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- The relevance of financial and non-financial indicators to assess quality and performance of Higher Education Institutions (HEI)Publication . Antunes, Marina Godinho; Mucharreira, Pedro Ribeiro; Texeira Fernandes Justino, Maria Do Rosário; Texeira Quirós, JoaquínIn today's era of globalization, higher education institutions (HEIs) face constant challenges. More and more competitive environments are emerging in the various markets and one of the main objectives that has assumed relevance in the scope of their activities is the creation of value for the institutions and their financial sustainability. HEIs performance has been changed significantly, once these educational institutions are now forced to look for new sources of funding, assuming more and more the characteristics of a competitive market. In this way, HEIs that want to assert themselves in the markets should focus on strategic objectives that ensure financial sustainability like any other organizations in other sectors. For this purpose, it will be necessary to know their business processes very well, adopting a management approach that allows them to evaluate their quality and performance, both in national and international markets. The institutions seek to improve their competitiveness by implementing management strategies oriented towards quality and financial sustainability, using performance measurement systems that include a wide variety of financial and non-financial measures [1]. The advantages of non-financial performance measures have been cited in the literature [2-4], highlighting that these measures focus particularly on a long-term perspective, leading to better organizational performance. These measures enable managers to better understand the relationships between the various strategic objectives, facilitate communication between employees' actions and defined goals, and assist in the allocation of resources and the definition of priorities, considering those strategic objectives. In this context, it is extremely important to identify performance indicators, both financial and non-financial, which allow the evaluation of HEIs in terms of quality and performance. Measuring the performance of organizational goals is a key issue in the management of HEIs because without these measurement systems, organizations will not be able to efficiently and effectively deal with the uncertainty related to the contexts in which they are inserted [5]. Following this evidence, this communication proposes a research model defined in two distinct stages. In the first stage, it is intended to define the financial and non-financial indicators considered most relevant in the evaluation of the quality and performance of HEIs. Consequently, this research proposal intends to develop a model of analysis of cause and effect relationship between these indicators and the referred dimensions. Regarding the methodology, the data will be obtained through the application of a questionnaire to evaluate the different dimensions of the proposed conceptual model. The sample will consist of about 200 emails from members of the management boards of Portuguese universities and polytechnics. In the treatment of quantitative data, a model of structural equations (SEM) will be used, to investigate the possible relations between the different dimensions incorporated in the model. In terms of discussion of results, it is intended to characterize the relevance of financial and non-financial indicators, seeking to understand their role and possible relations with the quality and performance of these institutions.
- The role of management accounting indicators in performance assessment of Portuguese higher education institutionsPublication . Mucharreira, P. R.; Godinho Antunes, Marina; Justino, M; Texeira Quirós, JoaquínThe assessment of quality and performance in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is a multifaceted task, which needs a holistic approach that encompasses various dimensions. This article focuses on the role of some management accounting indicators, namely, the relevance of both financial and nonfinancial indicators when evaluating the quality and performance of HEIs. In today's era of globalization, HEIs continually grapple with ongoing challenges. Competitive landscapes are increasingly taking shape across various markets, elevating the creation of value and financial sustainability as critical objectives within their purview. HEIs performance has undergone significant transformation, given that these educational establishments are now compelled to seek alternative funding sources, aligning more closely with the characteristics of a competitive market. As such, HEIs aspiring to establish a strong presence in these markets must direct their attention toward strategic objectives that ensure financial sustainability, much like organizations in other sectors. For this purpose, HEIs must develop an in-depth understanding of their business processes, adopting a management approach that allows them to assess their quality and performance, both at the national and international levels. These institutions aim to bolster their competitiveness by implementing management strategies centered on quality and financial sustainability. These strategies incorporate performance measurement systems encompassing a wide array of financial and non-financial metrics. The literature highlights the advantages of nonfinancial performance measures, emphasizing their particular focus on long-term perspectives, which contribute to enhanced organizational performance. Such measures facilitate comprehension of the interplay between various strategic objectives, enhance communication between employee actions and defined goals, and aid in resource allocation and priority setting relative to those objectives. Regarding the methodology, the data were obtained through an online survey developed by the authors to evaluate the different dimensions of the proposed research model, using for this purpose a sample of convenience constituted by members of the management boards of Portuguese universities and polytechnics. In the treatment of quantitative data, a structural equation model (SEM) was used through the SPSS software (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), to investigate the possible relationships between the different dimensions incorporated in the model. The main conclusions of the study, considering the conceptions of the respondents, point towards that the use of financial indicators significantly improves the financial performance of HEIs (B=0.199, p=0.006) and, on the other hand, the use of non-financial indicators significantly improves the operational (B=0.487, p <0.001), financial (B=0.265, p <0.001) and market (B=0.479, p <0.001) performance of HEIs.