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A case study on developing an organizational strategy for equal opportunities, based on experience of agreeing an action plan at the Open University, following a major review. Describes the process and makes seven observations about factors influencing the development and institutional agreement of such a plan: establishing the framework; leadership; a well researched plan; “champions” within the organization; building institutional ownership; resources required and organizational climate. The model is considered within the overall framework of equal opportunities in higher education in the UK, and compared with the research findings and proposals of the Opportunity 2000 campaign. Logs the need for more research on organizational strategy to ensure successful implementation of equal opportunity policy.

Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and shows that these are in many, differing, areas across management research from: retail finance; precarious jobs and decisions; methodological lessons from feminism; call centre experience and disability discrimination. These and all points east and west are covered and laid out in a simple, abstract style, including, where applicable, references, endnotes and bibliography in an easy‐to‐follow manner. Summarizes each paper and also gives conclusions where needed, in a comfortable modern format.

The majority of New Commonwealth immigrants to Britain arrived during the 1950s and early 1960s but for them and their children, equal opportunities are not yet a reality. To understand why this is so, requires some background on the establishment of a multi‐racial society in Britain.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the representations of male and female social actors within the subversive gendered discourse of “equal opportunities for men and women” in Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) textbooks.

From the methodological perspective, this study fused van Leeuwen’s (2003) “Social Actor Network Model” and Sunderland’s (2004) “Gendered Discourses Model”.

Data obtained from this study showed the subversive gendered discourse of “equal opportunities” was supported through such representations within a narrow perspective in line with dominant gender ideologies in Iran. The findings suggest the resistance against such subversive gendered discourse in Iranian EFL textbooks underpins gender norms and religious ideologies existing in Iran.

Such representations of male and female social actors in school textbooks show inclusive education and the discourse of “equal opportunities” have yet to be realised in education system of many countries, including Iran.

Gender segregation remains a remarkably persistent feature of the workforce in all member states of the European Union (EU), regardless of variations in rates of female economic activity, the growth of equality legislation and changing values prompted by notions of social justice. However, the argument that such patterns of segregation, in particular the clustering of women in low skilled, low paid work, represents a waste of human resources has a more powerful resonance in the context of converging economic and social factors. The creation of a Single Market, chronic skill shortages and an ageing workforce have combined with a more acute awareness of social justice and climate of political correctness to put women's skill and training needs higher on the political agenda than ever before. As a consequence, the Commission of the European Communities (CEC), which arguably has a good track record in acting as a catalyst in the promotion of equal opportunities (EO) more generally, is now in a unique position to challenge the rigidities of segregation through its funding programmes for training.

There is sufficient empirical evidence to suggest that discrimination, defined as absence of equal opportunities, exists before the market as well as in the market against certain social categories in India. Inequality in access to sources of human capital acquisition reinforces inequality in the labour market and vice versa. Apparently, caste‐community discrimination and class discrimination overlap. However, in the case of socially deprived categories, the latter accentuates the former. The impact of modernisation notwithstanding, the inegalitarian sacral tradition of caste still has strong hold over the minds and lives of Indians. The development processes have strengthened caste and community consciousness resulting in the metamorphosis of different social categories into interest groups. With patron‐client relationship as the basis for political mobilization, development policies have favoured the dominant social categories as well as the articulate better‐off sections across all social categories. So it seems that “divinely ordained” social inequities persist in a secular garb, though possibly with reduced inhumanity. Yet, with increasing political assertion of the lower social categories and widening opportunities for social mobility, hegemony of the traditional elite is likely to decline. The change in the composition of the elite should foster non‐brahmanical pragmatic cultural ethos conducive to social mobility and development. The policies designed to promote equal opportunities, taking into account heterogeneity of Indian society, will speed up the process of socio‐economic change.

In this chapter, the authors interrogate the structures, natures, processes, and variables that shape globalized collegiate desegregation. The authors pay attention to the history of segregation in South African culture, then proceed to current efforts to dismantle and rebuild the country’s educational enterprise. Drawing parallels with segregation policy in the United States, the authors argue that both nations may draw from global lessons about systemic global anti-Black oppression and its structural forms (e.g., apartheid, inequities in higher education). More specifically, the authors ground arguments in an analysis of the linguistic hegemony that continues to inculcate the college-aspiring students of South Africa. Understanding fundamental desegregation characteristics of racial hegemonic nations (e.g., United States) vis-à-vis racial and linguistic hegemonic nations (e.g., South Africa) is imperative to increase understanding of democratization of educational systems throughout the world.

The United States (US) system of special education committed three original sins that perpetuate inequities between children with disabilities and their peers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of the US system, contrast this history against international disability law and identify opportunities for leaders to transform policy and practice for inclusive education.

This paper explores the development of the three sins in US special education law: (1) weaving throughout it a medical model of disability, (2) failing to mandate inclusion and (3) hampering meaningful enforcement. The paper contrasts the US system with the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), an international law adopted by 180 nations that requires inclusion of people with disabilities at all levels of systems.

This paper finds that the United States has not embraced inclusion in education, but has permitted a continuum of segregation and integration. After a discussion of the three sins and the CRPD, the authors describe opportunities for international and US leaders to learn from the original sins of the United States and develop a system of true inclusion for all students through the transformation of policy and practice.

This paper contributes to the literature on policy development and implementation, with implications for future amendments to US education law and international public administration of education.

In Africa, there is a great desire to achieve social and economic development through a full and proper education and utilization of the abundant human resources available. However, great inequalities in access to education exist for different social classes and for different parts of each African Country. Attempts to equalize opportunities include the introduction of free universal primary education, and the building of boarding primary schools for nomadic tribes; the reduction of secondary school fees; and the establishment or expansion of Federal and regional scholarships, bursaries and loan schemes. There are also admission quota schemes in favour of women and disadvantaged regions. Racial, private and church‐owned schools have been abolished or taken over by the government. Plans have been made for the establishment of large numbers and varieites of educational institutions especially in the rural areas and underdeveloped regions of each country.

Reports research findings from a study of equal opportunities officers. Explores different definitions and understandings of equal opportunities held by equal opportunities officers. Argues that the level of support for equal opportunities officers from top executives and equal opportunities officers’ own levels of seniority in organisations are important factors regarding the success of this area of work. Discusses the management role played by some equal opportunities officers. Considers various strategies for the implementation of equal opportunities within organisations, including mainstreaming, building alliances, and prioritisation of issues. Explores some of the advantages and disadvantages of mainstreaming as a strategy for implementing equal opportunities. Makes some recommendations for effective organisational practice in implementing equal opportunities.