In an increasingly cost-conscious health care environment, average length of hospital stay has decreased. Although psychiatric inpatient treatment is largely exempt from the constraints of the Medicare diagnosis related groups (DRG's), length of stay for geropsychiatric hospital services has decreased also. A trend toward higher rates of early…

Alternative scheduling provides community colleges with a means to adapt to declining enrollments and fiscal exigencies, and to respond the demand for accountability to students. Strategies such as departing from traditional semester- or quarter-length courses and developing weekend programs have been implemented at certain institutions to…

The first of two papers presented in this section, "Price-Caps: Theory and Implementation" (Peter B. Linhart and Roy Radner) describes a proposed method of regulation involving price caps on core services and no price regulation of other services. This method is designed to replace rate-of-return regulation during a transition period to…

These two papers consider the implications of industry concentration in the mass media industry. The first, "Selling the Store: Policy Implications of the 1986 Bonanza in Television Station Transfers" (Joseph Foley, Ohio State University), analyzes the relationship between key market variables and prices paid in 1986 television stations…

This report describes the AT&T (American Telephone and Telegraph Company) teletraining program, which includes internal programs, one-hour update programs, and special internal seminars. Topics considered include the number of courses, sessions, and update programs offered; the number of students served; and student acceptance of the programs…

The nation achieves a return on the federal government's investment in research and development in essentially two ways: first by the direct outcome of the R&D efforts, and second by further use of the information derived from these efforts. The value of information is enhanced by its use, and the value of information services and products…

Cost control is the subject of this eight-lesson, three-test food service training manual. Lesson 1 deals with financial accountability and includes 17 handouts, ranging from sample balance to quarterly report sheets. Lesson 2 focuses on budgeting principles, and lesson 3 on labor controls. Professional purchasing, receiving, and inventorying…

The methodology and results of cost-effectiveness evaluations of computer based instruction used in military training are discussed. Methodological issues center on decisions about what cost elements and what effectiveness measures should be included, and how they should be combined. Preliminary results suggest that, in general, computer based…

This chapter outlines the theory of cost-benefit analysis and discusses its application to determining the cost-benefit of instructional development projects. Three types of applications are discussed: (1) descriptive applications of single projects; (2) predictive studies of proposed projects; and (3) comparative analysis of alternative projects…

There are two general methods of cross-validation: empirical estimation, and formula estimation. In choosing a specific cross-validation procedure, one should consider both costs (e.g., inefficient use of available data in estimating regression parameters) and benefits (e.g., accuracy in estimating population cross-validity). Empirical…

A factor analysis of the Coleman Report data on Equality of Educational Opportunity is used to suggest several hypotheses about the nature of interactions affecting educational production functions. These hypotheses were used in the specification of a simultaneous equation regression model of the educational process. (Author/EH)

How institutional use of television for special communications is growing as organizations learn the economics and practicality of private, do-it-yourself video. (Author)

Contends that small defects in steam heating systems often go unnoticed, while efficiency drops. Presents guidelines for detecting steam loss through trap orifices and determining how much they are costing. (Author/MLF)

Adopts the dramatic form of a modern morality play to examine the confrontation of humanistic curriculum values and educational accountability. (WM)

In a pinch for spaces a New Jersey school district turned an abandoned supermarket into an open plan school -- in two short months, for less than $1.40 per square foot. Remodeling was accomplished by a few vocational education students, their teachers, and parents. (Author)