The Poetic Logic of Administration is an investigation of the most important organizational forms of our time, theoretically as well as practically. Central to the presentation are four main trends: the rational bureaucracy, the human network, the harmonious system and the strong culture. The book provides a new and challenging picture of these organizational forms. Difficult to capture in common logical terms, they appear to follow a certain pattern: a 'poetic logic'. They are, for example, enacted as various literary dramas: comedy, tragedy etc. They are also marked by different conceptions of the world - such as the metaphorical and the ironic - and by different explanatory ideals. Kaj Skoldberg's book contains a rhetorical analysis of the styles of modern administration and the changes they have undergone. This is a groundbreaking work, offering new interpretations and critical re-evaluations of the individual approaches to organization, including their 'gurus' and current importance, within the framework of a highly-original, overarching analysis. No previous book has tried to capture the major forms of organizing, and their dynamics, in terms of their rhetorical master tropes, main narrative genres, and explanatory ideals, and also uses this as an interpretive scheme for understanding individual organizational theories and practices within those main approaches. Examples are given from both the private and the public sectors and various forms of efficiency and effectiveness are also discussed.

Within 100 years of its existence, BUSINESS, for better or worse, has become the most popular subject in higher education, sending a larger number of graduates into the economy than any other. Ironically, the most popular discipline is also now the most condemned. Undoubtedly, business schools are at a crossroads and under the scanner. In How to Reform a Business School, Ashish Jaiswal meticulously demonstrates the problems plaguing the world of business schools and brings together the key contextual debates and concepts of foundational theory on the subject of reforms in MBAs. Jaiswal makes a major methodological contribution to this little-explored field by presenting a novel exploratory framework - which employs a fresh combination of the social constructionist and implementation perspectives - to research the implementation of business school reform. Jaiswal conducts a rigorous in-depth case study of one of the most substantial curricular and pedagogical reforms in business school history: recently undertaken by Yale School of Management. The Yale case study illustrates the forces influencing the development of a unique integrated MBA curriculum at an Ivy League business school and presents the factors that can help business schools around the world in implementing a successful reform. Jaiswal establishes how the perceived identity of a particular business school impacts upon the way in which MBA curricula are evolving. Ashish Jaiswal presents a strong argument against the monolithic treatment of higher education in the reform literature and urges scholars to focus on departmental idiosyncrasies and the territorial characteristics of subjects, particularly in the MBA where context, market and accreditation dynamics play a vital role. How to Reform a Business School is a must read for business schools wanting to break the shackles of the ordinary and to successfully implement an MBA curriculum relevant in the 21st century. ADVANCE PRAISE "There is little doubt that business schools are at a crossroads and looking for answers. Jaiswal's superbly captured Yale School of Management's case study is a must read for business school deans and anyone remotely connected with or interested in reforming business education. Jaiswal meticulously lifts the dark fog surrounding the world of curricular reforms in MBA. The business schools can definitely use How to Reform a Business School as a manual to implement successful reforms. A very important and timely book for business schools. - Sue Dopson, Rhodes Trust Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford "MBAs have proved extraordinarily resilient in the last decade - despite having played a role in the education of those often held responsible for the global financial collapse. This book examines the way Yale succeeded in breaking the mould and developing an integrated curriculum that transcended the functional silos which still bedevil the vast majority of MBAs. If you want to know what the future MBA looks like - read this. - Keith Grint, Professor of Public Leadership & Management, Warwick Business School "With calls for accountability in Higher Ed increasing, this is a timely look at a curriculum reform at Yale's School of Management. Ashish Jaiswal's duel focus on process and implementation of the MBA curriculum at Yale advances the study of curriculum reform and provides a road map for practitioners. Dr. Jaiswal pulls back the curtain and lets us see what's behind the wizardry at Yale School of Management. Given Yale's resources, prestige and brand, their choices provide a good perspective for MBA programs around the globe. - William J. Swinton, Director, International Business Studies, Temple University, Japan Campus

The volumes in this set, originally published between 1964 and 2002, draw together research by leading academics in the area of higher education, and provide a rigorous examination of related key issues. The volume examines the concepts of learning, teaching, student experience and administration in relation to the higher education through the areas of business, sociology, education reforms, government, educational policy, business and religion, whilst also exploring the general principles and practices of higher education in various countries. This set will be of particular interest to students and practitioners of education, politics and sociology.

Originally published in 1987 Restructuring Universities uses Aston University as a case study of the internal restructuring taking place in universities. Aston lost one third of its funding in 1981 and was told to reduce its student numbers by one fifth within three years. The university has a balanced financial budget, well oversubscribed courses, and the average A level scores of entrants are over the national average in all subjects taught. The books looks at the ways in which the university dealt with rapid change, looking particularly at the decision making processes within the university and the ways in which internal power and politics influenced decisions made. Previous models of decision making are discussed and a new political model outlined. The book provides a useful and informed analysis of the context, politics and management of change in the university system.