ABSTRACT
Since the Second World War, the higher education sector has played host to a number of management reforms that originated elsewhere. Examples include planning, programming and budgeting systems (PPPS), management by objectives (MBO), the search for excellence and re-engineering. The advent of what have been called entrepreneurial universities has forced or encouraged traditional universities to improve their competitiveness. Recently, the delivery of courses via the Internet or other technology-based methods has been developed further, with the establishment of global virtual universities, backed by consortia of internationally famous universities, to cater for the huge international demand for higher education. The percentage of the population going to university is very low compared to that in developed countries and there is a large excess demand for tertiary places, especially after the onset of rapid industrial growth. The rise of global virtual universities requires greater co-operation between national quality assurance and accreditation bodies to produce assessment processes and standards that are accepted internationally.
