INTERVIEWS OF 239 BUSINESSES OF THE BAY CITY STANDARD METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA OF MICHIGAN PROVIDED INFORMATION ON (1) THE TYPE AND NUMBER OF MACHINES USED IN BUSINESS, (2) THE TRAINING DEMANDED BY EMPLOYERS FOR PERSONNEL USING THIS OFFICE EQUIPMENT, (3) THE EXTENT OF ON-THE-JOB TRAINING GIVEN BY EMPLOYERS, (4) THE IMPLICATIONS FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION, AND (5) A SURVEY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY WHICH WOULD POSSIBLY BE USEFUL TO OTHER COMMUNITIES IN OBTAINING ACCURATE LOCAL DATA. AN ANALYSIS OF DATA FOCUSED ON EIGHT MACHINES--ADDING-CALCULATING, BILLING-BOOKKEEPING, COPYING, DICTATING, DUPLICATING, ELECTRONIC ACCOUNTING, ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING, AND TYPEWRITERS. SOME CONCLUSIONS WERE--(1) ELECTRIC MACHINES, EXCLUDING TYPEWRITERS, WERE MORE POPULAR THAN THEIR MANUALLY OPERATED COUNTERPARTS, (2) BUSINESSMEN DID NOT DEMAND THAT THEIR EMPLOYEES HAVE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE IN OFFICE MACHINES WITH THE EXCEPTION OF TYPEWRITERS, AND (3) APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF THE COMPANIES REPORTED THAT THEY ADMINISTERED SOME TYPE OF ON-THE-JOB TRAINING. IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT NO ADDITIONAL STATE OR FEDERAL FUNDS BE ALLOCATED FOR THE PURCHASE OF OFFICE MACHINES WITH THE EXCEPTION OF TYPEWRITERS, AND THAT FUNDS EXPENDED SHOULD BE USED TO RENT, NOT PURCHASE, EQUIPMENT. THE INSTRUMENT WAS TOO COMPLICATED FOR OPTIMUM ANALYSIS, AND THE USE OF AMATEUR INTERVIEWERS PRESENTED PROBLEMS IN COLLECTING DATA. THE INSTRUMENT AND TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. (PS)