Resource Management as a Performance Differentiator in Higher Education: A University Case Study

Introduction

Resource management is a planning process leading to the allocation of resources such as money, technology, and people to achieve optimal organizational performance (Planview, 2023). Resource availability, coupled with effective management can support universities in achieving optimal performance. Additionally, social internal, and external capital can enhance the performance of universities (Ho & Peng, 2016). In a university setup, human resource management practices that promote positive organizational culture, good leadership styles, and work commitments positively influence staff and student academic performance (Hendrawijaya, 2020). Similarly, Mutungwa and Orodho (2015) discovered a positive association between effective resource management, particularly human resources, and student academic performance in examinations. The student’s academic performance can be enhanced by implementing technology into the curriculum, leading to a student-centered learning environment (D'Angelo, 2023). However, academic success can only be achieved when both the student and the lecturer have positive attitudes toward educational technologies.

The world's transition into knowledge societies has placed universities at the epicentre of human creativity particularly in terms of promoting startups and scalability (European University Association [EUA], 2021). Universities need to incorporate entrepreneurship in their academic research projects, so that produced research products and services can effectively contribute to the local and national economic development (Caputo et al., 2022). New technology-based firms can emerge from university research, while the role of governments through policymakers will be to create a favorable environment for the establishment of university start-ups, reviewing regulations such as intellectual property laws (Mowery, as cited in Caputo et al., 2022). Similarly, Shah and Pahnke (2014) argue that universities are critical sources of technological innovation that give rise to startups that indirectly exploit knowledge generated within the academic systems. This is because, universities provide a magnanimous environment for innovative ideas, human capital, and entrepreneurial drive that result in the creation of new startups. Nonetheless, there is a need to change obsolete laws that prohibit universities (particularly in developing countries) from participating in local and national economic activities commercially.

University performance and state funding allocation, particularly in Namibia and in many developing countries is mainly based on student enrolment numbers. However, the current fiscal environment has forced state governments to reconsider how their limited financial resources are spent on higher education (Miao, 2012). Some state governments are beginning to realize that the enrollment variable is a poor predictor of overall university performance (Miao, 2012). Thus, university performance-based funding systems are evolving by incorporative performance indicators such as course completion, student credit attainment, and degree completion rates rather than allocating funding based only on enrollment numbers. Student academic performance influences the social and economic development of a nation (Shahjahan et al., 2021), as graduates have an important role to play in the production of innovative goods and services that contribute to the gross domestic product of a respective country. Thus, studies focusing on aspects related to factors such as student-to-staff ratio that affect students’ academic performance have grown in importance (Shahjahan et al., 2021). According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2019), expenditure on education and student-lecturer ratios are much-discussed aspects of higher education and are among the determinants of the demand for lecturers, along with students’ instruction time. In addition, the student-to-staff ratio is a variable that is used by many public, statutory, and regulatory bodies in terms of input quality when accrediting university programmes/courses (Court, 2012). Consequently, the researcher conducted a study that examined a Namibian university’s performance in terms of student promotion/pass rates, staff-to-student ratio, and staff expenditure-to-student ratio per the respective faculty. Moreover, the study examines the role of universities in promoting and establishing startups and contributing to business scalability.