bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Management Science Roundup
Authors: Bucatinsky Julio
Published: October 2008

—“News: Proceedings of International Conference on Very Large Data Bases Available”;

—“Corporate Cash Management”;

—“From Mexico: Project Coin Mintage”.

—Seen elsewhere: (1) Railyard Modeling: Part I, Prediction of Put-through Time. Part II, The Effect of Yard Facilities on Congestion (Transportation Science}, Feb. 1977, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 37–59) by E. R. Peterson (Queen's University, Canada); (2) Using a Multi-nation Economic Model: Projection of Economic Relations between Japan and Developing Countries in Asia (1975–1985) (Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 1977, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 121–142) by Akira Onishi (Soka University, Tokyo).
The Use of Geometric Programming in the Design of an Algerian Water Conveyance System
Authors: Wyman F. Paul
Published: October 2008

Algeria is presently involved in an ambitious program to help improve their agricultural self-sufficiency. Geometric programming (GP), an engineering optimization tool, has received increasing academic attention and has had numerous suggestions for its use proposed. However, few actual applications of GP have been documented. This article reports an application of this technique and the surprising, but effective, use of a simple sensitivity analysis. A conservatively estimated savings of $50 million in project costs is expected as a result of the use of GP in designing a 27-kilometer agricultural water conveyance system in Algeria.
The Value of Queueing Theory–A Rejoinder
Authors: Bhat U. Narayan
Published: October 2008

Professor Jack Byrd, in his article entitled “The Value of Queueing Theory,” expresses his belief that queueing theory has little value to the OR/MS professional. By the illustrations he has provided, it is a convincing case. It is as convincing as the case built by a prosecutor before the defense presents its side of the case. The prosecutor is supposed to present a one sided case. But an academician is supposed to look at all sides and work with a broader horizon. In this case, I submit, the problem is not with queueing theory, but with the vision used in making a case against it. An example is the assumption that the problems given as illustrations in the article are representative of situations where queueing theory is applicable.
The Fifth Column—Prolegomena on Promoting Practice or Pecksniff, Götz von Berlichingen, Symptoms & Reality
Authors: Woolsey Gene
Published: October 2008

I think that I have had about enough of the Pecksniffian Hypocrisy that masquerades for promotion and tenure policies in business schools today. My especial outrage is directed at those departments of OR/MS that claim to turn out useful people for industry, but promote teachers on the basis of publishing theoretical trash. I realize that there has been much hand-wringing by professors and deans on the general order of: “What can we do, it's the system?” Well, I will now tell you in no uncertain terms what I did in one recent case. I do not advocate that everyone try it, but some of my readers may find the approach to follow has some utility. The procedure uses the old familiar motivators of fear, greed and humorous intimidation employed by me previously.
Principles of Operations Research: 5. The Billings Phenomenon
Authors: Machol Robert
Published: October 2008

This is the fifth of a series of articles on the principles of operations research. As the reader will note, these are somewhat different from similarly titled subjects in the usual textbooks.
A Worker Productivity Model and Its Use at Lincoln Electric
Authors: Hershauer James C. , Ruch William A.
Published: October 2008

A worker productivity model was developed to illustrate the manner in which factors interact to yield productivity. Thirteen individual factors and fourteen organizational factors are combined as a servosystem using procedures similar to those of industrial dynamics. Use of the model in training supervisors at the Lincoln Electric Company is reported.
Improved Computer-Based Planning Techniques, Part 1
Authors: Glover Fred , Hultz John , Klingman Darwin
Published: October 2008

This is Part I of a two-part series. It shows how advances in network solution techniques have brought about improved computer-based planning. We give examples of practical problems and their network models that have resulted in dramatic cost savings for OR/MS practitioners. Not only are the models more convenient (easier to visualize and communicate) than customary LP models, but the new advances enable them to be solved more than 100 times faster than LP models.

Part 2 (coming in the November issue) will show how related models have led to further cost savings in practical applications.
Quality Control in O.R. Literature
Authors: Gazis Denos C.
Published: October 2008

I think we will all agree that the discussion of Operations Research (OR) literature during the past couple of years points to the existence of a problem: the sheer volume of OR literature often prevents anyone from coping with it. When we try to solve a problem, it is appropriate to first define it and understand it—so let us take a look at the system of creation of scientific literature as it stands today. Several aspects of the process of evaluating the quality of contributions by the reviewers and the choice of publications where an author will submit the paper are discussed.
Behavioral Science—Finding an Adequate Measure of OR/MS Effectiveness
Authors: Ginzberg Michael J.
Published: October 2008

These comments about OR/MS effectiveness can be summarized in a few brief points. First, it is quite appropriate to view an OR/MS project as a change process. The ultimate purpose of this process is to help someone (a manager) do his job better. Second, satisfying this purpose does not necessarily require that the manager use the model developed during the project. Hence, model use is, at best, only a partial measure of effectiveness. Third, we can develop a behavioral measure of OR/MS effectiveness if we explicitly address the issue of goals at the start of the project.
The Cost Effectiveness Analyst
Authors: Greene Richard M.
Published: October 2008

A parable, homonym, syllogism, analogy, simile, or parallel will often make points clear that otherwise are obfuscated, so I would like to discuss Cost Effectiveness in terms of a story.
Information Systems in Management Science—Teaching the Foundations for the Economic Analysis and Evaluation of Information Systems
Authors: Butterworth J. E. , Ziemba W. T.
Published: October 2008

Business supposedly is using MIS for economic benefits, but due to a lack of theory, the justification of information systems is on shaky ground. This article demonstrates that there is a substantial body of relevant theory on information systems and describes how this material can be taught. This publication should be of particular interest to the academician who wants to teach and the practitioner who wants to learn about the state of knowledge in information systems.
Observations on Calculus in the Business Curriculum
Authors: Aucamp Donald C.
Published: October 2008

Authors observations about the role and extent to which calculus should be taught in business schools. Many controversies raised by others involved in business schools curricula are discussed.
The Contribution of Management Science to Management Information
Authors: Hoffman Gerald M.
Published: October 2008

My purpose is advocacy. I advocate deep involvement of Management Scientists and Operations Researchers in the information systems activity. It is the thesis of this paper that Management Science can magnify the productivity of Management Information Systems, and that it can make major contributions to decisions which are totally outside the purview of such systems.
Practice of Management Science—Orderbook Balancing Using a Combination of Linear Programming and Heuristic Techniques
Authors: Jain Suresh K. , Stott Kenneth L. , Vasold Edward G.
Published: October 2008

In complex manufacturing situations, when product demand exceeds the manufacturing capacity by a very wide margin, both the production planning and scheduling functions become extremely difficult and time-consuming to handle—even with modern computers and sophisticated analytical techniques. Our studies had shown that in such cases the tasks of production scheduling and detailed planning could be made easier if the orderbook were first balanced in an aggregate manner such that monthly or other periodic demands were approximately in line with the manufacturing capabilities.

We applied this basic approach in the development of an improved planning tool for Bethlehem Steel's roll manufacturing operations, where approximately 4,000–6,000 cast rolls of 300 different types, each requiring an average of ten operations, are machined in a large m/n job shop each year. This planning tool, which is a hybrid computer package combining linear programming and heuristic methods, is being routinely used to balance the roll orderbook. The quick estimate of shop capacity and due-date performance provided by this package gives shop management an improved ability to negotiate roll delivery and resolve order-distribution problems with the plants. Due dates are changed and/or orders are dropped during one or more rounds of negotiations with each plant, and a balanced, or feasible, orderbook for the plants as a whole is obtained. Accurate production schedules and long-term plans are then generated by elaborate simulation models.
On the Transfer of Some OR/MS Technology to Criminal Justice
Authors: Harris Carl M. , Moitra Soumyo D.
Published: October 2008

The very first sentence of the Editorial Policy of Interfaces says that this publication “is concerned with the operational problems of using management science and operations research.” Further on in the same policy statement it is stated that “exemplary content” could include “items briefly reporting specific applications, such as a first time application of a particular algorithm in a given industry.” It is our intent here to provide a brief case history, consistent with these concerns, of the application to criminal justice systems analysis and program evaluation of approaches very familiar to reliability engineers and biostatisticians, which turn out to provide much more powerful statistical tools for such assessments.
OR/MS Implementation Research: A Bibliography
Authors: Wysocki Robert K.
Published: October 2008

Whenever the volume of literature dealing with a specific topic reaches some significant level, an expository paper and accompanying bibliography soon follows. It appears that the body of literature on the problem of OR/MS Implementation and Implementation Research has reached this state. Almost 300 papers (75% of them in the last six years) have been written on this topic, as reflected in the author's attempt to collect and classify this literature. During the process of reviewing these papers one observes that many writers are unaware of or neglect to reference the work of others and therefore, with a few notable exceptions, a clear-cut research tradition has not developed. Hopefully the work reported here will add some cohesion to a rather fragmented yet substantial body of research.
Capital Expenditure Decision/Making: Some Tools and Trends
Authors: Rosenblatt Meir J. , Jucker James V.
Published: October 2008

During the past two decades, several independent surveys were conducted to determine the art and science of capital budgeting, as practiced in business and industry. This paper outlines a synthesis of the various surveys and highlights some changes and trends regarding the adoption of quantitative tools in the capital budgeting process. The topics to be discussed include the use of discounting methods, the determination of discount and cut-off rates, the use of mathematical programming and capital rationing, and approaches to risk and uncertainty in the capital budgeting process. Before beginning, three possible sources of bias in what is reported here must be acknowledged. First, the various surveys included firms which were selected using a variety of criteria. However, it is entirely possible, even likely, that some firms participated in more than one of the surveys. Second, the surveys in total contain a disproportionately large fraction of very large firms. Third, as is true in many surveys, the results reported here may well be biased by the self-selection which takes place when firms decide to participate.
A Quick and Dirty Response to the Quick and Dirty Crowd; Particularly to Jack Byrd's “The Value of Queueing Theory”
Authors: Kolesar Peter
Published: October 2008

Queueing theory is a useful, important part of the tool bag of OR/MS, and any half serious professional ought to know it. To charge otherwise in a professional journal, on the basis of sending students to visit a two-clerk bookstore, seems to me absurd or malicious—take your choice. In that same bookstore I could prove that linear programming, inventory theory, network analysis, simulation, geometric programming, indeed virtually all of OR/MS is equally useless.

Now, it is really very weird but over the years I've done similar experiments at Columbia with my first year OR students. Do you believe it, but the results were entirely different? In a pretty wide range of problems my students found queueing theory useful—and one application was even to setting red-green cycles on traffic lights. How do you account for the difference—the experimentor, the subjects, the environment? Maybe, but perhaps it's just that we were not quite so quick, or quite so dirty, or trying to be quite so cute.
To Queue or Not to Queue: A Rejoinder
Authors: Vazsonyi Andrew
Published: October 2008

It's a good feeling to see a scholar of Peter Kolesar's stature take the time and effort to expound his views so eloquently in Interfaces. But while there is value in Professor Kolesar's comments, I feel he does not delve deeply enough.

First, let me give credit to Professor Byrd [Byrd, Jack. Jr. 1978. The value of queuing theory. Interfaces 8 (3, May) 22–26.] who started the debate by asking “Of what value is queueing theory?” Professor Bhat [Bhat, U. Narayan. 1978. The value of queuing theory—A rejoinder. Interfaces 8 (3, May) 27–28.] gave a quick answer, essentially that there is great value to queueing theory. Now Professor Kolesar attempts to settle the issue by detailing the value of queueing theory. He also severely criticizes Interfaces. The issues raised by Professor Kolesar are of great importance to our profession, but I strongly disagree with some of his conclusions. I requested that I be allowed to respond to Professor Kolesar's letter, and postpone my column on Information Systems to the next issue. So let me examine the questions we are debating.
On the Successful Practice of Management Science
Authors: Nigam Raj
Published: October 2008

This issue of Interfaces is the fifth Special Issue with focus on the practice of Management Science/Operations Research. The papers in this volume are continuing contribution to the evidence that Management Science/Operations Research is a very viable, useful profession having considerable impact on modern managerial decision making. These papers are the prize winners of the Annual Prize Competition held by the College on the Practice of Management Science at New York, May 1978.
Fuel Management and Allocation Model
Authors: Darnell D. Wayne , Loflin Carolyn
Published: October 2008

The Fuel Management and Allocation Model determines the optimal strategy for fueling aircraft and can be used to support both short and long-term planning. It has been used operationally by the Fuels Management and Flight Control Departments of National Airlines for over four years, resulting in multi-million dollar savings.

The model specifies the best fueling station and vendor for each flight, based on prices, availability, fuel burn, flight data, and cost of tankerage. The model also uses extensive sensitivity analysis techniques to alert management as to when a new policy may be required.
The Fifth Column—An Exemplary Essay on Communication or Corporate Style, Corporate Substance, & The Sting
Authors: Woolsey Gene
Published: October 2008

An essay about the importance of good communication skills and the corporate style of behavior.
A Critique of Capital Budgeting Questionnaires
Authors: Rappaport Allen
Published: October 2008

Rosenblatt and Jucker, in a paper published in this Journal [Rosenblatt, M. J., J. V. Jucker. 1979. Capital expenditure decision-making: Some tools and trends. Interfaces 9 (2).], report an “encouraging” and “unmistakable” trend of increased adoption of discounting techniques that is regarded as “significant” and “in the right direction.” The basis for their conclusion is a review of 13 studies and surveys published from 1966 through 1975. Unfortunately, a number of the studies mentioned have serious design deficiencies which result in overstating the proportion of firms using discounting techniques and the relative importance in the capital budgeting process.

To illustrate the kinds of problems that abound throughout published capital budgeting surveys, four of the surveys cited by Rosenblatt and Jucker were examined. Five surveys, not cited by Rosenblatt and Jucker, were examined with generally the same consistent pattern of deficiencies as those jointly on their list of citations and covered in this note.
A Practical Method for Vehicle Scheduling
Authors: Schultz Hilbert K.
Published: October 2008

The escalating cost per mile of large vehicle operation has increased the advantages of more efficient automatic scheduling. There has been a significant number of articles relating to computerized routing, but the gap between the literature and practice is still very wide. In this paper, the author provides a detailed description of a relatively simple routing algorithm which has been a proven cost saver in a number of applications. The technique can be used for manual routing in smaller firms and is suitable for computer implementation by firms without prior computer routing experience.
An Application of Queueing Analysis to the New York State Child Abuse and Maltreatment Register Telephone Reporting System
Authors: McKeown Patrick G.
Published: October 2008

In a recent article in Interfaces, Professor Byrd described several situations where queueing theory as taught today would not be useful [Byrd, Jack. 1978. The value of queueing theory. Interfaces (May) 22–26.]. This paper discusses a situation where a direct application of standard queueing models was possible. All assumptions of these standard models were tested and found to be valid for the case under consideration, the New York State Child Abuse and Maltreatment Register Telephone Reporting System. While this paper was not written to be a rejoinder to Professor Byrd's article, it does show that there do exist situations where the classical queueing models are useful.
Managing Professionals' Motivations: The Core Group System at Benton & Bowles
Authors: Kover Arthur J. , Dunn Theodore F.
Published: October 2008

Ensuring coordination and cooperation is often a major managerial problem in firms in which there are large numbers of professionals and managers. This problem arises because managers and professionals may be too highly motivated, that is, they tend to substitute individual or departmental goals for the goals of the company. The Core Group enables professionals to have an explicit impact upon the decision-making process. This paper summarizes the use of the Core Group system at Benton and Bowles, a New York advertising agency.
On the Future Utility of Operational Research
Authors: Cowie Alex
Published: October 2008

Operational Research has a great future because there will be an increasing need for its methods, but we have an obligation to do a better job of letting the world know what we are and what we have to offer.
Perspectives on MS Applications—All Around the Model
Authors: Shycon Harvey N.
Published: October 2008

True optimization, I submit, involves consideration of all relevant factors which can be identified as having a significant bearing on the situation. This should be the objective. If an optimization technique can properly handle all of this, then indeed it should be employed. But our objectives should be getting the best answer, not optimization per se. We do the OR/MS community a disservice when we preach optimization for the sake of optimization. Management didn't buy it the first time around, in the late 1950's and early 1960's, and they won't buy it now.
Behavioral Science—Accountability: A Key to OR/MS Practice
Authors: Wynne Bye
Published: October 2008

Our guest columnist this quarter, Steve Knouse of Pennsylvania State University at Erie, raises some questions about “accountability.” This thrust is towards a psychological theory of accountability. Potentially of more interest to Interfaces readers is Knouse's emphasis upon the social control aspects which can be vested in the concept of accountability.
Toward a Psychological Theory of Accountability
Authors: Knouse Stephen
Published: October 2008

Accountability is becoming an increasingly significant concept in the management literature. The traditional association of accountability with budgetary control and hence an economic perspective has been expanded to include responsibility for the worth of the individual as advocated in human resource accounting. The demand for accountable performance has also increased. Although the term accountability is becoming more visible, there has been relatively little work done in understanding the psychological processes involved. Two questions arise. First, what establishes accountability? Second, what motivates accountable behavior? This paper attempts to provide a basic groundwork for answering these questions.
An Application of Queueing Theory to Airport Passenger Security Screening
Authors: Gilliam Ronald R.
Published: October 2008

Analytical queueing models have frequently been found impractical for many types of real-world problems, owing chiefly to the inability of queueing systems to change their parameters in response to fluctuations in traffic intensity. One type of practical problem that fits the simple classical queueing models quite well, however, is the passenger security screening operation found at modern airports. These service facilities (security checkpoints) must always be available, the service (screening procedures) must be unvarying, and the airline passengers have no practical alternative to accepting this service. Careful analytical planning is needed in advance of facilities and systems design, as the results of congestion could be both serious and expensive to travelers, airlines, and airports. The application described in this paper helped our organization design passenger screening facilities for a very large international airport to be built in the Middle East.
A Survey of Management Science Implementation Problems
Authors: Watson Hugh J. , Marett Patricia Gill
Published: October 2008

An increasing amount of attention has been directed to problems associated with the implementation of Management Science methods. This attention is undoubtedly due to a relatively poor performance record, since it has been estimated that only about 40% of Management Science projects are ever fully implemented.

Numerous articles have been written about the implementation problem. Some are based upon “undocumented wisdom;” that is, nonempirically based observations about the problem. Others have been written by practitioners who describe the problem as they perceive it. A smaller number of articles are based upon survey data.
Management Science Process—A Rejoinder to “A Comment on a Behavioral Derivation of EOQ
Authors: Graham Robert J.
Published: October 2008

I am devoting this issue's column to a reply to the preceding comment by Professor Silver; basically, he is correct. It is not always true that equating two cost components of a total cost function will lead to a minimum total overall cost, as readily demonstrated in his comment. The main point in my article, however, was not that a behavioral derivation is best accomplished by equating two cost components of a total cost function but that people's behavior should be taken into account when motivating and deriving models for application. The EOQ model was used simply as an example. Professor Silver's model provides another example, so I should like to take this opportunity to use this example and attempt to clear up an confusion I may have generated.
The Backcast: A Sales Performance Evaluation Tool at Coca-Cola
Authors: Hubbard Charles L. , Mohn N. Carroll , Reid John C.
Published: October 2008

Future sales can normally be estimated using a variety of tools, e.g., long-range or current year sales forecasts based upon business cycle, industry, or company considerations. However, only one method is usually available to a sales manager or salesman for assessing current sales performance: comparison of the most recent (actual) sales figures to those estimated in the latest annual sales forecast. At Coca-Cola USA, it was determined that a longer-range sales performance evaluation tool was needed to supplement the conventional annual forecast in response to the question, “Are my sales growing or declining?” This new information/evaluation tool, termed the “backcast,” is described and related in reference to the management control obtained by the use of the more conventional forecast. Subsequent sections describe the use of backcasts at Coca-Cola USA and outline some possible extensions for the use of the backcast.
The Use of Zero-Base Budgeting in Industry: Some Observations
Authors: Dean Burton V. , Cowen Scott S.
Published: October 2008

This paper presents an overview and analysis of the utility and effectiveness of Zero-Base Budgeting (ZBB) in industry. We provide a description of Zero-Base Budgeting and some insights into why companies use ZBB. An evaluation of ZBB is provided as well as an identification of the problems facing industrial users. Specific examples of failures and successes in user firms are presented along with an overall assessment of the technique. Finally, we derive conclusions about the effectiveness of ZBB based on an examination of industrial users.
Behavioral Science—Success and Failure of Management Science Models at Super-Valu Stores
Authors: Wynne B. E.
Published: October 2008

This paper contrasts two corporate Management Science models for planning. A location and sizing model for supermarket chains (called SLASH) was used not only by the customer firm but also by others. A financial planning model (called GROWTH) for the corporate officers was not only not used but was resisted.
The OR Analyst as a Hired Gun: A Short Case History
Authors: Hodgson Thorn J. , Haas Morton V.
Published: October 2008

Operations Research analysts, by their very job descriptions, are continually involved in problems concerned with the rules governing the operations of various enterprises. It is unusual if an Operations Research project has no political overtones. Many times the politics may be simply due to the fact that there is resistance to change, change which may be brought about as a result of the OR analyst's work. Other times the politics may be due to conflicting objectives of different elements of the organization. In this case the analyst may find himself in a mediator role between the two elements or he may work behind the scenes as a partisan (or “hired gun”) analyst for one side or the other. It is the “hired gun” situation which we discuss here.
How the Choice of Measures of Effectiveness Constrains Operational Analysis
Authors: Raisbeck Gordon
Published: October 2008

The heart of this paper is some examples of how an inept choice of a measure of effectiveness has led an analyst (usually me) into error. Its tone is less solemn than that of most published papers, chiefly because it is about mistakes, and the only way that I know of to live with my own mistakes is to laugh at them. The morals to be drawn from these experiences are first, I, and many others, have erred more often by devoting too little effort into selecting measures of effectiveness than by devoting too much; and second (a corollary), in assigning resources and making schedules for an operational analysis, it is usually worth allocating more effort to finding measures of effectiveness even if you have to take it away from the other parts of the analysis.
MCDM—If Not a Roman Numeral, Then What?
Authors: Zionts Stanley
Published: October 2008

An attempt to present multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) in plain English as the author realized that most published papers on the topics are too mathematical and full of jargon, so that most of it is incomprehensible to managers.
Manpower Planning for a Telephone Service Department
Authors: Globerson Shlomo
Published: October 2008

Telephone communication is one of the major means by which many organizations serve their customers. The common problem of every telephone service department is the assignment of the proper number of representatives who have to respond to customers' calls; too few would produce a low level of service, while too many would produce a high level of service but the efficiency would be low.

The objective of this study is to demonstrate an approach that can and has been used as guideline for improving manpower planning in a large telephone department.
Stifling Innovation Through Functionalization
Authors: Ayres Herbert F.
Published: October 2008

After much of what I loosely call thought, I offer, only somewhat facetiously, a powerful management theorem for those who wish to avoid the unpleasantness Old Nick had in mind. 1 call it the Interaction Theorem of functional organizations and use it to validate four rules for organizational stasis useful to stifle innovation from above. I use it again to show how to stifle from below by functionalizing OR/MS itself. I contend that any organization which diligently observes these practices shall never have to suffer the agonies that rapid growth in scope, influence, and revenues can bring.
Management Science Process—Methods for Managerial Problem Cause Analysis
Authors: Anderson John C. , Janson Marius A.
Published: October 2008

The important managerial processes of problem identification, formulation, and solution are often approached experientially. There are, however, several formalized approaches which have been developed and are currently the subject of many management development programs. These approaches attempt to structure the establishment of a cause and effect relationship between a problem and its cause(s) for purposes of taking corrective action. This paper summarily presents the cause and effect methods, critically evaluates them, explores their differences, similarities, and the kind of problems for which each method is appropriate.
1980 Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium
Authors: Kutner N. H.
Published: October 2008

The 1980 Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium will be held at the Hilton and Tower Hotels in San Francisco, California on January 22, 23, 24, 1980. The theme of the 1980 Symposium is “Doing More with Less—The Challenge of the 80's”.
Queueing Theory Applied to Machine Manning
Authors: Vogel Myles A.
Published: October 2008

Cost pressures, recent expansion, and a limited labor pool triggered a two-year study coordinated by the Industrial Engineering Department of a high volume manufacturing plant. Plant management was introduced to the fundamentals of queueing theory and assisted in preparing a model applicable to optimum manpower/machine assignments. A resulting savings of $575,000, about one-fifth of plant manpower costs, was realized during the first year of implementation. In addition to the impact described in the paper on manpower and production demand, other areas significantly impacted were capital expansion, market strategy, and management decision making.
Coping with Fluctuating Demand for Professional Staff: A Prescription and Examples
Authors: Lorber H. W.
Published: October 2008

Since professionals tend to be highly paid and slow to recruit and train, the professional staffing problem is nontrivial, vexatious, and persistent. Predictions help little when changes in demand are unforeseeable, but two practical planning policies tend to make serious miscalculations unlikely. Dynamic-simulation experiments on an actual technical-service company show that the solution is simply to (1) be generous with overtime in response to backlog, and (2) hire or fire in a timely manner, but sparingly. A simple verbal analysis, comparison with actual data, and an application to a manufacturing firm support the above results.
The Algorithm that Converged Too Fast
Authors: Phillips Don T. , Hogg Gary L.
Published: October 2008

A story about a research study of highway safety improvement and traffic surveillance practices. It is mostly devoted to the practices of controlling the general speed limit of 55 mph on highways that proved to be very difficult to enforce.
Alternative Mechanisms of Allocating Computer Resources Under Queueing Delays
Authors: Whang Seungjin
Published: October 2008

A theoretical framework is developed in which alternative mechanisms of allocating congestion-prone computer resources are studied and compared. Two—discrete and continuum—models of economies are presented to depict a small and a large economy respectively. Alternative allocation mechanisms are discussed in these two models: (1) the private bargaining approach, (2) allocations attainable through Nash equilibria and (3) the Clarke-Groves tax mechanism in the discrete economy model, and (4) Mendelson's (1985) job-by-job pricing and (5) the exchange-market-based allocation in the continuum economy model. We find equivalence among the bribes and prices associated with these mechanisms. The theory is related to practical implications pertaining to the design of computer chargeback systems and the role of the system manager.
User Involvement as an Interaction Process: A Case Study
Authors: Newman Michael , Noble Faith
Published: October 2008

User involvement is recommended to analysts as a technique of successful system development, but as a process it is little understood. This case study compares four process models of user involvement–learning, conflict, political and garbage-can-with each other and with an empirical example of system development. Different models are seen as appropriate to explaining the nature of user involvement in different stages of development and contexts. Structural conditions and issues of power are shown to be decisive in the development of conflict and conflict resolution. A two-stage model of user involvement based on Robey and Farrow's work (1982) is proposed which distinguishes conflict development from conflict resolution.
Automated Construction of Knowledge-Bases from Examples
Authors: Tam Kar Yan
Published: October 2008

The process of knowledge acquisition has long been regarded as the bottleneck in expert systems development. In this paper, a concept induction methodology for automated construction of knowledge-bases is presented and its use for knowledge acquisition is discussed. The applicability of such a tool to build expert systems is demonstrated using CONIS in some selected experiments. CONIS is a concept induction system that infers concept description from sample instances of the concept. We have also compared CONIS with conventional statistical techniques in solving classification problems. The results suggest that concept induction could become be a viable tool to automate the process of knowledge acquisition. By shortening the development cycle, domains that were once too volatile for expert systems application would become feasible using such an automated aid.
The Impact of the Environment on the Management of Information Systems
Authors: Lederer Albert L. , Mendelow Aubrey L.
Published: October 2008

The dynamic environment of an organization makes management difficult. This is especially true in information systems (IS) departments. A new theoretical model, based on structured interviews with IS executives, proposes ways that some dimensions of the environment create problems for IS management, IS managers develop coping mechanisms to attenuate or prevent these problems. They use these coping mechanisms either to resolve the problems directly or to influence the environment to prevent the problems. The new thoeretical model facilitates an organized study of the relationship between the IS department and its dynamic environment.
Dimensions of I/S Planning and Design Aids: A Functional Model of CASE Technology
Authors: Henderson John C. , Cooprider Jay G.
Published: October 2008

Information technology is playing an increasingly integral role in the competitive strategies of many organizations. As this trend continues, it is not surprising that there is growing emphasis on the ability of organizations to plan, design and implement critical information systems. A major strategy to improve the effectiveness of these processes is the use of computer-based planning and design aids. However, there is little empirical evidence that using this technology provides a significant performance impact. One factor limiting research on the impact of technology on planning and design is the manner in which this technology has been conceptualized for measuring usage behavior. This research develops a functional model of I/S planning and design support technology that distinguishes three general functional dimensions: Production Technology, Coordination Technology and Organizational Technology. An empirical analysis is used to test the robustness of the proposed model and its ability to discriminate among current design aids in a meaningful way. Implications for the use of this model in the study of I/S planning and design processes are discussed.
Effective IS Security: An Empirical Study
Authors: Straub Detmar W.
Published: October 2008

Information security has not been a high priority for most managers. Many permit their installations to be either lightly protected or wholly unprotected, apparently willing to risk major losses from computer abuse. This study, based on the criminological theory of general deterrence, investigates whether a management decision to invest in IS security results in more effective control of computer abuse. Data gathered through a survey of 1,211 randomly selected organizations indicates that security countermeasures that include deterrent administrative procedures and preventive security software will result in significantly lower computer abuse. Knowledge about these relationships is useful for making key decisions about the security function.
A Refresh Scheme for Remote Snapshots
Authors: Saharia Aditya N. , Diehr George
Published: October 2008

This article presents a scheme called “Difference Table” for maintaining database snapshots stored at sites remote from a central database which are refreshed only upon user request. Database snapshots are currently in widespread use where a subset of the central database is extracted and transmitted to a local workstation and utilized for decision support. The Difference Table method checks each update to a central database table against the definition of the snapshot. If the update is relevant, its effect is stored in a difference table. On receiving the refresh request, the contents of the difference table are transmitted to the remote site where they update the snapshot. The Difference Table scheme allows a selective refresh of the snapshot, in the sense that only the changes to a snapshot since the last refresh are transmitted. We discuss the additional database tables and processes required to support the Difference Table scheme. Performance measures are developed, and both quantitative and qualitative comparisons are made to alternative methods such as full regeneration and the approach used by System R*. By most criteria and in many environments, the Difference Table scheme is preferable to these alternatives. It also has several attractive side benefits which are not available in alternative methods.
A Study of Collaborative Group Work With and Without Computer-Based Support
Authors: George Joey F. , Easton George K. , Nunamaker J. F. , Northcraft Gregory B.
Published: October 2008

As organizational environments become more turbulent and as managers spend more time in meetings in an effort to deal with that turbulence, using information technology to support meetings has become more important. This paper reports on an experiment that compared meetings supported by information technology to meetings with conventional manual support only. The experiment differs from most previous group decision support system (GDSS) experiments in that solutions to the task it used could be objectively scored, it introduced assigned leadership as an independent variable, and it is the first GDSS experiment to compare use of a subset of the University of Arizona GroupSystems GDSS tools to manual group methods. In addition to a communication condition (GDSS or manual) and assigned leadership, the experiment also investigated the effects of anonymity on group process and outcomes. The experiment found that GDSS groups were less likely to reach consensus, took more time to reach a decision, and had more equal levels of member participation than manual groups. No main effects were found for assigned leadership or anonymity.
A Case for Using Real Options Pricing Analysis to Evaluate Information Technology Project Investments
Authors: Benaroch Michel , Kauffman Robert J.
Published: October 2008

The application of fundamental option pricing models (OPMs), such as the binomial and the Black-Scholes models, to problems in information technology (IT) investment decision making have been the subject of some debate in the last few years. Prior research, for example, has made the case that pricing “real options” in real world operational and strategic settings offers the potential for useful insights in the evaluation of irreversible investments under uncertainty. However, most authors in the IS literature have made their cases using illustrative, rather than actual real world examples, and have always concluded with caveats and questions for future research about the applicability of such methods in practice. This paper makes three important contributions in this context: (1) it provides a formal theoretical grounding for the validity of the Black-Scholes option pricing model in the context of the spectrum of capital budgeting methods that might be employed to assess IT investments; (2) it shows why the assumptions of both the Black-Scholes and the binomial option pricing models place constraints on the range of IT investment situations that one can evaluate that are similar to those implied by traditional capital budgeting methods such as discounted cash flow analysis; and (3) it presents the first application of the Black-Scholes model that uses a real world business situation involving IT as its test bed. Our application focuses on an analysis of the timing of the deployment of point-of-sale (POS) debit services by the Yankee 24 shared electronic banking network of New England. This application enables us to make the case for the generalizability of the approach we discuss to four IT investment settings.
Nonlinear and Noncompensatory Models in User Information Satisfaction Measurement
Authors: Sethi Vikram , King Ruth C.
Published: October 2008

This study applies nonlinear and noncompensatory models to examine how users evaluate their satisfaction with their information systems (IS) environment. Several instruments have been developed in the literature to measure user information satisfaction (UIS). These instruments measure user satisfaction by asking respondents to rate their satisfaction/dissatisfaction with a variety of IS attributes; e.g., EDP services, EDP staff, information product, and involvement in IS development. These responses are then combined linearly to develop a surrogate measure for UIS satisfaction. This linear model is derived from Anderson's information theory (Anderson 1981) and based on the assumption that each attribute judgment has a conditionally monotone relationship with the UIS evaluation. However, the literature on attitude formation and decision making suggests that other nonlinear and noncompensatory models are available to decision makers for combining information and are used frequently in attitude formation. In this study, we use two sets of data to examine the linear model and five nonlinear models of decision making to evaluate whether nonlinear models are more effective in predicting a user's overall satisfaction with information systems. First, responses from faculty members at an academic institution were used to test each model. All the nonlinear models were more efficient predictors than the linear models. In addition, two nonlinear models—the multiplicative and the scatter models—best represented the data with square multiple correlations of 0.69 and 0.68, as compared to the linear model which had an R 2 of 0.61. Second, data from a previous study (Galletta and Lederer 1989) were analyzed to examine whether nonlinear models were more efficient. Data for this study were collected using the short version of the Bailey and Pearson (1983) UIS instrument. Results of the analysis from the full and cross-validation samples show that nonlinear, noncompensatory models performed at par or better than the linear model.
Research Report. Can EDI Benefit Adopters?
Authors: Lee Ho Geun , Clark Theodore , Tam Kar Yan
Published: October 2008

Although the potential for EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) to improve performance of firms involved in industry value chain is widely known, little evidence regarding improved performance for the entire supply channel has been reported. Some researchers have found that EDI networks can benefit EDI champion, but it remains largely unclear whether EDI adopters—who are often coerced to implement the electronic networks by the champion—gain similar payoffs from their EDI investments. To measure impacts of EDI investments for the EDI adopters, we have investigated the performance of 31 grocery retail chains (EDI adopters) that implemented EDI networks with Campbell (EDI champion) for a supply channel reengineering innovation known as “continuous replenishment process.” Analysis of daily data on inventory and stockouts levels for the 31 retail chains demonstrates that these EDI adopters have achieved a significant increase in their inventory turns while simultaneously reducing stockouts as a result of this EDI-enabled supply channel reengineering. This paper thus provides empirical evidence that EDI adopters can achieve dramatic performance improvements if EDI networks are used for interfirm process reengineering.
Research Commentary. Academic Rewards for Teaching, Research, and Service: Data and Discourse
Authors: Whitman Michael E. , Hendrickson Anthony R. , Townsend Anthony M.
Published: October 2008

In most institutions faculty members are expected to teach, research, and perform community service. The emphasis placed on each activity is expected to vary considerably between institutions and departments. To examine this expectation, a nationwide survey was made of both American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) institutions and non-AACSB institutions, participants rated 80 publications for their value in reviews of research performance, and responded to a series of questions pertaining to the importance of publication types on the merit compensation, promotion, and tenure processes. These results were made available to the IS community, and approximately 150 comments were obtained. The survey results and the comments suggest that there might be some convergence in expectations of academic performance across institutions, as research-oriented institutions require better performance on teaching, teaching-oriented institutions require better performance in research, and all institutions impose greater service demands on IS faculty.