Australian universities in a pandemic world: transforming a broken business model?

Lee D. Parker

Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, 2020, vol. 16, issue 4, 541-548

Abstract: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to critique the accounting and financial orientation of Australian universities’ business model to identify the future university financial management and accounting role in universities’ strategic trajectory responding to COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach - Informed by Habermasian perspectives on change, it uses published research into university commercialisation and media commentaries on COVID-19 impacts. Findings - Australian universities have aggressively pursued an accounting-based private sector business model. Their revenue generating reliance on international student revenues has been undermined by the COVIS-19 crisis. Nonetheless, university management clings to their commercialised university identity and role colonised by the accounting structures. Fundamental change requires a reversal of this relationship. Research limitations/implications - Future research must observe and evaluate university strategic crisis reactions and their impacts on national and societal well-being with a view to identifying alternative futures. Practical implications - Universities face decisions concerning their ongoing role in society and their future approach to balancing operational strategies and the accounting influence. Social implications - This study raises the issue of whether universities should continue being seen as an export industry supporting the national economy or as knowledge, educational and social resource for their national and regional communities. Originality/value - This paper integrates research into universities over several decades into a strategic critique of their current reaction to an unprecedented global pandemic.

Keywords: University; Financial crisis; Business model; Commercialisation; COVID-19; Corporatisation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.110 ... d&utm_campaign=repec (text/html)
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.110 ... d&utm_campaign=repec (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:jaocpp:jaoc-07-2020-0086

DOI: 10.1108/JAOC-07-2020-0086

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change is currently edited by Prof Zahirul Hoque

More articles in Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change from Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Emerald Support ().