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The Ulster Workers Council (UWC) in 1974 was a powerful demonstration of militant trade unionism and the ability of trade unionists to deliver significant changes to government policy. The UWC should not be considered a Loyalist paramilitary action but instead an instance of militant trade union activism. During the 1970s, many trade unionist campaigns across the United Kingdom were driven by a desire to overturn government policy. These campaigns were not exclusively concerned about industrial concerns like wages and pensions and instead wanted to harness public opinion to overturn government policy. Organisation like the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Upper Clyde Shipbuilder (UCS) established tactics that that incorporated dissatisfaction with current societal conditions within a framework of trade unionism. This was paired with an acceptable level of protest. Staying within the boundaries of appropriate activism was vital to maintain public support. Equally the UWC understood that while the conditions of Northern Ireland pushed the boundaries of protest further than in Great Britain, it was still important to remain disciplined. This study will highlight how these similarities between the NUM and UCS proliferated across the Irish Sea to the UWC strike of 1974. The trade unionist backgrounds of the UWC should not be considered merely a footnote but rather the foundation of its success. The UWC's ability to remove the Sunningdale Agreement with a general strike is one of the biggest achievements of trade unionists during the post-war era. It was not a radical action exclusive to Northern Ireland but instead part of wider increase in shopfloor militancy. This study will illustrate how solidarity can be cultivated beyond the shopfloor and how trade unionists pushed the boundaries of what was considered industrial action.

The purpose of this study was to identify and evaluate the critical success factors employed by the University of Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa to transform from an apartheid-era institution to one that is globally competitive. This study analyzed the strategies and processes that helped transform UWC, consolidating the critical success factors that nonwestern universities could develop in order to achieve their goals. The study deployed an exploratory qualitative approach based on five interviews, internal primary source materials, and a published work in the changes at the university written by administrators and faculty at UWC, based on a postpositivism paradigm. I interviewed five individuals who were/are a part of UWC regarding their experiences interacting with UWC. Five main critical success factors emerged based literature review: (1) Concentration of Talent, (2) Resource Adequacy, (3) Appropriate Governance, (4) Alignment of Success Factors, (5) Role of Other Factors (Leadership and Strategic Vision; Strategic Planning and Sequencing;Pedagogy; Internationalization; and Investing in Technology). The study explained at a greater length about the critical role of these factors in the rise of UWC.The findings align with the three research questions that guided this study based on participants’ experiences and perceptions and internal primary source materials Published by administrators and faculty at UWC: (i) What are the critical success factors that transformed UWC to improve its international standing? 1) Role of Management, 2) Changing Vision and Core Values, 3) Support from Government, 4) Academic Improvement, 5) Research and Innovation, 6) Community Engagement, 7) Financial resources. (ii) What administrative ivapproaches and strategies did UWC implement to improve its educational quality and operational performance? 1) Leadership and Trust at UWC, 2) Strategic Planning (iii) What resources were developed and utilized by UWC during its period of development? 1) Training and Upskilling Employees, 2) Organizational Culture and Values, 3) Role of Vision, 4) Administrative Staff Expertise and Loyalty, 5) Partnerships, 6) Infrastructure, 7) Financial Resources. The study concludes with a brief discussion about possibilities for further research.