Value creation in international higher education : The role of boundary spanning in university‐industry collaboration

Purpose – This paper takes the stance that the continuous growth of international student degree mobility creates new opportunities for academia and business to collaborate to mutual advantage. To recognize, identify and exploit these opportunities, it is critically important to understand what boundaries stand between university‐industry partnering initiatives in international higher education (HE) and what interaction processes span these boundaries. The purpose of this paper is to develop a model of the boundary‐spanning functions and processes underpinning value marketing for strategic university‐industry partnering. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs interpretive phenomenological research methods. It takes an investigative case‐based approach, studying over time the boundaries, boundary roles and processes involved in university‐industry collaborative interaction in the context of Finnish international HE. Findings – The findings suggest that conceptualization of the university‐industry boundary‐spanning processes in international HE needs to be extended to incorporate elements concerning the power, impact and management of the boundary roles. A better understanding and adequate managing of the boundary roles may help to decrease the perceived market demand uncertainty surrounding international HE. The findings also suggest that in‐depth research is needed for the development of a holistic understanding of how partnering for international HE is experienced. Originality/value – This paper represents a first attempt to conceptualize university‐industry boundary‐spanning processes, both in a general manner and from a viewpoint of value creation in working partnerships between academia and business within the context of international HE.