Lyndon Jones

Effective management of the joining‐up process

The joining‐up process embraces recruiting, hiring, formal training, first assignment to the point when the new employee is performing at a pre‐determined level. The joining‐up process is extremely important to both the person and the organisation. Despite this it is often badly handled.

Employee performance deficiencies

In many organisations there is a discrepancy between the desired performance of employees and their actual performance. In some cases circumstances may be such that it is better not to take any action, but in the majority it may be important to bring the two into line; in which case management:

Perils and promise of non‐traditional education

Non‐traditional education is thriving; witness California, where this smokeless industry is one of the States growth industries. In this Information Age this will continue unless the traditional degree structure is changed or alternatives become available. Basically the present structure is designed for the 18‐plus person who is then put through a series of hoops, but this does not meet the needs of the mature person requiring a higher degree to update his or her knowledge, or to facilitate a mid‐career change.

Diploma Mills — Part 2: How they operate

One of the prime beneficiaries of the diploma mill merchants is the publishing industry. A very high propor‐tion of the degrees sold are the result of press advertising.

Diploma Mills — Part 6 Medical qualifications

In recent years governments in many countries, notably UK and USA, have introduced a mass of legislation aimed at safeguarding the consumer. This is in sharp contrast with their unwillingness to ensure consumer protection against degree mill operators selling fringe medical qualifications.

Diploma Mills — Part 1: Origin and growth

I have been rather concerned recently to read of the growing number of bogus degrees available in this country. It is difficult to know just how many degree mills there are, as they tend to spring up overnight and disappear again, but the Department of Education estimates there are between 70 and 80 of them. Two years ago there were 30.

Diploma Mills — Part 8: Government action and inaction (continued)

During the early 1970s the author was instrumental in interesting a number of Members of Parliament in the subject of diploma mills, and the matter reached the floor of the House of Commons on several occasions. Witness the following extracts from Hansard.

Diploma Mills — Part 7: Government action and inaction

Diploma Mills are not new. Certainly they have been around for 150 years. The earliest recorded operation known to the writer was Richmond College, a US‐based outfit established in 1835.

Diploma Mills Part 4: Saints and sinners

Before the Reformation the Archbishop of Canterbury, as Papal Legate, was empowered by the Church to make provisional awards of degrees, which were then ratified by the Pope in his capacity as head of the university he had founded at the Pontifical Court. After the Reformation, the Archbishop was authorised to continue to award degrees by the virtue of the Ecclesiastical Licenses Act 1533 — known as Peters Pence Act.

With performance aids, who needs training?

In many situations improvements in training can be facilitated without investment therein. Among the alternatives to training are: