Power and politics in organizations

Abstract

In the UK in the late 1980s, many polytechnics were about to become universities, of which Fairisle Polytechnic was one. At this time, however, they were still under the control of local authorities and they still provided non-advanced further education (NAFE) course — work of sub-degree standard. It was becoming clear that this level of work was regarded by the government as the province of the local authority institutions. It would only be left in the hands of the new universities if there was no alternative local provider, and in Fairisle there were several competent others. It followed that any site which was designated a NAFE site by the Asset Commission would revert to the local authority when they decided on the terms of separation, i.e. ‘divorce and alimony’. Fairisle currently occupied as one of its many sites a campus at Fawley Ridge, an area of prime residential land, rapidly appreciating in value and conservatively estimated to be worth at contemporary prices around £1.5 million as a piece of land alone. The new university would need such an asset given its desperate need for building space — but the site was almost exclusively NAFE, being devoted to evening classes in a huge range of languages and providing daytime courses for local business people. Only the highest level of linguistic qualification offered was regarded officially as being ‘advanced’ for funding purposes — and this was only 5 percent of the total workload.