The differences between academic administration and business management and the distinctions between academic administration and public administration are addressed. Attention is directed to differences in purpose and internal organization; decisions and conflict resolution; environmental relations and internal affairs; and recruitment, selection, and development of personnel. Given a difference in purposes and a resulting difference in organizational structure of colleges and business/government, it follows that the processes adopted or developed for making decisions and resolving conflict differ. All of these differences ensure different kinds of relations with the public served by colleges and universities, and different norms, values, and incentives that govern many of their internal affairs. The different professional identities and allegiances of college faculties dictate different modes and styles of recruitment, selection, promotion, assignment, transfer, and monetary reward. Two reports that were influential in the reorganization of undergraduate and professional curricula in business management recommended that general concepts and principles of management were to be balanced with general or liberal education at the undergraduate level. In the early 1970s, the application of systems analysis to academic administration initially provided a general framework for the study and development of planning models but later was advocated for the efficiency it would enforce upon mis-managed colleges and universities. Attention is also directed to management by objectives and the differentiated functions of administration and governance at colleges. (SW)