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Recent financial scandals in the private sector have led to widespread speculation that public organizations may be susceptible to similar events of financial misconduct and should, therefore, be required to adopt similar strategies to those that are mandated of private-sector corporations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. This paper looks at one of those strategies by examining the use of audit committees in U.S. local governments. Specifically, this paper explores (1) why local governments have heretofore voluntarily created audit committees, (2) the perceived benefits and problems of audit committees, and (3) whether the use of audit committees is compatible with the principal-agent logic that underlies their promotion.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive assessment of promotion and tenure for librarians in light of increased scrutiny and expectations by the administration of Idaho State University (ISU). This increased rigour was prompted by a move up in the Carnegie Classification System.

A literature review was performed using library databases, as well as assessing peer institution promotion and tenure documents. Additionally ongoing feedback from University administrators was solicited. The process took for the creation of a new promotion and tenure document for ISU library took two years from the beginning of the project to the final approved document.

The study found a dearth of performance benchmarks in both literature and peer institution policies and required the authors, along with other library faculty, to create evidence based benchmarks for ISU aligned with traditional standards of teaching, research and service.

This paper is an inclusive assessment of the literature on faculty promotion and tenure, the policies of ISU’s peer institutions, and the change of Carnegie Classification’s impact on the ISU policies.

Towns and cities across Canada face rapidly changing economic circumstances and many are turning to a variety of strategies, including tourism, to provide stability in their communities. Community Economic Development (CED) has become an accepted form of economic development, with recognition that such planning benefits from a more holistic approach and community participation. However, much of why particular strategies are chosen, what process the community undertakes to implement those choices and how success is measured is not fully understood. Furthermore, CED lacks a developed theoretical basis from which to examine these questions. By investigating communities that have chosen to develop their tourism potential through the use of murals, these various themes can be explored. There are three purposes to this research: (1) to acquire an understanding of the “how” and the “why” behind the adoption and diffusion of mural-based tourism as a CED strategy in rural communities; (2) to contribute to the emerging theory of CED by linking together theories of rural geography, rural change and sustainability, and rural tourism; and (3) to contribute to the development of a framework for evaluating the potential and success of tourism development within a CED process.

Two levels of data collection and analysis were employed in this research. Initially, a survey of Canadian provincial tourism guides was conducted to determine the number of communities in Canada that market themselves as having a mural-based tourism attraction (N=32). A survey was sent to these communities, resulting in 31 responses suitable for descriptive statistical analysis, using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). A case study analysis of the 6 Saskatchewan communities was conducted through in-depth, in person interviews with 40 participants. These interviews were subsequently analyzed utilizing a combined Grounded Theory (GT) and Content Analysis approach.

The surveys indicated that mural development spread within a relatively short time period across Canada from Chemainus, British Columbia. Although tourism is often the reason behind mural development, increasing community spirit and beautification were also cited. This research demonstrates that the reasons this choice is made and the successful outcome of that choice is often dependent upon factors related to community size, proximity to larger populations and the economic (re)stability of existing industry. Analysis also determined that theories of institutional thickness, governance, embeddedness and conceptualizations of leadership provide a body of literature that offers an opportunity to theorize the process and outcomes of CED in rural places while at the same time aiding our understanding of the relationship between tourism and its possible contribution to rural sustainability within a Canadian context. Finally, this research revealed that both the CED process undertaken and the measurement of success are dependent upon the desired outcomes of mural development. Furthermore, particular attributes of rural places play a critical role in how CED is understood, defined and carried out, and how successes, both tangible and intangible, are measured.

In the concluding chapter of the book, Professor Graeme Aitken will reflect on key academic promotion themes and ideas presented by the contributing authors. Drawing on the author’s experience as a former Dean of Education, and involvement within the Universitas 21 collaborative project on the recognition of teaching as a critical aspect of academic promotion, Professor Aitken will offer observations about the complexities of current academic promotion processes within the academe. The author’s insights will address our overarching series intention of advancing our thinking about “surviving and thriving in academia” via the authors’ range of international promotion experiences.

Coffee is the developing world′s largest export after oil, and coffee revenues are vital to many nations. However, growth prospects for consumption of this critically important commodity are not encouraging on a global basis and are discouraging in the US where volume is on a long‐term decline. The Promotion Fund of the International Coffee Agreement attempts to encourage consumption. The fund is financially supported by coffee producing countries that have signed the International Coffee Agreement. In light of objectives to assist developing nations and help these nations to help themselves, it is important to understand the operations of the Fund. The Promotion Fund of the International Coffee Agreement may serve as a skeletal model for the development of similar agreements for other products significant to the developing world.

The use of technology in teaching and scholarly publishing has become a vital part of the tripartite component (research, teaching, and service) of the promotion and tenure process. Information technology (IT) is new territory in this process. The evaluation of the use of IT as an integral part of mainstream instruction is gathering momentum and generating dialogue within the professional literature of most disciplines. This article addresses the issues now facing faculty who are coming up for promotion and/or tenure and the issues with which their evaluators must grapple in reviewing their promotion and tenure papers.

Navigating the tenure and promotion process can be a daunting task for faculty members regardless of race or gender at institutions of higher learning. The purpose of this paper is to reflect the experiences of a Black female as she navigates the tenure and promotion process at a predominantly White institution (PWI), most of which have an organizational culture dominated by males.

The author describes the process that many faculty members undertake, identifies three levels of peer involvement, and discusses some of the issues that she faced during her efforts to advance from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor to Full Professor and the lessons learnt along the way.

The goal is to illuminate: the impact of personality and communication style on career advancement for Black women in academe, the feelings of apprehension that some Black female faculty at PWIs have regarding the impact of speaking candidly about their experiences and about diversity issues impacting the work environment, and the need for peer coaching to gain tenure and promotion.

There are no guarantees that peer involvement will make the process less daunting or improve the chances of success for Black female faculty members at PWIs. However, this reflexive account provides insights into the process that can be useful to other Black females at PWIs, as well as, the faculty who mentor them and the administrators who seek to retain them.

Six tips for Black females who are going through the promotion and tenure process are set forth. Additionally, a model is proposed that describes peer involvement in faculty development.

This study examines and describes the experiences and perceptions of women and men associate professors from various academic disciplines as they chart and navigate their academic career trajectories.

Using a case study approach, we interviewed 11 purposively selected mid-career faculty members and five department heads.

Through the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), we identified issues of clarity, climate, self-efficacy, and gender disparity as major concerns for mid-career faculty.

This research is limited to a research-intensive university in the southeastern United States. The small study population and unique context limit the generalizability of the study.

Findings of the study provide a lens for university and college administrators, human resources professionals, and other institutional leaders to view professional development programs for mid-career faculty members at their own institutions. The findings also suggest a need for improvements to current family-friendly policies to reduce gender bias and retain women faculty members.

This paper offers practical recommendations to higher education administrators and human resources professionals on how to positively cultivate a better work climate and culture for mid-career faculty members. It also offers suggestions on how to be sensitive to and improve gender equity among mid-career faculty in higher education.

Numerous Chinese management studies have demonstrated significant differences between Chinese and Western management. This exploratory paper investigates the impact of Chinese culture and Western traditions on China's contemporary school leaders' views of leadership and management, particularly in the areas of relationship building, delegation, and promotion. Data were drawn from questionnaires completed by school leaders and individual interviews with principals from different parts of China. The findings indicate that the differences between Chinese and Western management practices in Chinese schools are not static and should not be over-stressed. To different extents, the respondent school leaders of China were affected by both Chinese and Western values and practices in school leadership and management. Specifically, they were more influenced by Chinese culture in the areas of school management and organization and by Western values and practices in the areas of relationship building, staff performance, and promotion. Their leadership and management preferences were also influenced by other factors, including gender, domestic politics, and development.