaps, if any, to avoid digital divide between the students of regular and open universities. India, being a developing country, needs to put more efforts into promoting the concepts of MOOCs and to popularizing the concepts. In this regard, the Government of India has introduced various platforms for open educational resources for enhancing and supporting MOOCs.

scholarly journals Work Integrated Learning at Tertiary Level to Enhance Graduate Employability in Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Faieza Chowdhury
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Quality ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Graduate Employability ◽  
Higher Education Quality ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Government ◽  
Work Integrated Learning

In the last few years, higher education institutions (HEIs) in Bangladesh have been under severe pressure to transform the way they operate. The present Government of Bangladesh requires all universities to improve their quality of education and has implemented various projects such as Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP) in collaboration with the World Bank. As Bangladesh has set a target to transition out of the status of Least Developed Country (LDC) to Developing country by 2024, graduate employability and education quality are pivotal interests for the Government of Bangladesh. This paper investigates the concept of work integrated learning (WIL) and generic skills vital to enhance the employability of the current graduates in Bangladesh. We explore different types of WIL that can be applied at higher academic institutions in Bangladesh and what are the various benefits of this type of learning to the key stakeholders, namely; students, universities and employers. Finally, we conclude by pointing out the prerequisites that need to be considered in order to successfully implement WIL in Bangladesh. This is a descriptive study and we have collected data from different secondary sources such as documents available from government agencies, research organizations, archives and library. Moreover, we have also used interviews from sources such as newspapers and magazines documenting views of well-respected academicians and personalities in Bangladesh. Our findings indicate that in order to successfully integrate WIL, there are some prerequisites such as modifying the current curriculum, designing and offering work oriented courses, building strong connections with potential employers and creating awareness about WIL among faculty members and students.

scholarly journals QUALITY ASSURANCE IN DEPARTMENTAL HEIs: THE INFLUENCE OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-191
Author(s):  
Natalia Salnikova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations

The development of the quality of higher education is a priority for the modern state policy of Ukraine. To implement the quality standards of higher education adopted in the European Higher Education Area, Ukrainian departmental universities are adapting the European experience, forming an internal quality assurance system. Departmental universities have been establishing an internal system of quality assurance since 2016. At this stage, the relevant provisions on the level of the universities have been developed to regulate the distribution of powers between different departments of the HEI. Another direction of quality assurance is cooperation with external stakeholders, in particular public organizations of various levels. Based on the analysis of examples of interaction between departmental higher education institutions of Ukraine and international non-governmental organizations available on the websites of relevant institutions, a conclusion was made about the discrete nature of cooperation and the lack of public information about the cooperation. According to information on the sites the universities and international NGOs cooperate in the form of joint public events of academic character, they organise training, conferences and round tables. International non-governmental organizations have great potential to ensure the quality of specialized higher education, in particular, in the joint development and revision of educational programs with universities, educational activities involving international experts, conducting international seminars and workshops, joint projects. Moreover, non-governmental organizations can provide educational services of non-formal education; to carry out projects addressed to local communities in partnership with higher education institutions. The author considers non-governmental organizations to be an important mechanism for articulating public interests and requests of citizens and local communities which is critically important for the departmental universities. To realize this potential of cooperation, it is necessary to establish additional documents (regulations, concepts), which will detail the mechanism of cooperation between the departmental university and the non-governmental organization

scholarly journals Employability in higher education: a review of key stakeholders' perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Cheng ◽  
Olalekan Adekola ◽  
JoClarisse Albia ◽  
Sanfa Cai
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Employment Rate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Graduate Employability ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
The Uk

PurposeEmployability is a key concept in higher education. Graduate employment rate is often used to assess the quality of university provision, despite that employability and employment are two different concepts. This paper will increase the understandings of graduate employability through interpreting its meaning and whose responsibility for graduate employability from the perspectives of four key stakeholders: higher education institutions, students, government and employers.Design/methodology/approachThere are two stages to this literature review which was undertaken across bibliographic databases. The first stage builds a conceptual understanding of employability, relating to definition and how employability can be achieved and enhanced from the perspective of stakeholders. A structured search employing Boolean searches was conducted using a range of terms associated with key stakeholders. The second round of review drew on documentary analysis of official statements, declarations, documents, reports and position papers issued by key stakeholders in the UK, available online.FindingsIt reveals that responsibility for employability has been transferred by the UK government to higher education institutions, despite clear evidence that it needs to be shared by all the key stakeholders to be effective. In addition, there is a gap between employers' expectation for employability and the government's employability agenda.Originality/valueThis article highlights that solely using employment rate statistics as a key indicator for employability will encourage the practice of putting employers' needs above knowledge creation and the development of academic disciplines, with the consequence that higher education will become increasingly vocation driven.

Application of Social Network Analysis to Major Petrochemical Accident: Interorganizational Collaboration Perspective

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Marzieh Abbassinia ◽  
Omid Kalatpour ◽  
Majid Motamedzade ◽  
Alireza Soltanian ◽  
Iraj Mohammadfam
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Interorganizational Relationships ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Provincial Government ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations

ABSTRACT Objective: Crisis management in major accidents requires the collaboration among different organizations. One of the most important problems of crisis management is the lack of coordination between executive organizations. The aim of this study was to examine the structural characters and problems of interorganizational network during crisis in the petrochemical industry and provide solutions to achieve the highest performance in crisis management. Methods: The organizations involved in crisis management were identified through interviews and questionnaires. Gephi (0.9.1) software was used to examine interorganizational relationships. Results: In this study, the crisis management team consisted of 25 public and private organizations and non-governmental organizations. The highest betweenness centrality was observed in Crisis Management of Provincial Government (CMPG) (142.16) and Fire Department of Petrochemical Complex (FDC) (89.3). The highest closeness centrality was observed in FDC (0.77), CMPG (0.7), Shazand Governorate (0.7), and Crisis Management of University of Medical Sciences (0.7). Conclusions: Coordination between organizations plays an important role in crisis and emergency management, and social network analysis helps identify strengths and weaknesses of organizations involved in crisis management, overcome those weaknesses, and consequently achieve the best performance in crisis management.

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