This thesis presents the journey from concept to operation of an innovative multi-stakeholder partnership for education (MSPE), focusing specifically upon: the processes involved in forging, formalising, governing and operating a multi-stakeholder partnership for education, to develop viability and create sustainability in the not-for-profit sector in the twenty-first century. The MPSE under investigation involved a dual-sector educational establishment whose goal was to attain degree-awarding powers and ultimately the title of ‘university,’ and a national third sector organisation whose goal was to ensure its own continued existence. Philosophically, this research enquiry follows an inductivist approach – the mode of engagement of neo-empiricism, comprising objectivist perspectives in relation to the ontological status of human behaviour and epistemology. In terms of theory, it employs an intrinsic case study undertaken over a six-month period and utilising a mixture of documentary analysis, face-to-face semi-structured interviews and focus groups, whilst employing the unobtrusive measure of content analysis. This case study tells the story of how the organisations re-positioned themselves and created a partnership for the training of practitioners – a unique multi-stakeholder partnership for education, or serial collaborative arrangement – and established and operated an institute for the development and provision of courses in respect of, and researching into, couple and family relationships and relationship support services, in the initial phases, from the perspectives of those involved during data collection from October 2007 through to March 2008. The innovative and unique governing and operating practices are challenged and illuminated in terms of their strengths and weaknesses as they co-operated to establish and operate a new Institute. Finally, contributions to the creation and interpretation of new knowledge are documented, paying attention to the dimensions of: the professionalisation of relationship counselling services and the uniqueness of the multi-stakeholder partnership involving a public body and a third sector organisation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:580261 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Wrennall, Katie L. |
| Publisher | University of Nottingham |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/13438/ |
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