Purpose: While the importance of measuring customer satisfaction levels is well established, less research exists on how organizations operationalize such knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to describe an action research (AR) case study resulting in a workshop model to operationalize the concept of value. The model facilitates organizational…

A study examined the problems encountered when organizations adopt management strategies based on teamwork and total quality management (TQM) and the effectiveness of training in avoiding such problems. Survey instruments were mailed to 85 individuals involved in implementing work teams at 85 companies in 4 Missouri cities; 23 responses (27.1%…

A study identified workplace know-how skills and characteristics that employers in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties in Michigan feel workers need to succeed and be productive. Employer input was obtained in fall 1993 at 12 focus group meetings during which a total of 103 of 192 invited local employers (a 53.6% attendance rate) completed…

These five papers are from a symposium facilitated by Ronald L. Jacobs on financial analysis of human resource development (HRD) at the 1995 Academy of Human Resource Development conference. "Return on Investment--Beyond the Four Levels!" (Jack J. Phillips) offers a modification of the Kirkpatrick model of evaluation for HRD in…

These four papers are from a symposium facilitated by Gene Roth on research centers at the 1995 Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD) conference. "Research: The Thin Blue Line between Rigor and Reality" (Michael Leimbach) discusses the need for HRD research to increase its speed and rigor and help organizations focus on capability…

There is widespread agreement in Great Britain that the work force must receive more skills training if the country is to be competitive in the future. Of special concern is the 70 percent of the work force who left school at the earliest possible opportunity, and the (overlapping) 70 percent of the work force who have not received training for a…

Jobs for the Future undertook a program designed to enhance the ability of four states--Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, and Missouri--to manage economic change is described in this report. An analysis of what was happening in the state economies, especially the kinds of jobs that were being created, was carried out. The research portions of the…

The aim of this practicum was to increase parent, child, and caregiver satisfaction with the university lab elementary school site's extended day care program through training of caregivers and development of appropriate activities. Two groups participated, one for preschoolers through first graders, the other for second through fifth graders.…

In 1989, a survey was conducted in the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) to assess the opinions and perceptions of district staff regarding the current planning process. Questionnaires distributed to all 5,000 SDCCD employees and citizens advisory group members asked respondents to rate 31 aspects of current college planning and…

This document offers the best available answers to questions frequently asked about vocational education by policymakers in vocational education at the state and local level. It is divided into two sections. The first section contains 15 frequently asked questions about vocational education effects and practices, each of which is followed by a…

In 1990, Miami-Dade Community College's (M-DCC's) Task Force on Child Care conducted a college-wide survey of all faculty, staff, and administrators and a sample of students to assess the need for and interest in on-site child care at M-DCC. Among full-time employees, 722 surveys were collected for a 30% response rate. Students comprised 72% of…

In 1990, a study was conducted to holistically evaluate the activities of the Employee Development Program at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) and to determine if employee groups differed significantly in their evaluations of the effectiveness of the activities. Of the 114 full- and part-time board-approved employees of PVCC, 86 (75%)…

This first volume of a two-volume report presents findings of a task force on the importance of skill development leave as a mechanism for retraining, upgrading, and updating workers in a dynamic Canadian society. The report is designed as a tool for consultation. Volume I contains two parts. Part I, the background section, describes the current…

This volume contains a curriculum designed for adult basic education students whose main goal is to get a job. Part 1 explores the problem of nongraduates who are often thought to lack even the most elementary skills necessary to gain or keep employment. It provides a rationale for reevaluating the traditional manner in which nongraduates are…

Described in this report is a study conducted to determine whether different kinds of employer-supported child care services had differing effects on the users of these services. Data were gathered on a year's attendance and turnover rates for 891 female employees who had used employer-provided child care. Subjects were randomly selected from 39…