Oregon Productivity Center Records, 1971-1988

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Oregon Productivity Center
Title
Oregon Productivity Center Records
Dates
1971-1988 (inclusive)
1981-1988 (bulk)
Quantity
1 cubic foot, (1 box)
Collection Number
RG 219
Summary
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.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

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.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

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.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Oregon Productivity Center Records (RG 219), Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

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.

Related Materials

Other documentation in the Archives pertaining to the Oregon Productivity Center can be found in the records of the Research Office (RG 170) and the Office of Academic Affairs (RG 22).

Separated Materials

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

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I:  Correspondence, 1979-1988Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1
EDA (Economic Development Administration) University Center Program
1979-1981; 1985
1
General
1980-1983; 1986; 1988
1
Productivity Measurement Workshops
1983-1984
1
Small Business Development in Oregon
1985

Series II:  Grant Proposals, 1979-1987Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1
Challenge Grant: EDA University Center Program
1985
1
To Establish a Program for Productivity Improvement of Small Businesses (Oregon Economic Action Council)
1982
1
Incentive Grant: EDA University Center Program
1986
1
Initial Proposal for EDA Funding
1979-1980
1
Materials for the Renewal of EDA Funding
1981-1987
1
Oregon Promotion and Marketing Fund Grant (Oregon Economic Development Department)
1985-1986
1
Sponsorship of the Primer Newsletter
no date
1
Taxonomy of Productivity Measurement Theories
Proposal submitted to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
1983
1
Value of Older Workers to Small Business Productivity (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
1981

Series III:  Policies/Procedures, 1971-1985Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1
EDA: General Terms and Conditions for Technical Assistance Grants
1979, 1985
1
Policy Guidelines for EDA University Center Program
1985
1
University Center Program Strategy
1978-1980; no date
1
University Center Reporting Requirements
1971; 1982-1983

Series IV:  Reports, 1981-1988Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1
Annual and Six Month Reports
1981-1988
1
Assessment of the Oregon Productivity Center for EDA
1983
1
Availability of Funds in Fiscal Year 1987 for Economic Development Assistance
Copied from the Federal Register
December 19, 1986
1
Status Report on the Evaluation of the University Center Program
1981
1
Survey of OMX (Productivity By the Objectives Program) Purchasers
1988
1
Work Plan for 1986 (Revised)
1985

Series V:  Publications, 1981-1986Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1
Brochure on the Oregon Productivity Center
1984-1985
1
Directory of Economic Development Organizations (in Oregon)
1984
1
Primer Newsletter
1981
1
Productivity By the Objectives Matrix (OMX) Handbook
photocopy of handbook included
1986

Series VI:  Scrapbook, 1984Return to Top

Container(s): Box 1

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Business consultants--Oregon
  • Industrial productivity--Oregon

Corporate Names

  • Oregon Productivity Center
  • United States. Economic Development Administration. University Center Program