۱٫ Introduction

۲٫ Analysis of higher education mergers around the world

۳٫ Characteristics of Romania Higher Education system relevant for merger actions

۴٫ A possible set of useful conclusions drawn from the studies cases

۵٫ Conclusions: A possible framework for mergers of Romanian universities

References

Abstract

In the current globalised academic world, merger between universities has emerged as a way to increase their competitiveness in the last decades. This paper aims to develop a framework for successfully managing mergers as a way to increase the international competitiveness of Romanian universities. Several cases of mergers between universities around the world were analyzed and presented. Consequently, successful practices of merger actions were detached and interpreted in the context of Romanian universities characteristics. Consequently, we have built a general framework that could facilitate the management of universities fusion in Romanian higher education context. Possible limitations of the study and directions for future research are also discussed and analyzed.

Introduction

Demand for greater efficiency, higher quality and reductions in public budget show that more countries are looking closely at the structure of their higher education systems, and this has often resulted in extensive reforms (e.g.: France, UK etc.). Creating larger units of higher educations institutions represented one of the key actions that governments undertook to achieve the above goals (Curaj, 2015; Harman and Meek, 2002). The main scope of creating larger units has resulted in mergers or closures of institutions of higher education all across the world (Curaj, 2015). Mergers started to create changes in higher education systems during the middle of the 1980s until the 1990s. They followed a more general trend of Mergers and Acquisitions, already happening in the business world, beginning with 1980s (ex: Nelson 1956; US News, World Report etc.). In higher education, the combination of two independent organizations in the form of a merger has occurred both in general and also in specific terms. In general, a merger is defined as any form of organizational combination and it is also a special type of inter-institutional cooperation, characterized by inseparable entirety. On the other hand, in specific terms, one or two entities will formally fade away and re-emerge as a new entity. The transfer of ownership occurs with general and common possession of the properties of the former organizations. The fundamental aim of the planned merger is to achive a stronger academic potential afforded through the full integration of activities (Curaj, 2015). Investigating mergers in higher education is valuable for improving the general understanding of the phenomenon and also to examine the awareness of the actors about what they have developed theoretically and the applicability of those theories.