CONCEPTS NEEDED BY MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL IN AUTOMATED OFFICES AS PERCEIVED BY OFFICE SYSTEMS CONSULTANTS AND COLLEGIATE BUSINESS FACULT

The problem of this study was to determine what changes are needed in collegiate business curricula as a result of office automation. Major purposes were the following: (1) To identify concepts needed by managerial personnel in automated offices. (2) To determine and compare the importance of concepts as perceived by office systems consultants, office administration faculty, and other collegiate business faculty. (3) To identify concepts taught in collegiate business schools and required of collegiate business students.;Forty-two concepts related to the effect of office automation on managerial personnel were identified. The questionnaire was pilot tested twice.;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 importance of concepts. Faculty respondents also indicated whether concepts were taught in their departments or required of their students.;Chi square was used to compare early and late responses. 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 inclusion and non-inclusion of concepts in their courses or programs. Pearson r was computed to determine degree of consistency among the respondent groups.;Major conclusions 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 related to Integrated Office Systems received the highest ratings. (3) Office administration faculty placed greater importance on concepts than did consultants or other collegiate business faculty. (4) Office administration faculty were in closer agreement with office systems consultants than were other collegiate business faculty. (5) Office administration faculty reported a rather high frequency of inclusion of concepts in courses offered; 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.