515 research outputs found
Letter, P. F. Johnes to Peleg Clarke Jr., April 22, 1864
No full textThis handwritten letter, dated April 22, 1864, is written from P. F. Johnes to Peleg Clarke Jr., informing Clarke that Johnes will not be in Washington for quite some time and requests him to not send any money to the camp is army is moving to as it would be stolen.https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/fvw-manuscripts-clarke/1050/thumbnail.jp
Letter, P. F. Johnes to Peleg Clarke Jr., March 9, 1864
No full textThis handwritten letter, dated March 9, 1864, is written from P. F. Johnes to Peleg Clarke Jr. informing Clarke that a receipt in his favor was located in Captain C. D. Robinson\u27s files for purchases made by Captain Springsteed.https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/fvw-manuscripts-clarke/1049/thumbnail.jp
Costs and Efficiency of Higher Education Institutions in England: A DEA Analysis
No full textAs student numbers in the UK's higher education sector have expanded substantially during the last 15 years, it has become increasingly important for government to understand the structure of costs in higher education, thus allowing it to evaluate the potential for expansion and associated cost implications. This study applies Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to higher education institutions (HEIs) in England in the period 2000/01-2002/03 to assess the cost structure and the performance of various HEI groups. The paper continues and complements an earlier study by Johnes, Johnes and Thanassoulis (forthcoming), who used parametric regression methods to analyse the same panel data. Interestingly, the DEA analysis provides estimates of subject-specific unit costs that are in the same ballpark as those provided by the parametric methods. We then extend the previous analysis by examining potential cost savings and output augmentations in different HEI groups using several different DEA models. The findings include a suggestion that substantial gains of the order of 20-27% are feasible if all potential savings are directed at raising student numbers so that each HEI exploits to the full not only operating and scale efficiency gains but also adjusts its student mix to maximise student numbers. Finally we use a Malmquist index approach to assess productivity change in UK HEIs. The results reveal that for a majority of HEIs productivity has actually decreased during the study period
Thomas Johnes, Hafod, [Cardiganshire], to James Edward Smith
No full textHis 'Walteriana' dead, killed gardener attempting to lay it. The plant called "Wana Ta", by the person who gave them the seed, is in fact a creeper and none of the seeds Smith sent of it have germinated, encloses leaf of the plant [extant]. Encloses list of medicines [not extant] for Smith to order from Mr Wilson and have sent from London to Aberystwyth, by sea.
Has returned hom from his regiment to ensure all workmen are out before Smith's visit. Intense hot weather: his dry and can no longer be proud of his cascades. Progress of his work on [Jean] Froissart [(c 1337-1405), French chronicler]. Dr [James] Anderson's "capital improvements" for canals; persuaded him to patent some of them as he was also the author of the patent stove but did not get any thanks as Brodie took a patent out for it and Anderson was too liberal and indolent to fight for money. 'Dombeya' doing well.
Smith has outlined his reply on recto of second folio: asks if Johnes is home in September, as he is lecturing till 18 or 20 August and could be detained longer, and asks "of Fraser's 'Monandrous' plant".
Specimen of a leaf, [Smith annotation on label : "'Bigonia'?"]
Measuring the efficiency of universities: a comparison of multilevel modelling and data envelopment analysis
No full textData envelopment analysis (DEA) and multilevel modelling (MLM) are applied to a data set of 54578 graduates from UK universities in 1993 in order to assess the teaching performance of universities. A methodology developed by Thanassoulis & Portela (2002) allows each individual's DEA efficiency score to be decomposed into two components: one attributable to the university at which the student studied, and the other attributable to the individual student. From the former component a measure of each institution's teaching efficiency is derived and compared to the university effects from various multilevel models. The comparisons are made within four broad subjects: pure science; applied science; social science and arts. The results show that the rankings of universities derived from the DEA efficiencies which measure the universities'' own performance (i.e. having excluded the efforts of the individuals) are not strongly correlated with the university rankings derived from the university effects of the multilevel models. The data were also used to perform various university-level DEAs. The university efficiency scores derived from these DEAs are largely unrelated to the scores from the individual-level DEAs, confirming a result from a smaller data set (Johnes 2003). However, the university-level DEAs provide efficiency scores which are generally strongly related to the university effects of the multilevel models
An analysis of costs in institutions of higher education in England
No full textCost functions are estimated, using random effects and stochastic frontier methods, for English higher education institutions. The article advances on existing literature by employing finer disaggregation by subject, institution type and location, and by introducing consideration of quality effects. Estimates are provided of average incremental costs attached to each output type, and of returns to scale and scope. Implications for the policy of expansion of higher education are discussed
Costs and efficiency of higher education institutions in England: a DEA analysis
No full textAs student numbers in higher education in the UK have expanded during recent years, it has become increasingly important to understand its cost structure. This study applies Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to higher education institutions in England to assess their cost structure, efficiency and productivity. The paper complements an earlier study that used parametric methods to analyse the same panel data. Interestingly, DEA provides estimates of subject-specific unit costs that are in the same ballpark as those provided by the parametric methods. The paper then extends the previous analysis and finds that further student number increases of the order of 20–27% are feasible through exploiting operating and scale efficiency gains and also adjusting student mix. Finally the paper uses a Malmquist index approach to assess productivity change in the UK higher education. The results reveal that for a majority of institutions productivity has actually decreased during the study period
Nutrient management for ecological benefit at Barton Broad and Bosherston Lily Pools, UK – achievements, costs and long term sustainability issues.
No full textOver the past 20 years considerable effort and finance has been expended in pursuit of ecological restoration in two shallow UK lakes: Barton Broad, part of the Norfolk Broads National Park in Eastern England, and Bosherston Lily Pools, part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in South West Wales. Both are shallow (mean depth ~ 1 m), hypertrophic marl lakes with the capacity to support nationally rare Charophyte communities. Both are popular tourist destinations, forming an important feature supporting the local economy. Bosherston Lily Pools is part of the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area for Conservation, the Stackpole Estate National Nature Reserve, and was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its Charophyte population. In both cases point source discharges from Sewage Treatment Works in the catchment have been targeted for management, and in neither case have adequate controls been implemented on nutrient delivery from agricultural sources. In both cases, sedimentary P pools have been physically extracted from the lakes using suction dredging in an attempt to increase water depth and decrease internal loading of P from the lake sediment pool. In both cases some form of biomanipulation has been implemented. In the case of Bosherston Lily Pools, this has occurred as a side effect of other management practices, including manipulation of water levels in the three arms of the lake, leading to hydrologically isolated systems with no hydrochemical connectivity during summer low flows, and regular ‘weed’ harvesting. In Barton Broad there has been a deliberate attempt to manipulate ecosystem structure in order to suppress algal production, including the installation of a fish curtain to exclude planktivorous fish including roach, and the installation of exclosures to stimulate plant recolonisation of the lake. The total sums invested in mitigation of nutrient losses to these waters are estimated at €7 million for Barton Broad, and €2 million for Bosherston Lily Pools. Restoration attempts have been partially successful, in terms of halting further damage to ecosystem structure and the nationally rare Charophyte populations (Bosherston Lily Pools) and supporting recolonisation by a range of aquatic macrophyte species, including Charophytes in protected, biomanipulated areas of Barton Broad. However, these attempts have failed to address continuing nutrient losses from agricultural sources in each catchment, estimated as 90% of the total P loading delivered to Barton Broad, and 99% of the total N load an 85% of the total P load delivered to Bosherston Lily Pools from their respective catchments. This loading compromises restoration efforts, and raises questions about (a) the long term sustainability of these ecosystems and (b) whether we can afford to support such long term restoration measures, given that there are over 55,000 water bodies of more that 1 ha in area in England and Wales alone
Higher education institutions' costs and efficiency : taking the decomposition a further step
No full textA multiproduct cost function is estimated for English higher education institutions using a panel of data from recent years. The panel approach allows estimation by means of a random parameter stochastic frontier model which provides considerable new insights in that it allows the impact on costs of inter-institutional differences in the cost function itself to be distinguished from inter-institutional differences in efficiency. The approach used here therefore resembles in some respects the non-parametric methods of efficiency evaluation. We report also on measures of average incremental cost of provision and on returns to scale and scope
Measuring teaching efficiency in higher education: an application of data envelopment analysis to graduates from UK universities 1993
No full textData envelopment analysis (DEA) is applied to 2568 graduates from UK universities in 1993 in order to assess teaching efficiency. Following a methodology developed by Thanassoulis & Portela (2002), each individual s efficiency is decomposed into two components: one attributable to the university at which the student studied, and the other attributable to the student himself. From the former component, a measure of each institution s teaching efficiency is derived and compared to efficiency scores derived from a conventional DEA applied using each institution as a decision making unit (DMU). The results suggest that efficiencies derived from DEAs performed at an aggregate level include both institution and individual components, and are therefore misleading. Thus the unit of analysis in a DEA is highly important. Moreover, an analysis at the individual level can give institutions insight into whether it is the students own efforts or the institution s efficiency which are a constraint on increased efficiency
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