C W McEwan | PubMed Health

PubMed1988

Food item inventory instructional simulation using microcomputers.

The purpose of this study was to teach the management concepts of perpetual and periodic inventory systems to university students through a food item inventory instructional simulation using microcomputers. The objective of the study was to determine the simulation's effectiveness in enhancing students' understanding of inventory systems management. The participants were senior and graduate students enrolled in a foodservice procurement and inventory systems course at Oregon State University, Corvallis. The population consisted of 68 students, with 34 in the experimental group and 34 in the control group. All the participants completed a pretest to measure existing knowledge of inventory management concepts. This was followed by two classroom lectures, each 50 minutes long, on inventory systems management in foodservice facilities. Members of the experimental group participated in using the food item inventory simulation and study guide after attending both classroom lectures. All the participants of the experimental and control groups completed a post-test 3 weeks after the pretest. The difference in post-test adjusted mean scores between the experimental and control groups was significant (p less than or equal to .05) as determined by analysis of covariance. Therefore, the food item inventory instructional simulation using microcomputers was effective in enhancing students' understanding of the management of perpetual and periodic inventory systems.

Administrative Personnel↗

PubMed1987

Productivity management: applying it personally and professionally.

Productivity management is a major step in analyzing and documenting our professional tasks. Defining ratios, measuring, and evaluating are the first steps in accounting to consumers, employees, government bodies, and ourselves for our resources and services. Self-evaluation with empirical productivity data can provide the key information necessary for growth and change in the individual and, in turn, in the organization. Professional productivity management can be a managerial tool essential in documenting our professional worth. The significance of productivity management to the individual and her/his career needs to be self-examined by every dietetic professional. Well-defined goals and documented accomplishments are important, if not essential, to our existence as a profession. We can no longer afford not to accept the responsibility to manage and improve our professional lives.

Dietetics↗