CITATION: Botha, J., Muller, N. J. & Webber, K. 2016. Institutional Research in South African Higher Education: Framing the Contexts and Practices, in J. Botha & N. J. Muller (eds.). Institutional Research in South African Higher Education: Intersecting Contexts and Practices. Stellenboach: SUN PRESS. 1-22. doi:10.18820/9781928357186/01.The original publication is available from AFRICAN SUNMeDIA.Universities are among the oldest social organisations in the world. Few would doubt
that universities are crucially important social organisations. The public and private good
of universities is generally recognised (and widely debated, cf. Singh 2001). The broad
range of purposes ascribed to universities and society’s expectations of the value added by
universities add up to form an intriguing phenomenon which is the object of research in a
range of academic disciplines and professional practices.Publishers' versio
