WEBOMETRICS RANKING AS ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE INDICATOR: EXPLORATORY STUDY OF UNIVERSITI KUALA LUMPUR’S PERFROMANCE AND IMPROVEMENT MEASURES

Abstract

The Web has provided the most efficient way of improving the acknowledged academic missions of universities that include teaching, research and transfer of knowledge. The achievement of these missions needs to be measured and Webometrics ranking is one of the common indicators of universities’ performance on the World Wide Web. The main advantage of Webometrics ranking is that it is neutral compared to other ranking systems. From the year 2012 to 2017, Universiti Kuala Lumpur has been experiencing fluctuations in the performance of its Webometrics ranking compared to other Malaysian universities as well as other universities worldwide. Given this situation this study was conducted to analyze the performance of Universiti Kuala Lumpur in the World Wide Web focusing on the Webometrics ranking indicators which include Impact, Presence, Openness and Excellence. This study identified and described the factors that have led to the fluctuating performance of Universiti Kuala Lumpur in the Web ranking and suggested a framework that could improve its future ranking. The findings from the study indicate that Universiti Kuala Lumpur underperformed in two main indicators, i.e. Impact Factor and Excellence Factor that made up 50% and 35% of the weighting, respectively. The results from the survey and in-depth interviews highlighted: (1) the lack of awareness among academic staffs on the importance of Webometrics ranking and its ranking indicators; and (2) the importance of Webometrics ranking was not fully embraced by management. These findings led to the development of a framework that incorporates the recommendations to improve future Webometrics ranking of Universiti Kuala Lumpur. These include: (1) putting the appropriate management policies and practices in place that could influence employees’ engagement and knowledge sharing ability through motivation, which should lead to better organizational performance; and (2) understanding the ranking methodologies and indicators and communicating these throughout the organization.