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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Managing academic change at the University of Botswana
Author:Ronan, Nessan J.ISNI
Year:1996
Periodical:Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research (ISSN 1013-3445)
Volume:8
Issue:2
Period:July
Pages:100-118
Language:English
Notes:biblio. refs.
Geographic terms:Botswana
Southern Africa
Subjects:higher education
accounting
education
Educational change
University of Botswana
Abstract:The Faculty of Social Science of the University of Botswana has since 1980 offered a Bachelor of Commerce degree with specialization in Accounting and Management. In March 1993 there was a systematic review of the programme. A scan of both the internal and external environment revealed considerable dysfunctionality. Feedback from employers indicated that graduates were ill prepared for the work environment. The Botswana Institute of Accountants expressed concern that accounting specialists were not entering the profession in sufficient numbers. Feedback from the internal information system suggested that the majority of students were dependent learners and lacked initiative. A small committee developed a radical new proposal, which involved replacing the Bachelor of Commerce programme with two new programmes, a Bachelor of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Business Administration, and changing the structure of the programmes from academic year to semester. There was a surprising amount of resistance from within the Faculty itself to the proposed changes. The author uses the concept of (operational, tactical, strategic, competitive) managerialism and Kurt Lewin's technique of force field analysis to analyse the change process, concluding with a commentary on the principal lessons learned and the formulation of a number of guidelines for implementing change. Bibliogr., sum.
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