The investigator made a study of the history, philosophy, method, and operation of centralized purchasing as it now exists for the state-supported institutions in the State of Texas and other selected states (New Hampshire, Montana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Minnesota).

This study is made in that it may serve as a basis of guidance of the Draughon's Business College. This problem was selected in the hope that it might contribute something worthwhile to the administrators, teachers, placement directors, and students of Draughon's Business College, Wichita Falls, Texas.

"The purpose of this study is to find what information is available from secondary sources on retail trade areas and to assemble and analyze it so that the information will be of value to those interested in the economy of the area...the following general conclusions are drawn: 1. The Denton retail trade area is primarily agricultual. Indicators of this fact are so many and so definite that there is little doubt but that agriculture and the rural population of the area will affect, to a considerable extent all business activity. 2. In 1947, the Denton retail trade area was not highly industrialized. The trading center is not centrally located within the state of Texas, but several markets are a few miles away. A good supply of labor is available within the area. With the present trend toward decentralization of industry, these facts point toward an expansion of manufacturing in the trade area. 3. In 1948, retailing in the trade center and in the area as a whole indicates a strong retail trade center. 4. The fact that the retail trade center would be a good sampling area for companies introducing new products is indicated by the youth of the population …

This report consists of a presentation of prices paid for the various classifications and grades of cattle sold in the Fort Worth Livestock Market during 1952; a comparison of 1951-1952 prices showing a sharp decline in the price of all grades and classifications which began in June of 1952; and an examination of some of the major factors contributing to the decline in cattle prices as reflected in the Livestock Market, Fort Worth, Texas. From a study of cattle prices that prevailed in the Fort Worth market during 1951 and 1952, and a consideration of some of the factors contributing thereto, the following conclusions are drawn: First, prices of all grades of cattle soared to unusually high levels during 1951, thereby accentuating the drop in price which occurred in the latter part of 1952. Second, the withholding of cattle from slaughter, during a cattle build-up process, rather than a scarcity of cattle in this country was primarily responsible for extremely high prices in 1951. Third, cattle production in this country has progressed in cycles of eight to ten years duration of each; the period under consideration was on the build-up side of the present cycle which began in 1949; and …

A preliminary purpose of this study in the area of business communications was that of determining the status of correspondence improvement in stock life insurance companies in Dallas. However, the major purpose, which stemmed from the preliminary one, was to study intensively the approach used in Great American.