Abstract
We explain the construction of the World-class university (WCU) concept and its particular relationship with international university rankings, the main actors that make up the global scenario are identified by describing each of them. Particular emphasis is placed on the so-called “Big Three” because of the crucial importance of their diffusion in the process of institutionalization of the concept. Likewise, we examine the implications of the concept in the national sphere (Peru), and later in the micro-organizational sphere (At the Catholic University “Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo” in the City of Chiclayo - Peru). We present a review of the literature related to the concept, starting from studies carried out at the global level, then those at the Latin American level, and ending with those established at the Peruvian national level. Next, we present the conceptual framework of neo-institutional theory (NIT) which will help us clarify institutionalization through the discursive variant. We highlight the arguments that led us to pronounce ourselves on this theory based on the founding articles and their perspectives. Subsequently, we present a brief overview of the discursive trajectory, as well as the explanation of a model of discursive institutionalization through the relationships between actions, texts, discourse and institutions. Finally, we present our research questions, which range from the international level to the scope of the Catholic University “Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo” (USAT), through discourse interpretation at national level. In the second part, we base our selection decision on qualitative research, then rely on a single-case model. We start from our epistemological position, thus placing our research within the interpretivist paradigm. Then, we explain the reasons for choosing the qualitative methodology and then we integrate Langley's (1999) longitudinal approach into our work. We show in detail the data collection, as well as the interpretation and analysis considerations: immersion, interviews, conduct of interviews, selection of interviewed actors and data collection (primary and secondary). Finally, our results suggest two important aspects, the identification of particular structures of institutionalization of the WCU concept in each international, national and organizational level of analysis, and the identification of levers outside our analysis model coming from the field, namely Quality, Language and Economic Resources.