Intensive family support will be introduced in 50 anti-social behaviour action areas to bring relief to communities plagued by the small number of neighbours who cause havoc through anti-social behaviour. They will be offered a ‘last-chance’ to turn around their behaviour. Neighbour nuisance often involves both parents and children and can result in serious physical and emotional problems for victims and eviction for perpetrators.It is expected that more than 1,000 families will be targeted over the next year with programmes that will offer them a ‘last chance’ to accept support and turn around their behaviour, or face the consequences. They will build on the package of measures – acceptable behaviour contracts, parenting orders, ASBOs and on-the-spot fines. There are also plans to introduce compensation orders for damage by under 10s.

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In a move to get a grip on the unwieldy public examination system, which includes “A” level and “GCSE”, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority commissioned a report in 2003 to find out how much the system was costing and how models could be developed to manage it better. The report by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers has estimated the cost at 610 million pounds a year. The modelling was abandoned because the examination system was found to be so complex.The consultants noted that one of the main issues for centres and examinations officers is the sheer amount of correspondence they receive. This includes a “huge amount of superfluous or duplicated information”. Among the examples of red-tape, the report highlights exam boards sending schools information three times a week and producing 1,200 different exam documents.

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1By Haridimos Tsoukas and Jill ShepherdStrategic foresight is central to managing the future, yet it is one of the least understood areas of management. Tsoukas and Shepherd offer a collection of readings that serve to deepen our understanding of what organizational foresight is, and what it takes to do it well. Designed for the reader who seeks more than a superficial overview, it offers jewels of insight and a variety of frameworks that serve to challenge and enrich our mental maps about developing organizational foresight. The ten contributing authors come from both sides of the Atlantic and from Asia, all of whom are distinguished scholars in the fields of strategy or organizational learning. They address key questions about how organizational foresight can be conceptualized and developed, and the extent to which it is possible.

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