Companies offering 401(k) plans should provide education so that employees are able to make informed investment decisions. Companies that do not may be held liable. They must also be careful to provide information, not financial advice. (SK)

The president of Rio Salado Community College (Arizona) reports both quantitative and qualitative evidence that that institution's investment in Total Quality Management has yielded a variety of benefits including reduced printing costs, increased job satisfaction, and an altered campus culture. (DB)

The difference between cost and market value of endowment investments is significant for many colleges and universities. These investments should always be reported at market value to provide relevant, comparable, consistent, and understandable financial information. Nonmanagement users of institutional financial statements prefer market rather…

Colleges and universities with mounting deficits may be tempted to sell surplus land for profit, but this is never a smart long-term choice. Through joint ventures and innovative financing, institutions can transform such holdings into development projects. In the current economy, there may be increased interest in such sites. (MSE)

Discusses the strategies top trade publishers, including Putnam New Media, Paramount Communications, Random House, Penguin USA, and Reader's Digest, are taking toward CD-ROM publishing. Strategies include purchasing electronic media companies; setting up an independent business; and building a new media business by integrating new efforts into the…

Analyzes the corporate annual report as a vehicle of information and usefulness to the institutional investor. Finds that 51% of institutional investor respondents ranked the annual report as the most useful and informative source of five distinct information sources. (SR)

Many areas of investing have become so specialized and complex that they need to be addressed by a special effort. Chief financial officers must evaluate whether that effort can be delivered by internal staff or whether an outside contractor is appropriate. Diagnostic questions for making that determination are offered. (MSE)

Describes a course that integrates the teaching of finance theory and mathematics. Concludes that this marriage of mathematics and finance reflects the current state of the investments profession and produces a deeper understanding of both fields. Contains 18 references. (Author/ASK)

Includes "The Coolness Factor" (Julie Creswell); "Cool Companies 1998" (Melanie Warner et al.); "Four Forces that Will Shape the Internet" (Andrew Kupfer); "Nashville Online. A Case Study: Has the Internet Changed Anything at All?" (Eryn Brown); and "Electronic Books Are Coming at Last!" (Carol…

The annual National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Endowment Study measured the performance of college and university endowments. Preliminary results are presented in tables: (1) Institutions Ranked by Fiscal Year 2000 Market Value of Endowment Assets; (2) Investment Pool Nominal Returns for Years Ended June 30;…

Reviews and critiques the ways in which researchers have used both productivity theory and human capital theory in efforts to measure the returns on investments in improving teacher quality. Also discusses strategies for improving investigations of the returns on investments in improving teacher quality. (Author/SLD)

Asserts that colleges and universities should apply the same analytical rigor to physical assets as they do financial assets. Presents a management tool, the Return on Physical Assets model, to help guide physical asset allocation decisions. (EV)

Analyzes data from the 1999 National Association of College and University Business Officers Endowment Study of 503 institutions. Finds that 80 percent of endowment wealth was held by 129 institutions; that the average institution withdrew 5.4 percent from its endowment; and that 86.5 percent of assets were invested in marketable securities. Lists…

Identifies various roles of a college or university's endowment fund, such as serving as a rainy day fund, funding one-time capital requirements, and enhancing program quality. Considers implications of various roles for asset allocation and endowment spending. (DB)

Describes how many college money managers are entrusting billions of dollars in endowment wealth to hedge funds, which have a reputation for winning big, and sometimes losing big, too. (EV)