Would the real corporate university please stand up?

Citation

Walton, J. (2007), "Would the real corporate university please stand up?", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 21 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2007.08121aad.005

Would the real corporate university please stand up?

Would the real corporate university please stand up?

Walton J.Journal of European Industrial Training, 2005, Vol. 29 No. 1, Start page: 7, No. of pages: 14

Purpose – to investigate the similarities and differences between traditional and corporate universities and determine whether their respective futures will continue to plough separate furrows or converge. Design/methodology/approach – examines mission statements, core values, guiding principles, aims and objectives from a sample of traditional and corporate university web sites covering both the USA and the UK. Findings – reinforces other studies which have found little in the way of commonality. Expresses some skepticism over the predominantly aspirational tone of the statements from the traditional universities, which provide little indication of “corporatization”. On the other hand, finds little evidence of “intellectualization” in the corporate counterparts. Practical implications – demonstrates the importance of conducting a relational analysis when studying texts, and of establishing the context in which words are used. Originality/value – contains good advice for anyone setting out to establish a (hopefully) convergent institution, showing that is virtually impossible for corporate-minded members to implement traditional aspirations successfully.ISSN: 0309-0590Reference: 34AF405

Keywords: Corporate ventures, Mission statements, United Kingdom, Universities, United States of America