A FRAMEWORK WITH WHICH TO ASSESS FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO ORGANIZATIONAL DECLINE AND MANAGEMENT APPROACHES USED BY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR NURSING ACCREDITED GENERIC BACCALAUREATE NURSING PROGRAMS IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES (DOWNSIZING).
Contributors: Michigan State University.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 356
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The study was designed to identify the current and future types of decline facing generic baccalaureate nursing programs, identify the causes of the decline, develop a predictive tool or assessment guide that could be used to assess a generic baccalaureate nursing program's potential for decline, identify management strategies that were used to address decline, identify the number and types of generic baccalaureate nursing programs that had been proposed for or actually experienced program downsizing or discontinuance, and determine if there were differences in the management strategies used in those programs that had and had not been proposed for or actually experienced program downsizing or discontinuance.

For this descriptive study, a questionnaire was mailed to 345 chief executive officers of National League for Nursing accredited generic baccalaureate nursing programs located in the continental United States. This constituted the entire population of the group under study. The overall response rate was 67 percent with 54 percent of those being usable.

The major type of decline identified as present now and projected in the future was erosion which is the gradual reduction of resources needed to support the current level of activity and output. A smaller but consistent number of respondents identified contraction, which is a sudden reduction of resources, as a current and future type of decline of concern. Both of these types imply that the present output is appropriate only in smaller quantities. A profile of the type of generic baccalaureate nursing program most affected by decline was developed. The main cause of decline was decreased support from the external environment. The administrative climate of the unit was neither supportive nor non-supportive.

Fifty-four programs had been proposed for downsizing over the last five years with forty-eight actually being downsized. Downsizing was most often proposed by the institutional administration due to low enrollments or high program costs. A profile of the institutions proposed for downsizing was developed.

Ten programs were proposed for discontinuance with one actually being discontinued. A profile of that institution was also developed.

There appeared no significant pattern or similarity in management strategies used by those chief executive officers whose programs had and had not been proposed for downsizing or discontinuance.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-02, Section: B, page: 0574.

Thesis (PH.D.)--MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, 1985.

School code: 0128.