Lagging productivity and increased competitiveness from abroad are forcing U.S. management companies to adopt new management styles that promote efficiency and quality in production. High on the agenda is the incorporation of Statistical Process Control (SPC). SPC requires definition of process and product specifications to facilitate their…

Research on the effects of collective bargaining by library clerical workers indicates that effects are often less dramatic than expected, and that there does not appear to be a single "union effect." Although one study found hefty gains for library workers with collective bargaining agreements, other studies have found no significant gains by the…

Using two statistical analysis techniques (the Program Evaluation and Review Technique and the Critical Path Method), this study analyzed procedures for compiling the required yearly report of the Metropolitan Separate School Board (Catholic) of Toronto, Canada. The computer-assisted analysis organized the process of completing the report more…

Much of what has developed in the testing of reading harkens back to the days of the "Cult of Efficiency" movement in education that can be largely attributed to Frederick Winslow Taylor. Taylor spent most of his productive years studying time and motion in an attempt to streamline industrial production so that people could work as…

The theme of the 1983 Australian and South Pacific External Studies Association concerned developing efficient teaching-learning systems and efficient management systems. Such an emphasis on efficiency was symptomatic in the United States' educational arena to a commitment to the practices of scientific management. The central role accorded to…

Mandatory restrictions on agricultural production continue to be suggested as an alternative policy for reducing price-depressing surplus production, increasing farm income, and cutting farm program costs. A mandatory production control program (MPCP) can be implemented through two methods: (1) acreage allotments, which restrict individual farmers…

The many forms of performance appraisal for faculty in Great Britain are examined. Advice and suggestions about appropriate training are offered, and conclusions are drawn about the kind of system that is most beneficial to the education service and to people employed in higher and further education institutions. Five chapters focus on:…

The results of a survey on administrative services at Arizona's three universities are presented as one of the working papers in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness. This survey of faculty, staff, and student perceptions of the quality of service provided by selected academic…

The issue of the degree to which program duplication among two or three of Arizona's universities diverts resources from other priority needs of higher education is addressed as one of the working papers in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness. Specific arguments for the…

The efficacy of the CATES system for making training decisions and determining student proficiency in Naval in-flight training proposed in an earlier study (Rankin and McDaniel, 1980) is compared with the present system of instructor judgments for performance assessment. The current study used 29 newly-designated naval aviators undergoing Fleet…

The purpose of this paper is to trace the development of the idea of measurement of pupil growth and achievement as a criterion of teacher effectiveness through the scholarly writings of A. S. Barr (1892-1962). The search for the criterion of teacher efficiency, and later effectiveness, was the professional concern that guided Barr's research for…

Vogtle Electric Generating Plant operated by Southern Nuclear Operating Company, a subsidiary of Southern Company, has found itself at a decision point. Vogtle depends on their natural draft cooling towers to remove heat from the power cycle. Depending on the efficiency of the towers, the cycle can realize more or less power output. The efficiency…

Educational management is a field of study and practice concerned with the operation of educational organizations. The present author has argued consistently (Bush, 1986; Bush, 1995; Bush, 1999; Bush, 2003) that educational management has to be centrally concerned with the purpose or aims of education. These purposes or goals provide the crucial…

The National School Lunch Program is designed to safeguard schoolchild health by improving and/or maintaining levels of nutrition, and strengthen the agricultural economy by stimulating food demand. The General Accounting Office (GAO) examined whether the program is meeting its legislative objectives and analyzed available information on what is…

Both proponents and opponents of public support for private education argue that their own proposals for funding education offer the only means for achieving diversity, efficiency, and equity in education. Proponents of public support for private schools claim that diversity of educational options can only be guaranteed through government support…