From: decnews-pr@pa.dec.com
Subject: DECnews/Digital Grants License for Unique Decision Support Software
Date: Tue, 05 Jan 93 06:38:56 -0800
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                                              Digital Equipment Corporation
                                          Maynard, Massachusetts 01754-2571
Editorial contact:

Richard Price
(508) 493-2743


            DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION GRANTS LICENSE
                FOR UNIQUE DECISION SUPPORT SOFTWARE


     Vector Comparative Analysis (VCA) software compares product
       strengths with customer needs to facilitate management
                          product decisions


MAYNARD, Mass. -- January 5, 1993 -- Digital Equipment Corporation 
today announced an agreement to license Digital's Vector Comparative 
Analysis (VCA) software to Jack Gilmore & Associates, Incorporated, 
Amherst, New Hampshire.  VCA will be marketed by Jack Gilmore & 
Associates to complement their management consulting services.

     VCA is an advanced methodology for comparing any set of 
intrinsic product benefits to customer requirements.  Benchmark data 
derives all the elements of a product considered relevant by a 
customer.  Each element is assigned weights of importance relative 
to customer needs.  By comparing these weights of importance to 
product characteristics, a qualitative and quantitative comparative 
analysis can be made among products and presented both numerically 
and graphically.  This process facilitates product comparison by 
non-technical managers.

     "Licensing VCA to Jack Gilmore & Associates will significantly 
assist organizations committed to advanced planning activities that 
produce best-in-class products and processes, "said Dr. Jan M. K. 
Jaferian, director of Digital's Corporate Licensing Office.  
"Today's competitive business environment demands continuous 
improvement processes and VCA's capabilities facilitate these 
processes."

     VCA's uniqueness is derived from the manner in which results 
are graphically represented as vector/arrow diagrams.  According to 
Jack Gilmore, president of Jack Gilmore & Associates, "Those who use 
this application need not understand the functionality of a product 
to understand its strength, its attractiveness to a customer or how 
each feature is weighted.  This means that non-technical managers 
can understand the relationship between product strengths and 
customer needs to assist in making business decisions relative to 
market requirements."

     Gilmore also noted that the Patricia Seybold Group, Boston, 
Massachusetts, a research consulting and information services firm, 
is a user of VCA and has collaborated with him to publish a report 
on VCA as part of their Special Research Report series.  This report 
will be published in early 1993.

     Digital Equipment Corporation, headquartered in Maynard, 
Massachusetts is the leading worldwide supplier of networked 
computer systems, software and services.  Digital pioneered and 
leads the industry in interactive, distributed and multivendor 
computing.  Digital and its business partners deliver the power to 
use the best integrated solutions - from desktop to data center - 
in open information environments.
                                ####

CORP/93/926  
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