Julia A. Britt

Fourth annual UCLA survey of business school computer usage

The Fourth Survey is based upon data from 128 AACSB-accredited business schools. It provides a wide variety of information to deans and others involved in making computer related strategic decisions, resource allocations, and program plans.

The seventh annual UCLA survey of business school computer usage

T he purpose of the UCLA annual surveys of business school computer usage is to provide deans and other policy makers with useful information for making allocation decisions and p rogram plans with regard to computing, l The part icular focus of the Seventh Annual UCLA Survey of Business School Computer Usage is to identify how business schools allocate their comput ing dollars with regard to staff, services, and resources. With the increased use of information technology in business schools, it is impor tant to unders tand the resource implications of the technology, both in terms of services and costs. Beyond basic computer equipment , suppor t of a sophisticated technological infrastructure u ~ requires a capable staff that proJ vides a wide range of services to a z variety of users. Accordingly, this repor t focuses on operat ing costs z and costs of computer staff and serz v i ce s . 2 m The populat ion for the Seventh • . Survey was the schools currently z o accredited by the American Assem~. bly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and seven Canadian business schools that had participated in previous surveys. Of the 274 schools available for participation, 145 (53%), completed the sixpage questionnaire. The pr imary sources of data were assistant deans, computer center directors, and faculty members. Sample size (N) varies across the tables and figures in this repor t as a function of the number of schools providing data to a part icular question. In some instances, the questions were not applicable to a part icular school, in others the data was omitted. Table 1 displays general demographic information for the 145 schools in the 1990 sample and provides a comparison with previous years. For most of the categories given in Table 1, the school profiles have been consistent. For example, from 1985 through 1990 between 67% and 70% of the sample have been public schools. The slight decrease in part icipation by private schools, f rom 32% to 30%, was due to the hesitation by some private schools to release the financial data. Similarly, the number of degree programs offered remains about the same. Student enrollments, as full-time equivalents (FTE), show only slight fluctuations over time. Finally, this sample shows the largest percent to date of business schools with access only to their own mini/mainframes: 10%, as compared to 6 7 % in the earl ier surveys. Overall, the aggregate sample demographics have remained quite consistent. 3 Data for the 1989-1990 academic year was collected dur ing the first three months of 1990. Although the Compute r Services Opera t ing Budget at the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA provided the basic financial structure, the final 1990 quest ionnaire reflected suggestions from computer center directors at several o ther major business schools. The high response rate and comments from the