| Problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the computer skills needed by business administration graduates, and computer skills currently being taught in Ohio university and college business administration departments.;Method of investigation. There were two populations for this study: (1) all the Fortune 500 businesses that are headquartered in Ohio and (2) all four-year colleges and universities in Ohio listed in the Paterson's Guide that have a business administration department and an enrollment over 750 students.;Data for this study were collected using mailed questionnaires. The university population consisted of 49 four-year colleges in the state of Ohio. Forty-nine surveys were sent out, and a total of 41 (83.6%) were returned.;The business population consisted of 37 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state of Ohio. Thirty-seven surveys were sent out, and a total of 30 (81%) were returned. Of the 30 surveys returned, 26 were determined to be usable.;Results. The computer skills deemed necessary by business matched those computer skills colleges and universities felt to be necessary for business administration graduates. The three most important computer applications as perceived by both businesses and the colleges and universities were: word processing; electronic spreadsheets; and database management.;Conclusions. The computer skills deemed necessary by business matched those computer skills colleges and universities felt to be necessary for business administration graduates.;Personnel directors in this study felt that the most important skill for a business graduate to possess for entry-level employment was, to be able to make decisions necessary to solve problems. The least important skills were in the area of programming, and the understanding of history, development, and trends of computers.;The computer skills being taught at large colleges in this study and the computer skills taught at small colleges in this study appeared to be the same as no significant relationship was found between the computer skills taught at large and small universities. |
