A voluminous empirical literature has examined scale economies in public organisations, particularly in local government. By contrast, little effort has been directed at the empirical investigation of economies of scale in higher education administration, including in Australian universities. To address this gap in the empirical literature, this…

A survey of 2,528 Australian organizations found that 44% had used some teleworkers, 15% did regularly. Larger organizations were more likely to use them. Most telework was done at home. In one-third of companies all teleworkers were male, in one-fourth over 75% were female. Teleworkers were most likely to be in management, information technology,…

A study of employment practices in unionized workplaces received 1,579 responses indicating that organizations tend to cut employees without considering the long-term costs and implications. Smaller workplaces were less likely to have had reductions in the workforce. (JOW)

Examines the phenomenon of mergers in higher education in Australia, the United States, and Western Europe in terms of: (1) governance, management, and administration; (2) economics; and (3) academic activities. Finds similarities related to structural-cultural factors, process orientation, and economic factors. (DB)

This course design is characterized by a small group organization, course processes as models, direct personal learning about teaching in a supportive microteaching environment, and continuous evaluation and feedback. The evidence suggests that the course meets the needs of the university teacher and has desirable academic, social, and personal…

A study in England and Australia suggests that in science and engineering, where researchers within a research unit of any size re-form themselves into smaller groups (5-12), communication is efficient and productivity optimal, with little economy of scale for larger groups. In less tightly-organized disciplines such as mathematics and social…

This document focuses on investigations of three main issues of "User Choice," which has been applied to New Apprenticeships since 1998. The issues are as follows: (1) why some firms do not access User Choice when arranging training for their trainees and apprentices; (2) whether the size of the firm has a significant impact on User…

Data from an Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry survey of approximately 350 employers were reanalyzed to determine the effects of organization size and geographic location on the implementation of User Choice, which provides public funds to training providers chosen by apprentices and trainees. Among the respondents, 41.1% were small and…

The quantitative relationship between factors previously identified as affecting the extent and intensity of training within organizations was explored through a survey of companies in Australia's entertainment and process manufacturing sectors. A self-completion questionnaire was mailed first to a sample of 446 companies across Australia (112 of…

A study examined key determinants of apprentice and trainee employment in small and medium-sized enterprises that play an increasing role in providing employment-based training in Australia. It used unit record data from four waves of the Australian Bureau of Statistics business growth and performance surveys 1994-95 to 1997-98, which sent…

The changing nature of the demand for training in Australian enterprises adopting new management practices and the implications of those changes for training providers were examined. More than 3,400 private sector enterprises were surveyed by mail, after which follow-up telephone interviews were conducted with 80 human resource practitioners from…