IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/abacus/v61y2025i1p53-92.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do Social Interaction Mechanisms Affect University Reputation? Evidence from the UK Higher Education Sector

Author

Listed:
  • Rasha Ashraf Abdelbadie
  • Nils Braakmann
  • Aly Salama

Abstract

We investigate the influence of skilful utilization of social interaction dynamics on creating reputations for UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) during public funding cuts and scrutiny. The paper employs a content analysis method and follows an empirical design with a unique sample of 148 UK HEIs. To gauge reputation, we rely on participatory data from the Guardian newspaper's 2014–15 environmental and ethical performance ratings for the People & Planet University League. Multiple regression analysis is applied to address the research hypotheses. The results indicate that open, accountable, and transparent sensemaking in sustainable development (SD) practices over the years is the predominant dynamic for enhancing HEIs’ reputation. This paper underscores the need to consider the institutional logics perspective as a theoretical foundation for a comprehensive understanding of the link between sustainability disclosure and an institution's reputation, image, and public goodwill within the higher education (HE) context. HEIs’ leadership should invest in SD and its associated disclosure practices. Policy‐makers and accounting regulators should establish consistent and comparable reporting requirements for sustainable performance within the HE sector. This paper is the first to empirically examine the direct impacts of HEIs’ compliance with sustainability duties on organizational performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Rasha Ashraf Abdelbadie & Nils Braakmann & Aly Salama, 2025. "Do Social Interaction Mechanisms Affect University Reputation? Evidence from the UK Higher Education Sector," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 61(1), pages 53-92, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:abacus:v:61:y:2025:i:1:p:53-92
    DOI: 10.1111/abac.12323
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/abac.12323
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/abac.12323?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:abacus:v:61:y:2025:i:1:p:53-92. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0001-3072 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.