Depopulation and decline sustained in the Borders counties for over a hundred years reached critical proportions during the 1960's. The shrunken population was skewed to the elderly and the female, and employment opportunities for those remaining were diminished by deterioration of the narrow economic base. Attempts to redress the downward slide of the economy have focused on the importation of industry from outside the region. These have met with limited success. At the same time, the focus on town based industrial development has encouraged the threefold effect of migration from countryside to cities, urban overcrowding and unemployment, and farm abandonment, that bedevil governments everywhere. Land based development, to stem or reverse this flow, has been advocated for developing countries for several years. It may be as appropriate for developed nations in some regions. In this form of development the Borders have an advantage. Without a heavy burden of civil and industrial bureaucracies or of cities with their expensive infrastructures, it is an ideal location for land based, labour intensive operations. It has, as well, estates large enough to establish agro-industries on a viable scale. In the foreseeable future increasing costs and scarcity of fuels will force a substitution of manpower for machinery. Transportation of goods and commuting of workers will be restricted. Land based development could become obligatory. There are many advantages for the Borders in such a development. Present settlement patterns and employment structures obviate the development rather than hinder it. The extra jobs created would enable the elderly to return to the workforce. Development would be indigenous and would not require large importations of capital. Education will play a central role in the accommodation to such a dramatic change of direction. Community education, on-the-job, in-service training and continuing, nonformal education will have to be greatly extended to impart new skills and engender new social attitudes and new levels of expectation.

This thesis examines the enactment of the National Strategies for school improvement in two English primary schools. Within a qualitative case study design, data were collected on the everyday practice of school professionals employing the instruments of 27 semi-structured interviews, on-site observations and documentary data analysis. The data were interpreted within a social constructionist paradigm and a conceptual framework based on complex responsive processes theory in combination with discourse analysis. The political context for this enquiry is the relentless implementation of neoliberal policies in the English education sector and their reinforcement by the now deeply embedded audit regime. According to complex responsive processes theory, centrally designed and controlled strategy ignores the vital influence of human interdependence and the emergent nature of social change. Critically, target-driven reform focuses practitioners’ attention on idealised, ‘abstract’ children at the risk of severing their connection to children as they really are: embodied, emotional, susceptible, vulnerable. Complex responsive processes theory brings into focus the choices we can make, both individually and collectively, therefore illuminating the responsibility each of us holds for the current condition and the future of education. Within the patterns of conversation in the case study schools, practitioners appeared to be conflicted by the imperatives of target-driven agendas and their personal commitment to the child. However, the patterns of conversation also signalled a strong convergence with the dominant discourse of school improvement which defines educational transformation as the delivery of national targets and standards. This thesis contends that the prevalence of government improvement discourse in primary schools may have narrowed the educational experience of children by reducing teaching to a target-driven assessment cycle. It is argued that as a consequence of government strategy enactment in primary schools, children have become reconstructed as instruments for measuring the effectiveness of the system rather than being the recipients of ‘improved education’.

National cultures vary and the variations challenge the conventional wisdom of the Western management theory and practice in other cultural contexts. Specifically, the national characteristic of 'face(mien) behaviour' is immensely important at all levels in Chinese interpersonal communications. The notion of 'mien' permeates every aspect of interpersonal relationships in Chinese culture because of the culture’s overarching concern with relationships. This study examines the nature of 'mien' behaviour, explores how 'mien' functions in the Hong Kong educational context, and how leadership styles of secondary school principals interact with 'mien' as perceived by their teaching staff and how, eventually, these interactions influence the effectiveness of the schools. Whenever Chinese behaviour is discussed, the social philosophy of Confucianism is relevant. The Confucian ethical system regulating social behaviour has three principle ideas: ren(), yi() and li(); benevolence, righteousness or justice, and propriety or courtesy. This study also examines how these three principles nurture 'mien' and considers whether any alternate style of leadership in Hong Kong context can be formulated.

This research is a case study of a public body - a UK HE institution - to reveal aspects of a cycle of 'change that did not stick' and to reveal the power-base and control aspects of change, organisation and management. This institution set about to change its operation to a democratic, matrix-style of organisation. It then reversed that change and in four years returned to something like its former structure. The people at the top - the 'directorate' - arrived and moved on but the staff remained. Eleven of the staff, all middle managers, talked about the events and their interpretations of this change. Their perspective is from outside senior management, yet closer to those engaged in the day-to-day operations of the institution. The interviewees told what happened - from the inside. Their 'voices' are the 'data 1 and the most important part of the story. They provide a 'text', which is supported by a background of internal official documents and external documents during the period. The cycle of organisational change, seen through the eyes of the 'affected 1 , is presented as a text, a social document, encasing and enveloping their accounts and stories with the intention of preserving the integrity of the evidence. Various interpretative approaches are followed: Critical Theory, philosophy, culture together with the national Higher Education context and a 'casestudy' of another HE institution as corroborative background. The casestudy, prompted by the general approach of the respondents, is used as a spring-board for reflections on management and governance.

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a philosophy for continuously improving services and/or products. Organisations which have adopted TQM have gained many benefits in terms of profits, employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. Despite such benefits, research data has revealed that more than 2/3 of organisations which adopted TQM ended up failing to implement it. Therefore many researchers have suggested conducting organisational readiness assessment prior to the implementation phase. The Libyan HEIs believed that TQM would solve many of their problems and some Universities had shown an intention to implement a TQM approach. There is some literature on readiness for implementing TQM. The majority of the studies have dealt with the manufacturing sector, fewer have covered the service sector, even fewer have studied Higher Education and none have investigated the Libyan Higher Education sector. The main aim of this research was "to investigate the factors that affect the readiness for implementing TQM within Libyan HEIs". This research has adopted a phenomenological philosophy and has used multiple case studies as a research strategy. Two case study organisations were selected from Libyan public Universities. The relevant data was collected using different sources of evidence such as semi-structured interviews, documentation, archival records and direct observations. Explanation building methods were employed to analyse the collected data. The following contributions to knowledge have emerged from this research. The research provides specific original findings which include: one of the motives behind the intention for implementing TQM was to apply and maintain the University's regulations; staff had a perception that God was monitoring their job performance and staff considered that one of the roles of continuous improvement was to improve ethical aspects of the behaviour of staff members. In addition, the findings of this research strengthen the existing literature on TQM in HEIs and reduce the gap in knowledge applying to Libyan studies.

The use of technical information system security measures may prove insufficient in protecting information assets if proper and adequate information security awareness is not maintained. The quantity of in-depth studies concerning the organizational aspect of information security is very limited. The number of these studies within higher education is even more limited. This limited attention is even more apparent in the case of developing countries where factors such as lack of infrastructure, lack of resources, lack of knowledge, and other language and sociological barriers may come into play. In an effort to improve the quality of higher education, the UAE has witnessed, in the recent few years, the establishment of a number of U.S. and other foreign higher education institutions branch campuses. In addition, while some of the UAE local higher education institutions have been seeking US accreditation or affiliation, others have adopted a North American system of higher education. The purpose of this study is to explore the different information systems security threats and the levels of information systems security awareness of information systems decision maker and personnel in higher education within the context of a developing country, namely the UAE, compared to those of developed countries, namely the UK and the US. To conduct the research, an interpretive case-study approach was employed using multiple data gathering instruments. In sum, this thesis present information, implications, and recommendations obtained from an evaluation of the current information systems security practices within the examined higher education environments. It is from this information that a clear picture emerges of the present role of technology. The findings of this thesis could also be transferred to other higher education settings that share similar goals and attributes.

This case-study of school improvement considers the experience of four government schools in the Kingdom of Bahrain, using a variety of evidence to evaluate its effectiveness. Motivated by the need to enhance graduate outcomes, Bahrain's government implemented comprehensive education and labour market reforms to support economic diversification and growth in the face of declining oil reserves. These reforms included the implementation of a school improvement model, supported by Ministry of Education personnel, and the establishment of a new National Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority (QQA). As a QQA Lead Reviewer prior to joining the School Improvement Project (SIP), the researcher’s insider information added an additional level of meaning to the analysis of data collected by different methods and from many sources. Over the duration of the study it became apparent that the school improvement model could be enhanced for a more effective school transformation process. A revised model is presented as a major outcome of this study. Time is needed to effect sustainable change, a finding congruent with international literature. The role of leadership in sustaining change initiatives was confirmed. However, the most significant finding was that effective school improvement needs to put the learner and learning at the centre and involve all stakeholders in planning for school improvement, utilising both a bottom up and top-down approach.

This research asks the stakeholders of two case study schools to give personal perspectives on whether their school is good and how it can be improved. One case study school is an international middle school in Hungary and the other is a middle school in the south of England. Both schools follow the National Curriculum in England and Wales. The stakeholders studied in each school are the governors (directors in the case of the international school), the senior management team, teachers, students and parents. The SMT were interviewed, surveys were adopted for the other stakeholders. The literature review finds that stakeholder views are not a focus of many school effectiveness and improvement studies. Governors and senior management team (SMT) views on school improvement are seldom investigated. Studies that involve the full range of stakeholders are rarely seen. The results of the stakeholder surveys at the two schools revealed common experiences and contrasts between schools and between stakeholders. At both schools, governors are noted as being followers and do not make the school accountable, the SMTs revealed lack of cohesion and the head and principal did not appear to be aware of the problems. Problems between the senior management and staff are also clearly portrayed by both teachers and senior staff. Whereas similarities in school improvement issues between the stakeholders of a school were common, the priorities for improvement were different. What parents and students perceived as priority areas did not agree with other stakeholder priorities. This pattern was replicated in both schools. The research finds that some problems appear to be hidden from inspections. The accuracy of Ofsted inspection report statements that declare the two schools as good is, therefore, questioned. The study concludes by proposing a new definition for a good school. It responds to the findings in the literature review by adding a stakeholder school. It responds to the findings in the literature review by adding a stakeholder specific school effectiveness list to contrast existing ones (for example, Sammons et al 1995) and provides a process model for school improvement with stakeholders at its centre.

Organizations, such as schools, can be perceived of as political entities in which informal aspects, interests and power struggles, as well as co-operation and support building, help shape and define the organization. This study is an examination of the interplay of the micropolitical forces combining from within and from outside the school, Presbyterian Ladies' College, Croydon, Sydney, to destabilize and eventually unseat the principal. The culmination of this extraordinary period at this school is the critical incident at the heart of this study, a botched attempt at forcing the resignation of principal, Freda Whitlam, giving rise to her decision to resign a short time later. The circumstances and events surrounding these final months of 1976 are the subject of some detailed consideration in this study. The specific aims of the study include the clarification of events, key players, and their respective roles in the critical incident. A further aim addresses the extent to which Whitlam's character, gender, and leadership practice and style contributed to the critical incident, and to what extent did her achievements consolidate her hold on the principal's position? Further research questions include to what extent did micropolitics influence the outcome of the critical incident, and what were the micropolitical forces and how did they interact to influence the critical incident?;The case study method, using qualitative data gathering and analysing techniques, is applied to this study. Interviewing, supported by documentary searches and analysis, are the techniques available to the researcher. Interviewees include the subject of the dismissal, Freda Whitlam, the initiator of the dismissal, Chairman, Peter Graham, and members of the School Council, the staff, and the school support groups. Open access to sensitive documentation was granted to the researcher. Analysis of the data revealed a complex interplay of forces acting on the school which included national influences that were largely beyond the control of the principal. These external forces combined with issues and instability within the school to create destabilizing competition for power, and factional activity that unsettled the principal. Issues of character and personality, and leadership style, were significant in affecting the outcome. Freda Whitlam had begun her nineteen years service with great promise and youthful enthusiasm. She served through a unique period in Australian social, political and church history and became unavoidably entwined in the dynamics of these years. By the mid 1970s, the external influences had so intruded upon, and damaged relationships within the school, that essential trust and loyalty had been lost. In 1976, a combination of these external and internal forces culminated in the critical incident at this school.

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