The refinement and application of the School Organizational Climate Questionnaire (SOCQ), an instrument for measuring organizational climate, is described in this report. The instrument is a mechanism by which schools can direct their school improvement efforts. In two case studies, a small urban elementary and a large urban secondary school…

Noting that work is partly a social activity, and that workers' psychological and emotional needs influence their productivity, this paper explores avenues for improving human-robot cooperation and for enhancing worker satisfaction in the environment of flexible automation. The first section of the paper offers a brief overview of the…

The United States is facing two major ongoing structural economic changes. First, the United States has helped create a world of open trade, and it is competing with underdeveloped countries who have an opportunity to industrialize very rapidly. Second, technological development is proceeding at a fast pace. High-wage industries in the United…

The decline of the American railroad is explored to gain a better understanding of the nature and consequences of decline, as well as to assess implications for higher education. The following issues are addressed: changes that occurred in the railroad's environment between the early twentieth century and the present; the kind of adaptation that…

Scores on the Institutional Functioning Inventory (IFI) administered to faculty at 18 unionized and 18 matched non-unionized campuses in 1980 were compared to scores at these campuses prior to the implementation of academic bargaining a decade earlier. The sample was selected from among 93 institutions that had administered the IFI in 1970 and in…

A 1979 College Board Study of the State Student Incentive Grant (SSIG) program is updated. SSIG had two original purposes: encouraging the creation and the expansion of state student grant programs. By 1979 all states had created programs of need-based grants for undergraduates, but increasing state spending was less successful. In 1980 Congress…

A variety of energy activities are provided, including instructions for and questions related to energy films. The activities are organized into five sections. Section 1 (work) includes an activity focusing on movement and change. Section 2 (forms of energy) includes activities related to mechanical (movement), radiant (light), chemical (burning),…

Both the teaching of the free enterprise system and the teaching of geography are an integral part of the guidelines for elementary school social studies in most states. The two have been combined into a resource unit for studying localities so that students may understand that U.S. citizens, the environment, and the economy are interdependent.…

A search into the relationship between organizational decline and effectiveness was designed to confirm that two-year colleges are experiencing conditions of decline as perceived by faculty holding positions with two-year colleges. Attempts were made to examine the effects of decline on perceived academic effectiveness and faculty morale. The…

Ethnographic auditing is the application of ethnographic or anthropological concepts and methods to the appraisal of administrative controls over resources. Ethnographic auditing highlights the role of culture, subculture, values, rituals and physical environment in management in higher education. The ethnographic auditor measures the fiscal and…

This newsletter is for educators interested in developing lessons related to global climate change. The newsletter contains sample lessons, news items involving global climate change on an international scale, and background information on issues related to global climate change. (CW)

The four Special Emphasis Elementary Schools in the Corpus Christi Independent School District have markedly increased students' achievement, particularly in reading and language arts. This study was conducted to determine the perceived impact of the Special Emphasis (SE) components and to aid in the implementation of future SE schools. The…

A study examined the management style of non-Fortune 500 business leaders and its relationship to their organizations' environment in order to provide a profile of a cross-section of these leaders. The presidents or CEOs of 65 randomly selected Indiana companies with annual sales of at least $5 million were surveyed about situational leadership…

The study of computer mediated communication (CMC) systems in organizations is necessary for a complete examination and explanation of organizational culture and communication. Research has shown that the effects of CMC systems have been both positive and negative. Positively, they have helped to augment oral communication. Negatively, they have…

Focusing on the special needs of employees who are part of a two career couple, a study examined the (1) relationship between the employees' level of commitment to their employers and their perceptions of maintenance communication concerning dual career issues and (2) differences in organizational commitment between workers in dual and single…