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This paper looks critically at the government's year 2000 initiative to make school governors responsible for headteacher performance management (HTPM). A case study, carried out at John Wiseman Community Primary School by the author as an insider-researcher, is augmented by questionnaire and interview data from other institutions. Critical incident analysis illuminates the procedures and problems of HTPM. The role of the government's appointed external adviser is considered. Results suggest HTPM by governors can be effective in circumstances which are defined by the study. The paper suggests a series of criteria that describe successful HTPM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is set in the context of the proposal by the UK government to introduce a 'performance management' policy as a basis on which to organize the management and remuneration of teachers in England. The performance management model envisaged is firmly embedded within managerialist ideology and sets the context for restructured levels of the teaching force and redesigned patterns of progression. 'Professional standards' form an essential element of the technology of performance management in specifying skills defined as valuable and supposedly amenable to measurement. No account of performance management would be adequate that did not clarify the value assumptions which underpin it, nor grapple with its implications for patterns of social justice and differentiation. The paper explores both of these dimensions. Furthermore, as has been discovered in other sectors and countries that have endeavoured to introduce such policies, some of the proposals have generated a storm of controversy and opposition. We shall illustrate the contours of this in relation to our recent research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the experience of the Information Resource Unit at the Institute of Development Studies of the University of Sussex, England in the introduction of performance indicators (PIs). Objectives of introduction; Basic principles; Selection of indicators; List of indicators.

Explores the differential fictions constructed by men and women engaged in interactive service work in a professional capacity in merchant banks. Case studies in London, England; Workplace's role in the social construction of feminine and masculine identity; Butler's notion on gender identity; Specificity of embodiment and gendered performances; Necessity of selling oneself as part of the product.

Previously, it has been asked why there was such a shift away from professional self-regulation towards direct control by the Government. It was suggested that there occurred a seminal event - Bristol - that was responsible for a seismic shift in attitude by the public towards the idea that health professionals were not capable of self-regulation; they needed the firmed hand of direct governmental control. This article, and the next two, will examine this in greater detail, by drawing together, thoughts and ideals from that period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the revaluation of the new Research Excellence Framework as a replacement to the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) peer-review system in England. The new system will allocate its £1 billion to department mainly on the basis of citations as an attempt by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to make the process fairer and the applications process easier. It stated that the new system might discriminate against researchers who had no time to build up many citations. However, the HEFCE defends the new system and cited that the university sector is broadly behind the proposals.

The article reports that Benchmark Laboratory has meet the quality assurance requirements of the Dental Appliance Manufacturers Audit Scheme (DAMAS) in Oxfordshire, England. DAMAS ensures that quality standards are met by dental laboratories. Furthermore, DAMAS provides dentists with the confidence of a quality controlled service.