A feasibility study to determine whether a program of distributive education is needed in Lewistown, Montana

Abstract

Distributive Education is that phase of business education that is designed to prepare individuals to enter the retail, service, and wholesale trades known as the distributive occupations, and to provide for those employed in such occupations the instruction they need in advance of their respective fields of endeavor. According to Van Wagenen (13), distributive occupations are those followed by workers directly engaged in merchandising activities or in contacting buyers and sellers to further (a) the distribution of products of farm and industries to consumers, retailers, jobbers, wholesalers, and others; (b) the sale of services; and (c) the management, operation, and conduct of retail, wholesale, and service businesses. The writer will attempt to determine whether such a program is feasible in Lewistown, Montana. The problem to be investigated is two-fold: 1. To determine if the retail merchants of Lewistown, Montana, are interested in, need, and could support a program of distributive education. 2. To determine if there is a need for a program of distributive education as indicated by the former graduates of Fergus County High School in the years of 1969, 1967, and 1965.