This case study gives an analytical account of institutional development in induction provision. Driven by student experience concerns, a London post-1992 University set up an "enhanced induction project" to provide a more integrated, personalised approach through more coordinated processes. In a large, diverse context, university-wide…

Higher education institutions are facing increasing pressures to review their curriculum (Uchiyama and Radin 2009). The expectations of stakeholder groups, including students, parents and families, governments, employers and society in general have become increasingly explicit and targeted (Bamber et al. 2009). Universities are expected to play a…

Conversations with colleagues across the sector suggest that the use of mentoring as an organisational development tool in higher education (HE) is increasing. In an era where universities are constantly urged to do more with less, it offers a potential means of using the institution's own staff to train and support each other, thus maximising the…

This paper argues that universities do have responsibilities to their wider communities, and that those responsibilities--or that "engagement"--should be managed in a way that is not solely dictated by the university. The paper, which focuses on UK universities, first explains why the contemporary context makes it important to consider communities…

The issue of stakeholder identification and management is relatively well understood in the literature for private sector organisations, and its importance is increasing across all developed countries. However, whilst stakeholder theory has been advanced in commercial arenas, there is less research in the public and non-profit areas, particularly…

This paper explores some of the implications for research management in universities of the explicit identification of areas of research focus. In particular, it examines how research facilitation can work with research focus to enable universities to organise and project their research capabilities more effectively. This combination of research…

This paper is based on a case study of one university's efforts in "self study," or "institutional research," presented at the first UK Institutional Research (IR) conference. It offers a critical account of work in progress at the University of Brighton to try to establish good data habits, embracing collection, analysis and usage. It does not…

This article examines one specific organisational development tool in depth and uses a case study to investigate whether using the tool is more than a tick-box exercise and really can add value and help organisations to develop and improve. The People Management Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) is used to examine higher education institutions' (HEIs)…

The increase in student numbers and the decline in the average unit of resource since the 1990s together with the changes brought about by rising student expectations are familiar circumstances to anyone working in higher education. The authors perceive this as part of the move towards a consumer culture in the public sector. This paper gives an…

This article explores the issues facing practitioners working in the field of student complaints and appeals (including academic appeals). It is a reflective study which examines some general and historical issues, using anonymised case studies where appropriate and highlighting the diversity of practice across the sector. The author observes that…

At the time of writing, UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have either completed, or are part way through, implementation of the Framework Agreement (JNCHES 2003). This process was born out of the recommendations of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (1997) developed by Bett in his report two years later (Bett 1999). …

Over the last few years there has been increasing interest in process-based approaches in higher education administration, including "business process modelling" for development of information systems, "process redesign" to remove duplication and bottlenecks, and "process management" to improve operational performance. The process perspective is…