Collegiality is often advocated as the best way in which to run a successful school subject department. This article explores this proposition in the light of power relationships within hierarchical organizations. Rather than viewing collegiality merely as a management model, it looks at the power relationships which condition the working lives of subject leaders to pose the question, is collegiality a deliberate strategy by, or an unavoidable necessity for, subject leaders? Fieldwork is considered in reaching the conclusion that collegiality can be seen not as a philosophical choice but as a straitjacket imposed by the severely circumscribed power resources of the subject leader.

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This essay examines the discipline of port history - primarily British - to discuss what has been achieved and what further studies might contribute. It places the work of Gordon Jackson into context, and deems his works integral to the field. Port philosophy, progress, future achievements, financial crises, and a case study of the development of the Port of Liverpool, are scrutinised by the author, Adrian Jarvis, in order to conclude that the study of port history, whilst a thoroughly researched discipline in its own right, ought now to focus on integrating with maritime history and wider contexts in order to move forward.

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This study provides a history of the Port of Liverpool between 1905 and 1938, during its decline. It is particularly interested in the history of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, Liverpool’s enormous and sole port authority. Adrian Jarvis contrasts the decision-making process of the Board with the financial history of the docks, in attempt to evaluate the Board successes and failures. The study accounts for and explores the factors which contributed to the decline of Liverpool’s shipping industry, with topics ranging from the growth of railways, the advances in shipping technology, the success of commercial liners, to the Great Depression and Great War. The study is complemented with an appendix exploring the efficiency of ports; a bibliography; a note on the sources; an index; and a conclusion that asserts the overall merit of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board when considering the tremendous and often unpredictable challenges the Board faced, such as wartime disruption.