A Case Study on Governance Challenges and Improvements in University Education Development Foundations

Abstract

— Grounded in the Resource-Based View (RBV), this study conceptualizes a four-stage capability chain — resource acquisition, integration, utilization, and feedback — and advances an analytical framework that integrates four core operational capabilities with endowment clustering dynamics. Employing a rigorous multiple-case study design with in-depth on-site visits, semi-structured interviews and participant observation conducted between March 2024 and March 2025, we delineate four distinct organizational archetypes based on their heterogeneous capability configurations. Our analysis reveals that these archetypes demonstrate significant heterogeneity in their capability endowments and confront unique governance bottlenecks. To address these challenges, we develop differentiated governance improvement pathways: for foundations constrained by resource acquisition limitations, we advocate for de-institutionalization reforms and deeper societal integration; for those facing resource integration gaps, we recommend enhanced government coordination and intra-university collaborative mechanisms; for foundations seeking to improve resource utilization, we emphasize professionalizing charitable asset management and project governance; and for those aiming to strengthen resource feedback loops, we propose independent third-party evaluations and systematic data monitoring systems. This study not only extends the theoretical application of the resource-based view by constructing a four-stage capability chain framework for university foundation governance but also provides actionable differentiated governance pathways for higher education foundations in developing countries and other similar institutional contexts worldwide.