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This article examines the perceptions of both administrators and faculty relating to the validity of student evaluations and the existence of possible biasing factors. The results indicate that administrators believe student evaluations measure teaching effectiveness to a greater degree than faculty, while faculty members believe their personality is the primary determinant of ratings on student evaluations. Faculty also believe that the type of course, the work load of a course, and the grade distribution of a course have a larger impact on student evaluations when compared with administrators’ beliefs.

From a roundup of recent literature on the effectiveness of the current accounting curriculum in the USA, identifies a consensus that additional education is needed to better prepare students for their careers in the accounting profession and seeks to determine which areas need to be addressed if substantial improvement is to be achieved within the curriculum; analyses data collected from the results of students’ tests undertaken over three consecutive semesters at a US Midwest university to assess students’ quantitative, verbal and problem‐solving skills, and finds that performance in the latter two areas was consistently less impressive than in the former. As each of these areas is seen as important to accounting careers, suggests that more attention should be paid to communication and problem‐solving skills as part of the curriculum, although not at the expense of technical skills; tabulates and briefly discusses a number of other findings from the research, for example with regard to gender differences across the skill areas.

Outlines the dissatisfaction of US accountant graduate employers in relation to graduates’ communication and problem solving abilities. Cites that technical abilities are good and reviews prior research in this area. States that whilst progress is being made in training and graduates are in fact stronger than in previous years, employers’ expectations have yet to be reached. Argues that this may be that other countries are developing their training at a faster rate. Advocates a strong partnership between academics and businesses.

This paper aims to describe the training strategy developed to provide the leadership of a new coordination structure of health centers in Portugal, with managerial competencies adapted to the requirements of their function, in support of primary care reform.

Pre and post‐program questionnaires were exploited. These focused on the perceptions of the new managers of their needs and of the benefits derived from their participation in learning activities during 2008 and 2009.

The findings outline that although the program created opportunities for executive directors to identify and analyze planning and management problems and to share potential solutions with colleagues, a training program is not sufficient to create the conditions that facilitate change.

More research is required to better understand the impact of the program on executive directors' attitudes and behaviors. More research on measuring the impact of leadership training is needed to provide policy‐makers with strategies to support their reforms.

The PACES training program was designed to develop and strengthen the managerial capacities of a group of managers of a new administrative structure in the health sector; it could be also applicable to other sectors like education, environment, etc.

If a reform process is to be effective, policy‐makers need to address, in addition to building individual capacities, organizational and institutional capacity needs, and design mechanisms to support managers on a continuing basis.

This paper describes the development of a new program focused on management and leadership to fit the needs of a reform in primary‐care.

For many years, science fiction has been perceived as “rayguns and rocket ships” boys' literature. Any number of impressionistic and statistical studies have identified the typical SF reader as male, between the ages of twelve and twenty and, in the case of adults, employed in some technical field. Yet I continually find myself having conversations with women, only to find that they, like myself, began reading science fiction between the ages of six and ten, have been reading it voraciously ever since, and were often frustrated at the absence of satisfying female characters and the presence of misogynistic elements in what they read. The stereotype of the male reader and the generally male SF environment mask both the increasing presence of women writers in the field of science fiction and the existence of a feminist dialog within some SF novels. This dialog had its beginnings in the mid‐sixties and is still going strong. It is the hope of the feminist SF community that this effacement can be counteracted.

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).

This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.

This chapter presents a feminist poststructuralist account of the role of men and masculinity in the development of Air Canada, specifically in its early years and the development of the organization’s culture. It is argued that an understanding of the development of gendered practices (i.e., the development of male associated or dominated work) over time can help us to understand and identify how such practices develop, are maintained, and also change.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships of service marketing mix (SMM) as service input and service output in terms of students’ performance, satisfaction and referral act in context to higher and technical education (HTE) through the application of structural equation modeling.

A quantitative research, conducted through a self-administered survey composed by a closed-ended structured questionnaire, was incorporated for the students who were enrolled in the technical educational institutions situated in the Khandesh region of India.

The findings of this study revealed that traditional SMM is statistically linked with the performance of students in terms of skill and knowledge enhancement, satisfaction and referral act of students, which are perceptible new emerging SMM; performance, pleasure and pointing out in terms of service output.

Integrating SMM as service input and service output are productive for HTE in enhancing growth (quantitatively) by the inclusivity of diversified students and development (qualitatively) by enhancing their performance for global standing, making them satisfied and motivating them for recommending their institution to others. This integration can be utilized as a yardstick by the institutions for staying ahead in students’ market with a distinctive competitive advantage.

Growth and development of HTE will raise a society’s quality of life and thereby increase a country’s socio-economic status.

The study has exhibited SMM as input and output of a service system that is useful for the growth and development of HTE. The measurement tool presented is effective in (re)framing policies on SMM as service input based on desired service output.