Describes a simple activity where students staple sheets of paper together into packets in order to demonstrate the concepts of labor specialization, the production curve, diminishing marginal product, and fixed inputs. (JDH)

This guide, which is intended for new supervisors and managers to use in an independent study setting, deals with costing, balance sheets, and budgetary control. The first section, "Matters of Cost" by J. E. and J. F. Smith, deals with the following topics: profits and productivity, principles of costing, cost control and cost reduction, fixed and…

Intended to provide teachers with an analysis of contemporary United States agriculture, this analysis begins with an overview of the farm community focusing on the income distinction between wealthy commercial farmers and other farmers. The cause of farm unrest is that earnings are too low relative to expenses. The problems of declining farm…

A group of 2,594 employers identified as having hired a new employee prior to 1981 served as the population for a study of the provision and outcomes of on-the-job training of new employees. Respondents were asked how much time the new employees had spent on four types of training activities during their first 3 months of employment. A simple…

The nature, extent, and likely future of outsourcing in the United Kingdom was examined through an extensive literature review and interviews with small numbers of local authorities, companies, and contractors. Despite the limited data available, it appeared that outsourcing is concentrated in ancillary activities and is relatively marginal, both…

Since coming to power, Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev has undertaken an ambitious program to reform the Soviet economy. Perestroika touches every aspect of Soviet economic life, including relations with the international economy. Soviet specialists and international economists must find common ground so that they can successfully…

This study examined the collegiate production and cost structures of the 28 universities in Turkey in order to estimate their degrees of economies of scale and scope. Multi-product cost functions were estimated for the collegiate production of teaching and research in order to determine the most efficient level and product-mix for differing types…

Although a substantial literature has addressed workplace literacy programs, only two studies have attempted to evaluate rigorously the economic benefits to workplace education. A multivariate model has been suggested that provides evidence about the productivity impacts of participation in a workplace literacy program. The data used in this paper…

This article views learning and attitude formation within the context of joint production. Tables show summary statistics and estimated marginal products and rates for each output. These estimates reveal trade-offs within the learning process that differ for men and women. (PB)

From August 1975 to January 1976, a study was conducted to provide an assessment of the migrant and seasonal farmworker situation. Inquiry was along the topic divisions of demographics, employment and manpower, housing, education, health, supportive services, economic development, Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) 303 and other…

When sound takes on meaning for the first time in the life of a child, a giant and prototypic step in the development of his symbolic capacities has taken place. This step is worthy of careful scientific scrutiny. This paper seeks first to describe the steps by which the author's child discovered the existence of meaning in sound, and second, to…

Estimating the value of a homemaker's time requires an estimate of the market value of the goods and services produced. This means estimating the marginal value of output as a function of hours worked. For purposes of economic analysis, homemakers should be considered self-employed persons producing for their own consumption. (SK)

Uses a graphical analysis to determine the importance of quantity for consumer welfare and to examine the manner in which private and social welfare diverge in a monopoly. Criticizes the opinion that technology adoption by a monopoly always assumes a uniformly downward shift in the marginal cost curve. (MJP)

Media reports suggest widespread illiteracy among adults who may not be able to read, write, speak, or otherwise communicate competently enough to meet the demands of modern society. There is no consensus on the definition of illiteracy or supporting statistics. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the adult illiteracy rate is 13…

Human capital theorists suggest that education is a form of investment in the individual's future which yields economic dividends commensurate to the investment. Another school of thought criticizes this theory for not showing the relationship between schooling, productivity, and earnings, and holds that for minority workers, program completion…