diff --git a/config/alfresco/templates/webscripts/org/alfresco/repository/person/people.post.json.js b/config/alfresco/templates/webscripts/org/alfresco/repository/person/people.post.json.js
index b3d0d48ba9..8f04e9cdc2 100644
--- a/config/alfresco/templates/webscripts/org/alfresco/repository/person/people.post.json.js
+++ b/config/alfresco/templates/webscripts/org/alfresco/repository/person/people.post.json.js
@@ -22,9 +22,15 @@ function main()
       return;
    }
    
+   if ((json.isNull("email")) || (json.get("email").length() == 0))
+   {
+      status.setCode(status.STATUS_BAD_REQUEST, "Email missing when creating person");
+      return;
+   }
+   
    // Create the person with the supplied user name
    var userName = json.get("userName");
-   var person = people.createPerson(userName);
+   var person = people.createPerson(userName, json.get("firstName"), json.get("lastName"), json.get("email"));
    
    // return error message if a person with that user name could not be created
    if (person === null)
@@ -33,17 +39,23 @@ function main()
       return;
    }
    
-   // assign values to the person's properties   
-   person.properties["title"] = json.get("title");
-   person.properties["firstName"] = json.get("firstName");
-   person.properties["lastName"] = json.get("lastName");
-   person.properties["organization"] = json.get("organisation");
-   person.properties["jobtitle"] = json.get("jobtitle");
-   person.properties["email"] = json.get("email");
+   // assign values to the person's properties
+   if (json.has("title"))
+   {
+      person.properties["title"] = json.get("title");
+   }
+   if (json.has("organisation"))
+   {
+      person.properties["organization"] = json.get("organisation");
+   }
+   if (json.has("jobtitle"))
+   {
+      person.properties["jobtitle"] = json.get("jobtitle");
+   }
    person.save();
    
    // Put the created person into the model
    model.person = person;
 }
 
-main();
+main();
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/config/alfresco/web-scripts-application-context.xml b/config/alfresco/web-scripts-application-context.xml
index b8919f647b..7cd6e6f528 100644
--- a/config/alfresco/web-scripts-application-context.xml
+++ b/config/alfresco/web-scripts-application-context.xml
@@ -436,7 +436,8 @@
    <bean id="webscript.org.alfresco.repository.person.changepassword.post"
          class="org.alfresco.repo.web.scripts.person.ChangePasswordPost"
          parent="webscript">
-      <property name="authenticationService" ref="AuthenticationService"/>
+      <property name="authenticationService" ref="AuthenticationService" />
+      <property name="authorityService" ref="AuthorityService" />
    </bean>
 
 
diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/web/scripts/person/ChangePasswordPost.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/web/scripts/person/ChangePasswordPost.java
index 8fe18668cb..d5862f0731 100644
--- a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/web/scripts/person/ChangePasswordPost.java
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/web/scripts/person/ChangePasswordPost.java
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import java.util.Map;
 
 import org.alfresco.repo.security.authentication.AuthenticationException;
 import org.alfresco.service.cmr.security.AuthenticationService;
+import org.alfresco.service.cmr.security.AuthorityService;
 import org.alfresco.util.Content;
 import org.alfresco.web.scripts.DeclarativeWebScript;
 import org.alfresco.web.scripts.Status;
@@ -45,7 +46,10 @@ import org.json.JSONObject;
  */
 public class ChangePasswordPost extends DeclarativeWebScript
 {
+    private static final String PARAM_NEWPW = "newpw";
+    private static final String PARAM_OLDPW = "oldpw";
     private AuthenticationService authenticationService;
+    private AuthorityService authorityService;
     
     
     /**
@@ -55,8 +59,16 @@ public class ChangePasswordPost extends DeclarativeWebScript
     {
         this.authenticationService = authenticationService;
     }
-
-
+    
+    /**
+     * @param authorityService          the AuthorityService to set
+     */
+    public void setAuthorityService(AuthorityService authorityService)
+    {
+        this.authorityService = authorityService;
+    }
+    
+    
     /* (non-Javadoc)
      * @see org.alfresco.web.scripts.DeclarativeWebScript#executeImpl(org.alfresco.web.scripts.WebScriptRequest, org.alfresco.web.scripts.Status)
      */
@@ -70,30 +82,43 @@ public class ChangePasswordPost extends DeclarativeWebScript
         Content c = req.getContent();
         if (c == null)
         {
-            throw new WebScriptException(Status.STATUS_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR,
-                    "Missing POST body.");
+            throw new WebScriptException(Status.STATUS_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, "Missing POST body.");
         }
         JSONObject json;
         try
         {
             json = new JSONObject(c.getContent());
             
-            String oldPassword = json.getString("oldpw");
-            String newPassword = json.getString("newpw");
+            String oldPassword = null;
+            String newPassword;
             
-            if (oldPassword == null || oldPassword.length() == 0)
+            // admin users can change/set a password without knowing the old one
+            boolean isAdmin = authorityService.hasAdminAuthority();
+            if (!isAdmin)
+            {
+                if (!json.has(PARAM_OLDPW) || json.getString(PARAM_OLDPW).length() == 0)
+                {
+                    throw new WebScriptException(Status.STATUS_BAD_REQUEST,
+                        "Old password 'oldpw' is a required POST parameter.");
+                }
+                oldPassword = json.getString(PARAM_OLDPW);
+            }
+            if (!json.has(PARAM_NEWPW) || json.getString(PARAM_NEWPW).length() == 0)
             {
                 throw new WebScriptException(Status.STATUS_BAD_REQUEST,
-                "Old password 'oldpw' is a required POST parameter.");
-            }
-            if (newPassword == null || newPassword.length() == 0)
-            {
-                throw new WebScriptException(Status.STATUS_BAD_REQUEST,
-                "New password 'newpw' is a required POST parameter.");
+                    "New password 'newpw' is a required POST parameter.");
             }
+            newPassword = json.getString(PARAM_NEWPW);
             
             // update the password
-            authenticationService.updateAuthentication(userName, oldPassword.toCharArray(), newPassword.toCharArray());
+            if (!isAdmin)
+            {
+                authenticationService.updateAuthentication(userName, oldPassword.toCharArray(), newPassword.toCharArray());
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                authenticationService.setAuthentication(userName, newPassword.toCharArray());
+            }
         }
         catch (AuthenticationException err)
         {
@@ -115,4 +140,4 @@ public class ChangePasswordPost extends DeclarativeWebScript
         model.put("success", Boolean.TRUE);
         return model;
     }
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file