Budgetary constraints on the public purse have led Australian Federal and State governments to focus increasingly on the efficiency of public institutions, including Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes. In this study, we define efficiency as the relationship between financial and administrative inputs and educational outputs. We…

High performance computing (HPC) service centres are a vital part of the academic infrastructure of higher education organisations. However, despite their importance for research and the necessary high capital expenditures, business research on HPC service centres is mostly missing. From a business perspective, it is important to find an answer to…

This article presents an example of the ways in which many large districts are working to dispel long-held myths about inefficient and unresponsive operations, particularly in operational areas, such as transportation, purchasing, food services, and information technology (IT). Determined to improve both academically and operationally, leaders in…

Institutions of higher education are under pressure to be accountable for their expenditures while demonstrating their effectiveness. Through structural equation modeling, a relationship was found between expenditures and the efficiency and effectiveness of an institution, and an optimal expenditure level was found that maximized an institution's…

In recent years there has been growth in online distance learning courses. This has been prompted by; new technology such as the Internet, mobile learning, video and audio conferencing: the explosion in student numbers in Higher Education, and the need for outreach to a world wide market. Web-based distance learning is seen as a solution to…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss how activity-based costing (ABC) technique can be applied in the context of higher education institutions. It also discusses the obstacles and challenges to the successful implementation of activity-based management (ABM) in the higher education environment. Design/methodology/approach: This paper…

Network externalities or alternatively termed network effects are pervasive in computer software markets. While software vendors consider pricing strategies, they must also take into account the impact of network externalities on their sales. My main interest in this research is to describe a firm's strategies and behaviors in the presence of…

This final article in a series on identification of cost/benefits data, formulation of models, and data collection discusses use of cost/benefits analysis results. The following issues are addressed: how to be prepared for study objections; how to increase understanding of your study; and viewing cost/benefit analysis as an iterative activity.…

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…

Emphasis on broad-based institutional planning is largely a phenomenon of the seventies. One reason is that the value placed on it varied inversely with the availability of resources. Yet the state of the art of planning for change is not far advanced. There is evidence that those institutions doing this kind of planning tend to be private,…

This bibliography lists 155 books, articles, monographs, and other studies on operations analysis in education. The criteria for inclusion are that the study be quantitative and analytical and use techniques of operations research, systems analysis, management science, program planning and budgeting, benefit analysis, cost analysis, benefit-cost…

The application of operations research techniques to a public school system's lunch program suggests a possible solution to the problem of rapidly increasing program costs. A computer-assisted menu planner was developed which generated a monthly set of menus satisfying nutritional and Federal standards, and food demand cycles. When compared to the…

This report, a clear statement of how one district developed a planning system, offers both a theoretical and a practical approach to providing the superintendent, his staff, and the board of education with a comprehensive planning system instrument for making policy decisions and allocating resources. Also provided are guidelines for involving…

Operations Research models of the acquisition and storage functions of a library are developed. Rules for selection of materials for a depository are analyzed and models of circulation interference and usage are explored. A generalized model of library costs and benefits is proposed. (11 references) (Author)