| Summary: | This research is located within the globalisation debate; in particular, it seeks to illuminate how the influences of globalisation are perceived in particular settings and locations, with particular reference to East Asia. For the purposes of this study, higher education (HE) is taken as an instance of globalisation: the study explores how globalisation is operationalised and determined in changes in governance, and takes the position that a convergence of governance is evident in the case study institutions. The study attempts to address this question via a comparative study of four public universities, three of which are in the greater China, and one in the UK. The empirical research is focused at the heart of the institution, at the level of the faculty, where the strategic and the operational collide. 26 middle managers were asked about their perceptions regarding operational changes at their institutions, and about the motives which they considered relevant to these changes. The study detects an international dimension operating within HE, which has strengthened during the current decade. At least some of the present environment in which the respondents were working was reported as now being global in nature, and I argue that decisions taken because of this global environment represent the process, or one dimension of the process, of globalisation. The respondents seemed particularly aware of, even anxious about, global rankings as a measure of institutional reputation; they suggested that they were involved in a variety of strategies which revolved around enhancing reputation; these centred on the core activities of research and teaching, attracting high quality staff, and promoting an international environment. I argue that these activities reflect a convergence of operations, driven by common motives, though context is of great importance regarding the extent of this convergence
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