A nationwide longitudinal study was undertaken by the Higher Education Research Institute in Los Angeles to study the impact of Exxon Education Foundation's Resource Allocation Management Program on the 49 institutions receiving grants under the program. The focus was the behavioral consequences of management changes for administrators, staff, and students. Two kinds of developments were examined: (1) computer-based management information systems for collecting and analyzing institutional data and (2) management by objectives systems in which each institutional unit determines its goals and the methods for evaluating their achievement. The variety of approaches that different institutions have taken in setting up these systems are described, and actions and practices that are necessary to assure successful implementation are indicated. The systems' impact on organizational planning processes, resource allocation decisions, problem-solving capabilities of administrators, financial stability of institutions, relations between administrators and faculty, and student performance is examined. The usefulness and cost-effectiveness of the systems and recommendations for designing and installing them are discussed. Additional findings about cost control in general within higher education, involving both management innovation and other economies, are also presented. (SW)