Bøger udgivet af Open University Press

A comprehensive, comparative portrait of top government officials. It is suitable for students and scholars of politics, public policy and public management.

Puts forward a theoretical framework for understanding consumerism in health care and its relation to professionalism. This book explains why consumers and professionals may intuitively perceive some standards as lower or higher than others and goes on to discuss many examples of professional good and bad practice.

The most important asset of any university or college is its staff, yet the majority of line managers in higher education institutions are not appointed on the basis of their experience of, or expertise in, managing people. This book is a practical guide to people management for these managers.

Since the resurgence of political violence in the 1960s, Northern Ireland has become the focus of intense analysis. This volume brings together essays that examine specific aspects of Northern Irish society and history.

Partnerships for practice.

Investigates the significance of the so-called 'information age' to contemporary government. This work examines the perspectives on the relationship between information and communication technology and social change, and applies them to the organization and practice of governing and governance in the UK.

Examines how women's paid and unpaid work, interacting with the gendered pension systems of six liberal welfare states - Britain, the US, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand - contributes to female poverty in later life.

Focuses on issues which underpin older people's health, and identifies ways to promote health. This book reviews lifestyles, psychological well-being, a look at citizenship, grief, sexuality, and travel health. It also discusses accident prevention, residential homes and productive ageing. It includes steps to promote older peoples' health.

Written for practitioners and students of health services planning and management, this book focuses on a critical area for management - enhancing the decision making process. It introduces computer-based decision support systems - frameworks, methods and techniques.

Draws on the life histories of headteachers, advisors, teachers and student teachers from black and ethnic communities to find out what their working lives are really like. This title examines how those in positions of influence are seeking to transform schools and improve their pupils' life chances.

Forms of employee counselling services are established in Britain. Looking at the rise of counselling at work, this book acknowledges that the ethos of management presents to counsellors.

Addresses questions which existing literature on health and old age has largely ignored. This title explores the myths and tries to unpick the mysteries which surround the subject of health in later life. It examines the implications of these myths and mysteries for the way individual older people manage their health.

Teachers and other educationalists are increasingly expected to carry out evaluations of new initiatives. This book provides a guide to evaluations, the primary focus of which is on practice.

Comprises a series of commentaries on the UK government's reforms in the internal health care market. This work examines the contribution of economics to the debate on the reforms, while seeking to make the analysis accessible to a general audience. It is a useful read for students and researchers of health policy and health economics.

Presents a practical and reflective discussion of the education of 4 to 8 year olds based on a sympathetic recognition of the complexities of being an early years teacher. This title begins by reviewing the historical and ideological traditions of British infant and primary schools.

What is it like to be teenager today? How do parents and teenagers experience their roles and responsibilities? And how does the promotion of health - a major cultural goal of the twentieth century - figure in the perspectives and priorities of young people and their parents? This book answers these questions.

Does an effective school really come about through the actions of teachers and school leaders, or does it also require an advantaged student intake? By suggesting that 'failing' schools are often overwhelmed rather than ineffective, this book provides a sympathetic reappraisal of the performance of teachers and school leaders in such schools.

Considers the progress made towards changing pupil attitudes to bullying in twenty-five secondary schools. This book addresses the questions such as: How can schools change attitudes so that there is a decline in bullying behavior? What difference does action against bullying make to pupil life and the quality of teaching and learning?

Provides a concise introduction to policy and practice issues in community care. This book explains the concepts behind community care policy, and demonstrates their relevance to work in healthcare settings. It is suitable for nurses and other health professionals in training, and for those wishing to specialize in community care.

Public involvement is a key theme within the post-reform NHS, with a growing emphasis on involving people in healthcare decision-making, improving accountability to the public and developing a stronger focus on the consumer or user of services. This book establishes a framework for public involvement in healthcare.

Moving beyond current debates, this book articulates a new manifesto for education in postmodernity and highlights the implications for educational practices and institutions.

Examines a range of topics central to psychology as well as other clinical, educational and policy disciplines that include sexual abuse, menstruation, feminist therapy, the regulation of mothering, the gendering of the 'caring' professions, and women's safety.

Changes in assessment are at the heart of government policy for change in the UK. The GCSE, the National Curriculum and National Vocational Qualifications seek to make the progress of individuals more measurable. This book takes an overall view of the technical claims made for improvements in assessment, alongside the policy agenda.

What is the impact of local management on how schools are managed? And has local management improved the quality of teaching and learning in schools? This title offers an evaluation of this form of management and contextualises it within an international trend towards decentralised school management.

The word 'Quality' has become political shorthand for what is required. Yet, although a large bureaucratic apparatus has been built up in the quest for quality, there seems to be very little agreement about what quality actually is. This book seeks to fill this gap.

Presents analysis of the impact of public utility privatization on ordinary consumers. This text traces the history of energy and water privatization and documents the community and consumer sectors' various attempts to influence the structure of privatization and regulation.

What are the issues underpinning the trend towards innovation in the community care of older people? What is the nature of that innovation: how is it experienced by older people and their carers? This book address such questions.

Charts some of the aspects of social research. This book explores the complex processes involved.

Offers us an overview of the probation service and provides analysis of the condition of the Probation Service.

Foreign aid has undergone considerable changes over the years. Offering an introduction for various social science students, this book explores the changes and locates them in a context of economic and political developments.