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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how an academic institution may more effectively respond to a disaster. In this particular situation the issues are being investigated in the context of a hurricane event. From 2005 to 2008 two hurricanes directly hit Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. This paper examines the impact Hurricane Ike, the latter of these hurricanes, had on this academic institution. This research shares valuable insight into the vulnerabilities confronting academic institutions during natural disasters and highlights the lessons learned.Design/methodology/approachThis is a practitioner paper which applies survey data and qualitative interviews of key decision makers.FindingsSuccess in the aftermath of this disaster required serious consideration and forethought in institutional preparedness and continuity planning. Specifically, success relied on adequately prioritizing the recovery effort, effectively addressing communication and financial concerns, fostering administrative empowerment in the decision process, and devoting sufficient consideration to the development of alternative academic calendars.Practical implicationsThe paper identifies issues of practical significance which academic institutions should consider when developing emergency plans related to natural disasters.Originality/valueThis paper contains new information about the impact of a natural disaster on an academic institution. The issues addressed are of value to comparable institutions in the process of developing their response and recovery plans.

This article observes how, in today's common building practice, design practitioners seldom utilize the expertise of researchers in building‐related fields. The lack of the collaboration may be due as much to the "applicability gap" between research and practice as to the lack of a clearly defined role of researchers in building design. Most institutions' research groups and facilities planning offices are generally not set up to collaborate with the design and engineering professionals. This study, however, found design teams' collaboration with academic and research institutions to be instrumental in the successful development and implementation of technological innovations in architectural projects. It discusses the findings and provides partnership strategies between the institutions, as large‐building owners, and the building professionals, as design providers.

The author discusses, with a sociological perspective, the sources of power within organisations and its implications to equal employment opportunity.

Intro -- Contents -- List of Contributors -- List of Figures -- 1 Introduction -- References -- 2 Disparities and Diversification: Feminists in Europe Study War and/or Militaries -- Introduction -- Vital Caveats: 'IR Scholarship,' 'On War and Militaries,' 'Within Europe'? -- Militaries -- Militarism and Militarization -- Military Masculinities -- Fighting Women -- Military Families -- War -- Everyday War -- Counterinsurgency -- Conflict-Related Sexual Violence -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- 3 Feminist Security Studies in Europe: Beyond Western Academics' Club -- Introduction -- What, Where, and Who Is Feminist Security Studies? -- What is Missing? -- European Feminist Security Studies: Theories, Methodologies, Issues -- Issues and Silences -- Theories and Methods -- Concluding Thoughts -- References -- 4 Feminist Peace Research in Europe: A Snapshot -- Introduction -- Feminist Engagements with/for Peace -- A Mapping of Feminist Peace Research in Europe -- Centers of Excellence and the Production of Feminist Peace Research -- Leveraging the WPS Agenda in Peacebuilding: Negotiations, Sexual Violence, and Hybridity -- Conclusion -- References -- 5 Feminist Scholarship in Europe on the Politics of International Migration -- Introduction -- Critical Feminist Interventions in Migration Studies -- Border (In)securities and Sovereignty -- Conflict and Displacement: Determining Inclusive Refugeehood -- The Politics of Intimacy and Belonging -- Global Relations of Labor and Care -- Conclusion -- References -- 6 Feminist International Political Economy in Europe -- Introduction -- Capitalism and Neoliberalism: Connecting Discourses, Policies, and Everyday Implications -- Analyzing International Development Discourses and Organizations -- Reflexive Exercises on the Governance of Neoliberalism and Development and Feminists.

A systematic approach to organizational culture change is aimed at promotion of liberal culture in an academic institution functioning in conservative Arab society in Israel for providing transparency, respect, integrity, empowering women, excellence and effective knowledge management. The approach is developed and implemented in Al-Qasemi Academic College of Education through leadership creating, sustaining and guiding constructive confrontation in the college. The challenges discussed were in changing the college culture through adoption of universal cultural values, and providing influence of the college on Arab community towards liberalization. The actions taken to address the aforementioned challenges were: to cultivate favorable environment allowing adoption of universal cultural values by staff and students; provide cultural diversity of staff and students; embed democratic principles of staff formation and promotion; empower women through appointment of qualified female faculty members to senior positions at the college and encouragement of women from the administrative staff to pursue academic degrees; develop and implement a complex community-oriented educational program; guide profound dialogues with the academic community in Israel and abroad; improve operational performance of the college. Actions resulted in the successful realization of the approach. It provided for enormous improvement of the college performance, better quality of life for staff, opportunity for students to adapt to a modern society, and influence of the college on the Arab community towards liberalization.

As the industry is growing and at the same time educational institutions and organisations or Universities are also emerging. So, the needs are inevitably coming into the picture. Needs of what? So, the answer is the needs of companies and the need for education. As per the report from World Economic Forum, the Educational needs and Corporate needs are bouncing in a cycle. As the educational needs provide the corporates fulfilments and corporate needs provide educational fulfilments. Since there are many reports and discussions talking about the needs of each of the sectors not only private or public but of corporate and educational. As there is Public-Private Partnership for some needs, some benefits and for some growth. Thus, it is also important for this century to understand and apply the needs and benefits coming out of educational and industrial needs. There is a significant contribution of many researchers, authors, writers, professors, corporate officers, faculty members, business developers and entrepreneurs to elaborate on the uses and implications of an educational and industrial partnership. The research on 'Academic and corporate sector research partnership' seeks the needs, benefits, relationships and roles. It includes the case studies and data analysis about the achievements, and methods which are used to emphasize the importance of partnerships between the educational institutions and the corporate sector. There are many national and international partnerships which have been seen in many corporate world and educational institutions. There are many different ways to generate revenue, investments, Startups, Technology, new innovations, Commercialization and business development. Research that can give you empirical evidence or connect with the gap between one or two things. Under these particular partnerships, there is always a big debate about whether academic research fulfils the need of corporates or whether corporate research can fulfil the requirements of academic institutions. There have many positive and negative opinions on both kinds of research. But ultimately both the research is needed to establish the partnerships for a new innovation or for a new idea of business that can be beneficial for both the academics and corporates. The research is based more on the findings that how new innovative ideas are welcomed to establish new partnerships among academics and corporates to create jobs, business and entrepreneurship in this global world.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to argue that the types of and ways in which academic institutions produce knowledge are insufficient to contribute to a transition to sustainability.Design/methodology/approachReflecting on experiences at the School of Sustainability, the authors contend that a different kind of knowledge is needed, what we call sustainability knowledge. A conceptual approach is taken wherein the authors propose several characteristics of sustainability knowledge and offer some proposals on how academic institutions must be structured to produce it.FindingsSustainability knowledge has several characteristics including social robustness, recognition of system complexity and uncertainty, acknowledgement of multiple ways of knowing and the incorporation of normative and ethical premises. In order to produce sustainability knowledge, the knowledge production process itself must be changed to be more adaptive and engaged with society. Two organizing characteristics for institutions seeking to produce such knowledge are proposed – epistemological pluralism and reflexivity. The adaptive cycle from resilience theory is then used as a heuristic to illustrate how these design characteristics play out in making the institution (and individual) more adaptive.Practical implicationsAs more academic institutions move to address sustainability, this paper does not offer a roadmap; rather, it raises important issues that must be addressed in performing research and education for sustainability.Originality/valueThe paper shows that type of knowledge that academia must produce and how it might produce it are redefined for sustainability problems.

Voting or casting of lots has become the main method of selecting individuals for a vacant position. There have been several methods of voting practiced over the years, ranging from raising of hand, using ballot papers, and even using pebbles as in the typical case of the Republic of Gambia. It is on this premise that this study was embarked upon to design and implement an effective Online Voting System for Academic Institutions. The concept has been implemented for the Regent University College of Science and Technology in Ghana. The results showed that the online system was outstanding with real-time results of the voting process and easy administrative management. The users of the system which involved students as well as some electoral supervisors realized the online voting system was a better, effective and more efficient way of voting in the school as compared to the paper balloting method of voting. The concept could be extended to all Institutions or organization's election once the electorates can be identified with unique Identification Numbers. It is recommended that further research and implementation should be conducted to include functionalities or features to enable the visually impaired individuals vote.

Modern bureaucratic organisations are characterized by hierarchical structure, control and accountability. Post-bureaucratic organisations, which are widely established in the postmodern world, encourage empowerment, initiative, creativity and responsibility of their members while transferring control functions to the corporate culture and a clearly defined and comprehensible mission of their organisation. Despite the fact that the postmodern, or post-bureaucratic, type of an organisation that came into being in the 1960s is being increasingly integrated in various aspects and areas of society, including public institutions and universities, the question whether this type of organisation gains ground over the modernist type is still yet to be answered. This paper has been written on the basis of the materials from 3 focus groups, representing administration and faculties of one university, that summarise their seven-year experience of EU Structural Funds project management. The paper presents insights into the issues arising due to the interplay between different corporate values and cultures and considers alternatives of solving these issues.