Search results

Understanding and navigating the differences in standards, and the roots and rationales underlying accreditation reviews, is necessary for all institutions that seek multiple accreditations. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a method to assist institutional-level leaders and assessment practitioners analyze and align these differences in various national or international agency requirements, to develop a framework for assessment and data collection. The proposed method is demonstrated by using multiple accreditors’ standards from the USA.

Guided by a set of process questions, a review and content analysis of national standards and 12 accreditation agency requirements from the USA was conducted using Web-based, documentary sources. An operational definition of institutional quality was derived based on the core themes that emerged. Examples of evidence matched to each core theme were outlined to suggest an assessment framework. The 12 US agency requirements were compared and contrasted with the core themes and validated.

In the USA, recognition requirements set by two national bodies, the US Department of Education and Council of Higher Education Accreditation, drive the standards applied by various agencies that accredit institutions and programs. Six themes emerged from their requirements, serving as a core framework for designing institutional assessment systems. The themes are student achievement and continuous improvement; curriculum quality; faculty; facilities, equipment and supplies; fiscal and administrative capacity; and student support services, admissions and information-gathering systems. While the 12 sampled accreditation agencies generally used these core themes, divergences were found in how they treated the themes in published requirements.

Where multiple US or other accreditations are sought, the approach recommended could facilitate the work of institutional accreditation leaders and practitioners in establishing assessment systems that reduce redundancy while also maximizing efficiency in assessment and data collection.

There is little guidance in the literature on how institutional leaders and practitioners confronting the challenges of accreditation can negotiate multiple, and sometimes conflicting, sets of requirements. This paper demonstrates a possible solution strategy. Outside the general utility of the demonstrated method, the findings and core assessment framework produced could be useful for institutions seeking accreditation through the agencies in the study sample, in both the USA and overseas.

This paper aims to take stock of existing publications devoted to entrepreneurship education and assess the alignment existing between its generic objectives, target audience, teaching methods and impact indicators.

A semi‐systematic literature review is applied; using six thematically separated excel data collection spreadsheets. Datasheets were used in order to reduce the author's bias. A total of 108 articles are reviewed in stages and by categorizing in terms of educational objectives, target audiences, community outreach activities, applied teaching methods and impact indicators.

Scholars in this field of study, though differing in a number of definitive issues, are converging towards a single framework of entrepreneurship education. There is a shift from a start‐up view to an attitude‐changing perspective of entrepreneurship education. However, with a diversity of target groups, there is still a non‐alignment between what educators and other stakeholders wish to achieve in educating for entrepreneurship with the applied pedagogical approaches, and success indicators.

The work has some limitations involved with literature reviews. The main noticeable limitation is the inclusion of both empirical and theoretical literature; it would be more appropriate to use a meta‐analysis approach.

Entrepreneurship education is reviewed in its totality. This is beneficial to educators and policy‐makers that are involved in setting or facilitating entrepreneurship educational programmes. The work will, specifically, help to understand problems related to non‐alignment in setting entrepreneurship educational programmes; a common pitfall for most of education designers.

The novelty of the work is in the use of data collection sheets. This has minimized the author's own bias, and brought some logical quantification into drawing meanings and conclusions from the existing literature in entrepreneurship education.

The purpose of this paper is to define a new conceptual framework or model, to measure and manage organizational performance, both financial/non-financial and intellectual capital (IC), in a healthcare organization.

The integrated new model is produced by integrating the common assessment framework (CAF) model with two other frameworks representing the IC and leadership. These already existing models are originated, respectively by the Health Agency of Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy) and the National Healthcare System (NHS – UK). The integration phase is operated by comparing the CAF and IC models so as to assess the determinant factors that are present in both frameworks and eliminating such redundancies. Concerning the leadership determinant factor, the relevant conceptual framework of CAF model is substituted by the new leadership model proposed by the NHS.

A new integrated model is made available for a subsequent step of empirical implementation and validation through its application in a healthcare organization. The main advantage of this model is the ability to measure and manage IC and financial/non-financial performance. Moreover, the use of a single measurement system facilitates the interpretation and coherency assessment of measured data so originated.

The added value this work provides will enrich the academic literature regarding performance measurement systems in healthcare organizations, also providing an original integrated model that is able to exhibit the advantages highlighted above.

This paper discusses common problems evident in many governance reviews with particular emphasis on the measurement problems often evident in such undertakings. The paper is written from the perspective of a consultant who has had the opportunity to assess the governance practices of numerous corporate and not‐for‐profit organizations and is based on the author’s experiences and anecdotal perspectives, as well as on the guidance available from comparing frequently observed practices in the measurement of governance matters with related instances of workplace assessment. Common measurement problems are outlined, such as unpegged rating scales, poorly crafted 360E reviews, self‐assessment, confusion between outcome and process measures and the lack of normative standards, with a particular emphasis on understanding limitations in the utility of such reviews imposed by the quality of the data. Methods to improve the quality of governance review information are presented, together with a practical framework to implement a process of governance review at the board table.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the suitability of an ISO standard to create an internal control assessment model, which effectively acts as a control system template and mental model to evaluate compliance with the Know Your Customer (KYC) and anti‐money laundering (AML) requirements in the Luxembourg retail and private banking sector.

This paper used a qualitative approach with various focus groups and case studies, to elaborate and validate the developed model through methodological triangulation.

The proposed assessment model has a matrix structure that facilitates the incorporation of checklists and narratives to ensure effective testing of controls and its structure allows targeting specific areas of risk in the identified KYC/AML processes.

The development of the model tended to be time consuming and could explain why matrix formats are used less often and the traditional limitations of a qualitative research apply.

The model can be used to combine various reporting formats on internal control, hence the audit effectiveness can be increased and information asymmetries can be reduced.

The proposed assessment model offers an innovative approach because it combines a process view of the business with an internal control view. Research in internal control assessment models has been very limited in the past years.

The purpose of this paper is to stimulate interest in the use of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF), a self-evaluation quality tool for the public sector, to disseminate relevant experiences from CAF implementation in Europe, to offer ideas about CAF optimization and to provide a basis and direction for further improvement.

The methodology that is followed in the paper is based on the study of best practices (BP) of CAF implementation in European public administrations. The BP were selected in order to cover a wide range of political fields and to prove that CAF can be used by organizations in all parts of the public sector with different characteristics of size and structure.

Studying relevant examples leads to the conclusion that effective CAF implementation can improve the performance of public administration and help establish a quality philosophy. The paper shows that CAF is a tool that can be easily modified and adapted to the organizations' special needs and characteristics.

The study of the selected cases and the related information that is presented in this paper helps to disseminate relevant experiences from CAF implementation in Europe. It offers managers of the public sector ideas and helps on how to implement the CAF model, by providing real examples of organizations that have implemented it. It also helps them understand the benefits from CAF implementation, as well as the obstacles and barriers that may be faced, in order to be better prepared for its successful implementation.

The value of this paper lies in the identification and presentation of several ideas and tools which have been successfully developed by European organizations and may as well be implemented by others. Ideas about modifying CAF and adjusting it into the uniqueness of every organization can be obtained only through careful study and analysis of its implementation.

The purpose of this study was to explore early help provision to children and families not reaching the Children Act (1989) child in need threshold, across all 152 English local authorities in 2017.

A freedom of information request was used, in September 2017, to obtain information regarding recorded numbers, attributes and referral reasons for Early Help cases, case categorisation, professional groups involved in this provision and models of practice.

Responses revealed there are no common protocols categorising referrals and identified needs of children and young people. Child behavioural issues were the most frequently occurring category followed by parenting issues and child emotional well-being. The numbers of children engaged by Early Help services varied with a range between Barnsley with 7.8% of children under 18 years old and Richmond on Thames with 0.33% and only exceeded children in need in a 7 out of 71 reporting authorities. Models of practice used were most commonly based on the assessment framework, which operates at all social work thresholds including child protection. The enquiry found a diverse workforce involved in Early Help and sets it within a context of local thresholds for dealing with large increases in referral rates to children’s services departments in recent years.

The study provides a unique insight into the nature and scope of Early Help provision across England. The relationship between existing thresholds of intervention in the child welfare system is underexplored in the social work literature.

The paper aims to sum up the principal and original set of information related to the special project covered by Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, which was oriented to quality assurance and assessment at Czech higher education institutions. It brings main results and lessons learned from comprehensive quality assessment methodology pilot testing.

Brainstorming conferences, seminars, comparative analysis, interviews, design review and validation were used by the expert team to develop and to test the comprehensive quality assessment methodology.

The EFQM Excellence Model is the most comprehensive tool for quality assurance and quality assessment. It is pragmatic and practical, but it is necessary to adapt this model for effective use at Czech higher education institutions as a set of assessment criteria. The comprehensive quality assessment approach does not only examine what universities and other higher schools have achieved in the past (through lagging indicators), but it also includes assessment of their potential for the future through the so-called leading indicators.

The pilot testing of designed methodology of comprehensive quality assessment was performed within 12 Czech higher education institutions, but the lessons learned have common validity for any Czech higher education institution.

The proposed methodology of comprehensive quality assessment is a quite new approach from the point of Czech higher education institutions view. It offers new and efficient tool for next higher schools and universities development.

The purpose of this study is to identify possible correlations between the stated “enablers” and “results” in excellence models, and to explain how different variables contribute to the “enablers” and “results”. A cross-case study of two different excellence models, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) in Italy and the Swedish Institute for Quality (SIQ) model for performance excellence, is proposed.

The study is based on the evaluation of assessment reports of public organizations across two countries, Italy and Sweden. Canonical correlation was used for data analysis. Two hypotheses were formulated: There is a correlation between “enablers” and “results” in the CAF model, and there is a correlation between “enablers” and “results” in the SIQ model.

The results show that the hypotheses are supported. It turned out that the correlation is higher for the SIQ model than for the CAF model. For the CAF model, “strategy and planning” is the main contributor to the “enablers”, and for the SIQ model, “human resource development” is the main contributor. For the “results” set, similar criteria provide the strongest contributor for both models; these are “customer/citizen-oriented results” for the CAF and “customer satisfaction” for the SIQ.

The paper contributes to the knowledge gained from a cross-case analysis of two different excellence models applied in public sector organizations, the CAF in Italy and the SIQ model for performance excellence in Sweden. The paper also contributes to an ongoing discussion of a need of excellence models being adapted specifically for the public sector; from this study, no support for such a sector-specific model is shown.

The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model has been widely used by higher education institutions (HEIs). However, knowledge about the state of the art concerning its application in the context of HEIs is still reduced. The purpose of this paper is to provide groundwork able to boost coordinated research efforts toward the development of the knowledge body in the field.

This research is based on a systematic literature review (SLR) of 25 papers identified in the ISI Web of Knowledge and SCOPUS databases, and considered relevant for analysis.

The paper provides a broad overview of the main issues explored so far in literature: potential benefits, potential barriers and critical success factors. By highlighting the main shortcomings of current research and the corresponding opportunities for additional research directions, the authors hope to boost further research efforts in the field.

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first SLR in the field.