Game-like regulation of universities: Will the new regulatory framework for higher education in Sweden work?

A major reform of higher education in Sweden took place in 1993, making a radical change from central planning by parliament to deregulation, privatisation and performance-related funding. To analyse the new kind of interaction between government and universities, a model based on game theory can be used, where government and universities are seen as actors in an iterated Prisoners' Dilemma. The analysis is based on a model of “responsive regulation”, in which a number of recommendations are made on how cooperation can be achieved in a regulatory relationship. This model is then compared to the new formal regulatory framework in Sweden, which can be described in six points. Secondly I compare the model to the available evidence of what has happened in “real life” since the reform was enacted. This approach adds to the literature on implementation, in which studies usually focus on specific orders from the top, whereas this is about shifting initiative from the central to the local level. As such, it is a starting point in an analysis of how “freedom” is implemented; “will universities take advantage of their greater independence and, if so, how will they do it?”. “What are the necessary prerequisites for this to take place?”.     

The Application of Cooperative Principle in Translation

The cooperative principle in conversation proposed by Herberr Paul Grice is an important theory in pragmatics,which contrib utes a lot to translation.It introduces pragmatics to translation field and injects fresh vigor to translation practice.Translation is also a kind of conversation some time,thus it should also obey the Cooperative Principle and its maxims.Sometimes,translators have to violate some maxims in order to obey the cooperative principle better in some extent.This article will show some examples in which cooperative princi ples can be used as a guide or a scale to improve the quality of translation.     

论会话隐含理论的应用

会话隐含理论最早是由格赖斯于1967年在哈佛大学的讲座中提出的,其基础是合作原则。格赖斯视合作原则为语言交际活动的基本准则,然而人们并不是总能遵守这些原则,而是通过对准则的故意违反来传达话语的隐含意义。如今,隐含理论已经被广泛地运用于语言现象的分析。     

论高校思想政治理论课实践教学的规范化

与课堂理论教学相比,目前高校思想政治理论课之实践教学还存在诸如认识不足、经费不到位、学分学时不落实等问题。而这些问题的存在,和以往忽视实践教学和缺乏对实践教学的有效规范关系极大。因此,高校要充分认识到思想政治理论课实践教学规范化的重要意义,从制度、教学内容、教学管理、教学评价等方面入手,规范思想政治理论课的实践教学,从而不断提高思想政治理论课的实效性,更好地实现思想政治理论课在高校的主阵地和主渠道作用。     

跨文化交际中会话含意的理解

会话含意的推导和理解是Griee会话含意理论中的重点。人们对会话含意的理解并不只是以会话准则为依据,文化语境也是必须考虑的一个因素,因为人们在交谈时所遵循的准则可能因文化而异。不论是一般会话含意还是特殊会话含意的理解都离不开蕴藏在社会中的文化土壤。在交际过程中信息意义的获取离不开对整体文化意义的认知。文章从跨文化交际中的言语交际的角度分析和说明了东西方会话含意的理解和差异。希望为跨文化交际者在进行跨文化交际时提供一定的指导和借鉴。     

“中国近现代史纲要”课程的实践总结及理论思考

“中国近现代史纲要”是新形势下高校开设的一门公共必修课,该课具有历史课与政治理论课的双重特点,有利于完善高校思想政治理论课程体系,有利于改变青年大学生淡忘历史的现象,有利于培养青年学生的爱国主义观念和高尚的道德情操。经过几年的教学实践,我们体会到,要顺利实现开课目的,必须制定正确的教学原则、教学方针、教学目标、教学内容、教学方法和考核方式。     

Challenges to the Academic Role of Change Agent

Through the dual tasks of teaching and research, academics have traditionally been in a prime position of influence; that is, to be an agent of change for both students and the social context in which they operate. There is little doubt that given the momentous changes presently taking place within universities in Australia and the UK, the academic workplace will continue to involve ongoing change. In this paper, it is argued that in the debates ranging over the effects of increased class sizes, reduction in time for research and the greater need for income-producing activities such as consultancies, effects on the university academic role are often overlooked. The shifting role of the academic from an agent of change through their academic activity to one of a victim of change is examined. The issue is explored through consideration of changes in the nature and expectations of the role as universities respond to external pressures. It is suggested that academic disengagement from the role of change agent through interaction and dialogue has potentially serious implications. These are explored in terms of possible effects on the quality of learning for students.     

Peak-Load Pricing in Higher Education

Increasing enrollments and inflated costs have really created a financial struggle for colleges and universities. Since there is no foreseeable change it seems desirable to aim toward greater efficiency in the use of existing resources. It is shown that the educational plant, except for a short peak period, is largely under-utlizied. The enrollment response to a lowering of tuition is analyzed. It is shown that if the hours of operation were extended, and if a set of differential tuition rates were established, with a relatively higher rate for the peak hours as compared to those off-peak, a more intensive use of resources would be achieved. It is also shown that the proposal is financially feasible.     

University Strategy in an Age of Uncertainty: The Effect of Higher Education Funding on Old and New Universities

This paper explores the effects of changes in funding arrangements, and particularly in tuition fees, on universities and their strategic responses to these changes. Using data from interviews with senior managers in four universities, it finds the most prestigious, pre‐1992, university largely unaffected by tuition fees and the others responding to changes in application patterns and intake. However, the effects of tuition fees on university strategy are not easily separated from other changes in the funding of Higher Education, and universities’ strategies were strongly influenced by the need to reduce costs and to generate income. A second major concern of all four universities was quality, both of inputs such as students and staff and of outputs, in degree results and ratings in employability, research, teaching and other activities. Marketing was assuming a position of increasing importance, with universities striving to develop a ‘brand’ to attract students, staff and funding.     

University governance in flux. The impact of external and internal pressures on the distribution of authority within British universities: A synoptic view

This article reviews changes in British university governance over a period of nearly a century. During this time there have been considerable changes in the way universities have distributed authority in governance although the legal frameworks, statutory and legislative, have remained largely unchanged. The article shows that there were distinct phases in the internal balances within governance structures and relates these to external pressures, mostly state driven. Critics of current trends in university governance tend to look back to a utopian traditional model but the evidence suggests that the internal balances were always to a considerable extent contingent on external conditions and fluctuated accordingly. There is no evidence that while the state applied pressure for change in various aspects of governance it substantially intervened to impose constitutional changes except in respect to the Higher Education corporation (HEC) structure for the former polytechnics in 1988 and that, in its most managerial details, was in response to demands from the polytechnic directors themselves. The changes in how authority is distributed were therefore decided by the institutions themselves albeit in response to external pressures. But the article suggests that institutions’ responses were variable and that where a strong research culture existed the accumulation of social capital was such that radical changes in the distribution of authority were resisted. One consequence is that there is now much greater diversity in institutional governance structures with some pre‐1992 universities leaning much more towards HEC models, some HECs edging towards more traditional models and some institutions preserving significant elements of authority which others would regard as utopian. In Britain, reputation, research success and brand image are closely associated with the latter.     

新课程背景下高师院校课堂教学方式的调查与思考

新一轮基础教育课程改革开展已有4-8年之久,高师院校构建与之相适应的新的课堂教学方式的情况如何,是改革推行之后必须面对和思考的问题。通过对高师院校的师生进行问卷调查,结果显示:倾向于使用新教学方式的教师达半数左右,但只有极少数的学生认同教师的看法。师生之间的分歧,与教师没有把知觉课程转变为教案课程和实施课程有关,也与目前高师院校推行新教学方式具体条件还不成熟有关。     

Maxims to Help Understand the World: Simple Rules to Guide Learning About Geographic Complexity

Americans students' awareness of the world's complexity was suddenly sharpened on September 11, 2001. A large basic course on world regional geography was used to introduce students to ten maxims that encourage constructive learning about the many factors that help define a place's character. Student reactions to the maxims were largely positive. There were also indications that cross-disciplinary learning was enhanced.     

Towards professionalisation? Restructuring of administrative work force in universities

This article examines the restructuring ofadministrative staff in universities throughempirically documenting such processes andproviding a theoretically foundedinterpretation and analysis of change. Theempirical material is drawn from a context ofNorwegian universities the last two decades.Two major changes can be observed in thisperiod. First, a period of steep growth inuniversity administration in early 1990sfollowed by a period of moderate growth and insome cases even decline. The second dominantdevelopment pattern in the 1980s and 1990s isthe change within administrative staff,which could be interpreted as a professionalisation of administrative staff.The article concludes by presenting possibleexplanations to the structuring of theadministrative work force in universities onthe basis of different theoretical approachesto organisational change.     

Decline in Nigerian universities

The decline in Nigerian universities has been perceived conservatively by university administrators as a transient phase of negative growth entirely attributable to external rather than internal factors. Since a condition of decline has not been apprehended, per se, it has not been possible to take appropriate management policy actions to contain it.The pattern of management of Nigerian universities has remained largely unchanged for more than three decades despite major changes in the environment. While inadequate funding is perceived as the major factor in the present decline, this study highlights those aspects of management which may also have contributed to it - thus suggesting the need for major structural changes in management.Evidence is presented to show that expenditure per student is very low in comparison with British universities and that this will be even more so if corrections are made for the social welfare burdens of Nigerian universities which do not normally form a component of university function. Although the present study is preliminary in nature, a follow-up will focus on strategic management proposals to arrest the present decline.     

Managing a modern university: is it time for a rethink?

The corporate approaches introduced in the late 1980s and now prevalent in universities in Australia have led to irrevocable changes in the way universities are managed and academics work. The management approaches widely applied in Australian universities are largely based on a top‐down corporate management model, with central control over policy and budget driven by the need to meet stringent external accountability requirements. This form of management rewards compliance and predictability. The economic environment over this period has changed drastically, becoming more global and uncertain. The prevailing management processes are not suited to the modern economic environment. A modern university is expected to operate more as an enterprise, but to do so effectively it needs flexible and responsive forms of management that are more inclusive of academics in the decision making process. This paper explores the organisational management literature and links it to the context in which universities operate. It considers the implications for managers and academics, as key stakeholders in a modern university, in this changeable environment.     

What to Collect? Museums and Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Collecting

Although museum and galleries are under increasing pressure to refect and explore culture diversity in their collections and public programming, this has largely been interpreted in terms of ethnicity. Issues of sexual orientation are largely ignored by these cultural institutions. This article explores both some of constraints facing museums and the strategies, ethical considerations and curatorial practices they might explore and adopt to refect and document our rich LGBT histories and heritage in their collections, and to highlight these histories in mainstream and special exhibitions and public programming such as events, talks and conferences hosted by museums. This work should be guided by close partnerships with the LGBT communities such as advisory groups. These changes will not be achieved overnight, but if museums have the leadership of their institutional management and the support of their colleagues, a change agenda can be implemented progressively.     

LIFELONG EDUCATION AND THE UNIVERSITIES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

The higher education system of the United Kingdom, of which the universities are only part, is changing rapidly. Although broad social conditions explain why universities should be centres of lifelong learning and specific institutional needs are in fact pushing them in this direction, changing demography is only one explanation among many. The kinds of programmes and related policies concerning students, teaching and curricula which are seen as relevant to continuing or lifelong education are widening and diversifying as the political and funding environment of higher education also changes. Research on continuing education and that generated by it are also being perceived differently. The new decade of the 1990's seems likely to witness significant changes in what is identified as continuing education as present trends in favour of integration or mainstreaming accelerate and new arrangements are made for more accessible and flexible forms of study both for degrees and for short courses. This process will be a part of a wider and more fundamental change as higher education moves somewhat towards a mass from an élite model and as the concept of a university and of a university education changes in step behind these changes in practice. The possibility exists that more fundamental changes in the initial undergraduate curriculum will also make universities more effective centres in terms of preparing their young students for lifelong learning.     

The Application of Conversational Implicature in Doctor-Patient Conversation

The doctor-patient conversation is the major way of communication between doctors and patients.A good conversation helps to construct a harmonious doctor-patient relationship.This paper attempts to analyze the doctor-patient conversation by applying the Theory of Conversational Implicature.The theory is accepted as the cooperative principle consisting of four maxims:quantity,quality,relation,manner.This paper will analyse how the four maxims work and the violating of the maxims in the doctor-patient conversation.Through linguistic study of the conversation,we try to find out the problems in the doctor-patient conversation and to provide some directive linguistic suggestions to doctors and patients.     

Why Do Colleges Become Universities? Mission Drift and the Enrollment Economy

This paper analyzes mission drift in baccalaureate colleges. “Becoming a university,” defined as a change in organizational name (e.g., Aurora College becomes Aurora University), symbolizes the transition from a liberal arts mission to a comprehensive university mission. Mission drift is conceptualized as a form of “divergent change,” which can be studied using institutional theory. This paper develops testable hypotheses about becoming a university by integrating institutional theory literatures on market factors, institutional factors, and network factors. Hypotheses are tested by applying panel methods to a 1972–2010 panel dataset of all private organizations defined as “liberal arts colleges” by the 1973 Carnegie Classification. Results show that colleges became universities in response to declining freshmen enrollments, prior adoption of curricula associated with the comprehensive university model, and when network contacts previously became universities. Organizational age and strong market position lowered the probability of becoming a university. The findings contribute to literatures on organizational change and mission drift. Given that most postsecondary institutions—both public and private—are increasingly tuition reliant, future research should analyze the adoption and the effects of behavioral changes designed to increase enrollment-related revenue.