The liberalisation of the labour market

The liberalisation of the labour market has expanded the use of market-like mechanisms such as competition, pricing, dispersed decision-making, and work-based incentives to enhance program outputs

a) Describe two market-like arrangements that have impacted on your workplace whether positive or negative. In your description of each, include consideration of its purposes, how it is intended to work and how it currently operates.

b) Evaluate the impact of each on the quality and value of the services your workplace provides.

Prepare a retrospective commentary on your research in this unit, citing things that you possibly have learned from this exercise that you did not know you needed to know (1000 words).

Some suggested references
Barrow, C.W. (1996), ‘The strategy of selective excellence: Redesigning higher education for global competition in a postindustrial society. In: Higher Education, 41, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands, pp. 447-469.

Evenett, S.J. & Hoekman, B.M. (2004), ‘International Cooperation and the Reform of Public Procurement Policies’ http://www.evenett.com/working/EvenettHoekmanProcurementCEPRAugust05.pdf

Fitzgerald, L. et al. (1991), Performance Measurement in Service Businesses, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Cambridge, Ch 1. (Dixson 338.455/P438)

Flynn, N. (1990), Public Sector Management, Harvester Wheatshear, New York, ch. 1. (Dixson 350.F648)

Harrold, R.I. (1998), Resources in Education. Australian Council for Educational Research, Melbourne.

Ho, Li-Hsing & Chen-Chia Chuang, (2006), ‘A Study of Implementing Six-Sigma Quality Management System in Government Agencies for Raising Service Quality,’ in Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 167-173.

Hood, C. (1991), ‘A Public Management for all Seasons?’, Public Administration, vol. 69, no. 1, Spring, pp. 3–19.

OECD (1993), Public Management Developments: Survey 1993, Paris, OECD.

OECD (1994), Public Management Developments: Update 1994, OECD, Paris.

OECD (1993), Managing with Market-Type Mechanisms, OECD, Paris.

Industry Commission (1997), Report on Government Service Provision: Steering Committee for the Review of Commonwealth/State Service Provision, Melbourne: Commonwealth of Australia.

Productivity Commission (1996), Stocktake of Progress in Microeconomic Reform, Belconnen, Industry Commission, June, (ISBN 0642253218). http://www.finance.gov.au/

Scott, G. (2001), ‘Getting the fuzzy end of the lollipop: the problems with devolved budgets in further education colleges’, in The International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 15, No. 4/5, pp. 252-257.