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The macroeconomic changes as well as the challenges facing universities nowadays result in the transfer and adaptation of various concepts and organizational methods from enterprises to universities. One of such solutions is mergers. Even though there are a very large number of practical examples of university mergers in the world, at the same time there is a shortage of frameworks that would help manage mergers. The purpose of this paper is to present key areas of focus in HEIs’ consolidation processes and the creation of the conceptual model of the universities’ mergers.

In this paper synthesis, the inductive approach for model development and case study description were used. The analysis and findings were based on the systematic literature review taken out from management and public policy areas. The new public management and public value governance approaches as well as strategic and process theories of mergers were applied. The descriptive approach to management was used as well.

Formulation of a Conceptual Model of Universities’ Mergers and ten principles of effective management of universities’ mergers that cover the entire process, from planning, through implementation, to integration.

There is a need to verify the proposed inductive model of universities’ mergers through further qualitative and mixed-methods research studies.

The paper offers a significant opportunity for practical application of the presented content, because it indicates how the know-how from one (business) sector can be valuable for the future of another sector (the over-fragmented sector of higher education).

This study presents the key areas of focus in HEIs’ consolidation processes and proposes a novel Conceptual Model of Universities’ Mergers. It concludes with the principles of effective management of universities’ mergers.

Institutions of higher education face challenges of fiscal responsibility and their value proposition for students and other stakeholders they serve. Strategies used in business sectors, such as merger and acquisition, are being increasingly adopted by higher education governing boards, especially for public institutions and systems. The purpose of this paper is to guide policy decisions related to university mergers.

This paper focuses on the interplay between the pre-merger status of the institution, the individual faculty member's sense of belonging, and their commitment to the organization on levels of job-related stress, which has well-established negative impacts on individual and organizational performance. Using survey data collected at the same time post-merger from two different universities within the same state system, we explore regression models to identify similarities and differences between the faculty responses in terms of the impact of the merger on faculty stress.

Differences are found between the two universities in terms of faculty stress with faculty of one low status institution pre-merger having significantly higher stress post-merger. A case is presented for differences in stress based on a part on differences in how the mergers were managed at the system and university levels.

This research is instructive for higher education policy makers and university administrators as the institution of higher education continues this type of transformation.

This paper examines the impact of mergers on a university's single-most important asset, faculty. Comparative and timely faculty survey results from two related universities early post-merger provide valuable insights for leaders in higher education.

As the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been widely adopted since 2015, higher education institutions (HEIs) are experimenting with ways they can be measured, reported and incorporated into all realms of the university. In this process, the challenges of SDG integration into HEIs have become more evident, from lack of resources and sustainability literacy to having multiple disconnected programs that feature the SDGs.

A mixed methods approach using archival materials, literature reviews, interviews and participant observation has been adopted for a case study at a university in the process of adopting the SDGs in multiple areas.

The University of South Florida began with efforts to incorporate SDGs at the undergraduate level, such as the Global Citizens Project that brands both events and courses with SDGs. Institutional changes coupled with the launch of the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings provided more opportunities to have broader conversations about SDGs in all areas of campus.

The purpose of the paper is to develop a concept of organization of the system of science and education in the form 4.0 based on human and artificial intellectual capital.

The methods of regression and correlation analysis are used. The role of human and artificial intellectual capital for provision of effectiveness and competitiveness of the system of science and education is determined, as well as its correspondence to the modern challenges. Analysis of perspectives and limitations of automatization of the system of science and education based on AI is conducted; a model of organization of the system of science and education in the form 4.0 based on human and artificial intellectual capital is compiled.

It is established that in the system of science and education, the decisive production factor is intellectual capital, but human intellect does not necessarily have to dominate in its structure. AI is one of the most popular technologies of Industry 4.0 in the system of science and education, which has wide perspectives of practical implementation. As experience of the leading world universities, which had the highest level of digitization in 2018, showed, foundation on non-breakthrough digital technologies (computer equipment and Internet) does not allow opening the potential of increase of indicators of effectiveness and competitiveness of the system of science and education and bringing it in correspondence to the modern challenges based on digitization. However, correlation of activity of application of artificial intellectual capital with these indicators is four times higher (0.2), as compared to correlation of these indicators with activity of application of human intellectual capital (0.05). This shows demand for digitization of the system of science and education, but based on breakthrough digital technologies, of which AI should become the key one.

It is substantiated that higher education could be automatized based on AI by 85% and science by 63%. Therefore, on the whole in the system of science and education, the share of AI in the structure of intellectual capital could reach 74% ((85 + 63)/2). It is recommended to use the developed model of organization of the system of science and education in the form 4.0 based on human and artificial intellectual capital.

Freight consolidation across time and customers, use of warehouses, and direct LTL distribution systems are compared on distribution costs and delivery times for selected product characteristics and demand patterns. The results can assist managers in determining whether using freight consolidation is a viable alternative to direct shipments from plants or warehouses.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between the use of a computerised learning tool (specifically designed to teach consolidation accounting) and student performance in the final examination of an undergraduate accounting unit on Corporate Accounting.

A regression model was developed to analyse 1,103 observations of assignment and examination scores, collected over three semesters, to test the central proposition that computer assisted learning enhances student learning outcomes and performance in the exam.

The results show a positive and significant relationship between the computerised accounting assignment on consolidated accounting (linked to usage of the computerised tool) and the consolidation question in the final examination. The findings suggest that the computerised consolidation accounting package (CCAP) assists students to understand the concepts underpinning consolidation accounting.

The data were collected from a single institution, which may not represent the population of accounting students. Due to ethical obligations, the study lacked a control group that would have allowed meaningful comparison and assessment of student performance. Furthermore, whilst the findings in this study were able to demonstrate a positive association between the CCAP and exam performance, it is unable to determine the quality and depth of the learning experience from using the CCAP.

The present study found that a CCAP and its usage has the potential to positively impact student performance on assessment tasks on subject matter similar to concepts contained the computer package. Such findings may encourage instructors to seek ways of incorporating learning technologies in the pedagogical design.

This is believed to be one the few papers that has exclusively studied the impact of a specific CCAP and a specific segment in accounting education (consolidation accounting) using direct measures, CCAP assignment score and the final examination score for a question dedicated to consolidation accounting.

Consolidation of inbound freight is one way in which procurement costs might be reduced. Can it compete with direct shipments from vendors?

This is the second part of a study on high school consolidation undertaken by Professor W. J. Campbell when he was a Visiting Professor of Psychology at the University of Kansas. The first part, which concerns the effects of consolidation upon school experiences, is published in Big School—Small School, edited by R. G. Barker and P. Gump (Stanford University Press, 1964).

Mergers in higher education seem to be more common as academic institutions work to control costs and avoid program duplications in challenging economic times and adopt the more common cost saving measures often espoused from business mergers. The purpose of this paper is to highlight successes from a complementarity-based merger of two institutions in the University System of Georgia (USG) and present results over time.

A case study methodology was employed to explain why a particular merger resulted in greater growth compared to other system-wide academic mergers. This research focuses on a single merger of two institutions in Georgia, one of seven such mergers in the USG institutions to date, involving Gainesville State College and North Georgia College and State University to become the University of North Georgia. Observations are made and complimented by secondary data to rank growth among the seven USG consolidations.

The case findings highlight the success from the complementarity of these institutions. While the two were unique institutions, the success of the merger was linked to the underlying complementarity issues.

Using the strategic issues inherent in mergers from the business literature, the merger of the two institutions is profiled and discussion and recommendations are provided along with areas for future research.

Consolidation, the grouping of several small shipments into one at a designated location, can reduce total logistics cost. Total logistics cost includes consolidation, transportation and inventory costs. Identifying where cost‐saving opportunities exist is often confused by the interrelated nature of these various costs.