Social networks as a vehicle for happiness management in university governance

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-05-2021-0182
• Published date: 16 August 2021
• Date: 16 August 2021
• Pages: 521-535
• Subject Matter: Strategy,Corporate governance
• Author: José Daniel Barquero Cabrero,David Caldevilla Domínguez,Almudena Barrientos Báez,Juan Enrique Gonzálvez Vallés

Social networks as a vehicle for happiness

management in university governance

José Daniel Barquero Cabrero, David Caldevilla Domínguez, Almudena Barrientos B

aez and

Juan Enrique Gonz

alvez Vallés

Abstract

Purpose –This study aims to determinewhether the communication of Universitiesin Madrid (Spain) on

social networksthrough their official channelshas caused positive results in students’perceptions of their

trust in universityinstitutions during the first semester of the 2020–2021term and to measure whether the

implementationof happiness management strategies in the communicationwithin university governance

affectedstudents’ happiness levels, as well as on the recognitionof their belonging to the university.

Design/methodology/approach –With an exploratory-correlational approachand a quantitative study,

this study conducted a statistical-descriptive analysis based on the premise of a general linear

regression model with correlations between the variables, using a data collection instrument, whose

constructand content validity was previously assessedby experts, which was answered by 564 students

of the Degreesin Communication and Marketingfrom the Complutense University of Madrid,University of

La Laguna, and ESERP Business and Law School. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test and Bartlett’s test of

sphericity were implementedto analyze the correlation between variables; Cronbach’salpha coefficient

and Pearsonand Spearman’s coefficientswere also used.

Findings –Those students who used socialnetworks to receive news from university institutions about

the COVID-19 pandemic deem these channels official, sound and credible. Similarly, the use of official

informationfrom university institutionson social networks increases students’happiness levels.

Originality/value –To the best of the authors’knowledge, this is one of the first studies aiming to provide

scientific evidenceof the relationship between happiness management and universitygovernance. This

research’spractical implications lead to attributingadded value to these types of means for the university

governancethat seeks students’ happiness.

Keywords COVID-19, Communication, University governance,Happiness management,

Social networks

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

This paper examines the effect of the use of happiness management strategies, in digital

communication, on the perception of university governance during the COVID -19 pandemic.

Determining the key factors, as well as differentiating between publi cs correctly, can help

achieve more efficient results (Cucari, 2019;Sajjad, 2021). Univer sity can be defined as the

higher education public or private institution, formed by different elements th at are interwoven

around an open and dynamic system, capable of adapting to the changes that occur in

society (Chirinos, 2017;Moya et al.,2018). On this basis, we can affirm that governance is how

the University is managed, impacting indirectly on those servic es, companies, people and

infrastructures that surround it (Barrientos-B

aez and Caldevilla-Domı

´nguez, 2020).

Governance in the university cannot ignore that educati onal change processes are very slow

but inevitable. Only passiveness and stasis are impossibl e in education (Barrientos-B

aez

et al., 2019). The governance approach represents, in the current con ditions, an appropriate

approach to study university organizations (Aguilar, 2006;Dext re-Chac

on et al.,2020); and as

Jose

´Daniel Barquero

Cabrero is based at ESERP

Business and Law School,

Madrid, Spain.

David Caldevilla

Domı

´nguezis based at

Facultad de Ciencias de la

Informaci

on, Complutense

University of Madrid,

Pozuelo de Alarcon,

Madrid, Spain.

Almudena Barrientos B

aez

is based at Universidad

Europea, Madrid, Spain.

Juan Enrique Gonz

alvez

Valle

´s is based at Facultad

de Ciencias de la

Informaci

on, Complutense

University of Madrid,

Madrid, Spain.

Received 13 May 2021

Revised 12 June 2021

28 June 2021

Accepted 9 July 2021

DOI 10.1108/CG-05-2021-0182 VOL. 22 NO. 3 2022, pp. 521-535, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1472-0701 jCORPORATE GOVERNANCE jPAGE 521