A model with only ten or twenty decision variables can be more instructive than large scale cost simulation models. Research efforts should concentrate on understanding the order-of-magnitude effects of proposed policy changes on various indicators of system performance. (Author/VW)

Discusses and responds to criticisms of ten indices proposed for monitoring the operations of a training development group as a means of detecting problems and evaluating the impact of management decisions: productivity, timeliness, effectiveness, project efficiency, curriculum efficiency, cost, value, developmental process, personnel development,…

Describes a model for establishing control of school food services through analysis of the aggregate variances of quantity, collection, and price, and of their separate components. The separable component variances are identified, measured, and compared monthly to help supervisors identify exactly where plans and operations vary. (Author/MLF)

The greater organizational complexity of libraries and information centers in recent years has given rise to more complex problems for managers. To facilitate solutions, operations research (OR) techniques have been developed that consider the quantitative dimensions of problems along with their political and organizational aspects. Eight standard…

This document, composed of 3 separated papers under 1 cover, is a case study of 1 institution's attempt to develop a system to permit optimum utilization of limited resources. The part of the system discussed here assumes that the institution has already made the decisions as to what it can do well and has to some extent allocated such resources…

The author reviews five cost-effectiveness basic models including log-log correlational, general utility theory, simultaneous equations, nonlinear theoretical, and feedback. Several suggestions are made to improve the models and increase the domain of problems that can be considered by the models. In the second part of the paper, the author…

In this book, the author attempts to aid those persons involved in finding ways to make school systems more efficient and productive through control systems. He begins by stating the problem and describing the services provided by Research and Evaluation (R&E) units. He discusses the various monitoring and reporting activities, work-flow…

Under the present practices, the objectives and activities of socially oriented projects have rarely been specified with enough clarity and concreteness. Alternatives have been insufficiently presented for consideration by top management. In a number of cases, the future costs of present decisions have not been laid out systematically enough and…

"Data Management and Decision Making" is a set of instructional materials designed to teach practicing and potential educational administrators about the uses of operations research in educational administration. It consists of five units--"Operations Research in Education,""PERT/CPM: A Planning and Analysis…

Cost analysis for internal management of higher education institutions is of interest because of the steady state of higher education, concern over management practices, and the expectation that higher education institutions should be more responsive to social planning and public policy concerns and objectives. The nature of the institutions that…

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…

The Joint University Libraries (JUL) of Nashville, Tennessee have found that as they become increasingly complex they must make optimum use of their resources. In 1972, JUL initiated a planning effort, called Comprehensive Organizational/Operational Planning (CO/OP), designed to provide information for intelligent management decisions. Policy…

The methods of operations research (OR) can make many contributions to the solution of the complex problems which beset urban education. OR techniques such as PERT are useful aids to planning school construction, budgets, and research projects. System planning models can be used to represent urban educational systems and to predict the effects of…

The intent of this document is to describe approximately 30 management science and organizational behavioral techniques with practical applications in school business management. Each technique is described by the mechanics of using the technique, specific applications of the technique, and requirements and constraints in the use of the technique.…