Page 36 - AEI Insights 2020 - Vol. 6, Issue 1

AEI Insights, Vol 6, Issue 1, 2020

The term ‘internationalisation’ had in the past generally referred to the international movement
of firms and multinational companies (Welch & Luostarinen, 1988). In the early 1970s,
internationalisation became the main attention of firms to enhance their international operation
(Flach & Flach, 2010; Welch & Welch, 1996). Besides that, collaboration with foreign markets
and establishment of joint ventures to enhance efficiency in production also became major
focuses of firms in the internationalisation process (Johanson & Vahlne, 1990). In terms of
education, the word “internationalisation” from the perspective of business or economy is
generally interpreted as the participation of the higher education sector in foreign higher
education markets, increases in revenue from international students and involvement in
multilevel partnerships or networks with foreign higher education sectors for teaching and
research purposes (Edwards & Edwards, 2001). Stakeholders involved in higher education
development believe that the internationalisation process could enhance networks and
relationships between local and international higher education sectors (Jana, Laura, Dana, &
Clemens, 2017). Therefore, the internationalisation process of higher education has become an
integral part of higher education providers to maintain the reputation, quality of higher
education and their visibility in the international arena (Girdzijauskaite & Radzeviciene, 2014).
Furthermore, the concept of internationalisation of higher education has also been branded as
a platform for increasing international students and producing competent graduates who are
able to compete and survive in a globalised world (Robson & Wihlborg, 2019).
In the last few decades, the networking perspective in the internationalisation process has
developed as an administration instrument for the higher education sector. This is to increase
its international involvement due to limitations in resources and finance. As a result, higher
education providers and administrators share knowledge, technology, materials in order to
stabilise the risks of international expansion (Girdzijauskaitė, Radzeviciene, & Jakubavičius,
2018). In the early 1980s, higher education institutions reacted quickly to international
opportunities by creating networks for various activities such as student and staff mobility,
courses and curriculum development, joint research and organisations. Knight (2007) has
cautioned that diversification of higher education systems, language barriers and different
cultures might be constraints to sustain and manage the networking in higher education
internationalisation. Since the aim of networking in higher education cooperation is to achieve
the four rationales of internationalisation, namely the academic, political, socio-cultural and
economic, the solution to overcome the barriers should be the focus of higher education
providers around the world (Knight, 2008a).
With regard to this, there is a necessity for higher education providers and stakeholders to focus
on networking in internationalisation. Networking is a traditional style of relationship, very
safe, will reduce risks and is a soft method of internationalisation (Girdzijauskaite &
Radzeviciene, 2014). Networking in higher education could also serve as a basis for multilevel
partnership development and cooperation. Therefore, higher education stakeholders could
adopt business type networking to gain more benefits from internationalisation through
competition and cooperation (Girdzijauskaitė et al., 2018).

In focusing on the network perspective on higher education internationalisation, the key aim of
this article is to explore the network theory of internationalisation and its feasibility for
networking in the internationalisation of higher education. The article will analyse the
networking aspect of the internationalisation theory of the firm to understand the network
model of internationalisation as developed by Johanson and Mattsson (1988). The applicability
of this network theory for a conceptual framework for internationalisation of higher education

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