The history and features of Decision Support Systems (DSS) and use of the approach by academic administrators are discussed. The objective of DSS is to involve the manager/decision maker in the decision-analysis process while simultaneously relieving that person of the burden of developing and performing detailed analysis. DSS represents a…

It is suggested that much thought should be given to choosing an appropriate computer language for an institutional research office, considering the sophistication of the staff, types of planned application, size and type of computer, and availability of central programming support in the institution. For offices that prepare straight reports and…

Trends in computing and office automation and their applications, including planning, institutional research, and general administrative support in higher education, are discussed. Changing aspects of information processing and an increasingly larger user community are considered. The computing literacy cycle may involve programming, analysis, use…

A comparative budget analysis approach employed by British universities is discussed. The British funding system analyzes in detail unit costs and marginal costs and undertakes comparative assessments of expenditure patterns and priorities for a group of 95 institutions with similar objectives, in which each has autonomy in resource allocation.…