Performance Appraisal Research: A Critical Review of Work on “The Social Context and Politics of Appraisal”

This paper reviews existing literatures on the analysis of performance appraisal (PA) paying special attention to those which try to take into account the “social context” of appraisal systems and processes. The special place of political action within these processes is underlined and the different levels at which politics need to be considered in research are outlined. Research on politics is considered and shown to lack an adequate consideration of the social relations involved in the reciprocal interactions between PA tools and processes and users interpretation and manipulation of them.Performance appraisal; Social context; Politics

Management Control and "Coherence" : Some Unresolved Questions

Clothed in various formulations, the question of “coherence” is central to management control. Thus it is widely accepted that different forms of control “cannot be used effectively in every situation” (Merchant, 1998: 32, 69) – a statement referring to the contingency framework. It is also argued that “congruence [is] one of the prime determinants of the effectiveness of management” (Merchant, 1998: 159-160), congruence here being defined both in terms of the managers’ adequate understanding of organisational objectives, and in terms of appropriate mirroring of the objectives by the measured performance dimension. Finally, there is general agreement on the idea that the dominant form of control (i.e. action-, result- or personnel-orientated) is “likely to change (…) as (…) needs and capabilities change” (Merchant, 1998: 259), this involving again the idea of an effective fit between modes of control and the organizational situation. These different statements refer to various aspects of “coherence” in organizations, and the issues mentioned are not specific to management control: coherence issues also concern strategy, marketing, information systems and human resource management. The objective of this article is to reveal the diversity of content that the concept of "coherence" possesses. This “inventory” reveals that, whilst most management control claims on coherence refer to various forms of what call be termed “strategic coherence”, there are many other meanings of the concept, which can be gathered around the notion of “psychological coherence”. This review enables us to reconsider coherence-related questions, which, we suggest, are incompletely answered within the usual frameworks of coherence deployed. In Part One we examine the different terms which are used to designate the concept of coherence. We show that in the French and English languages we cannot strictly “align” the meanings of the different words which are used in association with the concept. This semantic inventory also shows that "coherence" can be understood either in reference to the idea of a totality, or not. Part Two considers the variety of theories of “coherence” which, either in the management sciences or in associated fields (such as organization theory, industrial and occupational psychology, etc.) provide the conceptual supports for management discourse, including those in the management control domain. This section reveals both the diversity and sometimes the incompatibility of these theories. In Part Three we re-examine different coherence-related questions. We show that in some cases, the usual perspectives on coherence lead to a reductionist view of management as a human activity, which can be detrimental both to organisations and their participants. We also disclose some missing points in common claims on coherence and finally suggest that, beyond a rationalistic façade, appeals to coherence might have rhetorical aspects participating in legitimisation processes. The Conclusion proposes news ideas and directions of research on “coherence”.Coherence; Management control; Organisational change Coherence; Management control; Organisational change Coherence; Management control; Organisational change

HOW (OR WHETHER?) TO INTEGRATE RESEARCH INTO CLASSROOM TEACHING FOR ALL STUDENTS AND ALL HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

The chapter starts by posing a range of questions re teaching/research relations and, in particular, asks whether such is only for selected students in elite/wealthy institutions. The issues are complex and before considering the evidence some of this complexity is discussed-for our answers to the chapter\u27~ central questions depend in part on how we \u27define\u27 \u27undergraduate research\u27 or \u27linking teaching and research.\u27 The arguments, including research evidence that undergraduate research should be for selected students, are then presented, including a major review of the research which concludes that the \u27common belief that teaching and research are inextricably intertwined is an enduring myth.\u27 Then such questioning views are countered by arguments and evidence from recent research that suggests more positive relations between teaching and research. Other factors are considered including the view that universities should develop all students\u27 understanding of the \u27supercomplexity\u27 of the world being continually reshaped by research. In conclusion I present my current attempts to answer the questions posed in the introduction--in particular, outlining ways and the extent to which research-based learning can be extended to all students (and staff) in higher education

Undergraduate Research Journals: praising success but recognising doubt and even "failure"

APPEAL FROM FINAL ORDER OF THE EIGHTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT IN AND FOR UINTAH COUNTY THE HONORABLE JOHN R. ANDERSON, DISTRICT JUDGE BRIEF OF PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT AMERICAN RURAL CELLULAR, INC

Foxes Guarding the Chicken Coop: Intervention as of Right and the Defense of Civil Rights Remedies

This article focuses on the recent spate of cases in which educational institutions on the grounds that their race-conscious admissions policies are unconstitutional. The author analyzes the role of minority students and organizations who are the beneficiaries of those polices at the defendant institutions and their recent attempts to intervene in the lawsuits pursuant to Rule 24 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. First, the author argues that under the traditional interpretation of Rule 24(a); intervention of right should be granted to minority students and organizations in the great majority of instances. Second, the author looks at the reasons that courts have denied intervention, analyzing both the rights and interests of the beneficiaries and the presumption that government parties provide adequate representation. Third, the author examines the conflicts between the interests and goals of defendant institutions and beneficiaries, noting the consequences of denying intervention. The author concludes by arguing that where the affirmative action admissions policies of educational institutions are challenged, district courts should embrace a practical presumption in favor of intervention for minority students and organization

HOW (OR WHETHER?) TO INTEGRATE RESEARCH INTO CLASSROOM TEACHING FOR ALL STUDENTS AND ALL HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

The chapter starts by posing a range of questions re teaching/research relations and, in particular, asks whether such is only for selected students in elite/wealthy institutions. The issues are complex and before considering the evidence some of this complexity is discussed-for our answers to the chapter\u27~ central questions depend in part on how we \u27define\u27 \u27undergraduate research\u27 or \u27linking teaching and research.\u27 The arguments, including research evidence that undergraduate research should be for selected students, are then presented, including a major review of the research which concludes that the \u27common belief that teaching and research are inextricably intertwined is an enduring myth.\u27 Then such questioning views are countered by arguments and evidence from recent research that suggests more positive relations between teaching and research. Other factors are considered including the view that universities should develop all students\u27 understanding of the \u27supercomplexity\u27 of the world being continually reshaped by research. In conclusion I present my current attempts to answer the questions posed in the introduction--in particular, outlining ways and the extent to which research-based learning can be extended to all students (and staff) in higher education

Synthesis and modification of pamam dendrimers as histone replacement molecules

The primary objective of this work was to synthesise and structurally modify a series of PAMAM dendrimers with a view to investigating and controlling their complexation with, and compaction of, DNA. The Introduction gives an overview to the origins of polymer and dendrimer science, and describes the synthetic approaches and resulting properties of dendrimers together with their impact on biological systems. The preparation of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers utilising a number of different core materials are reported and characterised in Chapter 2. The conformational motion of the dendritic branches has been studied using 1H spin-lattice relaxation time experiments, and the results have been compared for the differently cored materials. Chapter 3 examines the modification of the dendrimer surfaces with acetyl, poly(ethylene glycol) and fluorescent groups and reports the results of a study of how the degree of DNA condensation affects gene expression by analysing dendrimer-DNA compaction using linear dichroism, dynamic light scattering and competitive binding of ethidium. Experiments designed to investigate modified dendrimer-lipid interactions are also discussed and the results of these are compared to molecular dynamic simulations. The synthesis of novel small molecules based around L-histidine and photo-responsive azobenzene, and the use of these to modify the surface of 4th and 5th generation PAMAM dendrimers is reported in Chapters 4 and 5 respectively. There follows a final chapter containing detailed descriptions of the synthetic procedures and characterisation for each of the compounds studied and the experimental methods used for exploring their behaviou

Treaties as tools of foreign policy : a psychopolitical inquiry via Keatings\u27s vision for Australia

Paul Keating will be remembered by some Australians as a visionary. As Prime Minister he outlined the structure of external and domestic reform that he believed would guarantee global security for all Australians. Driving these reforms, more often than not, were interstate agreements, often in the form of multilateral treaties, sometimes in the guise of bilateral compromise, rarely as unilateral declarations. In areas as diverse as collaborative scientific research or the protection of children in the workplace, the Keating Executive set out, through codification, to transform Australia’s political landscape. The fields of trade, military, environmental and human rights were all included in the attempts by Keating to forge a new image of and for Australia in the Asia Pacific region. Treaties were vital agents of change in this milieu in the bid to reformulate regional perceptions of Australia. The path of inquiry in this thesis stemmed from a quest to examine the origin, role, purpose and efficacy of treaties in the Keating Government’s foreign policy aimed at regional military security. In order to make this examination it develops a polyphonic1 analytical model whose purpose is to explore the psychopolitical underpinnings of these agreements. Thus the thesis has a two fold task. To develop an analytical model of how treaties work as tools of foreign policy and to outline and assess the Keating treaty strategy. Its principal contribution is on the theoretical side