Accountability at the University of Oxford
By drawing on the accountability literature, and relevant information in the public domain, you are required to write an essay which critically examines to whom, for what and how (i.e. through what means and processes) is a UK university of your choice accountable. Guidance notes:
1. You may choose any university in the UK. You are advised to thoroughly read, drawn on, and refer to the following and other relevant articles to get ideas for your essay: -Sinclair, A. (1995). The chameleon of accountability: Forms and discourses. Accounting, organizations and Society, 20(2), 219-237.-Demirag, I., & Khadaroo, I. (2011). Accountability and value for money: a theoretical framework for the relationship in public–private partnerships. Journal of Management & Governance, 15(2), 271-296.-Dubnick, M. (2005). Accountability and the promise of performance: In search of the mechanisms. Public Performance & Management Review, 28(3), 376-417.-Cooper, S. and Owen, D. (2007), “Corporate social reporting and stakeholder accountability: The missing link”, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Vol. 32 No. 7-8, pp. 649–667.-Abdullah, A. and Khadaroo, I (2017). The governmentality and accountability of UK national museums and art galleries, Accounting Forum.
2. The strategic plan/framework and annual reports of universities which are publicly available (through a search on Google) contain helpful information about the accountability of universities https://www(dot)sussex(dot)ac(dot)uk/strategy/ . Be creative!
3. Your essay should ideally be structured as follows: It should have an introduction, a main body (which may have sub-themes or sub-topics), a conclusion and a list of references you have used.
Accountability at the University of Oxford
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Accountability refers to the obligation an individual or organization has on accounting for all its activities, accepts all obligations for them, and share the results openly (Sinclair, 1995). Additionally, accountability also comprises the responsibility for coinage or other assigned property. In the United Kingdom, all universities, irrespective of whether they are public or private university should be accountable. However, the big question lingers as to whom, for what and how should these universities be accountable. Essentially, accountability may assume different approached, and as far as this discussion is concerned, there are three main levels of accountability, including social accountability, corporate accountability, and public accountability. All the levels above only show to whom, for what and how the University of Oxford, in this case, ensures that it meets all its responsibilities on accountability from to the society.
The governance of the University of Oxford ensures there is corporate accountability in the university. Cooperate accountability refers to the action of taking responsibility to all the stakeholders of an organization CITATION Stu07 \l 1033 (Cooper, 2007). The stakeholders usually include students, professors and other university employees, the community and the country. Corporate accountability is achieved through the various organs in the university which execute varying roles that promote the common good of the university. These organs include the congregation, council, college, and departments. Moreover, there are other divisions such as that of the Chancellors, Vice-Chancellors, and Pro-Vice-Chancellors who perform their respective duties which promote accountability in the university CITATION Uni18 \l 1033 (University of Oxford, 2018).
The University of Oxford has a congregation which acts as the university’s parliament hence the sovereign body with more than five thousand members CITATION Uni18 \l 1033 (University of Oxford, 2018). Some of its members are the academic staff, administrative staff, senior researchers, computing and library staff. Furthermore, the academic staff has heads of governing collage bodies as well as other members working on the same. The congregation has various responsibilities which include: determining whether the university should change its statutes and regulations. It is also involved in analyzing and determining whether implementing various policy issues, which have been submitted by congregation members or the council, is going to be beneficial to the university. Frequently the congregation also elects members to the council as well as to other University bodies CITATION Uni18 \l 1033 (University of Oxford, 2018). Also, the congregation is entrusted with the responsibility of approving or rejecting the nomination of the Vice-Chancellor.
The University of Oxford has a policy-making body which is the council. It is the chief decision-making body in the university and has twenty-eight members and four of them being non-members of the university CITATION Uni18 \l 1033 (University of Oxford, 2018). It is accountable for everything that revolves around the academic policy of the university as all the strategies that direct the university towards proper administration and proper management of proper and finances. All these responsibilities are accomplished through the five chief committees in the council. They include the Personnel Committee, Education Committee, General Purposes Committee, Research Committee, and Planning & Resource Allocation Committee.
Furthermore, the university has thirty-eight colleges which are independent hence have self-governance. They form an important component of the University since they enable the university to reach out for more students in the country. These colleges are granted charters independently. These charters are sanctioned by the Privy Council, which is governed by the Head of House; it also has a ruling Body comprised of several fellows. These fellows hold University posts. Among these thirty-eight charters are six Permanent Private Halls that were established by diverse Christian faiths; however, they still conserve their religious character up to this date CITATION Uni18 \l 1033 (University of Oxford, 2018). Notably, at the core of the thirty-eight colleges is the Conference of Colleges. It has the duty of representing common issues which affect all colleges to its committees, the council and also to the four Divisional Boards. Moreover, it works as the ground in which interuniversity discussions and decision-making activities take place.
The university’s accountability is enhanced through the many Divisions and departments in the university. The departments and research centers are divided into four divisions namely; Humanities; Physical, Mathematical and Life Sciences; Social Sciences; and Medical Sciences. These divisions are entrusted with the duty of making decisions regarding finance and planning of the university. However, there is a separate board that takes responsibility of The Department for Continuing Education
Agreeing with Owen (2005) corporate accountability in the University of Oxford is also facilitated by three prominent personalities who serve in the university’s main office. These are the Chancellor, the Vice- Chancellor and the pro-vice-Chancellor. The Chancellor is a very important person elected to stay in his office for life. The Chancellor is responsible for heading the university and presides over every major ceremony.
On the other hand, the university also has a deputy Chancellor, who is known as the Vice-Chancellor. He or she serves as the high-ranking officer at the University and serves in his office for a maximum of seven years CITATION Uni18 \l 1033 (University of Oxford, 2018)
On the other hand, many Pro-Vice-Chancellors are grouped into various portfolios charged with varying responsibilities. Five Pro-Vice-Chancellors are accountable for Development and External Affairs such as Gardens, Education, Museums and Libraries. Also, they are responsible for Research and Innovation as well as Planning and Resources. Other eight Pro-Vice-Chancellors lack portfolio and assume an array of responsibilities in the place of the Vice-Chancellor when he or she is absent. For instance, they chair electoral boards and preside at degree ceremonies.
Another phase of accountability exhibited in the University of Oxford is social accountability. This is the university’s ability ...