This paper addresses a number of problems associated with the evaluation of organizational effectiveness. Questions are raised concerning whether there is such a thing as organizational effectiveness, how stable and accurate are the assessment criteria, how widely the criteria can be applied, how such criteria can be of help in understanding…

Describes the historical development and adoption of Management by Objectives (MBO) in public administration and argues that MBO should be treated as a managerial tactic, and not as a complete management system. (Available from the American Society for Public Administration, 1225 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036; $30.00 annually) (JG)

Outlines an alternative form of educational technology based on an analysis of criticism levelled at the subject, both from within and without. Article contends that the future of educational technology rests on an expansion of its concerns, rather than a refinement or modification of its existing content. (Author)

Explores the nature and functions of conflict, its role in fundamental individual and social life processes, and its theoretical relationship to communication from a system-theoretic perspective. Indicates a distinction between conflict and para-conflict, and suggests that the latter is characteristically the object of study in speech and…

A systems approach to the study of residential care for the intellectually handicapped suggests that the negative and dehumanizing features of the traditional institution are those of a closed social system. (Author/SBH)

The development of fuels from biomass can lead naturally to dispersed facilities that incorporate food or materials production (or both) with fuel production. The author analyzes possible systems based on sugarcane, corn, and guayule. (Author/MA)

Recommends a functional/experiential approach to analysis and judgment of multimedia presentations, emphasizing structure and style of presentation, technical and aesthetic factors, value to the audience, and the critic's personal reactions. (VT)

A method is described to help identify important groups in an organization, rank their probable actions, and arrive at a list of the most important group-action pairs for that company. Available from: The Institute of Management Sciences, 146 Westminister Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903.

Traces the evolution of services that advertising agencies perform and identifies major factors that are responsible for this evolution. The purpose is to explain or predict changes and to demonstrate "systems thinking." (MB)

A recognition of pradigmatic diversity and the contribution of multiple paradigms to planning greatly enriches both theory and practice. This analysis groups planning definitions into two general models, associates both with hard and soft systems thinking, and examines conceptual roots. The interpretive/humanist paradigm often highlights…

Argues that family therapy is failing to attend to the contexts in which family mental health services are provided. Presents a model for describing the institutional contexts of family mental health treatment in North America, and explores how these contexts influence family treatment, using 3 levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary care.…

Outlines a public relations plan developed to show that the educational and news content of major academic conventions can be used to increase the sponsoring body while helping to popularize the discipline as a potential area of work and study. Uses systems theory to investigate receptive sources in the community and the media to develop these…

Q-sorts by experts were used to compare four structural/strategic/systemic therapy models. Results suggest that the models share a practical, strategic orientation to change, emphasizing reframing, but attach different importance to history, inference, abstraction, and contextual breadth. (Author)

Focuses on the school-related problems of children of single-parent families. Presents a way of conceptualizing such problems from a family systems perspective and examples of interventions based on strategic family therapy. (Author/ABB)