Bilingualism revisited: or the confessions of a middle-aged and belated francophile

Abstract. The efforts to functionally bilingualize the federal public service over the past decade have generally attracted more jeers than cheers. In this rather personal article the author attempts to describe and defend his own role and that of the Public Service Commission in a major attempt at adult re-education.     

Does management by objectives stifle organizational innovation in the public sector?

Abstract. Does management by objectives stifle organizational innovation in the public sector? The authors explore this possibility by describing five common characteristics of mbo and then contrasting them with four characteristics of innovative organizations. The comparison suggests that mbo -pressures lead to organizational stress that is often resolved by the creation of two working environments; one for the pursuit of innovative objectives, and one for the pursuit of regular objectives. This could lead to dysfunctionalism in the form of abandoned objectives-objectives that might have been achieved if mbo were not used. The authors conclude with four implications for public-sector managers: (1) the practice of including innovation objectives along with traditional objectives in the same set of objectives is questionable; (2) broader objectives, perhaps pointing in the general direction of the innovations sought, might be more productive in some cases than specific objectives; (3) possible incompatibility between mbo and innovation might be lessened if innovative ventures are pursued in ad hoc organizational structures; and (4) management by objectives and innovation are not necessarily compatible.     

Diversity as a policy goal: The case of television

Diversity in communications is most appropriately understood as a free flow of ideas. In order to implement diversity, a comprehensive model of the communication process must be used for policy research, so that the various participants in the process can be properly restrained from abridging the free flow of ideas. The setting of priorities for implementing diversity has been illustrated using available studies of broadcast and cable television.     

Old Ideas die slowly

Many women in Cape Verde are actively working to upgrade the status of women in the country and are playing a major role in development programs. The small country of Cape Verde, 455 kilometers off the coast of Senegal, obtained its independence from Portugal in 1975. Even before independence many women were politically conscious and women's rights were a part of the program of Cape Verde's liberation movement. In 1978 the National Women's Organization was formed. The organization places a high priority on education for women and is promoting a large scale literacy campaign. During the colonial period most of Cape Verde's land was destroyed and the country's economy was ruined. A large proportion of the Cape Verde's male population emigrates to other countries in order to obtain work, and the women are left behind to raise their large families on their own. There is a great need to intensify efforts to restore the land's fertility and to control erosion. The country also needs schools, clinics, and transportation and communication networks. Many women are involved in a large water and conservation program supported by Oxfam and other international agencies. Women are encouraged to work on construction jobs, drive trucks and build dikes. Old attitudes are hard to change, however, and there is a need to involve a larger segment of the female population in the women's rights movement. In December, 1980 the Women's Organization will hold its 1st National Conference. The organization will map its future strategies for upgrading the position of women in Cape Verde society and for increasing support for the women's movements.     

The dominant male

I must agree with Ms. Taylor's conclusion that "a couple's equality in bed is likely to reflect their social and economic equality" (Sex and the 3rd world woman, June issue). My discomfort with the article arose partly from being among the mass of male sexual oppressors, but mainly from the shallowness of her report (more rhetoric than reporting). It may satisfy an appetite for feminist literature but let us think more clearly. What % of 3rd world women actually have their sexual organs tampered with? Female circumcision in Kenya, for instance, traditionally had nothing to do with this. Opportunities for women are fewest in strict Muslim societies. Ms. Taylor narrow-mindedly expects us to believe that this is entirely due to the dominant male. New Internationalist should reconsider publishing articles with so little substance as they will not aid in any real understanding of the fate of women in the 3rd world.