Commitment balance: An opportunity for cross-cultural research.

Abstract

This paper proposes a new concept of 'commitment balance' as worthy of study within organisations' relational exchanges. The purpose of the paper is to share thinking and empirical data from a research study within the context of higher education, with the aim of seeking opportunities for future cross-cultural research to further examine commitment balance within education and other sectors. The study shares outcomes from quantitative analysis of undergraduate students' reports of commitment balance within the context of their experiences of study within UK universities. The study provides an empirically-informed definition of commitment balance and identifies the importance of a focus for commitment balance. The research shows that the focus of institution rather than academic staff seems to resonate more strongly within undergraduate students' reports of commitment balance. Thus the construct 'commitment balance between students and institution' is considered to be worthy of future research. It is hoped that this paper will precipitate Asian/Australian/ UK future research collaborations both within the context of higher education and other consumer-focused contexts.