The book draws on the 2007 Changing Academic Profession international survey in order to
document the personal characteristics career trajectories sense of identity commitment and
job satisfaction of academics in 14 countries with different levels of economic and social
development and different higher education systems. With nearly 26 000 academics surveyed in 19
countries (of which 14 are reporting their results in this volume) the empirical basis of the
book is the most up-to-date and far-reaching in the area.With major changes taking place both
in the local and global contexts of higher education and in the working conditions within
individual universities as exemplified by increasing managerialism and performance-based
funding it is important to consider the impact of these changes on the profiles and working
lives of the academic profession across different countries. But it is also important to look
at the ways in which the faculty's changing profile impacts on the organisation and management
of universities and on the delivery of their central functions.Although not always obvious in
the short-term academic work and its conditions attract incorporate and promote different
types of individuals who in turn exert considerable influence on the nature of academic work
higher education institutions and potentially society. As faculty members are central to the
teaching research and service enterprise activities of higher education it is important to
understand their personal characteristics career trajectories sense of identity and
commitment and job satisfaction. These are central for understanding the academic profession
in general and in particular the factors affecting their involvement and productivity in the
work of their institutions. These are a complex result of a mixture of contextual factors (e.g.
the status and regulatory framework of the higher education system the features and atmosphere
of the particular institution) and personal factors (e.g. gender educational attainment
family background attitudes to work and broader social values).This book examines the
different situations facing the academic profession in individual countries and provides
comparative studies of country differences.
