Prestige in academic life : excellence and exclusion / Paul Blackmore.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Blackmore, Paul, 1954- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

College teachers--Professional relationships.

College teachers.

Scholars--Professional relationships.

Scholars.

Academic achievement--Social aspects.

Academic achievement.

Occupational prestige.

Physical Description:

196 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2016.

Summary:

The achievement of academic excellence is inherently competitive. Deliberate government policies, globalisation and changes in communication technologies mean that competitiveness in the academic world is sharper than ever before. At the centre of this is the seeking of prestige, at all levels from the national system to the individual. Prestige in Academic Life aims to increase understanding of motivation in universities, by exploring the part that prestige plays, for good and ill. The book's focus on motivation and prestige helps to answer fundamental questions that run through much discussion on universities, such as why some problems are never solved; why change can be so difficult to achieve; and how individuals and groups can enable it to happen. Issues explored include: What role does prestige play in academic life? How does prestige play out in the working lives of academics, students, administrators and institutional leaders? How can the positive aspects of prestige be encouraged and the negative ones diminished? University leaders and managers, academics, administrators and students, indeed all who are interested in universities, will find this valuable reading. It will help those in leadership positions to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness and wellbeing of their institutions, and will support academic staff in negotiating their career path. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Why talk about prestige? 1

2 Prestige and the organisation 17

3 Psychology of prestige 39

4 Globalisation and national systems 54

5 National prestige: global hubs 72

6 League tables and international clubs 84

7 Necessary myths: universities and knowledge 102

8 Necessary myths: the university as economic powerhouse 118

9 Heads of institutions and prestige 139

10 Students and prestige 155

11 Prestige in academic life: excellence and exclusion 171.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781138884939

1138884936

9781138884946

1138884944

OCLC:

917356005