Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
8-1983
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Major Professor
George W. Wiegers
Committee Members
Betty J. Brown, Gerald Whitlock, Bill J. Radcliff, Donald F. Hampton
Abstract
The problem of this study was to determine what changes, if any, are needed in collegiate business curricula as a result of office automation. Major purposes of the study were the following:
1. To identify the concepts needed by managerial personnel in automated offices.
2. To determine the degree of importance of concepts needed by managerial personnel in automated offices as perceived by samples of office systems consultants, office administration faculty, and other collegiate business faculty (management, marketing, accounting, and finance).
3. To compare the degree of importance of concepts needed by managerial personnel in automated offices as perceived by samples of office systems consultants, office administration faculty, and other collegiate business faculty (management, marketing, accounting, and finance).
4. To identify which concepts needed by managerial personnel in automated offices are taught in collegiate business schools.
5. To identify which concepts needed by managerial personnel in automated offices are included in courses required of collegiate business students.
Forty-two concepts related to the effect of office automation on managerial personnel were identified from a literature review. The questionnaire developed for the study was pilot tested twice.
The national samples consisted of office systems consultants from nationally known consulting firms and office administration faculty and other collegiate business faculty from AACSB-accredited schools. Usable responses were received from 33 office systems consultants, 47 office administration faculty, and 173 other collegiate business faculty. Using a 5-point scale, participants indicated the degree of importance of the 42 concepts for managerial personnel in automated offices. Office administration faculty respondents also indicated whether the concepts were being taught in their departments, and other collegiate business faculty indicated whether the concepts were included in courses required of students majoring in their respective programs.
Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) at the Academic Computing Center of James Madison University. Chi square was used to compare early and late responses for the 42 concepts. Bartlett-Box F was used to test for homogeneity of variances. One-way analysis of variance was used to test for significant differences in mean importance ratings; Scheffe was used for post hoc comparisons. Independent t tests were computed to test differences in importance ratings between faculty who reported that concepts were taught in their departments or included in courses required of their students and faculty who reported that concepts were not taught nor included. Pearson r was computed to determine degree of consistency in mean importance ratings among the respondent groups.
Major conclusions, based on the findings were the following:
1. Thirty concepts were identified as being "required to perform adequately" or "essential for better-than-average performance" by managerial personnel in automated offices.
2. Concepts in the category of Integrated Office Systems received the highest importance ratings.
3. Office administration faculty tended to place greater importance on the concepts than did either office systems consultants or other collegiate business faculty.
4. Office administration faculty tended to be in closer agreement with office systems consultants than were other collegiate business faculty concerning importance of concepts.
5. Office administration faculty reported a rather high frequency of inclusion of concepts in courses offered, while other collegiate business faculty reported a rather low frequency of inclusion of concepts in courses required of their students.
It is recommended that the concepts identified as important for managerial personnel in automated offices be included in courses offered within collegiate business programs and that collegiate business faculty encourage their students to take courses in which the concepts are taught.
Recommended Citation
Graves, Charlotte Kaye, "Concepts needed by managerial personnel in automated offices as perceived by office systems consultants and collegiate business faculty. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1983.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/13058