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Oregon Productivity Center Records, 1971-1995

By Finding aid prepared by Karl McCreary.

Collection Overview

Title: Oregon Productivity Center Records, 1971-1995

Predominant Dates: 1981-1988

ID: RG 219

Primary Creator: Oregon Productivity Center

Extent: 2.2 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The records of the Oregon Productivity Center are organized into 6 series: I. Correspondence; II. Grant Proposals; III. Policies/Procedures; IV. Reports; V. Publications; and VI. Scrapbook.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The Oregon Productivity Center Records document the administration and activities of the Center, established at Oregon State University in 1980 with funding from the Economic Development Administration to promote business productivity and efficiency among small and medium-sized Oregon businesses.

Scope and Content Notes

The records of the Oregon Productivity Center are organized into 6 series. Series I consists of correspondence on the EDA (Economic Development Administration) University Center Program, productivity workshops sponsored by the Center, and Oregon small business development. Series II contains grant proposals submitted to EDA, the Oregon Economic Action Council, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, and other governmental agencies for funding of specific research projects and of the administrative operations of the Center. Included with the proposals are budgetary materials, correspondence, informational materials, articles, and reports.

Series III consists of manuals and reports from the EDA regarding procedural guidelines and requirements for the administration of University Center Programs. Series IV contains reports on the overall University Center Program, an assessment of the Oregon Productivity Center, and annual/semi-annual reports and work plans of the Center. Series V consists primarily of publications printed for sale and/or distribution by the Center which relate to the Center's work in business management and the Productivity By the Objectives Matrix (OMX) technique developed there. Series VI is a scrapbook containing correspondence and newspaper clippings dating from 1980 to 1984 and pertaining to the Oregon Productivity Center, its staff, and Oregon's economic climate.

An addition to the Oregon Productivity Center Records (Accession 2008:069) consists of materials generated by the Oregon Productivity and Technology Center (OPTC) and includes correspondence, handbooks, reports, technology transfer programs, videotapes, and a thesis. These records primarily pertain to productivity measurement tools developed by the center such as Objectives by the Matrix, NELPIC, and PROD-5m. The transfer programs include software disks. Administrative detail about OPTC is documented throughout the reports and correspondence in this accession and includes information about the center's grant funding, the formation of spin-off businesses, and the administrative transfer of the center from the College of Engineering to the College of Business. The ten videotapes are recordings of presentations made by OPTC Director James Riggs that include case studies in productivity management. The thesis is a study of the development and implementation of the PROD-5m managerial productivity diagnostic tool developed at the center.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Having reported directly to the OSU President and the Dean of the Engineering School, the Oregon Productivity Center was established in 1980 with grant funding from the federal government through the Economic Development Administration (EDA). The Center was funded as a part of EDA's University Center Program and was one of several University-affiliated organizations nationwide to receive such grants. In its role of promoting and highlighting the issue of business productivity and efficiency among small and medium-size Oregon businesses, the Center conducted seminars on management, published a newsletter on productivity, and developed a management technique designed to measure business efficiency called Productivity By the Objectives Matrix (OMX). In 1988, after failure to secure the renewal of EDA funding, the Center disbanded.

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 3 boxes

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Separated Materials: Photographs that were included in the scrapbook have been separated from the paper records and retained in the Oregon Productivity Center Photographs (P 238).

Related Materials: Other documentation in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center pertaining to the Oregon Productivity Center can be found in the Research Office Records (RG 170) and the Academic Affairs Records (RG 022).

Preferred Citation: Oregon Productivity Center Records (RG 219), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Other URL: A preliminary container list was created for this collection on or before November 19, 2015.

Creators

Oregon Productivity Center

People, Places, and Topics

Business consultants--Oregon
Industrial productivity--Oregon
Oregon Productivity Center
United States. Economic Development Administration. University Center Program
University History


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