bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parallel Search Algorithms for Discrete Optimization Problems
Authors: Grama Ananth , Kumar Vipin
Published: October 2008

Discrete optimization problems (DOPs) arise in various applications such as planning, scheduling, computer aided design, robotics, game playing and constraint directed reasoning. Often, a DOP is formulated in terms of finding a (minimum cost) solution path in a graph from an initial node to a goal node and solved by graph/tree search methods. Availability of parallel computers has created substantial interest in exploring parallel formulations of these graph and tree search methods. This article provides a survey of various parallel search algorithms such as Backtracking, IDA*, A*, Branch-and-Bound techniques and Dynamic Programming. It addresses issues related to load balancing, communication costs, scalability and the phenomenon of speedup anomalies in parallel search.

INFORMS Journal on Computing, ISSN 1091-9856, was published as ORSA Journal on Computing from 1989 to 1995 under ISSN 0899-1499.
Data-Parallel Implementations of Dense Simplex Methods on the Connection Machine CM-2
Authors: Eckstein Jonathan , Boduroğlu İ. İlkay , Polymenakos Lazaros C. , Goldfarb Donald
Published: October 2008

We describe three data-parallel implementations of the simplex method for dense linear programming problems. The first implementation uses a full tableau and the most-negative reduced cost pivot rule, the second uses a tableau and the steepest-edge pivot rule, and the third is a revised method with explicit inverse. All are implemented on a Connection Machine CM-2 massively parallel computer system, using a variant of Fortran 90. Using special data structures called stripe arrays, we produce efficient implementations. We compare the implementations to one another and to MINOS 5.4 on a Sun workstation. Test problems are from NETLIB, supplemented by a few additional, genuinely dense models from real applications. An appendix also gives recent results on the Connection Machine CM-5.

INFORMS Journal on Computing, ISSN 1091-9856, was published as ORSA Journal on Computing from 1989 to 1995 under ISSN 0899-1499.
Old Bachelor Acceptance: A New Class of Non-Monotone Threshold Accepting Methods
Authors: Hu T. C. , Kahng Andrew B. , Tsao Chung-Wen Albert
Published: October 2008

Stochastic hill-climbing algorithms, particularly simulated annealing (SA) and threshold acceptance (TA), have become very popular for global optimization applications. Typical implementations of SA or TA use monotone temperature or threshold schedules, and are not formulated to accommodate practical time limits. We present a new threshold acceptance strategy called Old Bachelor Acceptance (OBA), which has three distinguishing features: (i) it is specifically motivated by the practical requirement of optimization within a prescribed time bound, (ii) the threshold schedule is self-tuning, and (iii) the threshold schedule is non-monotone, with threshold values even allowed to become negative. The standard implementation of the TA method of Dueck and Scheuer is a special case of OBA. Experiments using several classes of symmetric traveling salesman problem instances show that OBA can outperform previous hill-climbing methods for time-critical optimizations. A number of directions for future work are suggested.

INFORMS Journal on Computing, ISSN 1091-9856, was published as ORSA Journal on Computing from 1989 to 1995 under ISSN 0899-1499.
Solving a Class Scheduling Problem with a Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Herrmann Jeffrey W. , Lee Chung-Yee
Published: October 2008

In this paper, we study the one-machine scheduling problem of minimizing the total flowtime subject to the constraint that each job must finish before its deadline, where the jobs to be scheduled fall into different job classes and setups occur whenever the machine processes consecutive jobs from different classes. A new heuristic is proposed for the problem. We investigate the use of a genetic algorithm to improve solution quality by adjusting the inputs of the heuristic. We present experimental results that show that the use of such a search can be successful.

INFORMS Journal on Computing, ISSN 1091-9856, was published as ORSA Journal on Computing from 1989 to 1995 under ISSN 0899-1499.
Ghost Image Processing for Minimum Covariance Determinants
Authors: Woodruff David L.
Published: October 2008

In this paper we describe a ghost image processing (see Glover [Glover, F. 1994. Optimization by Ghost image processing in neural networks. Comput. Oper. Res. 21(8) 801–822.] application to the problem of finding the minimum covariance determinant (MCD) estimator of multi-variate shape and location (see Rousseeuw [Rousseeuw, P. J. 1985. Multivariate estimation with high breakdown point. W. Grossman, G. Pflug, I. Vincze, W. Werz, eds. Mathematical Statistics and Applications, Vol. B. Dordrecht, Reidel.]). The MCD is resistant to contamination and has other desirable statistical properties but is difficult to compute. Ghost image processing offers an opportunity to make use of knowledge of the form of solutions when constructing algorithms to solve hard combinatorial optimization problems. Experimental results and comparisons with steepest descent lend additional insights.

INFORMS Journal on Computing, ISSN 1091-9856, was published as ORSA Journal on Computing from 1989 to 1995 under ISSN 0899-1499.
Commentary—On Experimental Methods for Algorithm Simulation
Authors: Orlin James B.
Published: October 2008

This is a commentary to the McGeoch's feature article. It focuses on a few aspects of the feature article, primarily from the background of computational tests on network optimization algorithms and on combinatorial optimization algorithms.
Computation of Derivatives by Means of the Power-Series Algorithm
Authors: Blanc J. P. C. , Van der Mei R. D.
Published: October 2008

The power-series algorithm (PSA) is a flexible tool for computing performance measures for moderately-sized queueing systems for which the underlying process has a multidimensional quasi birth-and-death structure. In the present paper the PSA is extended to the computation of derivatives of system performance measures with respect to a general class of system parameters. This extension is useful for analyzing the sensitivity of the system performance with respect to the system parameters and for solving a wide variety of optimization problems in queueing systems.
Localizing and Diagnosing Infeasibilities in Networks
Authors: Chinneck John W.
Published: October 2008

Network models are among the largest linear programs solved, but formulation can be a bottleneck. Errors may be introduced during formulation, reformulation, or when combining several smaller models into one large model (as is often done in econometrics). Simply knowing that the model is infeasible is not enough: where there are many nodes and arcs, the modeler needs guidance as to where repairs are needed (localization), and some indication of the cause of the error (diagnosis). The state of the art flow balancing methods for analyzing infeasible networks simply do not provide enough localization or diagnosis, and in addition cannot operate on advanced netforms. The paper presents an infeasibility analysis procedure for all classes of network models that localizes the error to a minimal causative set of nodes, arcs, and constraints, and provides a basic diagnosis. The procedure builds on previous work[3, 5, 6] but tunes the methods for the special case of networks. Examples are given, using solutions provided by PROFLOW, software for the formulation, analysis and solution of network models.
A Self-Organizing Approach to Managerial Nonlinear Discriminant Analysis: A Hybrid Method of Linear Discriminant Analysis and Neural Networks
Authors: Wang Shouhong
Published: October 2008

Due to their adaptive nature neural network models are used widely in classification or discriminant analysis. However, the results of classification from a simple neural network are often unpredictable. This research suggests the combination of the self-organizing feature maps with the linear discriminant analysis method. When the training sample set is pre-processed by a linear classification function, the self-organizing feature maps can be used to detect clusters of misclassifications when they exist. This technique is useful in those managerial classification problems where it is not appropriate to make any assumptions about the properties of the statistical data to be classified.
Constraint Propagation Based Scheduling of Job Shops
Authors: Pesch Erwin , Tetzlaff Ulrich A. W.
Published: October 2008

This paper examines the minimum makespan problem for the job shop from an artificial intelligence point of view. A new solution procedure is presented which combines general learning strategies with special purpose heuristics, i.e., a constraint propagation based procedure is used and by decomposing the whole problem into single machine problems, problem specific knowledge is introduced. Fundamental for this approach is the equivalency between the constraint and the disjunctive graph. Presented comprehensive computational tests show high quality partial solutions, substantially accelerated exact methods, and a gain of deeper insight into the nature of the underlying problem instances. For example, the propagation and decomposition techniques reveal the particular structure underlying the well-known Fisher and Thompson 10 × 10 problem and thus provide an explanation for why this problem was intractable for such a long time.
The Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows Part I: Tabu Search
Authors: Potvin Jean-Yves , Kervahut Tanguy , Garcia Bruno-Laurent , Rousseau Jean-Marc
Published: October 2008

This paper describes a tabu search heuristic for the vehicle routing problem with time windows. The tabu search is based on specialized local search heuristics that maintain the feasibility of the solution at all time. Computational results on a standard set of test problems are reported, as well as comparisons with other heuristics.
The Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows Part II: Genetic Search
Authors: Potvin Jean-Yves , Bengio Samy
Published: October 2008

This paper is the second part of a work on the application of new search techniques for the vehicle routing problem with time windows. It describes GENEROUS, the GENEtic ROUting System, which is based on the natural evolution paradigm. Under this paradigm, a population of solutions evolves from one generation to the next by “mating” parent solutions to form new offspring solutions that exhibit characteristics inherited from their parents. For this vehicle routing application, a specialized methodology is devised for merging two vehicle routing solutions into a single solution that is likely to be feasible with respect to the time window constraints. Computational results on a standard set of test problems are reported, and comparisons are provided with other heuristics.
Adaptive Penalty Methods for Genetic Optimization of Constrained Combinatorial Problems
Authors: Coit David W. , Smith Alice E. , Tate David M.
Published: October 2008

The application of genetic algorithms (GA) to constrained optimization problems has been hindered by the inefficiencies of reproduction and mutation when feasibility of generated solutions is impossible to guarantee and feasible solutions are very difficult to find. Although several authors have suggested the use of both static and dynamic penalty functions for genetic search, this paper presents a general adaptive penalty technique which makes use of feedback obtained during the search along with a dynamic distance metric. The effectiveness of this method is illustrated on two diverse combinatorial applications: (1) the unequal-area, shape-constrained facility layout problem and (2) the series-parallel redundancy allocation problem to maximize system reliability given cost and weight constraints. The adaptive penalty function is shown to be robust with regard to random number seed, parameter settings, number and degree of constraints, and problem instance.
On the Two-Level Uncapacitated Facility Location Problem
Authors: Aardal Karen , Labbé Martine , Leung Janny , Queyranne Maurice
Published: October 2008

We study the two-level uncapacitated facility location (TUFL) problem. Given two types of facilities, which we call y-facilities and z-facilities, the problem is to decide which facilities of both types to open, and to which pair of y- and z-facilities each client should be assigned, in order to satisfy the demand at maximum profit. We first present two multi-commodity flow formulations of TUFL and investigate the relationship between these formulations and similar formulations of the one-level uncapacitated facility location (UFL) problem. In particular, we show that all nontrivial facets for UFL define facets for the two-level problem, and derive conditions when facets of TUFL are also facets for UFL. For both formulations of TUFL, we introduce new families of facets and valid inequalities and discuss the associated separation problems. We also characterize the extreme points of the LP-relaxation of the first formulation. While the LP-relaxation of a multi-commodity formulation provides good bounds in general, the number of variables and constraints grows rapidly with the size of the problem instance. An alternative model of TUFL is a single-commodity fixed-charge network flow problem. Rardin and Wolsey showed that by projecting a so-called multi-commodity extended formulation of fixed-charge network flow problems onto the space of flow variables used in the weaker flow formulation, a broad class of valid inequalities can be obtained. We discuss a subclass of these inequalities for TUFL that seems particularly useful for computational purposes.
Quad-Trees and Linear Lists for Identifying Nondominated Criterion Vectors
Authors: Sun Minghe , Steuer Ralph E.
Published: October 2008

In this paper we address the problem of identifying all nondominated criterion vectors in large, finite sets of criterion vectors. Two methods, quad-trees and linear lists, are studied in detail. In discussing the methods, a complete algorithmic description of the quad-tree approach, which builds upon the description given by Habenicht (W. Habenicht, ENUQUAD, an interactive DSS-tool for discrete vector optimization problems, M. Cerny, D. Glückaufova, D. Loula, eds. Multicriteria Decision Making: Methods–Algorithms–Applications, Institute of Economics, Prague, pp. 66–81, 1992.), is specified and computational results are reported. The results show that the quad-tree approach is faster than the linear list approach on problems with large sets of criterion vectors that have more than 2, but fewer than 8, objectives. Also, in general, the larger the proportion of vectors that are nondominated in the set of criterion vectors, the more effective the quad-tree approach.
On the Use of the Power Series Algorithm for General Markov Processes, with an Application to a Petri Net
Authors: Koole Ger
Published: October 2008

The power series algorithm has been developed as numerical procedure for solving queueing models. This paper shows that it can be used for each Markov process with a single recurrent class. This applies in particular to finite state processes, which is illustrated with the analysis of a bounded stochastic Petri net model.
Presolve Analysis of Linear Programs Prior to Applying an Interior Point Method
Authors: Gondzio Jacek
Published: October 2008

Several issues concerning an analysis of large and sparse linear programming problems prior to solving them with an interior point based optimizer are addressed in this paper. Three types of presolve procedures are distinguished. Routines from the first class repeatedly analyze an LP problem formulation: eliminate empty or singleton rows and columns, look for primal and dual forcing or dominated constraints, tighten bounds for variables and shadow prices or just the opposite, relax them to find implied free variables. The second type of analysis aims at reducing a fill-in of the Cholesky factor of the normal equations matrix used to compute orthogonal projections and includes a heuristic for increasing the sparsity of the LP constraint matrix and a technique of splitting dense columns in it. Finally, routines from the third class detect, and remove, different linear dependecies of rows and columns in a constraint matrix. Computational results on problems from the Netlib collection, including some recently added infeasible ones, are given.
State-of-the-Art-Survey—Stochastic Programming: Computation and Applications
Authors: Birge John R.
Published: October 2008

Although decisions frequently have uncertain consequences, optimal-decision models often replace those uncertainties with averages or best estimates. Limited computational capability may have motivated this practice in the past. Recent computational advances have, however, greatly expanded the range of optimal-decision models with explicit consideration of uncertainties. This article describes the basic methodology for these stochastic programming models, recent developments in computation, and several practical applications.
Probabilistic Scaling for the Numerical Inversion of Nonprobability Transforms
Authors: Choudhury Gagan L. , Whitt Ward
Published: October 2008

It is known that probability density functions and probability mass functions usually can be calculated quite easily by numerically inverting their transforms (Laplace transforms and generating functions, respectively) with the Fourier-series method. Other more general functions can be substantially more difficult to invert, because the aliasing and roundoff errors tend to be more difficult to control. In this article we propose a simple new scaling procedure for nonprobability functions that is based on transforming the given function into a probability density function or a probability mass function and transforming the point of inversion to the mean. This new scaling is even useful for probability functions, because it enables us to compute very small values at large arguments with controlled relative error.
An Automatic Approach to Deadlock Detection and Resolution in Discrete Simulation Systems
Authors: Deuermeyer Bryan L. , Curry Guy L. , Duchowski Andrew T. , Venkatesh Srilakshmi
Published: October 2008

In this article we develop an automatic deadlock detection scheme for general purpose simulation systems and offer deadlock-resolution algorithms for grouped resources and overlapping resources. Our intent is to provide capabilities that can be incorporated in professional simulation systems to facilitate modeling situations where deadlocking is a problem. Two general modeling situations are analyzed. In grouped-resources models, a set of resources is required to complete a task, whereas in overlapping-resources models, movement to the next process requires first gaining control of the next resource. Deadlocks occurring in these two different situations require different resolution algorithms. We develop a graph-theoretic description of the simulation over time and define deadlocks in terms of strongly connected components of this graph. We make a distinction between transient deadlocks and permanent deadlocks. A prototype implementation of the detection and resolution algorithms was incorporated in a simulation system to provide information concerning the computational requirements and performance of these algorithms. We demonstrate that resolving a possible transient deadlock before it becomes permanent is worthwhile in conjunction with overlapping resources, and that the computational performance of the approach is reasonable except for situations with frequent occurrences of overlapping-resources deadlocks.
An Implementation of the Lattice and Spectral Tests for Multiple Recursive Linear Random Number Generators
Authors: L'Ecuyer Pierre , Couture Raymond
Published: October 2008

We discuss the implementation of theoretical tests to assess the structural properties of simple or combined linear congruential and multiple recursive random number generators. In particular, we describe a package implementing the so-called spectral and lattice tests for such generators. Our programs analyze the lattices generated by vectors of successive or nonsuccessive values produced by the generator, analyze the behavior of generators in high dimensions, and deal with moduli of practically unlimited sizes. We give numerical illustrations. We also explain how to build lattice bases in several different cases, e.g., for vectors of far-apart nonsuccessive values, or for sublattices generated by the set of periodic states or by a subcycle of a generator, and, for all these cases, how to increase the dimension of a (perhaps partially reduced) basis.
Estimating Waiting Times from Transactional Data
Authors: Daley D. J. , Servi L. D.
Published: October 2008

Given transactional data consisting of service starting and finishing times in a queuing system with a Poisson arrival process and service in order of arrival, the distributions and moments of waiting times W1, …, WN, of customers within a busy period of length N are computed efficiently by exploiting an embedded Markov chain. All first moments E(Wk ∣ data from busy period of length N) are computed in O(N3) multiplications; finding the distributions of all Wk on a set of n prespecified times requires O(nN3) multiplications; finding all rth order moments needs O(rN4) multiplications. The algorithms described are all new, as fast or faster than all known algorithms, and address a broader range of performance measures than the extant literature.
Commentary—Genetic Algorithms: A Practitioner's View
Authors: Levine David
Published: October 2008

The feature article by Colin Reeves provides a useful introduction to genetic algorithms (GAs) for the operations researcher. In this commentary, I will elaborate on several of Reeves' points and introduce some others. My experience with GAs is as a practitioner and software developer, and it is from this perspective that I will comment on Reeves' article.
Rejoinder—Genetic Algorithms: No Panacea, but a Valuable Tool for the Operations Researcher
Authors: Reeves Colin R.
Published: October 2008

When I was invited to contribute this feature article, I did not realize quite how much work I was taking on! Thus, I am naturally pleased that the commentators all found something useful and interesting as a result of my labors, and I would like to thank them for their comments. There is a clear common thread running through the remarks of all of them—the question of how to decide what genetic algorithms (GAs) can do, or alternatively, the related question of how to make them do it better. Focusing on this question was one of my aims in writing the feature article, so the way they have picked this up and added their own insights is very helpful.
A Finite Capacity Queue with Nonrenewal Input and Exponential Dynamic Group Services
Authors: Chakravarthy Srinivas R. , Bin Lan
Published: October 2008

In this article we consider a finite capacity queuing model in which jobs (or customers) arrive according to a nonrenewal process. The jobs are processed by a single server in groups of varying size, between a predetermined threshold value and the buffer size. A dynamic probability rule is associated with the service mechanism. The services are assumed to be exponential whose parameter may depend on the group size. The steady-state analysis of this queuing model is performed using Markov chain theory. It is shown that the idle period of the server and the stationary waiting time of an admitted job are of phase type and that the departure process can be modeled using a versatile Markovian point process. Efficient algorithms for computing various performance measures such as throughput, mean number served, job overflow probability, server idle probability, the stationary mean waiting time, and the stationary mean idle time of the server, useful in qualitative and quantitative interpretations are developed. Some illustrative numerical examples are discussed.
A Generalized Univariate Change-of-Variable Transformation Technique
Authors: Glen Andrew G. , Leemis Lawrence M. , Drew John H.
Published: October 2008

We present a generalized version of the univariate change-of-variable technique for transforming continuous random variables. Extending a theorem from Casella and Berger [1990. Statistical Inference, Wadsworth and Brooks/Cole, Inc., Pacific Grove, CA] for many-to-1 transformations, we consider more general univariate transformations. Specifically, the transformation can range from 1-to-1 to many-to-1 on various subsets of the support of the random variable of interest. We also present an implementation of the theorem in a computer algebra system that automates the technique. Some examples demonstrate the theorem's application.
An Implementation of the Batch Means Method
Authors: Fishman George S. , Yarberry L. Stephen
Published: October 2008

This article introduces the LBATCH and ABATCH rules for applying the batch means method to analyze output of Monte Carlo and, in particular, discrete-event simulation experiments. Sufficient conditions are given for these rules to produce strongly consistent estimators of the variance of the sample mean and asymptotically valid confidence intervals for the mean. The article studies the performance of these rules and two others suggested in the literature, comparing confidence interval coverage rates and mean half-lengths. The article also gives detailed algorithms for implementing the rules in O(t) time with O(log2 t) space. FORTRAN, C, and SIMSCRIPT II.5 implementations of the procedures are available by anonymous file transfer protocol.
A Parametric Optimization Method for Machine Learning
Authors: Bennett Kristin P. , Bredensteiner Erin J.
Published: October 2008

The classification problem of constructing a plane to separate the members of two sets can be formulated as a parametric bilinear program. This approach was originally created to minimize the number of points misclassified. However, a novel interpretation of the algorithm is that the subproblems represent alternative error functions of the misclassified points. Each subproblem identifies a specified number of outliers and minimizes the magnitude of the errors on the remaining points. A tuning set is used to select the best result among the subproblems. A parametric Frank-Wolfe method was used to solve the bilinear subproblems. Computational results on a number of datasets indicate that the results compare very favorably with linear programming and heuristic search approaches. The algorithm can be used as part of a decision tree algorithm to create nonlinear classifiers.
A Tabu-Search Heuristic for the Dynamic Plant Layout Problem
Authors: Kaku Bharat K. , Mazzola Joseph B.
Published: October 2008

We consider the dynamic plant layout problem (DPLP) in which the layout of a facility must be determined in each period of a finite planning horizon. We begin by reviewing the literature on DPLP, discussing various formulations of the problem which have appeared in the literature, as well as a number of exact and heuristic solution procedures which have been proposed for DPLP. We then define a tabu-search heuristic (TSH) for DPLP. The TSH employs short-term and longer-term memory features such as the use of an aspiration criterion, dynamic tabu list strategies, and other strategies for search intensification and diversification. Computational experience with the heuristic on a set of test problems appearing in the literature is reported. The TSH is seen to be extremely effective in obtaining high-quality solutions to the test problems. The TSH procedure produces new best-known solutions for over one-third of the test problems.
Adding Value to Induced Decision Trees for Time-Sensitive Data
Authors: Murphy Catherine K. , Benaroch Michel
Published: October 2008

Rule induction serves as an alternative knowledge acquisition method in the development of expert systems. This research presents ways to increase the information in induced decision trees, which convert to rules. Common rule induction methods do not organize data by time; however, time is a factor in many common induction applications, such as bankruptcy prediction and credit evaluation. Utilizing the time sequences in data can result in a more valuable decision support tool. This article extends rule induction algorithms to handle such data. It also illustrates the value of staged induction for a new real-world application: predicting hospital patients' length of stay. In the hospital application, the goal is to identify, as early as possible, patients likely to have an excessive length of stay, based on data gathered at admission and data that arrives gradually during the hospitalization period. In the context of this application, this article attempts to resolve conflicting results in the literature in two areas: 1) selecting attributes by the improvement in classification cost which they produce, and 2) stopping versus pruning in tree development. One conclusion is that selection and pruning by cost do not increase the average value of induced trees in this application.
An Integrated Modeling System for Structured Modeling Using Model Graphs
Authors: Chari Kaushal , Sen Tarun K.
Published: October 2008

This article presents a graph-based modeling system for structured modeling that supports model formulation, maintenance, and solution. The graph-based modeling system for structured modeling uses directed acyclic graphs called model graphs to represent models in various domains including mathematical programming, databases, and artificial intelligence. These graphs are modular and are synthesized using well-defined graphical constructs. The constructs have associated model expressions specified in a computer-executable language called Model Expression Language. The graphical constructs enable the system to automatically create model expressions and facilitate syntax-directed editing.
A Depth-First Dynamic Programming Algorithm for the Tree Knapsack Problem
Authors: Cho Geon , Shaw Dong X.
Published: October 2008

The Tree Knapsack Problem (TKP) can be regarded as a 0–1 knapsack problem on a rooted tree T such that if a node is selected into a knapsack, then all nodes on the path from the selected node to the root node must also be selected into the knapsack. In this paper, we develop a pseudopolynomial-time algorithm for TKP, the depth-first dynamic programming algorithm. We prove that a TKP can be solved by our algorithm in θ(nH) time, where n is the number of nodes in T and H is the given capacity. We also report the computational results of the depth-first dynamic programming algorithm.
The Management of Conferences
Authors: Andreasen Alan R. , Haines George H.
Published: October 2008

As the range and sophistication of formal tools for the analysis and solution of management problems grow, so does the number of conferences organized to acquaint the masses with the new technology. Indeed, the number of invitations to conferences reaching a typical management scientist probably far exceeds the days available for his attendance. Yet despite their burgeoning character, their concern with problems of management, their direction by academics and professional managers, and their organization and operation by management scientists, such conferences seldom seem to be the beneficiaries of the new scientific management techniques with which they are concerned.
Frontiers of Management Science
Authors: Ackoff Russell L.
Published: October 2008

An essay about frontiers of management science presented in the form of an interview with Russell L. Ackoff.
Marketing Science—Market Segmentation vs. Segmented Marketing
Authors: Longman Kenneth A.
Published: October 2008

It is useful, every now and then, to think about the variety of ways we try to segment markets. Consider the analytical groups of general market surveys: current users, past users, heavy users, light users, luxury brand users, economy brand users, brand loyal users, brand switchers, those who never used, etc. Every one of those analytical groups defines a market segment, but we're not often happy to leave things so coarsely segmented. No, we go on to check each analytical group on how it intersects with a lot of other segments. Not only do we check how one kind of analytical group intersects with another (e.g., heavy users by past users), but we usually think up some more segments to relate to the analytical groups. For instance, most large surveys relate demographic segmentation to the groups. Many use “psycho-graphic” measures like “venturesomeness” or “hypochondriasis.” Some use very sophisticated techniques of multi-dimensional scaling to derive complexly defined but highly discriminating market segments to be checked out against all the other ways of segmenting.
Information Systems in Management Science—The Role of Management Science
Authors: Stern Harry
Published: October 2008

Mathematical optimization is a collection of techniques for finding the highest ground in a well-defined region. There are a number of good computer systems available for linear programming, as well as integer, mixed-integer, and nonlinear programming. Furthermore, there are simulation languages which allow the user to search a region for near-optimal solutions. Although these techniques are valuable, I feel that no matter how interesting they prove to be, they are less important than techniques for defining the regions of interest. By techniques of definition, I mean those techniques such as writing scenarios, “brain-storming,” or decision theory, which encourage the problem solver to provide the decision maker with alternative solutions rather than a simple optimal solution. Because of their importance to management, I feel that they deserve a great deal more attention than they have gotten.
Operations Research in China
Authors: Lasdon Leon S.
Published: October 2008

This paper contains information obtained during a two-week tour of China beginning December 25, 1978, sponsored jointly by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Academia Sinica) and the U.S. Office of Naval Research. The presentation is chronological, representing my recollections of each day's events. Any inaccuracies are due entirely to me. For those seeking additional information, a few addresses are provided in Appendix A.
On-Line Scheduling in the Production Environment: Part I. An “Unsuccessful” Case History
Authors: Hodgson Thom J.
Published: October 2008

A case history is presented from a 7,000 employee automotive transmission plant. It concerns a large transfer line department which could be viewed as a single machine production system with sequence-dependent setups. The objective is to identify those elements that are necessary for success in implementing on-line systems with operating personnel in a production environment. This case is the first of a two-part series; Part II will detail a successful implementation.
Shift Scheduling in Banking Operations: A Case Application
Authors: Krajewski L. J. , Ritzman L. P. , McKenzie Phil
Published: October 2008

The timely processing of checks in large banks is critical to reducing float costs which, in many cases, total thousands of dollars per day. One of the steps in check processing is encoding where the dollar amount is imprinted in magnetic ink at the bottom of each check. Unencoded check arrival volumes exhibit substantial hourly and daily variability. This paper describes an encoder scheduling system and the problems of implementation at a large bank. Documented annual savings and other qualitative benefits are also presented.
Optimizing Transportation Service for Oil Exploration
Authors: Mortagy Amr K. , Eleithy Said A.
Published: October 2008

Onshore or land-type drilling rigs used for oil exploration in remote desert areas, commonly found in the Middle East, require an adequate system of transportation. Trucks are needed to transport the rig itself, accessory camp facilities, and material and equipment for the drilling operations. A trucking program has to be worked out which allows for no shutdown of operation. At the same time transportation cost should be kept at a minimum.

This paper deals with such a situation by identifying the various factors affecting the transportation service, with special emphasis on those under the direct control of the transportation manager. It then provides an analytical approach and a simplified technique that can be easily pursued by the transportation manager in order to provide the number of trucks resulting in minimum cost and with no shutdown or standby rig time.
Corporate Use of Sophisticated Capital Budgeting Techniques: A Strategic Perspective and a Critique of Survey Results
Authors: Aggarwal Raj
Published: October 2008

Rosenblatt and Jucker [Rosenblatt, M. J., J. V. Jucker. 1979. Capital expenditure decision making: Some tools and trends. Interfaces 9 (2, February).] and Rappaport [Rappaport, Allen. 1979. A critique of capital budgeting questionnaires. Interfaces 9 (3, May).] in papers published recently in this journal have been engaged in a debate about the extent of the usage of sophisticated capital budgeting techniques in general and more specifically about the extent of the usage of discounted cash flow (DCF) techniques. Rosenblatt and Jucker contend that the use of DCF techniques has been increasing as indicated by the results of 10 surveys during the period 1955 to 1975. Rappaport contends, however, that since the surveys cited are not comparable we cannot say with any certainty that the use of DCF techniques is increasing. I have followed this debate with much interest. As an academic I have been teaching the topic to future business graduates with a firm conviction that the use of DCF rates by most business organizations is necessary and inevitable. As a consultant I just finished a major review of worldwide capital budgeting and strategic planning systems for a Fortune 100 company, in addition to having worked with a number of other major corporations in this area in the past. Unfortunately, the debate thus far has been deficient or incomplete regarding a number of aspects. I hope that this note will contribute towards a more complete understanding of the topic.
Bus Scheduling Revisited: The Monongalia County Experience
Authors: Gochenour Donald L. , Fisher Edward L. , Byrd Jack
Published: October 2008

The Monongalia County (West Virginia) School Board initiated a study during 1977–78 to develop a county-wide school bus transportation schedule. During the 11-month study a complete array of school interest groups was involved to help ensure wide public acceptance of the recommendations presented to the board. Implementation of these recommendations by the county superintendent's office resulted in a 38% reduction in early arrival of busses and a 62% reduction in late departure. Significant improvements were also made in reducing overcrowded conditions on busses. Periodic auditing of the bus schedule by bus drivers and school principals has been established to monitor the performance of the system.
Unintelligible Management Research and Academic Prestige
Authors: Armstrong J. Scott
Published: October 2008

Modest support was found for the “Dr. Fox phenomenon”: Management scientists gain prestige by unintelligible writing. A positive correlation (+0.7) was found between the prestige of 10 management journals and their “fog indices” (reading difficulty). Furthermore, 32 faculty members were asked to rate the prestige of four passages from management journals. The content of the passages was held constant while readability was varied. Those passages that were more difficult to read were rated higher in research competence.
A Decision Analysis of the Airline Coupon Strategy
Authors: Digman Lester A.
Published: October 2008

An analysis of the airline coupon strategy that United Airlines used to regain its customers after their two-month strike ended in late May 1979.
Minimum Cost Fleet Sizing for a University Motor Pool
Authors: Williams William W. , Fowler Oscar S.
Published: October 2008

Many diverse types of organizations, including public agencies, own fleets of vehicles to service work-related travel by employees. The University of Tennessee system operates such a fleet to facilitate the institutional travel requirements of administration, faculty, staff, and students. Nearly 900 vehicles of various types are located at the Knoxville campus to provide this service. Although the majority of these vehicles are permanently or semipermanently dedicated to specific functions (e.g., maintenance, safety and security, utilities, etc.) a large number are maintained on a demand basis to support University travel to off-campus meetings, field projects, and the like. As of 1976, the demand or dispatch fleet consisted of 145 passenger vehicles. An cost/effectiveness analysis of the motor pool's operations, with a specific focus on the size and composition of the dispatch fleet is presented.
European Notes: A Continental “OR Roundup”
Authors: Machol Robert E.
Published: October 2008

An overview of the state of OR in Greece and Egypt and a report on OR education in England.
Taking the Classroom into Reality: A Field Consulting Experience for MBA's
Authors: Giauque William C.
Published: October 2008

A course in field consulting was developed and run for MBA students at Brigham Young University. Seven companies sponsored consulting projects for six student teams in a variety of applied areas. Results were outstandingly good. In this paper, sponsor identification and solicitation are discussed, project administration outlined, and results summarized.
An Application of ABC Analysis to Control Imported Material
Authors: Canen Alberto Gabbay , Galvão Roberto D.
Published: October 2008

Successful operation of a manufacturing firm depends to a large extent on an adequate inventory balance of raw materials and components. Excess inventory means a high amount of tied-up capital; a low inventory can produce interruption in the production flow. Appropriate inventory levels become even more crucial when part of the material is imported. Long lead times add to the uncertainty of demand between replenishments; in addition, import restriction laws issued by foreign countries where affiliates of multinational companies are located must also be taken into consideration. This paper describes financial difficulty for one of the Brazilian affiliates of a USA-based company because of mandatory bank deposits highly devalued by inflation. An ABC analysis provided a good insight into the situation and enabled a considerable improvement in the company's performance.
The Birth, Maturation, and Death of Management Science in an Advertising Agency
Authors: Young Lawrence F.
Published: October 2008

The story about author's involvement with an attempt to apply OR/MS methods in the systems development department of a major US advertising agency in the mid-60s.
Quick and Clean: An Aspect of the IE/OR Interface
Authors: Luken Timothy P. , Otten Antoine , Haugen Pamela S.
Published: October 2008

By most of the common definitions of the fields, a close bond and overlap already exist between Operations Research and Industrial Engineering; and while they remain separate disciplines, the interface between them is a broad one. In particular, at the Weyerhaeuser Company, there exist groups in the Research and Development area in which a concentration of Operations Research skills is found. The principal author and one of the co-authors are members of such a group. Merchandising and Stem Processing. The results of this research are implemented at the various wood processing sites, each of which generally retains an industrial engineering staff. The other co-author is the Industrial Engineer at one of these sites, the mill site at Cottage Grove, Oregon.
Reducing Voter Waiting Time
Authors: Grant Floyd H.
Published: October 2008

Excessive voter waiting time is widely accepted to be a deterrent to voter turnout at elections. This paper describes a procedure for reducing voter waiting lime at the polls. While the underlying model employs a joint use of queueing theory and simulation, the procedure is a cookbook-like methodology, to be used by the typically nontechnical election official, making complex modeling details transparent to him. This paper describes important aspects of model development and provides an illustration of the use of the methodology.
From Teaching to Implementing Inventory Management: Problems of Translation
Authors: Zanakis Stelios H. , Austin Larry M. , Nowading David C. , Silver Edward A.
Published: October 2008

This article addresses the problems, difficulties, pitfalls, and drawbacks in inventory management, from teaching and research in academia to applying, installing, and successfully using inventory systems in practice. Some guidelines and suggestions are offered to students, teachers, analysts, users and managers of inventory systems. Several of these guidelines are not uniquely associated with inventory management but apply equally well to the entire OR/MS area. This article is to some extent based on the discussions of a symposium with the same title that the authors organized and participated in during the 11th National Meeting of the American Institute for Decision Sciences, New Orleans, November 1979.
Naval Ship Production: A Claim Settled and a Framework Built
Authors: Cooper Kenneth G.
Published: October 2008

Program overruns, contract disputes, and legal confrontation between defense contractors and the government escalated seriously over the 1970's. The author led the development and application of a computer simulation model to resolve a $500 million shipbuilder claim against the US Navy. By using the model to diagnose the causes of cost and schedule overruns on two multibillion-dollar shipbuilding programs. Ingalls Shipbuilding quantified the costs of disruption stemming from Navy-responsible delays and design changes; in June 1978, the Navy agreed out of court to pay $447 million of the claim. Use of the model (which was the basis for at least $200–300 million of the settlement) broke new legal ground, providing the defense and legal communities with a means by which adversary relationships can be avoided and equitable settlements of contract cost disputes achieved.

Ingalls Shipbuilding (a division of Litton Industries, Inc.) now has extended the model to aid strategic decision making in managing its shipyard operations. Each phase of several shipbuilding programs—acquisition and utilization of manpower, scheduling and performance of work, and managerial decisions throughout the program—can be accurately simulated. Executives find it valuable as a test bed for evaluating the consequences of alternative policies in bidding and marketing, contract management, program work scheduling, resource management, and cost forecasting. Also, it provides a needed technique in the avoidance of contractor claims.