An Investigation into the Meaning of the Term Commitment in Sino Foreign Higher Educational Alliances—An Adventure into the Heart and Soul of Successful Alliances

Abstract There is now a substantial body of research evaluating various aspects of educational alliances between Chinese and foreign universities, and one of the key aspects of success seems to be the degree of commitment made by the two sides. Yet the term commitment continues to remain elusive and very broad in scope. This paper attempts to identify what commitment meant to managers from a number of Chinese and foreign university alliances and concludes that it was a complex and deeply felt sentiment encompassing affective and cognitive aspects related to the personal and operational dimensions of an alliance over time. Commitment-in its various forms and guiseslay at the very core of a successful alliance. It enabled people-and their respective institutions-to devote considerable levels of emotional and cognitive energy to the alliance: it was about passion, and results; about enthusiasm and value; and about empathy and measurable quality.