Four aspects of the decisional framework for resource allocation in English Education are pursued: (i) The decision process is placed in the context of both its general importance…
Abstract
Four aspects of the decisional framework for resource allocation in English Education are pursued: (i) The decision process is placed in the context of both its general importance and its particular significance as the system is transformed from expansion to steady state. (ii) The basic expenditure choices and the environment in which they are made are discussed for the decentralised system, in terms of the numerous decision‐makers involved and the influences upon them. (iii) The availability and value of criteria to aid the political choices that must be made—in particular objective economic indicators—are considered. (iv) The disadvantages of the present framework, revealed mainly by recent expenditure limitations, suggest that improvement is only possible if either central government control is strengthened or alternatively local initiative is allowed to flourish.
In the environment of Local Management of Schools (LMS) twofeatures in the cost structures of schools will dominate: high fixedcosts (on salary and premises) and the minimal cost…
Abstract
In the environment of Local Management of Schools (LMS) two features in the cost structures of schools will dominate: high fixed costs (on salary and premises) and the minimal cost of educating a small number of extra pupils. As a result the incentive for a school to attract more pupils will be extremely high, and in such circumstances the consumer as pupil or parent will be sovereign. The likely effects of this sovereignty are discussed, and a list of 25 factors (The Competitive Edge) which influence a choice for or against a school are introduced. It is suggested that the factors represent the performance indicators which consumers will use. How teachers might adjust to consumer perceptions while fulfilling their professional responsibilities are considered, with a view to schools developing marketing strategies.
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The article considers the change in power that will result from theEducation Reform Act 1988. It is argued that as a result of two featuresin particular (Local Management of…
Abstract
The article considers the change in power that will result from the Education Reform Act 1988. It is argued that as a result of two features in particular (Local Management of Schools and the National Curriculum) a three‐level hierarchy (DES‐LEA‐School) stands to be replaced by a two‐level hierarchy (DES and School). The implications of LEAs ceasing to be line managers in the system are considered; the sanctions they have been offered are too Draconian (suspending a school′s devolved powers, for example), to represent a policy execution tool. The performance indicators currently being devised by LEAs are criticised because they come too late when a school′s performance will be determined by its ability to attract and retain pupils. LEAs will have no alternative but to pass most resources on to schools according to a pupil‐based formula. It is the consumers who will determine the performance indicators of a school.
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A trend towards a more competitive educational system which isobvious in several countries is expected to increase the rates at whichschools, colleges, and universities respond to…
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A trend towards a more competitive educational system which is obvious in several countries is expected to increase the rates at which schools, colleges, and universities respond to their environments and to enhance their creativity and innovativeness. To achieve these objectives, various strategies, such as open‐boundary admission policies, have been adopted. Consequently, educational institutions are beginning to adopt marketing strategies to attract students, staff, and funds. This adoption of marketing has several implications. These include harmonising a marketing philosophy with the institutional mission, creating appropriate organisational structures, and implementing marketing strategies.
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The interface between education and trainingis concerned not merely with knowledge andskills but with adjustment to life. A featureof a three‐year research project of outreachwork…
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The interface between education and training is concerned not merely with knowledge and skills but with adjustment to life. A feature of a three‐year research project of outreach work from a special school for pupils ranging from 11‐16 years with emotional disturbances and behavioural difficulties is presented.
It is part of educational folklore that Australian State schoolsystems are highly centralised. A corollary of the lore is that schoolsgenerally lack the organisational flexibility…
Abstract
It is part of educational folklore that Australian State school systems are highly centralised. A corollary of the lore is that schools generally lack the organisational flexibility to cater adequately for the diverse educational needs of their students. This article tests these beliefs as they relate to the States of Queensland and New South Wales. The research finds that the form of system‐level directives is more prescriptive in the latter State. In both States, however, the proportion of time which must be devoted to prescribed activities is less than many would expect, both for teachers and pupils. Even where head office directives appear to constrain, regional office staff can practise “benign neglect” in their policing of the directives, if they can see that there are educationally sound reasons for doing so. The article finds that there is sufficient substance in the folklore to give conservative principals an excuse to resist introducing innovations in their schools. Any principals who are determined to adapt their schools′ operations to better serve the educational needs of their students are however, unlikely to be prevented by central directives.
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Rocco Palumbo and Rosalba Manna
Educational organizations have to continuously adapt their structures, processes and practices to meet the evolving institutional and social challenges raised by the external…
Abstract
Purpose
Educational organizations have to continuously adapt their structures, processes and practices to meet the evolving institutional and social challenges raised by the external environment. From this point of view, organizational change is a fundamental ingredient of the recipe for success in educational management. The purpose of this paper is to contextualize organizational change to educational institutions, pointing out its determinants, barriers and consequences.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review was performed. On the whole, it concerned 330 scientific contributions. Manuscripts were searched in two large citation databases. Tailored selection and inclusion criteria were designed in order to exclusively focus on papers investigating organizational change dynamics in the educational environment. In sum, 41 contributions were included in this literature review.
Findings
Organizational change in the educational context paves the way for various managerial challenges. First, the internal and external triggers of change should be concomitantly handled, in order to curb isomorphic pressures and steer organizational evolution. Second, specific strategies should be implemented to overcome the barriers to organizational change, including ambiguity and uncertainty. Finally, yet importantly, the side effects of organizational change should be recognized, in an attempt to attenuate their drawbacks on employees’ working conditions.
Practical implications
Organizational change should be understood as an iterative process, rather than as a circumscribed event. Educational managers should design specific approaches and deploy ad hoc tools to effectively implement organizational change.
Originality/value
This study attempts to systemize the current scientific literature about organizational change in the field of educational management, illuminating some intriguing avenues for further research.
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Roger Bennett and Helen Gabriel
Headteachers in Greater London’s 401 state‐funded secondary schools were sent a questionnaire designed to relate their personal characteristics to, inter alia, their attitudes…
Abstract
Headteachers in Greater London’s 401 state‐funded secondary schools were sent a questionnaire designed to relate their personal characteristics to, inter alia, their attitudes towards educational sponsorship, the levels of their schools’ marketing orientation, the demand for commercial sponsorship of school activities, and whether their schools possessed formal policies in connection with external sponsorship. In line with earlier research in the educational management area, the major personal characteristics examined (in addition to age, length of service, etc.) related to the individual headteacher’s management style; specifically whether he or she was particularly autocratic, consultative, democratic or innovative. Responses to the questionnaire were factor analysed and tested for construct reliability. A stepwise regression procedure was then applied to assess the influences of various sets of variables on attitudes and behaviour. The results indicated that within Greater London the commercial sponsorship of schools is widespread and expanding. Extreme democrats were less likely to desire large amounts of additional sponsorship for their schools than were autocrats. Schools located in prosperous areas were far more proactive in their approaches to sponsorship and employed headteachers with more positive attitudes towards marketing and sponsorship than schools in poorer neighbourhoods.
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The purpose of this paper is to apply to the study of information needs the Johari Window framework that has long been accepted as a useful model for understanding interpersonal…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to apply to the study of information needs the Johari Window framework that has long been accepted as a useful model for understanding interpersonal communication.
Design/methodology/approach
The work presents a newly‐constructed version of the Window to delineate a typology of information needs and to identify implications that emerge for information professionals.
Findings
The paper finds that information needs can be seen to fall into five broad categories: needs that are known to the individual but not to the information professional; needs that are known to both parties; needs that are known to the information professional but not the individual; needs that are misunderstood by the individual; and needs that are not known to either the individual or the information professional.
Practical implications
Conceptualising information needs in terms of the revised Johari Window highlights how information professionals are of crucial importance in helping clients satisfy their information needs, even in an era in which much information searching is done by end‐users themselves.
Originality/value
No previous paper has applied the Johari Window to the investigation of information needs and few authors have made an attempt to use the framework in any area of library and information science (LIS) whatsoever. The fact that the work deals with both theoretical and practical dimensions will interest LIS academics and library professionals who work regularly with information users.
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This paper aims to identify and fill a gap in the knowledge of the contribution of Henry S. Dennison toward management and organization studies and problematize the assumptions…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify and fill a gap in the knowledge of the contribution of Henry S. Dennison toward management and organization studies and problematize the assumptions underlying the mainstream understanding of scientific management and human relations.
Design/methodology/approach
Primary sources are in the guise of archival papers, as well as published journal articles, books and book chapters; secondary sources in the guise of material about Dennison, as well as interviews with family and friends.
Findings
The paper concludes that Dennison made an original and enduring contribution to management theory including, but not isolated to, personnel management, organizational behavior and corporate governance that influenced key thinkers of his times.
Practical implications
Dennison was a practicing manager – in fact, he was the president of (what was) his family company which operates today as Avery Dennison – but he still found the time and energy for active public service and to peripatetically articulate his management “praxis”. The paper reveals that much of Dennison’s thoughts and deeds have much relevance today. Among other issues, in his concern with reducing labor turnover and unemployment, in devising and implementing effective personnel management and in his pioneering work on human motivation, group dynamics, goal congruence, worker empowerment and executive compensation, issues of profound importance to business leaders today can be found.
Originality/value
To date, only piecemeal attempts have been made to chronicle Dennison’s contributions to management and organization theory, but these have been scattered across the social sciences. There has been neither any systematic, consolidated synthesis of his contributions to management and organization studies nor of his impact on the thinking of key thinkers of his times.