Performance and accountability in tertiary education

In this chapter we turn to the third of the four main elements which are implicated in corporatisation: performance and accountability. As in the case of the other reforms, the use of explicit, quantitative performance measures and a greater emphasis on 'output' or 'productivity' are strategies which have recently been introduced into the public sector not only in New Zealand but in Britain, Australia and Canada. A strategy borrowed from the private sector, 'management by objectives' has such wide international currency, and is applied across such a diverse range purposes and organisations, it has been described as a 'management policy for all seasons.' (Hood, 1991).