The purpose of the document is to explain how managers can use cost and output data to obtain information which will help them utilize resources wisely. It points out what numbers of manager needs to know and distinguishes between data and information. Data must be organized to enable comparisons to be made and relationships identified. Conceptual…

This publication is a discussion of the concept of an educational production function, a mathematical formulation of the relationship between inputs and outputs in education. A description of how a production function can direct decision making toward economic efficiency precedes a theoretical discussion of the nature of actual estimation. Several…

The author combined cost-benefit analysis with systems analysis, using the Optner model, to analyze the vocational education program in Danbury, Connecticut (a demonstration city), in 1969-70 and 1970-71. Background information on the community and the program's development are related; the analysis is presented in summary, illustrated by figures,…

There are basically four dimensions to a systems analysis that we find in current educational research: (1) Collecting information, (2) analyzing input-output relationships, (3) deriving models built upon these relationships to evaluate alternatives and to derive feasible solutions, and (4) attempting to derive the best solution consistent with…

The interests of economists in educational systems have taken two directions: (1) Concern for the interchange of resources between educational systems and the national economy, and (2) an interest in the production of education. In expressing the resource interchange, economists rely on the language of productivity. Of concern is the global…

This thesis describes a study of the management of chemical waste at the State University of New York at Binghamton. The study revealed that the majority of chemical waste at the university is in the form of hazardous waste. It was hypothesized that the volume, related costs, and potential long-term liability associated with the disposal of…

THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT WAS TO IDENTIFY AND DEFINE THE PARAMETERS OF AN ECONOMICAL AND PRACTICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR THE U.S. ARMY ENGINEER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LABORATORIES. THE PROGRAM INCLUDED FOUR PHASES--(1) DATA REQUIREMENTS DEFINITION, (2) COST ANALYSIS AND SYSTEM DEFINITION, (3) HARDWARE SELECTION, SYSTEM TEST AND EVALUATION, AND…

The least understood of complex systems is that which produces educated people. Superficially, many key elements of a manufacturing organization are part of the system: a product, product tolerance limits, methods for assessing product deviation, and a feed-back system for making compensatory adjustments. In layman's terms these elements are:…

This report explores some techniques that could assist educational managers in their attempts to arrive at more optimal input and output mixes. Following a review of the literature on input-output analyses in education and a description of the Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment Program (the basis of the present study), an empirical…

This document (1) describes current PPBS techniques and their limitations for planning and budgeting in public higher education; (2) presents suggestions for PPBS applications in higher education systems, with emphases on the problems of identifying objectives, evaluating effectiveness, and structuring the program budget; and (3) analyzes the…

Program budgeting is described as a means of enabling higher education to respond effectively to three major accountability concerns. They are (1) the long-term financial implications of a particular programmatic or policy decision, (2) determination of what is being paid for, and (3) understanding that the price being paid for a program is…

This book focuses on and utilizes the methodology and tools of systems analysis and operations research to demonstrate their use in planning for the future and meeting public demands for information on how tax money is being spent by educational administrators. The range of possible and relevant applications is demonstrated by a step-by-step…

School counselors face identity crises since they must respond to the conflicting demands of students, faculty members, administrators, commercial and industrial interests, parents, and the local community. In order to defend themselves against public criticism, counselors must find a way of illustrating their effectiveness. Data obtained from an…

Four computer programs to aid students in understanding inventory systems, constructing mathematical inventory models, and developing optimal decision rules are presented. The program series allows a user to set input levels, simulates the behavior of major variables in inventory systems, and provides performance measures as output. Inventory…

This paper presents a complex, hybrid, method of cost analysis of online courses, which incorporates data on expenditures; student/course enrollment; departmental consumption/contribution; space utilization/opportunity costs; direct non-personnel costs; computing support; faculty/staff workload; administrative overhead at the department, dean, and…