Community colleges are under pressure to increase completion rates, prepare students for the workplace, and contain costs. Colleges need to know the financial implications of what are often perceived as routine decisions: course scheduling, program offerings, and the provision of support services. This chapter presents a methodology for estimating…

Price (cost) analysis provides the library manager with valuable data for decision making and developing marketing strategies. This article examines program budget, cost-finding methodologies that influence demand, the impact of technology, and budget presentation. (Author/AEF)

This article explains the Selection System Model for evaluating alternative educational delivery methods and relates research findings applicable to the various components of the model. Those components include Instructional Strategies, Student Access, Complexity of the Method for the Student, Complexity of the Method for the Provider, and…

The capital renewal and replacement of the nation's public higher education facilities has been a growing problem for several decades. While the need for new and improved facilities has increased over the years, many campuses simply have too many aging infrastructures that are too costly to replace. This, at a time when we have less than …

Describes specific factors contributing to questionable validity and reliability of cost information used by mental health administrators. Presents a case study in which 17 different cost figures were derived for a single program using various methods currently employed. Discusses implications of nonuniform cost data. (Author/RC)

Argues for the use of decentralized decision-making and information systems as the best aids to intelligent decision-making when determining funding priorities for human services. (Author/RH)

Program budgeting systems should be viewed as a comprehensive approach to decision making. They are tools intended to guide the manager through all the essential steps in the planning and resource allocation processes. (Author)

Decentralizing educational budgets allows the disbursement of funds aimed at maximizing student development. Three strategies for decentralizing budgets are program budgeting, which eliminates line-item budgeting and allows administrators to address questions regarding the relative value of educational programs; zero-based budgeting, which allows…

Canadian health regions are required to set priorities and allocate resources within a limited funding envelope. Program budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) was piloted in continuing care in Claresholm, Alberta, with the aim of improving overall benefit from available resources. A marginal-analysis expert panel was used to assess options for…

Conclusions from two studies (including a three-year nationwide study of higher education institutional planning) concern types of planning (strategic, program, facility, operational, budget, and issue-specific), and limitations (the limited powers of prediction and the political character of planning and budgeting). Types of budgeting processes…