Page 45 - AEI Insights 2020 - Vol. 6, Issue 1

Munusamy and Hashim, 2020

higher education market. The higher education institutions can also build its international
profile through international networking (Girdzijauskaitė & Radzevičienė, 2013) to benchmark
the quality of higher education, programmes accreditation and curriculum standard. The
multilateral governance structure of network theory is most relevant and appropriate to enhance
the international cooperation between higher education institutions. This element allows higher
education institutions to build a relationship with its partner institutions directly and indirectly
(Mori, 1999). It also creates a strategic and multilevel partnership between partners that can
maximise the approach, rationale and strategies for internationalisation of higher education
(Kristensen & Karlsen, 2018).
Strategic alliances through networking is an important tool to establish relationships and to
gather market information and recent development in the higher education internationalisation
worldwide. Alliances play a dynamic role for higher education institutions cooperation and
collaboration in the field of higher education and other international activities (Khalid, Ali,
Islam, Khaleel, & Shu, 2017) such as student and staff exchanges, consultation and joint
research. Strategic alliances under the term networking provide an avenue for sharing of
knowledge, technology, best practices and resources as well as equal power (Girdzijauskaitė
& Radzevičienė, 2013) to enhance the quality of higher education and produce marketability
graduates. The network theory of internationalisation plays an important role in the
establishment of foreign branch campuses. Girdzijauskaitė et al. (2019) supported this and
stated that the nature of the network theory of internationalisation has the potential to increase
the development of branch campuses. The establishment of foreign branch campuses is in line
with the network theory of internationalisation characteristics, which emphasises entering
foreign markets and strengthening position (Johanson & Vahlne, 2009). The establishment of
branch campuses brings benefits for local and international stakeholders. In terms of local
stakeholders, it provides opportunities to have international students, scholars, programmes,
curriculum and intercultural understanding as well as a venue for local students to pursue their
higher education without travelling abroad. Meanwhile, for international stakeholders the
branch campuses brings revenue and international collaboration (de Wit, 2013) as well as
partnerships with local higher education providers (Girdzijauskaite & Radzeviciene, 2014).

Conceptual Framework

From the above, it appears that the approaches, rationales and strategies for higher education
internationalisation are satisfactorily and substantially supported by the network theory of
internationalisation and networking in internationalisation elements and motivations. The
approaches, rationales and strategies are also supported by several elements of the Uppsala
theory. Therefore, it seems appropriate to propose a conceptual framework as shown in Figure
1 for higher education internationalisation through networking and internationalisation. The
conceptual framework suggests that the approach, strategy, and rationale for
internationalisation are explained by networking in internationalisation through international
expansion, market penetration, international integration, multilateral governance, bridging
mechanism, partnership and strategic alliances. The definition of the internationalisation of
higher education as proposed by Knight (2015) is sufficiently emphasised by the seven
elements of networking. The three important terms of internationalisation of higher education,
(1) international, (2) intercultural and (2) global dimension are also reinforced by the definition
of network theory of internationalisation that allows for the integration of internal and external
forces for internationalisation through networking.

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