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1 – 8 of 8The purpose of this paper is to explore a possible discursive history of National Health Service (NHS) “management” (with management, for reasons that will become evident, very…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore a possible discursive history of National Health Service (NHS) “management” (with management, for reasons that will become evident, very much in scare quotes). Such a history is offered as a complement, as well as a counterpoint, to the more traditional approaches that have already been taken to the history of the issue.
Design/methodology/approach
Document analysis and interviews with UK NHS trust chief executives.
Findings
After explicating the assumptions of the method it suggests, through a range of empirical sources that the NHS has undergone an era of administration, an era of management and an era of leadership.
Research limitations/implications
The paper enables a recasting of the history of the NHS; in particular, the potential for such a discursive history to highlight the interests supported and denied by different representational practices.
Practical implications
Today’s so-called leaders are leaders because of conventional representational practices – not because of some essence about what they really are.
Social implications
New ideas about the nature of management.
Originality/value
The value of thinking in terms of what language does – rather than what it might represent.
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Huu Cuong Nguyen, Colin Evers and Stephen Marshall
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development of Viet Nam’s approach to higher education quality assurance during the past dozen years since its establishment…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development of Viet Nam’s approach to higher education quality assurance during the past dozen years since its establishment, focusing on the achievements and challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a desktop analysis study. The paper analyses the policies and practices related to the development of Viet Nam’s higher education accreditation system by reviewing associated literature.
Findings
The research has found out that there are several achievements, including: the development of the accreditation framework; establishment of accrediting agencies; completion of almost universities’ self-assessment reports; implementation of external assessment exercise at some institutions, a few of which were awarded accreditation certificates. However, there remain a number of challenges related to the independence of the accrediting agencies, human resources, accreditation standards and criteria, institutions’ awareness about accreditation and the pace of accreditation implementation.
Research limitations/implications
The primary limitation of this study is the research methodology which merely relies on document analysis. It would be more credible if the findings could be triangulated with data taken from other sources such as interviews with key stakeholders.
Originality/value
On the basis of the analysis of achievements and challenges at both macro and micro levels, discussion and recommendations are made for future policy-making and management in the field of higher education accreditation.
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Leadership, organizational, and institutional theories provide competing explanations on the nature of leadership and role of leaders. Part of the problem is that each theory is…
Abstract
Leadership, organizational, and institutional theories provide competing explanations on the nature of leadership and role of leaders. Part of the problem is that each theory is often studied in isolation, leading to incomplete perspectives on the essence of leadership in value- driven contexts. A holistic paradigm that blends the three dominant models for understanding the work of the collective is warranted and necessary to optimize organizational outcomes. This article briefly highlights the contributions and limitations of each frame and provides an overview of complexity theory as a model for reconciling major differences. The paper provides specific perspectives, practices, and metaphors for navigating the collective to bring about desired outcomes.
This paper attempts to present a general theory to explain evaluation and development of management practices in various social systems, organizations, cultures and countries…
Abstract
This paper attempts to present a general theory to explain evaluation and development of management practices in various social systems, organizations, cultures and countries. This theory proposes that there are five stages and levels of sophistication in management. It is also possible to link management‐level in an organization and the type of leadership that goes with it. At higher management levels, more systemic and strategic management is required, also as evidenced in recent international studies by Jaques. Management in developing countries can be enhanced by understanding these stages and levels advanced in international management and administration references.
The current world recession highlights the widespread difficulty government and business leaders have in managing national industrial economies to use existing technology, plant…
Abstract
The current world recession highlights the widespread difficulty government and business leaders have in managing national industrial economies to use existing technology, plant and equipment, and most importantly, human resources. Unemployment in the OECD countries rose to 29.3 million in 1982, and was expected to reach 32 million by the end of 1983. GNP in these countries fell from a general growth rate of 3.4 per cent in 1979 to minus 0.5 per cent in the first half of 1982. However, managers of business organisations must, as they have always tried to do, anticipate changes in their economic and social environment which will affect them and their organisations, and attempt to cope with them. What important social trends are impacting on organisations in the non‐communist industrial world, and what are the implications for managers and for management developers over the next decade?
Fredrick M. Nafukho, Carroll M. Graham and Machuma H. Muyia
The primary purpose of the study was to determine the type of relationships that existed among organizational learning dimensions studied. In addition, the study sought to…
Abstract
Purpose
The primary purpose of the study was to determine the type of relationships that existed among organizational learning dimensions studied. In addition, the study sought to establish whether the correlations were statistically significant at 0.05 and 0.01 levels.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a correlational quantitative research design. It has been established that quantitative methods enable researchers to conduct comparisons across individuals. The correlational research design was found appropriate since it enabled the researchers to determine if statistically significant correlations existed among the learning dimensions studied.
Findings
The results of the correlation analysis showed that the learning organization dimensions leadership and culture had the highest level of association, followed by correlations between rewards and recognition and culture. The correlations were statistically significant at 0.01. Meaning that for the small business unit studied to be successful in promoting organizational learning practices, leadership must assume the primary responsibility.
Research limitations/implications
Further research should include comparisons of organizational learning dimensions within small, medium and large business firms. Generality of this study's results will be limited due to the investigation of a single small‐size manufacturing enterprise. Qualitative research techniques could have been used to supplement the findings.
Originality/value
There are limited studies that focus on the issue of organizational learning within small‐size business enterprises.
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Poonam Veer Ramjeawon and Jennifer Rowley
Universities need to manage their knowledge assets, and, to work creatively to maximize the enablers and minimize the barriers associated with knowledge management processes. This…
Abstract
Purpose
Universities need to manage their knowledge assets, and, to work creatively to maximize the enablers and minimize the barriers associated with knowledge management processes. This research offers a comparative perspective on knowledge management in universities in two countries whose university sectors are at different stages of their development, South Africa and Mauritius.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with expert informants from 10 high-ranking universities in Mauritius and South Africa, who held senior roles in research and its management within their respective universities
Findings
Both enablers and barriers (eandb) were evident in relation to: strategies and policies, organizational structures, rewards and incentives, culture, technology, leadership, human resources, resources and funding, and university-industry linkages, although the significance of these eandbs varied between the three knowledge processes, knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer. Overall, Mauritius, with a less developed university sector, faced more challenges in respect of knowledge management than did South Africa.
Originality/value
This study's theoretical contribution is a holistic framework for enabling KM in universities on the basis of a mapping between KM eandb's and KM processes. This comparative country level study, embracing a number of universities, offers insights into national policy, and cultural expectations that influence the extent and nature of barriers and enablers to effective KM. The insights offered by this study will be valuable for Mauritius and South Africa, and also for universities in other countries.
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Osama Al-Kurdi, Ramzi El-Haddadeh and Tillal Eldabi
The purpose of this paper is to help in providing a better understanding on knowledge sharing amongst academics in higher education institutions (HEIs). The aim of this study is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to help in providing a better understanding on knowledge sharing amongst academics in higher education institutions (HEIs). The aim of this study is realized by profiling existing literature to understand the determinants of knowledge sharing, research trends, theories, and future research opportunities.
Design/methodology/approach
After carefully examining the extant literature and by utilizing relevant academic-based research databases, a total of 73 papers published in peer-reviewed journals over the last decade were reviewed and analyzed using well-established systematic literature review methodology.
Findings
The adopted systematic review revealed that there are limited contributions in understanding knowledge sharing in HEIs when compared with other sectors. The review provides a number of avenues for future research including technological, cultural, organizational, and behavioral aspects at different levels.
Practical implications
This study helps in offering a focal point to senior management in HEIs for realizing the requirements for developing appropriate strategies and programs to promote knowledge sharing among academics and consequently enhance their institutions’ performance.
Originality/value
This study utilized Jesson et al. (2011) in presenting a comprehensive systematic review of knowledge sharing specifically in the context of HEIs. This paper offers some theoretical and practical insights on what contributes toward understating the determinates affecting knowledge sharing practices among academics.
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