Purpose: In this paper empirical research is presented that investigates managers' perceptions of a variety of component management skills and techniques. The aim is to identify which management development needs manufacturing SME managers perceive as most important for their continued development, and to consider contextual factors that might…

Using 1990 US census data, examines the relationship between overeducation and earnings focusing on individuals with postcollege schooling. Finds that being overeducated increases the wages of men working at a job requiring a bachelor's degree. Compares results with findings in Canada and the United Kingdom. Suggests that overeducation contributes…

Seven methods for measuring and comparing value added in higher education are considered; six are index methods (all found unsatisfactory for lack of empirical support) and a seventh is proposed which calculates value added as the difference between the outcomes achieved and those predicted from national (United Kingdom) data. The advantages of a…

Investigates the cost efficiency of British universities, based on a flexible multiproduct cost-function model. UK universities are characterized by increasing returns to scale. Returns to scale in research are increasing for the top and middle university groups and constant for the bottom group. Increasing returns hold for undergraduate teaching…

A project was conducted to develop a curriculum and training materials to be used in training industrial operatives in statistical process control (SPC) techniques. During the first phase of the project, questionnaires were sent to 685 companies (215 of which responded) to determine where SPC was being used, what type of SPC firms needed, and how…

Discusses participation in higher education in the United Kingdom within the general context of access to higher education. Asserts that the heterogeneous characteristics of higher education and the complex choice processes of applicants mean that a finer level of description and analysis is required which goes beyond aggregate measures of access…

The availability of distance courses has made it possible for some people to attend college because courses are accessible within their locality, or the time of course delivery is convenient to them. This opportunity for learning has not been without critiques of the quality of such instruction. Technology education programs with a history of…

This study was carried out to examine students' responses to the use of on-line assessments that included feedback. First year BSc students taking a Cell Biology module undertook such an assessment and were then asked to evaluate the test by completing an anonymous questionnaire. Answers were analysed in light of the respondents' ethnicity and…

Tests of achievement in economics have a variety of uses. Their principal role is to evaluate how successful students have been in learning economics on a particular course, either overall or in particular aspects of economics. They may also serve to provide evidence about the efficacy of specific teaching materials and/or strategies. Finally,…

This comparative study of primary school finance is based on ten studies of the arrangements for financing primary education in Australia, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Yugoslavia. Chapter 1 describes the variety of approaches that individual countries…

Describes a study that estimated earnings functions separately for males and females within a large enterprise in the United Kingdom in order to evaluate the impact of sex discrimination on salary differences compared to the impact of other differences in employee characteristics. Available from: Cambridge University Press, 32 East 57th Street,…

Results of a recently implemented British rating scale for universities are analyzed to obtain a multidimensional picture of the government funding agency's perceived research rankings of the institutions. The analytical method and results are discussed. (MSE)

Demonstrates the extent to which school-level performance in the British General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) program is underpinned by variations in the socioeconomic backgrounds of students. Concludes that uncontextualized performance statistics are flawed, and that policies for school improvement must address underlying constraints…

Higher education (HE) in Germany and the United Kingdom is being continually subjected to the discipline of market forces. An empirical study was conducted using questionnaires with academic staff in 12 institutions in each country to discover the extent to which their values and attitudes were converging and were in keeping with what might be…

The research literature reveals that there are many factors that influence the consistency of assessors' or examiners' judgements. One issue that has not been considered is whether National Vocational Qualifications assessors' consistency of judgement is affected by different types of evidence. In this article, 15 Customer Service and 12 Assessor…