bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DEVELOPING MARKETING STRATEGIES AND TACTICS IN HIGHER EDUCATION THROUGH TARGET MARKET RESEARCH
Authors: Krampf Robert F. , Heinlein Albert C.
Published: June 2007

This paper describes research undertaken by a large midwestern university to determine the needs of the market it serves, to ascertain the image of the university, to develop procedures for identifying potential students with a high probability of matriculating and procedures for increasing the probability of matriculation.

The population studied was prospective students who submitted ACT profiles. A modified Fishbein instrument was used for measuring their image of the university. Factor analysis was used to reduce 102 ACT variables to 20. These variables plus others developed through literature search and the image study were included in the set of input variables used in multiple discriminant analysis. The resulting classification functions provided a means for identifying variables important to each individual's matriculation decision and providing them with information designed to increase his/her awareness of the attractiveness of the university.
STOCHASTIC COST‐VOLUME‐PROFIT ANALYSIS WITH A LINEAR DEMAND FUNCTION
Authors: Constantinides George M. , Ijiri Yuji , Leitch Robert A.
Published: June 2007

In this paper we incorporate a linear demand function to model the price‐volume causal relationship into stochastic cost‐volume‐profit (CVP) analysis. We assume that the objective function is to maximize expected profit; other objective functions are also discussed and compared. A linear stochastic model follows from which probabilistic statements can be easily obtained if the random variables are assumed to be multivariate normal. The basic framework is shown to be a special case of project value maximization where project value is the cash flow of the project discounted for time and risk according to the capital asset pricing model. Moreover, an intertemporal extension that considers inventory is developed. In summary, a new approach to stochastic CVP analysis that incorporates the management decision process in an uncertain environment is developed.
Applications and Implementation DETERMINING THE REWARDS SALESPEOPLE VALUE: A COMPARISON OF METHODS*
Authors: Churchill Gilbert A. , Pecotich Anthony
Published: June 2007

Although salesmanagers can attempt to motivate salespeople by manipulating their rewards, these manipulations will fail if salespeople do not value the rewards and their levels. Methods for determining valued rewards can therefore be important to those charged with their determination.

This study compares three measurement schemes for assessing salespeople's valences for various rewards: functional measurement, conjoint analysis, and thermometer scaling. All three schemes produce similar conclusions as to how rewards are valued and the acceptable tradeoffs among them. Thermometer scaling outperformed the others with respect to the time it took to secure the judgments and the palatability of the task, while conjoint measurement performed least well in these respects.
THE HARMS SHOE COMPANY: DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTER MODEL FOR THE CLASSROOM
Authors: Harms Craig G. , Huff Stanley W.
Published: June 2007

This paper describes a case that examines five key topics in production and operations management [1]—forecasting, inventory control, transportation planning, aggregate planning, and the disaggregation of the aggregate plan—in an integrated, realistic manner for upper‐level undergraduate business majors [3]. The case structure stresses the linkage of these interrelated subjects and supplements the regular classroom presentations dealing with them. The case relies on computer calculations at each stage to provide the information input for calculations at the next stage. It is a static model with a twelve‐month planning horizon. Students complete several exercises and assume several roles as the case unfolds. They act on their own in filling some roles and as members of teams in performing others. They do not compete with each other, as the purpose of the case is to help them develop an appreciation of the factors that persons performing the role must consider.
APPLICATION OF AN EXPECTED COVERING MODEL TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE SYSTEM DESIGN*
Authors: Daskin Mark S.
Published: June 2007

The Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Act specifies the fraction of all demands for service that must be reached in a given amount of time for urban and rural areas. The conditions have traditionally been interpreted to apply to the case in which all EMS vehicles are available to respond to demands. A model that considers the probability of a vehicle being busy is formulated and model properties are briefly discussed. The model is then applied to two problems: a 55‐node test case and a 33‐node census tract representation of Austin, Texas. The implications of the new model for EMS system design are discussed as are the limitations of the modeling approach.
Education TEAM‐SIZE EFFECTS ON BUSINESS GAME PERFORMANCE AND DECISION‐MAKING BEHAVIORS
Authors: Wolfe Joseph , Chacko Thomas I.
Published: June 2007

The effects of various decision‐making team sizes in a complex business game were studied. Firm size was associated with nonlinear performance results and decision curves resulting in differential learning outcomes, learning sources, attrition rates, and decisionmaking behaviors. A three‐member format produced the highest learning levels while two‐member firms experienced only marginally significant knowledge increases. Single‐member firms experienced the most bankruptcies and dropouts. A contingency view of gaming effectiveness is suggested.
AD HOC MODEL BUILDING USING TIME‐VARYING PARAMETER MODELS*
Authors: Bretschneider Stuart I. , Gorr Wilpen L.
Published: June 2007

Decision support for managers and policy makers, such as required in planning and evaluation efforts, often requires ad hoc behavioral modeling to account for context‐specific phenomena and to handle data limitations. This paper introduces a systematic approach useful for meeting these requirements in which time‐varying parameter estimation plays an important role. A case study evaluating the impacts of public policy actions on residential natural gas conservation illustrates the approach.
A SIMULATION ANALYSIS OF THE JAPANESE JUST‐IN‐TIME TECHNIQUE (WITH KANBANS) FOR A MULTILINE, MULTISTAGE PRODUCTION SYSTEM
Authors: Huang Philip Y. , Rees Loren P. , Taylor Bernard W.
Published: June 2007

The Japanese “just‐in‐time with kanban” technique reduces in‐process inventory to absolute minimal levels, in concert with the Japanese belief that inventory is an unnecessary evil. Due to the success of Japanese firms that employ this type of system, American firms would like to import this technique and emulate Japanese successes. But this Japanese success may be attributable not only to the just‐in‐time with kanban technique but also to the production environment in which the technique is employed. This paper simulates the just‐in‐time with kanban technique for a multiline, multistage production system in order to determine its adaptability to an American production environment that might include such characteristics as variable processing times, variable master production scheduling, and imbalances between production stages. The results have practical implications for those firms considering adoption of the Japanese technique.
MULTIVARIATE NORMALITY AND A BOND RATING DECISION MODEL*
Authors: Watson Collin J. , Stock Duane , Watson Kent D.
Published: June 2007

An assumption of multivariate normality for a decision model is validated in this paper. Measurements for the independent variables of a bond rating model were taken from a sample of municipal bonds. Three methods for examining both univariate and multivariate normality (including normal probability plots) are described and applied to the bond data. The results imply, after applying normalizing transformations to four of the variables, that the data reasonably approximate multivariate normality, thereby validating a distributional requirement of the discriminant‐analysis‐based decision model. The methods described in the paper may also be used by others interested in examining multivariate normality assumptions of decision models.
THE EFFECTS OF VARIABLE AND FIXED TRANSACTION COSTS ON OPTIMAL INVESTMENT DECISIONS
Authors: Lazimy Rafael , Levy Haim
Published: June 2007

This paper studies the impact of variable and fixed transaction costs on investment decisions under conditions of risk. The decision model is first formulated as a mixed‐integer nonlinear program. The following subjects are then examined: the structure of the investment frontier facing the investor and the effects of transaction costs on this frontier, the impact of transaction costs on the investor's optimal investment strategy, and the conditions for the equilibrium structure of risky asset prices and risk‐return relationships. The main finding is that the relaxation of the assumption of the absence of transaction costs eliminates some of the most unattractive implications of the classic capital asset pricing model (CAPM) while preserving the more attractive implications of this model. Also, our model provides explanations for some discrepancies between the theoretical CAPM and empirical findings and, therefore, is a step toward narrowing the gap between theory and practice.
COGNITIVE STYLE AND THE USEFULNESS OF INFORMATION*
Authors: Blaylock Bruce K. , Rees Loren P.
Published: June 2007

The desirability of a merger/acquisition alternative depends in part on the perceptions of the decision maker. What sources of information are “useful” to the decision maker & Does the set of useful information remain constant for all decision makers; if not, do individuals using similar information sets have similar information processing characteristics? Do these sets vary as feedback is obtained during the decision process? To answer these questions, graduate students participated in a modified Delphi experiment, and the resulting data were analyzed by the two‐way aligned‐ranks nonparametric test. These test results affirm that in a merger/acquisition scenario, decision makers with different cognitive styles prefer different sets of information and these sets vary dynamically as feedback is incorporated in the decision‐making process. Furthermore, information that contains worker and community welfare considerations is identified as “useful” five times more frequently by decision makers with a “feeling” cognitive style than those with a “thinking” style.
MODELING DEMAND DURING LEAD TIME*
Authors: Bagchi Uttarayan , Hayya Jack C. , Ord J. Keith
Published: June 2007

This paper treats some of the important considerations in constructing an analytical model for the distribution of demand during lead time. It presents a formal model that can be developed along one of two lines. The first has order size and order intensity leading to a compound distribution of period demand, then period demand and lead time giving rise to a compound distribution of demand during lead time. The second has order intensity and lead time giving rise to a compound distribution of lead‐time order intensity, then lead‐time order intensity and order size leading to a compound distribution of demand during lead time. The paper also condenses the state of the art in a table and proposes some simple classification schemes that could help researchers extend that state of the art.
LOCATION OF QUALITY INSPECTION STATIONS: AN EXPERIMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF FIVE NORMATIVE HEURISTICS
Authors: Peters Michael H. , Williams William W.
Published: June 2007

A number of heuristic decision rules have been proposed to aid in the location of quality inspection stations within a production line. Although these rules apparently enjoy an intuitive appeal, as yet no empirical investigation of their individual efficacies has been undertaken. This research identifies the relations between various cost and/or process characteristics and a designated “operative condition” that motivates the apparent rationale of five of these rules‐of‐thumb. Experimental results suggest that for several of the heuristics the operative condition was not associated with the performance of the rule. In addition, constraints in the processing environment were found to influence the effectiveness of the heuristics.
DESIGNING HIGH‐CONTACT SERVICE SYSTEMS: APPLICATION TO BRANCHES OF A SAVINGS AND LOAN*
Authors: Chase Richard B. , Northcraft Gregory B. , Wolf Gerrit
Published: June 2007

The customer‐contact model represents one of the few conceptually based approaches for designing service systems. This paper develops that concept further for high‐contact systems, relative to efficiency and effectiveness notions. Four design features (contact technologies, contact training, data bases, and contact roles) are developed and a simple design methodology (built around the four design features) is presented. A demonstration of the design methodology is provided through its applications to branches of a savings and loan. Areas for additional theoretical and practical refinement of the model and the desirability of multidisciplinary research are discussed.
EMPIRICAL AND JUDGMENT‐BASED SALES‐FORCE DECISION MODELS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS*
Authors: LaForge Raymond W. , Cravens David W.
Published: June 2007

Multiple‐predictor empirical and single‐predictor judgment‐based models represent the two basic types of sales‐force decision models (SDMs). The important similarities and differences between the two modeling approaches are identified and discussed. The SDM literature is reviewed to determine how each model type has been applied and to evaluate previous attempts at model validation. A research study designed to compare the normative sales‐call allocations generated from each modeling approach is presented. Study results indicate that empirical and judgment‐based SDMs would produce similar normative guidelines. The implications of this finding are discussed.
Notes and Communications ON SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS IN DECISION THEORY*
Authors: Schneller George O. , Sphicas Georghios
Published: June 2007

This note points out a crucial flaw in Evans's recent article [1] on decision sensitivity analysis which was published in this journal. This flaw leads to errors in the majority of his formulae and examples. Correct distance formulae in “probability space,” easily computed from the problem data, are provided. After a critical discussion of some of the concepts Evans employed, we bring to the reader's attention a body of prior work in this area that apparently was overlooked.
THE ESCALATION OF COMMITMENT IN SEQUENTIAL DECISION MAKING: SITUATIONAL AND PERSONAL MODERATORS AND LIMITING CONDITIONS*
Authors: Bateman Thomas S.
Published: June 2007

Two laboratory studies manipulated variables in order to observe their effect on the escalation of individuals' commitment to earlier investment decisions. The experimental results indicated that escalation of commitment to a failing course of action is not a general phenomenon. Information pertinent to the future prospects of reinvestment and to decision alternatives provided main effects. Neither study showed a main effect for initial success vs. failure. Decision‐maker gender consistently influenced decisions in both studies through interactions with success/failure feedback and through the communicated attributions of “powerful others” regarding the causes of previous decision outcomes. Implications for theory and research are discussed.
AN ALTERNATING LEAST‐SQUARES PROCEDURE FOR ESTIMATING MISSING PREFERENCE DATA IN PRODUCT‐CONCEPT TESTING*
Authors: DeSarbo S. , Green Paul E. , Carroll J. Douglas
Published: June 2007

Product‐concept testing is a popular activity in marketing research. Often the number of new product/service concepts under study far exceeds the time available for any single respondent. Respondents therefore may receive only a subset of the concepts comprising the total design. Researchers are interested in making plausible imputations for the missing evaluations of any given respondent.

This paper proposes a model and an iterative estimation procedure to impute missing entries for each evaluator. The model and the procedure incorporate (1) the internal structure of the response matrix and (2) an ancillary matrix of (nonmissing) respondent background data; they also (3) allow for individual differences in respondents' uses of the numerical rating scale. The model is applied to both real and synthetic data. Suggestions also are given on how the data imputations may be used in market segmentation and product‐line decisions.
THE STRUCTURE OF EXECUTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEMS: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS
Authors: Jones Jack William , McLeod Raymond
Published: June 2007

This paper reports on a study which attempted to identify the structure of executive information systems and evaluate their relationship to decision making. The study centered on answering the question: “Where and how do senior executives get their decision‐making information?” The data, provided by five senior executives, were gathered by a variety of means which included personal interviews, questionnaires, and logs of the executives' incoming‐information transactions for a two‐week period. Our findings support beliefs that senior executives receive much information from the environment, that informal systems play a role equal to that of formal systems, and that computers do not provide much information directly to an executive. The study also found that internal information is important and that preferred sources and media vary with different decision roles. The authors suggest that the scope of MIS and DSS be broadened to match those information networks managers actually rely on in daily practice.
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT, USER INVOLVEMENT, AND THE USEFULNESS OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS*
Authors: Franz Charles R. , Robey Daniel
Published: June 2007

This study investigates organizational factors related to user involvement in information system development and perceived system usefulness. Using a sample of 118 usermanagers in 34 companies, the results show that user involvement in design and implementation is related positively to users' perceptions of system usefulness. However, organizational factors were not found to be related significantly to user involvement, as had been originally hypothesized. Rather, organizational factors either had a direct relationship with perceived usefulness or moderated the relationship between involvement and usefulness. Two factors reflecting an MIS department's maturity (size and age) were found to reduce users' perceptions of system usefulness. Also, users at higher levels and those making more structured decisions found their systems more useful, although the user's level was found to moderate perceptions of system usefulness during the design stage. Three other organizational factors (level of MIS manager, MIS department scope, and decentralization of authority) also were found to have moderating effects.
COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION SYSTEMS SUPPORTING MULTICRITERIA DECISION MAKING*
Authors: Minch Robert P. , Sanders G. Lawrence
Published: June 2007

This paper addresses two issues critical to the success of decision support systems in multiattribute/multicriteria decision‐making contexts. A relationship is established between normative (prescriptive) work in the area of multicriteria decision making and behavioral (descriptive) decision research involving choice strategies. A conceptual system architecture based on the state‐space approach to problem solving is presented. This architecture will enable decision makers to incorporate both prescriptive and descriptive strategies in the course of computer‐aided multiple alternative/attribute problem resolution.
A COMPARISON OF LEARNING CURVE ANALYSIS AND MOVING AVERAGE RATIO ANALYSIS FOR DETAILED OPERATIONAL PLANNING*
Authors: Smunt Timothy L.
Published: June 2007

This study tests the use of learning curve analysis for production planning at the detailed component level under various conditions, represented by factors of product turnover rate, learning rate, variance levels, and planning horizon length. It also presents an alternative to learning curve analysis that considers aggregation of cost data across time. This alternative is periodic revision of standard cost data using moving average forecasts to reflect productivity trends. Results of this study indicate that in most circumstances a moving average analysis can provide better estimates of short‐term, detailed component operations costs than either a learning curve analysis or a standard analysis.
IMPACT OF PARTICIPATION IN THE BUDGETARY PROCESS ON MANAGERIAL ATTITUDES AND PERFORMANCE: UNIVERSALISTIC AND CONTINGENCY PERSPECTIVES*
Authors: Govindarajan Vijay
Published: June 2007

Data from responsibility‐center managers reveal that greater budgetary participation contributes to managerial performance and attitudes in high‐environmental‐uncertainty situations but hampers performance and attitudes in low‐uncertainty situations. Higher budgetary participation reduces managers' propensity to create slack in high‐ (but not in low‐) uncertainty conditions.
AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF THE BIASING EFFECTS OF FRAMING ON BUSINESS DECISIONS*
Authors: Mowen Maryanne M. , Mowen John C.
Published: June 2007

This paper presents results of three studies testing whether decision bias due to framing, found in consumer purchase contexts, also would occur in a business setting. In the first study, business‐student subjects displayed framing‐induced decision bias just as subjects had in an earlier study by Tversky and Kahneman [12]. When the consumer problem was recast into a business decision in the second study, student subjects trained to handle the problem still revealed bias, although to a lesser extent. In the third study, experienced business managers revealed the same pattern of decision bias as the student subjects. Implications of this bias for business decision makers are discussed.
INFORMATION CHANNEL DISPOSITION AND USE*
Authors: Swanson E. Burton
Published: June 2007

The use of information channels by individuals in organizations is substantially discretionary. Although much studied, variation in patterns of discretionary use has yet to be explained adequately in terms of an accepted integrative theory validated across varieties of channel types and organizational settings. In a step toward the development of such a theory, the present paper proposes a basic channel‐disposition model that relates an individual's attitude or disposition toward a channel to his/her actual use of the channel in the context of information and channel supply‐and‐demand structures in the organization. An exploratory study of the dispositions of 186 users of ten management information system (MIS) reports in four organizational settings provides limited evidence in support of the model proposed.
A KNOWLEDGE‐BASED DSS FOR MANAGERIAL PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS
Authors: Courtney James F. , Paradice David B. , Ata Mohammed Nassar H.
Published: June 2007

A knowledge‐based system supporting managerial problem diagnosis is described. The system provides the capability to monitor values of selected variables for problem situations. When problems are located, a list of problem symptoms is delivered to a problem processor for structuring and diagnosis. Problem structuring is based on a combination of concepts from expert systems and structural modeling. User assertions about cause‐effect relationships between pairs of variables are maintained in a semantic network. Problem diagnosis uses the relationships in the semantic network to construct causation trees, the branches of which represent potential explanations of the problem symptoms. Mathematical models are constructed based on causation‐tree branches, and values from the data base are used to test whether the model confirms the diagnosis. If so, the source of the problem has been located and it is then up to the user to resolve the problem. If the model fails to explain the problem, the model apparently is deficient and the user may perform “what if…” type scenarios in attempts to improve the model and search for problem causes. Realistic applications in the accounting and health care areas are discussed.
PERFORMANCE DIFFERENCES IN THE USE OF GRAPHIC AND TABULAR DISPLAYS OF MULTIVARIATE DATA
Authors: MacKay David B. , Villarreal Angelina
Published: June 2007

It has been suggested that graphically displayed multivariate data help decision makers better understand information they are called on to analyze. This study compares judgments made from one recently suggested multivariate display technique with judgments made from traditional tabular displas of financial figures. Significant differences in task performance are found to be related both to differences in the stimulus sets and to individual differences among the subjects. Our results suggest that the relative contribution of graphic displays to decision making may vary considerably from situation to situation.
USING A LATE‐START RESOURCE‐CONSTRAINED PROJECT SCHEDULE TO IMPROVE PROJECT NET PRESENT VALUE*
Authors: Smith‐Daniels Dwight E. , Aquilano Nicholas J.
Published: June 2007

Although literature on the achievement of monetary objectives in a resource‐constrained project environment is limited, the maximization of project net present value (NPV) is an important criterion of project success. This paper presents a procedure for developing a late‐start resource‐constrained project schedule using the critical path method‐material requirements planning. Using an extensive set of problems from the literature, we show that this procedure yields a higher NPV and lower average duration than schedules derived with heuristics that schedule each activity as early as possible. In addition, while the late‐start schedule on average was significantly longer than the optimal‐duration resource‐constrained schedule, no significant difference occurred in the average NPVs of the two scheduling methods.
AN IMPLICIT/EXPLICIT APPROACH TO MULTIOBJECTIVE OPTIMIZATION WITH AN APPLICATION TO FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANNING*
Authors: Harrison Terry P. , Rosenthal Richard E.
Published: June 2007

Implicit utility/value maximizationandexplicit utility/value maximizationare identified as two major classes of multiobjective optimization methods. Explicit methods have the advantage of being able to fully exploit the power of existing mathematical programming algorithms. A disadvantage is the high information burden they place on the decision maker. Implicit (i.e., interactive) methods have complementary strengths and weaknesses: they require less extensive information but do not lend themselves as easily to use with optimizing algorithms. We develop a hybrid implicit/explicit approach that attempts to combine the advantages of both by embedding within the implicit method a procedure that periodically formulates an approximate explicit representation of the multiobjective problem and then solves it optimally without user interaction. Operationally, this requires the frequent solution of two nonlinear programs.

We also report on the implementation of this method in a forest management decision support system. This is a completely microcomputer‐based implementation currently undergoing field testing for use in planning the timing and intensity of timber harvests on non‐industrial forests in the southeastern United States. The system has been selected as a replacement for an earlier multiobjective program (Harrison and Rosenthal [28]) used by over 1,800 landowners.
A NEW CLASS OF MODELS FOR THE DISCRIMINANT PROBLEM
Authors: Glover Fred , Keene Sam , Duea Bob
Published: June 2007

Discriminant analysis is relevant to business decision making in a variety of contexts, such as when one decides to make or buy a specified component, fund a venture project, or hire a particular person. Potential applications in artificial intelligence, particularly in the area of pattern recognition, have further underscored the importance of the field. A recent innovation in discriminant analysis is provided by special linear programming (LP) models, which offer attractive alternatives to classical statistical approaches. The scope of application in which discriminant analysis can be advantageously employed is broadened by the flexibility to tailor parameters in the LP approaches to reflect diverse goals and by the power to explore the sensitivity of these parameters. In spite of the promise of the LP formulations, however, limitations to their effectiveness have been uncovered in certain settings. A recent advance involving a normalization construct removes some of the limitations but entails solving the LP model twice (to allow for different signs of a normalization constant) and does not yield equivalent solutions for different rotations of the problem data. This paper introduces a new model and a new class of normalizations that remedy both remaining limitations, making it possible to take advantage of the modeling capabilities of the LP formulations without the attendant shortcomings encountered by earlier investigations. Our development shows by empirical testing and illustrative analysis that the quality of solutions from LP discriminant approaches is more favorable (relative to the classical model) than previously supposed.
A CONJUNCTIVE‐COMPENSATORY APPROACH TO THE SELF‐EXPLICATION OF MULTIATTRIBUTED PREFERENCES*
Authors: Srinivasan V.
Published: June 2007

Consumer choice among multiattributed products is modeled as a two‐stage process in which a conjunctive stage (that eliminates products with one or more “totally unacceptable” attribute levels) is followed by a compensatory stage (that trades off remaining products on multiple attributes). A self‐explicated preference measurement procedure based on the two‐stage model yielded a slightly larger predictive validity compared to conjoint analysis.
MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASSIGNMENT PROBLEMS
Authors: Gilbert Kenneth C. , Hofstra Ruth B.
Published: June 2007

Each of the many two‐dimensional variations of the classical assignment problem has at least one counterpart in higher dimensions. This paper is a tutorial on these higher dimensional assignment models and their applications. It is a synthesis of a vast literature scattered throughout a great variety of journal articles and other miscellaneous sources.

We have attempted to make the paper a complete bibliography with the emphasis on topics important to practitioners of decision sciences. These topics include original results by the authors, most notably, a polynomial solution approach for a class of multidimensional assignment problems which often arise in scheduling applications.
IMPLICIT OPTIMAL AND HEURISTIC LABOR STAFFING IN A MULTIOBJECTIVE, MULTILOCATION ENVIRONMENT*
Authors: Bechtold Stephen E.
Published: June 2007

This paper presents a tractable set of integer programming models for the days‐off scheduling of a mix of full‐ and part‐time employees working α to β days/week (cycle) in a multiple‐objective, multiple‐location environment. Previous models were formulated to specifically schedule part‐time employees working either two or three days per week. These models were intractable because they required complete employee schedule information. The new models are deemed implicit optimal since they are required to supply only essential information. While the number of variables in previous models is an exponential increasing function of β‐α, the size of three of the new models is independent of α and β.

The first three models developed here (as in [18]) deal with the trade‐offs between idle time, the number of employees required to work at multiple “locations,” and the size of the total labor pool. The inherent flexibility of the implicit modeling approach is illustrated by the presentation of various modifications of the basic models. These modifications permit the use of preference weights on the number of employee work days/week (cycle) or the minimization of payroll costs where differential pay rates exist. These latter models may also be formulated such that idle time is ignored, constrained or minimized.

The execution time for the implicit models (on a CDC CYBER 730 computer with commercially available software) averaged well under five seconds on 1200 trial problems for the type of application considered in [18]. A solution was obtained in less than 46 seconds of CPU time for a trial problem which would have required over 1.4 million integer variables with previous models.

The availability of optimal solutions was invaluable in the development of two heuristics designed to deal with the trade‐offs of [16]. In an experimental analysis a previous heuristic produced results which averaged from 74 to 508 percent above optimum across six experimental conditions. The comparable new heuristic produced results which averaged from 3 to 8 percent above optimum for the same experimental conditions.

The paper concludes by developing a framework to integrate the results of this research with the tour scheduling problem and by identifying several other areas for related research.
A Stochastic, Psychometric Valuation Model for Personnel Selection Systems*
Authors: Wyer Jean C.
Published: June 2007

This paper describes a method for the valuation of personnel selection systems that is based on contributions from accounting, utility theory, psychometric techniques, Markov processes, labor economics, and present‐value analysis. The model developed here can be used by managers to assess the usefulness of proposed selection procedures. It extends previous work in the area by including both the stochastic nature of the employment process and the time value of the associated costs and benefits.
Alternate Routing Strategies in Batch Manufacturing: An Evaluation
Authors: Bobrowski Paul M. , Mabert Vincent A.
Published: June 2007

Batch manufacturing firms are experiencing significant changes because of technological developments in work center design, such as flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) and planning/control tools like computer‐aided process planning (CAPP). These new developments provide production managers with some solutions to a number of complex problems. For example, numerical‐controlled (NC) machine center installations are effective in providing quality parts because of tight tolerance specifications built into the equipment. However, these highly efficient centers create bottlenecks that constrain shop throughput, since production planners tend to rely too much on them.

To help improve manufacturing planning, we introduce an important element to the batch production scheduling component of CAPP's mission—evaluating possible alternate routes. Production scheduling encompasses job route selection as well as machine center assignment (loading), job releasing, and setting due dates. In this paper, three routing strategies requiring different levels of shop floor information are tested and evaluated using computer simulation. Shop performance is measured by total cost and traditional measures of job flow time, lateness, and tardiness.
An Experimental Analysis of Capacity‐Sensitive Setup Parameters for MRP Lot Sizing
Authors: Raturi Amitabh S. , Hill Arthur V.
Published: June 2007

Most material requirements planning (MRP) systems apply standard costing (absorption costing) approaches to define setup costs that are used as fixed (time invariant) setup parameters in single‐level lot‐sizing methods. This paper presents a computationally simple approach for estimating more appropriate setup parameters based on estimates of work‐center shadow prices. These setup parameters then are used in traditional single‐level MRP lot‐sizing procedures.

The shadow price of capacity at each work center is calculated as the increase in the overall inventory carrying cost for each additional hour of capacity lost to setups. The opportunity cost of a setup for an order subsequently is determined based on the routing information for each order and is used by traditional MRP lot‐sizing procedures to calculate lot sizes.

A simulation experiment compares the performance period order quantity lot sizing with capacity‐sensitive setup parameters with the fixed accounting‐based setup parameters. The simulation replicates the planning and control functions of a typical MRP system. The results of the experiment show that capacity‐sensitive setup parameters can make significant reductions in both carrying cost and lateness and can achieve many of the benefits of optimized production technology in the context of an MRP system.
An Examination of Two Screen/Report Design Variables in an Information Recall Context*
Authors: Umanath Narayan S. , Scamell Richard W. , Das Sidhartha R.
Published: June 2007

Screen/report design for output organization is still very much a common sense‐driven activity. This paper identifies a preliminary set of factors beyond display format for examination as screen/report design variables. A laboratory experiment was conducted to assess the influence of one of these factors, spatial layout of information, along with display format in an information recall context. Individual imagery orientation (verbalizer/visualizer) was used as a moderating variable in the experimental design. The findings indicate that spatial layout of information significantly influenced performance when the recall task involved pattern detection. In fact, a central location of data in a document was the most conducive to pattern recall performance. Further, terminal items facilitated pattern recall better than early input items. With respect to display format, the results support previous findings that a tabular display enhances performance for point‐value recall tasks while graphs exhibit an edge over tables for pattern types of recall tasks. Overall, the verbalizers demonstrated a complete supremacy in performance. Interaction between individual imagery orientation and display format indicates that, while the verbalizers and the mixed type were immune to display format variations, the graphical stimulus enhanced the pattern recall performance of the visualizers.
An Approximate Solution to Deterministic Kanban Systems
Authors: Moeeni Farhad , Chang Yih‐Long
Published: June 2007

This paper presents a simple heuristic for computing the number of kanbans in a kanban system. The production systems under consideration have a multistage, uncapacitated, assembly tree structure, with every stage producing only one item at a time. The experimental results show that this method generates very good solutions. In more realistic problems where the master production schedule incorporates a smoothed demand, the solution found under the proposed method is identical to that of the linear programming approximation. This simple heuristic can be used in the real world to quickly determine the number of kanbans for daily just‐in‐time operations.
A Multiobjective Approach and Empirical Application of Sales‐Organization Design
Authors: Mahajan Jayashree , Vakharia Asoo J.
Published: June 2007

This paper addresses the critical issue of determining the appropriate structural design of a sales organization. We propose a new approach for organizing the selling function using multiobjective modeling techniques. The proposed approach considers the situational characteristics under which the sales organization operates, trade‐offs among multiple sales‐effectiveness criteria, and the “fit” between the situational characteristics and the structural dimensions (i.e., the structure‐contingency relationships). Using data collected from sales branches of brokerage firms, we develop appropriate structural designs for a sales organization using the proposed procedure. The paper concludes by outlining the various decision‐making implications of the approach.
Improved Linear Programming Models for Discriminant Analysis*
Authors: Glover Fred
Published: June 2007

Discriminant analysis is an important tool for practical problem solving. Classical statistical applications have been joined recently by applications in the fields of management science and artificial intelligence. In a departure from the methodology of statistics, a series of proposals have appeared for capturing the goals of discriminant analysis in a collection of linear programming formulations. The evolution of these formulations has brought advances that have removed a number of initial shortcomings and deepened our understanding of how these models differ in essential ways from other familiar classes of LP formulations. We will demonstrate, however, that the full power of the LP discriminant analysis models has not been achieved, due to a previously undetected distortion that inhibits the quality of solutions generated. The purpose of this paper is to show how to eliminate this distortion and thereby increase the scope and flexibility of these models. We additionally show how these outcomes open the door to special model manipulations and simplifications, including the use of a successive goal method for establishing a series of conditional objectives to achieve improved discrimination.
Mathematical Programming Formulations for the Discriminant Problem: An Old Dog Does New Tricks*
Authors: Ragsdale Cliff T. , Stam Antonie
Published: June 2007

In recent years, much research has been done on the application of mathematical programming (MP) techniques to the discriminant problem. While promising results have been obtained, many of these techniques are plagued by a number of problems associated with the model formulation including unbounded, improper, and unacceptable solutions as well as solution instability under linear transformation of the data. In attempting to solve these problems, numerous formulations have been proposec involving additional variables and/or normalization constraints. While effective, these models can also become quite complex. In this paper we demonstrate that a simple, well‐known special case of Hand's [13] original formulation provides an implicit normalization which avoids the problems for which various complicated remedies have been devised. While other researchers have made use of this formulation, its properties have not previously been fully recognized.
A Comprehensive Model for Measuring the Potential Impact of Information Technology on Organizational Strategic Variables*
Authors: Mahmood Mo Adam , Soon Siew Khim
Published: June 2007

The existing literature on the impact of information technology (IT) does not include rigorous theory building or empirical studies. This research seems to be the first comprehensive investigation towards the development of an empirically validated comprehensive model for understanding the potential impact of IT on organizational strategic variables. More specifically, organizational and industrial variables that appeared to be affected by IT are identified, measured, and operationalized in the form of a comprehensive model. This study is based on structured interviews with a carefully selected sample of 31 strategic managers who had experience using IT for strategic decisions. In addition, the variables included in the model are well grounded in the information systems literature. The variables are then empirically validated and their reliabilities critically tested. A comprehensive model is derived from these validated variables. The model is a first step towards measuring the overall potential impact of IT on an organization. The model can also be used to gauge IT's potential impact on individual strategic variables. A set of hypotheses is also presented for future research. The hypotheses primarily relate to the impact of IT on organizational strategic performance. The model provides an empirically validated foundation for testing of such hypotheses.
Test‐Retest Reliability of the End‐User Computing Satisfaction Instrument
Authors: Torkzadeh Gholamreza , Doll William J.
Published: June 2007

The development of reliable and valid measures of user‐information satisfaction is becoming increasingly important to both practitioners and researchers. Measures of reliability include internal consistency and stability. Recent research has raised concerns about the stability of user information satisfaction measures. Using the test‐retest correlation method, this article assesses short‐ and long‐range stability of a 12‐item scale for measuring end‐user computing satisfaction. It examines the stability of individual items and subscales as well as the 12‐item instrument. The results suggest that the instrument is internally consistent and stable.
An Improved Heuristic for Multilevel Lot Sizing in Material Requirements Planning
Authors: Coleman B. Jay , McKnew Mark A.
Published: June 2007

Improvement on existing techniques for multilevel lot sizing in material requirements planning was sought by developing a theoretical and mathematical basis for the problem. Such a foundation was employed to design a heuristic which was superior in both cost performance and computational efficiency, and provided consistent results regardless of designated environmental factors. This represents a significant advantage over other algorithms tested here and within the literature, in that their performances are dependent upon various lot‐sizing environmental factors.

The heuristic is based on the technique for order placement and sizing (TOPS), a single‐item technique, and utilizes a mechanism for linking interdependent lot‐sizing decisions. The inputs are applied in a sequential manner to constitute sequential TOPS with incremental look‐down (STIL). A two‐phase experimental design was employed to evaluate the performance of STIL against optimality and other heuristics. Results from the initial phase of simplified problems revealed practical indifference from optimality for the new algorithm. Phase 2 emphasized the relative strength and consistency of the proposed heuristic versus all other rules tested over more difficult examples. The final stage also indentified environments in which STIL performed particularly well. These were more descriptive of common industrial settings than were cases in which existing methods have been shown to be effective.
Assessing the Utility of Stochastic Employee Movements
Authors: Barrick Murray R. , Alexander Ralph A.
Published: June 2007

This article illustrates the substantial effects employee movements (i.e., movements due to employee promotions, transfers, and separations) have on the value of a human resource intervention. Two methods for estimating differential employee movements are presented and their resulting utility estimates are contrasted and compared. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of each procedure are discussed as well as the value such information provides to organizational decision makers.
Some Comments on the Validity of EOQ Formula under Inflationary Conditions
Authors: Mehra Satish , Agrawal Surendra P. , Rajagopalan M.
Published: June 2007

In an earlier issue of Decision Sciences, Jesse, Mitra, and Cox [1] examined the impact of inflationary conditions on the economic order quantity (EOQ) formula. Specifically, the authors analyzed the effect of inflation on order quantity decisions by means of a model that takes into account both inflationary trends and time discounting (over an infinite time horizon). In their analysis, the authors utilized two models: Current‐dollars model and Constant‐dollars model. These models were derived, of course, by setting up a total cost equation in the usual manner then finding the optimum order quantity that minimizes the total cost. Jesse, Mitra, and Cox [1] found that EOQ is approximately the same under both conditions; with or without inflation. However, we disagree with the conclusion drawn by [2] and show that EOQ will be different under inflationary conditions, provided that the inflationary conditions are properly accounted for in the formulation of the total cost model.