“So long, and thanks for all the fish”

This title is one of my favourite Douglas Adams quotes. In his telling, it was left by the dolphins – the 2nd most intelligent species on earth – for us humans to read just before they left Earth because it was about to be destroyed by the Vogons (You will have to read Hitchhikers’ Guide

The Final Push

In order to complete my Masters I had to produce a final 7500 word submission by mid-January. hen I have to do a 30 minute presentation in front of supervisors and fellow students Most people do a ‘paper’, as if it were being submitted to a journal. But it is possible to choose to present

How close am I to the gates of the Emerald city?

Having just finished my 31st interview, and transcribed all of the audio recordings, I am letting myself wonder if I am really approaching the end of my ‘magnus opus’ Getting 30+ volunteers from the Scottish NHS boards was nowhere near as difficult as I had originally thought. With great help from a couple of people

Glimpses of the Emerald City

In a previous post I compared my quest to complete my research on the role of non-executives in the governance of the NHS in Scotland to Dorothy’s journey down the yellow brick road. Now that I have successfully completed my 10,000 word research proposal and submitted the last of the additional modules required by the

9,999 and counting….

Before I can actually start recruiting people for my research project I had to complete a 10,000 word research proposal. As this is scored as 60 units out of the 180 I need to be awarded my Masters, it was obviously going to be a major undertaking. Anyway it is now complete and submitted a

Do they give you a badge?

In the Scouts and Guides [are they still separate organisations these days?] they give you a badge to wear when you have accomplished something, like lighting a fire using two sticks or helping someone with their shopping. So when I heard today that I had ‘got’ Ethical Approval for my research project I desperately re-read

Can you have Accountability without Authority?

The blog has had a bit of a break over the last few months. Having completed two preparatory modules for my Masters by Research, I have been focussing on preparing for the most significant piece of work in the course. This is a 10,000 word ‘research proposal’. As one of my supervisors said “you really

The Long and Winding road – one researcher’s journey

My research supervisors at Queen Margaret University suggested that turning my initial thoughts about what I wanted to explore about the governance of the NHS into a clear research proposal is like travelling down a winding road, with a distant view of the final destination – and lots of tempting turnings that need to be

Is there anybody out there? Engaging people with my research

My previous blog identified the key question that I want to address in my research.  To get to an answer I need to engage with several groups of people, both to get data and to test out emerging themes with participants. Also, there is always the hope that my findings will influence those who seek

“Neither fish nor fowl” – what are non-executive directors and can they make the the NHS better?

Ever since I started my career in managing, and being involved in the governance of, various public services – and that was back in the 1970’s – I have been interested in how those responsible for ‘running the show’ did – or didn’t – account for their actions.  When I was first appointed as a