ILR School Ph.D. Dissertations

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English Universities: Managerial Movement from Academic Collegial Administration to Corporate Managerialism (1960-2013)

The aim of the research in this MA by Research thesis has been to shed light on the development of the notion of “management” and its associated “sociometrics” at UK universities. The research looked at the transformation of university operating strategies in England and Wales, with the objective of capturing the various managerial movements from a traditional collegial administrative operating system to a more diverse entrepreneurial model more aligned with contemporary corporate management beliefs. 8 diverse universities were selected for the case-study to provide “colour and contrast” – namely, Oxford and Cambridge as “Ancient” universities, Cardiff and Royal Holloway as “19th Century-Founded” universities, Birmingham to cover the “Red Brick” category, Lancaster to spotlight the so-called “Plate-Glass” universities, Hertfordshire to embrace the “Post-Polytechnic” universities and Open University to include the “E-University” category. The methodology utilized was a triangulated middle-ground approach to examine qualitatively and quantitatively the universities websites, strategic documents, government committee reports, regulations and financial performance information that reflected surplus/deficit results as outcomes for the targeted group. The lessons learned from this investigation showed that these universities modus operandi and performance reflected an ongoing trend of transformation imposed by continuous government regulatory change requirements on the one hand, and most likely also, the changing sector climate in the higher education community in England and Wales. The findings from the research indicate that scholastic writings and the literature have extensively chronicled the movement from ‘collegial’ administration to academic entrepreneurialism. However, it appears to be an open question as to whether a common corporate strategic wording language had emerged by 2002: though it had basically, by 2012. In both 2002 and 2012 a recognizable core of sociometric wording language was discernible. And finally some slender evidence was uncovered that indicates where substantial effort was put out by the universities in strategic planning, better financial results accrued. Significant contributions to overall knowledge have been uncovered as a result of this thesis research. The movement by UK universities from ‘academic collegial administration’ to academic entrepreneurialism’ has been verified by multiple academic writings. UK universities have developed a measurable increase in the use of common ‘strategic sociometric wording’ and a greatly increased the use of strategic management and corporatised-wording in their published literature. And lastly, some modest evidence supports a finding that better financial results do appear to have emanated where considerable strategic planning effort was put out

Software as an art. The aesthetic influence in software development

This thesis uses literature and quantitative interviews to look closer at how aesthetics and software development is connected. The thesis springs of from Warren Sacks claim, in “The Software Arts”, that at the centre of computing is the liberal arts. In this book Sack only focused on language and programming something that this thesis found lacking. Since aesthetics is a large part of humanities and the liberal arts, it can therefore be argued that aesthetics is also a part of the centre of computing. Because of this this thesis is investigating not just at programming but software management and software design as well, to see where aesthetics can be seen and how it has affected software development. The thesis therefore gives definition and explanation to what aesthetics is in the three topics just mentioned, programming, software management and software design. Before using these definitions to create a fourth definition around the aesthetics of software development. The thesis is trying to show the aesthetic beauty of software development and argues that there are more to software development then coding and mathematics. It also takes a closer look at outside forces that has helped change what developers have found aesthetic through the last few decades. The method this thesis used allowed the arguments to build on scientific articles and check these up towards what developers in businesses thought about aesthetics. The findings were that the developers in the businesses showed a great interest in some aesthetic attributes, specifically working to create a good product for the user gave them positive feelings.Denne master oppgava bruker litteratur og intervjuer til å se nærmere på hvordan estetikk og system utvikling hengersammen og påvirker hverandre. Oppgava tar utgangspunkt i Warren Sack sin bok "The Software Arts". Sack argumentere i denne boka at de liberal arts er kjerna i databehandling. Måten Sack argumentere for dette er ved å se på historie og språk (programmering). Denne oppgava argumentere at de liberal arts er et for stort tema til å kunne argumentere imot og at man må se nærmere på hver enkel bit innad i det. Derfor omhandler denne oppgava estetikk i systemutvikling, systemhåndtering, programmering og programvare design. Målet er å finne ut hva de som jobber med dette tenker og føler for å kunne se hvordan de påvirker produktet som blir lagd. Oppgava gir også overblikk over hvordan dette har endret seg i tritt med samfunnet, fra et produktfokus mot et brukerfokus, på rundt 2000 tallet. Oppgava viser til at det finnes noe estetisk vakkert med systemutvikling og emnene funnet i det. Det blir også argumentert for at det er mer til systemutvikling enn programmering, noe som gjør at andre utdanninger som ikke er innenfor data har en plass i utviklingen av programvare. Metodene som oppgava brukte, gjorde at argumenter kunne begrunnes seg i forsker artikler med kommentarer ifra utviklere rundt hva de mente er estetisk med systemutvikling. Funnene som ble gjort viser at det er estetiske attributter med systemutvikling. Ett eksempel er utvikleres positive følelser rundt å lage et produkt som brukarene trenger og får nytte av.Mastergradsoppgave i digital kulturDIKULT350MAHF-DIKU

e-Skills: The International dimension and the Impact of Globalisation - Final Report 2014

In today’s increasingly knowledge-based economies, new information and communication technologies are a key engine for growth fuelled by the innovative ideas of highly - skilled workers. However, obtaining adequate quantities of employees with the necessary e-skills is a challenge. This is a growing international problem with many countries having an insufficient numbers of workers with the right e-Skills. For example: Australia: “Even though there’s 10,000 jobs a year created in IT, there are only 4500 students studying IT at university, and not all of them graduate” (Talevski and Osman, 2013). Brazil: “Brazil’s ICT sector requires about 78,000 [new] people by 2014. But, according to Brasscom, there are only 33,000 youths studying ICT related courses in the country” (Ammachchi, 2012). Canada: “It is widely acknowledged that it is becoming inc reasingly difficult to recruit for a variety of critical ICT occupations –from entry level to seasoned” (Ticoll and Nordicity, 2012). Europe: It is estimated that there will be an e-skills gap within Europe of up to 900,000 (main forecast scenario) ICT pr actitioners by 2020” (Empirica, 2014). Japan: It is reported that 80% of IT and user companies report an e-skills shortage (IPA, IT HR White Paper, 2013) United States: “Unlike the fiscal cliff where we are still peering over the edge, we careened over the “IT Skills Cliff” some years ago as our economy digitalized, mobilized and further “technologized”, and our IT skilled labour supply failed to keep up” (Miano, 2013)

The construction of valued skills and expertise within the IT profession: continuing tensions between techies and managers

The research investigates the expertise, skills and attributes of computer specialists. In particular, it focuses on managers' construction of certain attributes of computer professionals as valuable. In other words it asks "what makes a computer professional valuable?" Although this is of interest in itself, it is also a vehicle for investigating the computing occupation more widely. As the research deals with meaning and sense-making, context is all important. Consequently, the context within which the computing occupation and the skills within it are situated are a major theme throughout. This study consists of semi-structured interviews with IT managers and some user and personnel managers. The analysis of the interview data revealed two different organisational types: IT companies and IT departments. The managers within computer departments and companies constructed value differently and as career and employment environments these organisations appeared to offer different opportunities. [Continues.

Reforming Ontario Teachers (1990-2010): The Role of the College of Teachers

This dissertation takes up the idea of the teacher as a professional and examines the period in Ontario between 1990 and 2010 when a change in teacher governance through the creation of the College of Teachers contributed to a refocusing of teacher evaluation policy and a redefining of what it means to be a professional teacher. Across a wide variety of settings, teachers are now viewed as central to successful education reform with the result that the requisite qualities of the professional teacher and how teachers are to be transformed to achieve these qualities have become the subjects of intense policy debate. The research uses Foucault’s conceptualizations of discourse, subjectivity, power, governmentality, and panopticism as a lens to analyze the data. Because of their importance for hiring, firing, and promotion purposes, teacher evaluation documents were chosen as representative examples of teacher professionalism, and the changes in these documents were traced over time between 1990 and 2010. In addition, this qualitative study draws on data from 25 semi-structured interviews with principals and teachers who were employed in Ontario public schools throughout this time period. These principals implemented the teacher evaluations, and the teachers experienced the evaluation process. Of interest was the meaning and influence these educators assigned to the practice of teacher evaluation. Despite the principals’ belief that they could offer useful advice about teaching, the research discovered that the evaluation process had little effect on teachers’ classroom practices. However, what did profoundly affect teachers’ practices with students was the disciplinary role assumed by the newly established College of Teachers and fears of being falsely accused of sexual misconduct. Although there is no category in the teacher evaluation forms that records the successful demonstration of safe practices such as never being alone with a student without supervision and using only appropriate touch with students, the safe teacher has become a new professional ideal. This sense of the teacher-as-potential-pedophile is a global phenomenon that marks the deep loss of trust in the teaching profession in Western neoliberal nations

Textiles and Clothing Manufacturing: Vision for 2025 and Actions Needed

This project is set in the context of the European industrial policy objective declared in 2010 to bring the share of industry in EU GDP from 15 to 20 per cent by 2020. It applies the Industrial Landscape Vision 2025 (ILV2025), a forward looking tool developed in a previous JRC foresight study and endorsed by DG GROW and its Task Force on advanced manufacturing. This tool provides a generic model of industry in Europe 10 years from now. The main objective of the project is to understand the long-term needs and challenges faced by European industry, to develop a vision for identifying key opportunities and challenges, and to develop potential responses by industry actors and policy makers.JRC.I.2-Foresight, Behavioural Insights and Design for Polic

Unmet goals of tracking: within-track heterogeneity of students' expectations for

Educational systems are often characterized by some form(s) of ability grouping, like tracking. Although substantial variation in the implementation of these practices exists, it is always the aim to improve teaching efficiency by creating homogeneous groups of students in terms of capabilities and performances as well as expected pathways. If students’ expected pathways (university, graduate school, or working) are in line with the goals of tracking, one might presume that these expectations are rather homogeneous within tracks and heterogeneous between tracks. In Flanders (the northern region of Belgium), the educational system consists of four tracks. Many students start out in the most prestigious, academic track. If they fail to gain the necessary credentials, they move to the less esteemed technical and vocational tracks. Therefore, the educational system has been called a 'cascade system'. We presume that this cascade system creates homogeneous expectations in the academic track, though heterogeneous expectations in the technical and vocational tracks. We use data from the International Study of City Youth (ISCY), gathered during the 2013-2014 school year from 2354 pupils of the tenth grade across 30 secondary schools in the city of Ghent, Flanders. Preliminary results suggest that the technical and vocational tracks show more heterogeneity in student’s expectations than the academic track. If tracking does not fulfill the desired goals in some tracks, tracking practices should be questioned as tracking occurs along social and ethnic lines, causing social inequality