Search results

To propose improvements to the identification of authors' names in digital repositories.

Analysis of current name authorities in digital resources, particularly in digital repositories, and analysis of some features of existing repository applications.

This paper finds that the variations of authors' names have negatively affected the retrieval capability of digital repositories. Two possible solutions include using composite identifiers that combine author name, publication date, and author affiliation, and also asking authors to input the variants of their name, if any, at the time of depositing articles.

This is the first time that the approach of authors self‐depositing their name variations is proposed. This approach will be able to reduce confusions in name identification.

Schools and school systems around the world are being challenged to emulate management practices used in business organizations. Reports on a case study of management in a computing firm in Sydney, Australia. Attention focuses on communication, the methodology of work, characteristics of the organizational setting, organization structure, selection and motivation of staff, goals of managers and management styles. The findings provide a basis for discussing the relevance of business management practices for education. Managers in education and private enterprise may have much to gain from one another. However, each sector also has distinctive attributes which make transfer of some practices inappropriate. Concludes by considering the benefits for educational managers of observing business executives in action.

Both the criteria which can be used to assess the effectiveness of schools and the means by which effectiveness can be increased have received considerable attention during the last two decades. These criteria have usually been shown to revolve around school climate, leadership, shared decision making, effective teaching, and parental and community involvement. However, identification of universal criteria has been criticised on grounds such as poor methodology, differences in context and culture, assumptions of causality, and neglect of the influence of the external environment. Primary schools have goals and styles of operation which contrast markedly with those of secondary schools. Using approaches which differed from those commonly used in effectiveness studies, two Alberta studies asked principals (headteachers) to identify items which were (a) critical for planning and (b) important for judging the overall effectiveness of primary schools. Emphasis was placed on climate, high expectations for students, leadership, the morale and satisfaction of staff and students, effective teaching and student attitudes.

More and more companies have come to realise that many organisational problems occurred largely as a result of individuals′ inappropriate responses to stress. Over the last 20 years, there have been many stress management programmes that have been developed, with varying degrees of success. The reasons why effective programmes have succeeded and why others have failed are illustrated.

The job satisfaction and effectiveness of principals, the effectiveness of their schools, and relationships among those three variables were investigated by questionnaires and interviews involving elementary school teachers, principals, and area superintendents in Alberta. Job satisfaction of principals was closely associated with the effect of the job on their personal lives, and it was highest in respect of working relationships with teachers and students. An appropriate school climate emerged as the most important and most effective individual aspect of the performance of schools, but a multidimensional perspective was supported. Effective principalship was seen to encompass many high priority areas, and principals′ overall effectiveness related most strongly to their decision‐making effectiveness. Principals′ job satisfaction was only weakly associated with the effectiveness of schools and principals, but the two effectiveness variables were significantly related. Teachers and area superintendents tended to rate the effectiveness of schools less positively than did principals.

Suggests that educators in Australia are displaying a growing interest in graduate instruction in educational administration. Examines issues that are central to making courses relevant, stimulating and appealing for educational administrators today using the review of one Master′s degree course as an illustration. Discusses the need to review courses, then considers decisions about the primary instructional focus, the educational clientele, neglected content areas, experiential components and flexible modes of attendance. Proposes teaching arrangements that add diversity and relevance to curricula, including the design of subjects in conjunction with local education authorities, lecturing by expert managers, and reliance on part‐time and visiting appointments. Presents continuing education as a further responsibility of educational administration departments. Advocates course promotion and ongoing contact with the profession and advances some strategies. Cautions, however, against innovations designed only to capture additional enrolments and funding.

The current thrust towards devolution of power to schools has altered and expanded the principal′s role. Principals are being made responsible for school review and planning, local selection of staff, school‐based staff development, performance appraisal, financial management, and the establishment of school councils. Principals need professional development to cope successfully with these new requirements. Reviews the immediate administrative training needs of school leaders, and then examines the dilemma universities face in providing appropriate administrative development. A new fee‐paying programme is proposed as a way for universities to fulfil academic responsibilities while providing school leaders with knowledge, skills and confidence for their emerging school self‐management responsibilities.

This paper seeks to describe the development of a real time suicide alert system and to identify how, as a result, organisations were able to respond in a timely way to an increasing trend in suicides within the County Durham and Darlington area.

Between October 2008 and August 2009 an unprecedented concentration of suicides occurred in County Durham, North East England. As a result, an independent review of these deaths was conducted in 2009/2010. Recommendations from the review were implemented and included the development of a real time suicide alert system.

Following implementation of the real time suicide alert system in autumn 2010 a further significant concentration of cases was immediately identified. A total of 24 deaths were identified between September and December 2010. There was a wide geographical spread across County Durham and Darlington. The case profiles revealed a number of risk factors including recent bereavement, relationship difficulties and financial problems. In addition sleeplessness, low mood and problems associated with housing were also identified. Men under the age of 50 years accounted for over 63 per cent of the cases. An organisational response in County Durham and Darlington was triggered by the information provided via the real time alert. The response was framed by the case profiles, evidence from the literature and lessons learned from other areas in the UK that had also experienced an escalation of suicide cases. In January 2011 there were no further potential suicides in County Durham and Darlington and the three‐month rolling average number of suicides returned to below expected limits, and this remains the case as of December 2011. No direct correlation between the work of the response team across County Durham and Darlington and rate of suicides resuming within normal limits can be claimed, indeed many of the initiatives are still being evaluated but the organisation now has much better control over the ability to respond, characterised by timely evidence based interventions and improved partnership working.

The development of a local real time suicide alert system can reduce the delay in the reporting of potential suicides and can identify trends; it can also provide the basis for a timely organisational response.

This paper describes an innovative multiagency approach to the problem of delay in the notification of suicides. This will be of interest to commissioners and providers who may want to develop similar systems so that they can immediately identify an escalation of deaths due to suicide and respond in timely manner.

This paper seeks to present a proposal to change the form in which knowledge is produced in Colombia.

Discusses the key issue – to transform the way in which the production of knowledge is currently taking place at the university level.

To be able to increase the production of knowledge in this country there is a need to create bonds among industrial, governmental, and academic institutions. It is believed that this can be done by the development of a system capable of continuously forming researchers at a doctoral level.

The paper puts forward a proposal for the construction of such a system based on the developments of organizational cybernetics. The proposal is based on the concept of autonomy which is crucial to solve this problem.