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The Nature of Business Policy Business policy — or general management — is concerned with the following six major functions:

The failure of schools between 1990 and 1995, to respond to the imperative to establish systems for staff appraisal resulted in the Ministry of Education in New Zealand prescribing guidelines for schools to follow from 1996 onwards. This paper explores forces which shaped national policy in the framework of the reform movement, describes the policy development process and a national training programme for its introduction and examines challenges presented for principals who are expected to be accountable for policy implementation. National policy (which frames problems and solutions in structural terms) is analysed to show how it can fail to address dilemmas at the heart of staff appraisal activity. Problems inherent in attempting to mesh dual purposes of appraisal are identified, and the requirements of a “dilemma management” approach are explained in relation to the role of the principal.

Aligned appraisal systems explicitly hold employees accountable for contributing to the accomplishment of organizational goals. Furthermore, appraisal alignment is consistent with both core bureaucratic expectations and New Public Management control regimes, but the efficacy of the policy and its substantive impact have yet to be considered in detail. Over the last decade, federal agencies were encouraged to revise appraisal systems and include alignment. Using the bureaucratic policy adoption literature, an empirical model assesses why agencies choose to adopt and/or implement alignment. The empirical analyses reveal that not all agencies adopting alignment in their appraisal systems fully implemented it for employees and managers. Organizational resources and ideology of political appointees influence adoption, while the strength of strategic program management efforts exhibits a weak association with implementation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the state of appraisal with regard to compliance with archives and records management legislations (ARML), the archives and records management policy (ARMP), reappraisal of records, capacity building, archives building and electronic records management (ERM) and to make a recommendation based on the research findings.

This study was based on the qualitative research technique. The research approach was a multiple case study comparing the previously advantaged and disadvantaged universities in South Africa.

The study found that ARML, ARMP, reappraisal of records and capacity building are essential for the appraisal of university records. The lack of appropriate appraisal theory/strategy led to a loss of institutional memory.

This research was limited to the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) and the University of Venda (UNIVEN). These two institutions are representatives of the state of archiving in South Africa.

This research will serve a benchmark for other South African universities, intending to implement systematic disposal of records in compliance with legislations and policies.

Failure by universities to appraise records will lead to the loss of institutional memory. This implies that history of institution will be lost if necessary measures are not taken.

There is very little, if any, research on the appraisal of South African universities’ records. The outcome of this research will benefit universities that are seeking to develop and implement appraisal strategies.

The purpose of this study is to assess the appraisal of records at the University of Witwatersrand and the University of Venda. Furthermore, the study intends to recommend appraisal of records to recognize African culture, reviewing records management policy to include an element on the appraisal of records, raise awareness on the appraisal of records, capacity building and develop electronic records management strategy to appraise records.

This study is based on the qualitative research technique. The research approach is a multiple case study comparing the previously advantaged and disadvantaged universities in South Africa.

The study found that archives and records management legislation, archives and records management policy, re-appraisal of records, capacity building are essential for the appraisal of university records. Lack of appropriate appraisal theory and strategy by the University of Witwatersrand and the University of Venda leads to a loss of institutional memory.

This research is limited to the University of Witwatersrand and the University of Venda. These two institutions are a sample of the state of archiving in South Africa.

There is very little, if any, research on the appraisal of South African universities' records. The outcome of this research will benefit universities that are seeking to develop and implement appraisal strategies.

This paper seeks to report the findings of a study focusing on the state of teacher appraisal in Kenyan secondary schools and to argue for an improved (facilitating) model of teacher appraisal.

The study adopted a qualitatively‐oriented case study using multiple cases and drawing on multiple methods of data collection.

The findings indicate that teacher appraisal policies and practices in Kenyan secondary schools exhibit weaknesses, which need to be urgently addressed if teacher appraisal is to be used to improve the quality of teaching and education in Kenya.

Of the eight administrative regions in Kenya, only one region was selected for data gathering. The reason for restricting the scope of the study related to availability of time in the first instance and the need for in‐depth investigation. The research was also limited to a study of six secondary schools. While including more schools in the sample would have widened the focus of the study, limited time and funding made such a wider study prohibitive. Moreover, the six schools, consisting of two private schools, and four public schools of various sizes, provided the opportunity to study Kenyan secondary schools in a variety of contexts.

There is a dearth of research‐based information on teacher appraisal in third world countries – especially Kenya – and this paper will therefore in itself be beneficial to education policy makers. This paper offers a more sophisticated conceptualisation of teacher appraisal, thereby laying a foundation for subsequent investigations. Such a conceptualisation should serve as a basis, not only for evaluating the existing teacher appraisal system in Kenya, but also for offering guidance for future practice and policy.

Increased control has been linked with increased defensiveness, decreased internal commitment, inconsistent adoption of initiatives, and mixed reception. In New Zealand we have seen an incremental tightening of control in the appraisal (evaluation) context with progressively enhanced requirements for accountability in the post‐reform (post‐1989) period in schools. Reports on the context of this tightening of accountability, or increased control, and presents evidence to demonstrate its impact. The evidence was provided via the results of a four‐year (1996‐1999) longitudinal questionnaire study from the period prior to the introduction of the 1996 Draft National Guidelines for Performance Management in Schools (DNGPMS), through to that of prescribed performance criteria (professional standards) for teachers and managers in schools in 1998 and 1999. The results contradict the predicted negative impacts and provide evidence that by 1999 there was a developing positive impact from the tightening of accountability in appraisal. The conclusion discusses recent threats to the positive gains reported in this study.

This paper presents the approach being taken to appraisal and retention scheduling at the National Patient Safety Agency based on the principles of ISO 15489.

The paper sets out the background to, and the factors affecting, the development of appraisal and scheduling practice. It then focuses on the use of a functional analysis approach to appraisal and scheduling within the context of a pilot project, describing the appraisal methodology, survey and scheduling techniques used within the pilot and evaluating their effectiveness in meeting relevant statutory and organisational requirements for records retention.

The pilot survey provided valuable learning. Functional appraisal and surveying techniques were found to be particularly effective for establishing the business context of records and identifying their primary values; that is the legal and organisational requirements governing their retention. However, they were less effective at recognising secondary values such as archival value or dealing with the legacy records.

Considers the lessons learned and how they are influencing the development of retention policy and practice.

This paper sets out to present the approach being taken to appraisal and retention scheduling at the National Patient Safety Agency based upon the principles of ISO 15489.

The paper sets out the background to, and the factors affecting, the development of appraisal and scheduling practice. It then focuses on the use of a functional analysis approach to appraisal and scheduling within the context of a pilot project, describing the appraisal methodology, survey and scheduling techniques used within the pilot and evaluating their effectiveness in meeting relevant statutory and organisational requirements for records retention.

The pilot survey provided valuable learning. Functional appraisal and surveying techniques were found to be particularly effective for establishing the business context of records and identifying their primary values; that is the legal and organisational requirements governing their retention. However, they were less effective at recognising secondary values such as archival value or dealing with the legacy records.

The paper concludes by considering the lessons learned and how they are influencing the development of retention policy and practice.