bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Management Science Implementation: Experiences of a Practicing O.R. Manager
Authors: Gupta Jatinder N. D.
Published: October 2008

This paper is a commentary on the experiences of a practicing OR manager involved in the application of management science in a large public enterprise. These experiences show that implementation is not the aftermath of a scientific investigation; it is an integral part of the problem solving and system design process. Through the analysis of several practical difficulties encountered in the OR/MS application, an implementation strategy is suggested which proposes re-examination of the optimality concept and the interdisciplinary teamwork approach to OR/MS implementation.
Information Systems in Management Science—Operations Research, Management Science and Information Systems
Authors: Vazsonyi Andrew
Published: October 2008

An overview of goals and policies of the column and what would be desirable to see in Interfaces and in our society. Listed are axioms and postulates, strategic objectives, tactical objectives, and a call for contributions.
The Network Television Game: There May be No Best Schedule
Authors: Brams Steven J.
Published: October 2008

The network television game involves three players, with each player trying to maximize his share of the market. An example is developed that illustrates how game theory can be applied to determine optimal competitive choices, given the players in the game are “sophisticated.” These optimal choices may involve strategies that do not lead to a player's best possible outcome.
The Fifth Column—How to Succeed as an Internal Consultant or It's Not How that Matters, But When!
Authors: Woolsey Gene
Published: October 2008

An essay about various internal bureaucratic obstacles to an OR/MS group in resolving real-life problems for a customer.
Decision Theory and the Innkeeper: An Approach for Setting Hotel Reservation Policy
Authors: Williams Fred E.
Published: October 2008

Hotel room demand stems from three sources: stayovers, reservations, and walk-ins. These demands are random, but the reservations demand can be partially controlled by varying the number of reservations accepted. An approach for setting reservation policies is developed and illustrated. Three choice criteria are suggested.
Protecting the Ozone Layer in the Face of Uncertainty
Authors: Greenstone Reynold
Published: October 2008

It has been predicted by numerous scientists that exhaust pollutants from large fleets of aircraft flying in the stratosphere will lead to diminution of stratospheric ozone leading in turn to increases in ultraviolet radiation reaching the ground and thence to increases in human skin cancer. Each step in the chain, from determining the amount of emissions to determining the net change in skin cancer, is accompanied by significant uncertainties. Acknowledging these uncertainties, what steps may reasonably be taken to avoid undue damage either to the environment or to the aviation industry?
A Referee's Report
Authors: Capen Ed
Published: October 2008

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review the author's paper on sealed bidding using chance-constrained programming. I also had a knowledgeable colleague. Mr. R. V. Clapp, look at the paper so that what I give you will be the consensus of our reviews. You may tell the authors anything which I tell you. This actual referee's report is published as an object lesson: good intentions and an algorithm do not necessarily make an application.
“Gallia Est Omnis Divisa in Partēs Trēs …”
Authors: Hesse Rick
Published: October 2008

Author's considerations about teaching calculus in business schools. An overview of failed attempts was given and a few recommendations for a completely new approach of teaching it to students of business are outlined.
Management Science Roundup
Authors: Bucatinsky Julio
Published: October 2008

—“Assessment of energy R&D programs for the Appalachian region”;

—“From Mexico: A wheat distribution model”;

—“Management science model used in Bell system corporate planning”;

—“News: Gravitational models in product distribution”;

—“News: Ship combat system”;

—“News: Medical treatment and evacuation”;

—“News: Police patrol operations”;

—“News: Pricing of products in the solar array manufacturing industry”;

—“Seen Elsewhere” with five overviews: (1) A Rachet Model of Advertising Carryover Effects (Journal of Marketing, February 1976, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 76–79) by Leonard J. Parsons (Claremont Graduate School); (2) Image inputs to a Probabilistic Model: Predicting Retail Potential (Journal of Marketing, July 1976, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 48–53) by Thomas J. Stanley and Murphy A. Sewall (State University of New York at Albany), (3) The State of Practice in Planning Systems (Sloan Management Review, Winter 1977, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 1–24) by H. Igor Ansoff (Vanderbilt University), (4) Production Performance and Customer Satisfaction: A New Concept (Journal of Marketing April 1976, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 11–16) by John E. Swan and Linda Jones Combs (University of Arkansas), (5) Articles from SIMSNIPS, February 1977 and May 1977: A Study of Buffer Management Policies for Data Management Systems, Simulating a Virtual Data Machine, Honeywell Time-Sharing System, Dynamics of a Crash Victim, Patient Admission as a Markov Decision Process, Gasoline-Consumption Model, Simulation of Alternate Pediatric Hospital Care Units, Volume III, Air Defense System, Dayton Aircraft Cabin Fire Model, Reference Scene, Growth, Water Planning, Wheat Yield, Undersea Oil Sites, Computer Workload, Airport Parking, Driver-Vehicle Behavior at an Intersection, Hotel Management, Fire Station Location.
Models with More than One Criterion-OR Why Not Build Implementation into the Model
Authors: Barton Richard F.
Published: October 2008

As OR/MS model builders seek to have their efforts influence actual decisions to a greater degree, hope may lie in the developing interest in models of problems including many goals and criteria. More goals usually mean more complex alternatives, especially when aspects of implementation are included. Models of these problems also become more complex, so complex that traditional optimization by selecting one best alternative from a set of mutually exclusive alternatives is simply impossible due to lack of a single supercriterion as well as to human mental capacity limitations.

In addition, lack of knowledge of the values appropriate to multiple goal problems—values that would help resolve conflict among goals by means of a model—suggests judgments of the constituent decision maker be included along with the model in the process of creating and evaluating alternatives as they are constructed by bits, pieces and parts. The result hopefully will reveal to the practicing decision maker what his workable alternatives really are because implementation is not only included but also evaluated.
Principles of Operations Research—2. The Pirandello Principle
Authors: Machol Robert
Published: October 2008

This is the second of a series of articles on principles of Operations Research. As the reader will note, these are somewhat different from similarly titled subjects in the usual textbooks.

The Pirandello Principle was named for Luigi Pirandello, 1867–1936, Italian novelist and dramatist. His philosophy, as espoused in numerous works, especially in “Right You Are If You Think You Are,” was that there is no absolute truth. In this particular drama, two protagonists who had drastically different interpretations of certain incidents agreed that, if they obtained certain additional information, they could resolve their differences. However, after the additional information was obtained, the situation remained as ambiguous as before; and so it remained as they gathered additional facts.
The Components of Information
Authors: Peterson Richard E.
Published: October 2008

The purpose of this paper is to lay out a quick and meaningful classification of information, useful to the operating manager. Information can be defined as everything that is communicated, but my focus is on that portion of information that has value for the businessman. It has been noted that presently over 25% of the GNP is absorbed in the production, processing and distribution of information (Salop, p. 240). The data for this paper, found in the appendix, consisted of a list of over 80 adjectives, describing various aspects of information. These were boiled down to ten key descriptors, which were in turn divided into two major divisions. The method used to boil the list down was, of course, a priori, or perhaps more accurately, eyeballing and, hopefully, meditation.
A Transport Planning Model for Primary Distribution
Authors: Westwood John B.
Published: October 2008

In this article, the author describes a multi-stage computer-based package for the analysis of distribution from central store to regional depots. Two possible modes of operation are outlined and the package's use as a test-bed for future operating scenarios is described. Two applications and a statement of the associated savings are included.
Behavioral Science—Measuring the Immeasurable or Credibility in the Public Sector
Authors: Wynne Bye
Published: October 2008

Saul Gass, writing as president of ORSA, identified a central concern for the OR/MS field. He referred to “the difficulties that have been encountered in developing and implementing decision and other models for the federal government.” His specific finding was that far less than half of the models (supported by the federal government and costing several hundreds of millions of dollars) were used in decision-making.

Gass next raised the related and more general problem, “what can the OR profession do to cause decision models to be more useful, more usable and of greater utility to the ultimate decision maker.” Then, in answer, he recommends a U. S. General Accounting Office publication which details a five-phase approach to model development. “These phases are: problem definition, preliminary design, detail design, evaluation, and maintenance.”
An Opinionated Essay on the Meaning of Implementation of OR/MS in the Public Sector
Authors: Woolsey Gene
Published: October 2008

A number of recent incidents in my tenure as editor prompts this essay. I have been having some real difficulties resolving the definition of implementation of OR/MS in the public sector. Rather, I am having problems with public-sector authors who choose to submit “applications” papers to Interfaces. The authors and I usually cannot agree on what the measure of implementation of public sector OR/MS ought to be. I will now give a few pungent examples of the kinds of papers I am getting.
The Fifth Column—A Case of Optimum Trucking or To Keep on Rising, Just Keep on Truckin'
Authors: Woolsey Gene
Published: October 2008

An essay about a food and beverage company and its less than perfectly organized ways of delivering the product to local stores.
An Investigation of Decision Rules for Thoroughbred Race Horse Wagering
Authors: Vergin Roger C.
Published: October 2008

As long as horses have raced, men have bet on the outcome. And, from the beginning of racing, some have sought means of outwitting other bettors and earning large profits from their bets. A large number and wide variety of books on handicapping horse races have been published. The authors almost invariably proclaim that following their suggested handicapping methods will lead to profits and often provide a series of simple rules or a “system” for beating the races.

Anecdotal evidence is normally provided in support of the systems, but little systematic analysis of the systems has been published. In this report, several such systems are evaluated, the apparently successful parts of the evaluated systems are then incorporated into a new betting system, and the new system is given an independent test on two sets of races at two different race tracks.
Strategies for a Publish or Perish World or Why Journals Are Unreadable
Authors: Remus William
Published: October 2008

To understand the articles which appear in professional journals, one must first understand the game that academics play to gain tenure and promotion. There usually are three criteria for gaining tenure and promotion: (a) Publications—this criterion is met by publishing articles in reputable journals. A reputable journal can be recognized by its academic orientation and tendencies toward mathematical obscurities, (b) Good Teaching—this criterion is met if the students do not physically throw the instructor out of the classroom (except in Sociology where this behavior may be considered as the students freeing themselves from a repressive society and hence a valuable outcome), (c) Community Service—this criterion is met by attending the department meetings. In heavily political departments, this criteria is met by not attending these meetings and avoiding political entanglements.

Thus, in the treacherous dog-eat-dog world of publishing, it is essential for the academician to understand how to be top dog if he wants to keep his job.

Many academicians fail to publish just because they do not know and/or use the time-honored success strategies for publishing. This no-holds-barred paper reveals these strategies and evaluates their effectiveness. Although the paper is addressed to the needs of the academician, as the strategies unfold, it will become apparent why the most reputable journals are often unreadable.
Information Systems in Management Science—Geometry of Information Systems. Part I
Authors: Vazsonyi Andrew
Published: October 2008

This column advocates an unbounded and irrational faith in mathematical models. I believe, as stated repeatedly in these columns, that mathematical discourse is the way to combat semantic pollution, obtain understanding, and create insight to managerial situations. I also advance the proposition that the fields of mathematics traditionally used by management scientists are inadequate to deal with management information systems. Restricting the concept of the mathematical model to systems of equations or relations, as in mathematical programming or calculus, leads to failure. For example, I introduced the concept of function spaces to deal with certain aspects of information systems. Now I call attention to another field of mathematics which appears to be particularly suitable for dealing with management information systems.

A system is, roughly speaking, an organized collection of men, machines and methods required to accomplish a set of specific functions and goals. Whatever definition of an MIS you accept, there is an immediate implication of structure, relations and hierarchy. Herbert Simon advanced the concept that systems are complex not because of the complexity of the elements constituting the system, but because of complex environmental relations. I want to show now that the relationships between the agents of a system can best be described by geometry, or more specifically by a branch of mathematics called topology. But first let us take a little historical journey on the application of geometry to management science.
The Process of Problem Finding: A Production-Marketing Example
Authors: Davis K. Roscoe
Published: October 2008

In the August 1976 issue of Interfaces a call was made by Robert Graham for “inputs from readers” describing experiences in practice regarding the process of problem identification. The following article was written in response to that call. The article describes a game-model employed to identify goal conflicts between the production and marketing areas in a large industrial firm. The principal problem addressed was the lack of coordination between the areas. The problem surfaced when marketing took an aggressive price strategy without considering the impact on production requirements. Each area was aware of the impact that the other area could have on its performance but tended to disregard the factor. By developing a model that “mirrored the characteristics” of each area and by employing the model in a “game-playing mode” conflicts were highlighted. The game-play exercise brought about required change in both areas.
Why Corporate Planning Models?
Authors: Naylor Thomas H.
Published: October 2008

Lewis Young, Editor-in-Chief of Business Week, suggested in 1976 that “Corporate planning models and management science are substitutes for good management.” On the other hand, one of the advertisers in Business Week, the International Business Machines Corporation, frequently devotes the major portion of its two-page advertisements to only two words—“what if?” In the lower right-hand corner of these ads one reads: “Planning will never become an exact science. But it can now be less of a venture into the unknown. The future is a moving target. Computers can improve your aim.” This paper is about corporate planning and how computer based planning models can be used to “improve your aim.”
Applications Reviews
Authors: Millen Roger N. , Hall John R.
Published: October 2008

Review of the latest contributions from Management Science and Operations Research.
For Practitioners Only: A Case Study in Selling an OR/MS Project to a Nameless Company
Authors: Moore L. Ted , Byrd Jack
Published: October 2008

Modeling and computing are often minor parts of an OR/MS project. The authors' experiences on a current modeling project are cited to emphasize the importance of communicating with and selling ideas to management. The project cited consists of developing and obtaining analyses from linear programming models of a company's production facilities. The experiences reported deal with the completed first phase of the project, which was modeling one of the company's plants. A second plant is currently being modeled. The company's name and its industry are not specified, since company officials feel that the model results would be strategically important to its competitors. No technical details of the model are spelled out, although these will be presented elsewhere.
Editor's Note
Authors: Nigam Raj
Published: October 2008

This issue is the fourth special issue with focus on the practice of Management Science. The papers found in this volume are part of a continuing evidence that Management Science is a viable profession, and that OR/MS practitioners, intent on influencing the course of events in their organizations, do indeed succeed brilliantly sometimes. These papers are the prize winners of the annual prize competition held by the College on the Practice of Management Science at San Francisco, May 1977.
The Practice of Management Science
Authors: Bleuel W. H.
Published: October 2008

A major purpose of the College on the Practice of Management Science is to promote practice. Thus, one of its objectives is to develop a way to bring to public view good and useful OR/MS activity in industry, commerce, and government.

Since there is a general feeling that practitioners do not normally publish their work, an attempt was made to devise a scheme which would provide a continuing positive incentive for publishing practice. Given that personal gain is a strong motivator, the prize competition was devised. By this method we can combine cash reward and professional recognition. Since the entry cost is simply the time to prepare an abstract and have it cleared for release, there is only the question of the level of reward necessary to draw forth reports on a large enough number of significant examples of practice.

This edition of INTERFACES provides the reader with evidence by which he can judge the achievement of the goal in 1977. The articles included here are edited versions of the presentations which competed for the prize in 1977. They represent the final selection from a group of abstracts which were submitted in response to the call for entries. Specifically, they describe in each case a completed application of Management Science which has had a significant impact on the organization under study. As a result, they constitute a significant addition to the evidence of the value of Management Science in the real world.
The Pool Control System
Authors: Edelstein Martin , Melnyk Myron
Published: October 2008

Hertz Rent-A-Car operates a substantial fleet of vehicles in more than 100 rental cities in the U.S. and Canada. Most of the important field operations are organized on a pool basis. In a pool, a group of cities, each run by its own management, shares a fleet of cars. The Pool Control System (PCS), a time-share based model-oriented system, helps answer these questions for each city for the next few days: How many cars will be needed? How many cars will be available or can be moved in from other pool cities? How many reservations can be accepted? How will the actions taken for any city on any day affect future days and other cities? The fluctuations in demand, the disparities in customer characteristics from city to city and day to day, and the interdependencies that exist between cities are accounted for by the PCS model which provides a detailed picture of the pool for the coming week. Assumptions can be easily modified to yield different pictures so that alternative strategies can be fully evaluated.

PCS is run daily by local management in the major pools representing some 50 cities and over 60% of Hertz' domestic car rental fleet. It has been used most successfully in handling the Super Bowl, the Florida winter season, the Montreal Olympics, the West Coast summer peak and major conventions. Dramatic improvement in fleet utilization and control, as well as customer satisfaction, have all been attributed to the system. In a more general way, the basic concepts underlying PCS have impacted management's approach to decision making at all levels.
The Application of Management Science to the Design of Telephone Directories
Authors: Chen Stephen , McCallum Charles J.
Published: October 2008

The provision of telephone numbers to customers is a primary responsibility of the Bell System. This paper is concerned with providing this service through the distribution of telephone directories. Management science techniques are applied to the problem of determining the content and distribution of telephone directories which satisfy the dual criteria of being more useful and less expensive than current directories. All phases of the work are reviewed, from the early stages of problem definition through the implementation of the results and the substantial impact that followed.
New Product Planning Decisions Under Uncertainty
Authors: Hudson Ronald G. , Chambers John C. , Johnston Robert G.
Published: October 2008

New product decisions often must be made with considerable uncertainty relating to sales, product and process development outcomes, manufacturing costs, etc. Purchasing commitments (long and short-term) and product and process development decisions are required at early points in the product life-cycle and usually involve large expenditures. The authors describe how Management Science techniques have been used to assist in new product purchasing and development decision-making, where the new product required significant technological innovation and was being introduced into a market in which there was little previous experience.

The project approach consisted of: (1) formulating deterministic economic and capacity models to simulate the consequences of alternative outcomes in the market and technical areas; (2) working closely with engineering, procurement, marketing and planning organizations to determine the range and likelihood of the input variables; (3) using the models to determine the sensitive variables and to place probabilistic ranges on the outcomes of interest; and (4) presenting the results to management so that decisions could be made relative to plant construction, purchase quantities, and alternative components/processes.

Emphasis is placed on methodology and the way management scientists can effectively work with and assist decision-makers, rather than on the models and techniques employed.
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Model Based Salesman's Planning System by Field Experimentation
Authors: Fudge William K. , Lodish Leonard M.
Published: October 2008

During 1975 twenty United Airlines' salesmen in New York and San Francisco participated in an experiment to evaluate the sales effects of supporting call frequency decisions with an interactive management science model. The CALLPLAN model [Lodish, L. M. 1971. CALLPLAN: An interactive salesman's call planning system. Management Sci. 18 (4, December, Part II) 25–40.] integrates judgemental sales response estimates to various call frequencies made by the salesman and his manager for each account into a mathematical program. Travel time, time per call, and account profitability are also considered. The model output is an account call frequency schedule which maximizes anticipated sales or profit subject to limited time available.

Four passenger and one cargo sales representative utilized the model in each city. The users were initially skeptical of the system. However, after they used the interactive model, they realized that they were in control of it and viewed the experience as productive.

The ten CALLPLAN participants were chosen randomly from ten pairs of salesmen who were Individually matched by local management using personal characteristics, compatability of territory size, revenue, and account mix. The remaining ten salesmen in the control group were told that they were participating in an experiment and each member manually estimated anticipated sales to compare with the CALLPLAN group. After six months the average CALLPLAN salesperson had 8.1% higher sales than his matched counterpart (t = 2.42, 9 degrees of freedom). The probability that such a large increase could occur by chance is less than 2.5%. Combining both judgemental and objective data with a mathematical program resulted in behavioral changes which significantly improved sales performance.
Comments on a Note by C. H. White
Authors: Eilon Samuel
Published: October 2008

An editorial comment about a paper that was submitted to the author, then in the role of a department editor, that received a negative reply on the basis of insufficient interest for the readership of the journal.
The Fifth Column—Walking Thru Warehouses, Toolcribs & Shops or Profits Thru Peripatetics
Authors: Woolsey Gene
Published: October 2008

An essay about the internal organization of a warehouse, especially about the way steel racks that hold pallets of boxes of inventory are arranged.
Biased Reflections on MS/OR Consulting, Part 2–How and What to Use for $ucce$$ful Con$ulting
Authors: Clough Donald J.
Published: October 2008

Part 1, which appeared in the November 1977 issue of Interfaces, was a series of anecdotes illustrating lessons for consultants. Part 2 is a series of generalizations based on the Author's Matrix of Important Experiences, a quick-and-dirty model for executive review of consultant activities. Part 2, like Part 1, contains no graphs or mathematical symbols.
Perspectives on MS Applications—All Around the Model
Authors: Shycon Harvey N.
Published: October 2008

The process of validation is important, as indicated in the two real cases cited earlier. Management must be convinced of the integrity and accuracy of the work performed. It is equally important to provide the management scientist with an impetus for producing a model which accurately reflects the real world situation. All of this should help make Ben Harris, the tough practical boss described in our opening story, feel confident with the results which our model provides.
Portfolios to Satisfy Damage Judgements: A Linear Programming Approach
Authors: Arnold Larry R. , Botkin Donal
Published: October 2008

The problem considered concerns the selection of a portfolio of U.S. Treasury securities to provide annual payments to a plaintiff for previously agreed upon medical expenses and lost wages. A Linear Programming model of this security selection problem is presented.
Publication Policy in a Primitive Scientific Society
Authors: Rothkopf Michael H.
Published: October 2008

A humorous account on policies of publishing trivial technical generalizations as new results in an imaginary Institute of Roller Sciences.
Political Kidnapping: A New Risk in International Business
Authors: Peterson Richard E.
Published: October 2008

The present study is based on an expanded data bank of political kidnappings which have occurred over the period commencing January 1968 and ending June 1974. Fifty-four cases have been gathered from government reports and newspaper accounts. A decision tree framework is presented which conveniently summarizes the probabilities involved and the expected payoffs. The discussion will focus on the current trend away from diplomat and towards business kidnappings, the internationalization of urban guerrilla organizations and the dreadful but predictable expansion of these activities into hostaging of entire cities under threat of nuclear devices.
The Model that Didn't Work
Authors: Kennedy Biff
Published: October 2008

A humorous account on how wrong theoretical assumptions led to an inappropriate new traffic signal timing.
Another Look at Man-Computer Interaction
Authors: Young Lawrence F.
Published: October 2008

An essay about the limited potential of on-line terminals for problem-solving dialogues in operational decision making. A broader category of interactions is formulated in different ways, describing how the machine reacts to human input and vice versa.
Factors Affecting the Success and Failure of an Information System for Product Quality
Authors: Robey Daniel , Zeller Richard L.
Published: October 2008

This paper analyzes the adoption and successful use of an information system by one department, and the rejection and failure of the same system in a similar department of the same company. Since the technical features of the system and the work performed are identical in both departments, the reasons for success and failure are traceable to organizational and human differences. Indeed, the technical features of the system studied are entirely irrelevant to the adoption and rejection of the system. In many studies of implementation, the MIS parameters are not well controlled or measured, and many types of organizations are studied together. In our study these sources of experimental error are controlled, thereby focusing attention on the individual, organizational, and process differences between the adopting and rejecting departments.
Information Systems in Management Science—Geometry of Information Systems, Part II
Authors: Vazsonyi Andrew
Published: October 2008

The November column presented various geometrical representations of managerial processes including Petri networks. Now the column is completed by discussing stochastic Gozinto networks which are capable of representing management information systems.
Applications of Incremental Economic Analysis for Public Sector Decisions
Authors: Oppermann Edward B. , Plane Donald R. , Suver James D.
Published: October 2008

This paper describes a “common sense” model to address two decision problems and one information problem. These are: (1) Should a light plane pilot training program be implemented at the United States Air Force Academy? (2) Should a waiver from stringent visual requirements for pilots be granted to Air Force Academy graduates? (3) How can the high cost of education at the United States Air Force Academy be justified? For decision problems (1) and (2), the analyses described resulted in the implementation of a new light plane pilot training program at the Academy, and in the continuation of a policy to grant waivers for Academy graduates to enter pilot training. The questions raised about the high cost of the Academy were answered by securing and disseminating information about the value of an Academy graduate. Critical data assumptions are compared to data made available subsequent to these analyses.
Checking Out the Hidden Agenda
Authors: Davidson Doug
Published: October 2008

An essay about the author, when he was a graduate student, participating in a OR study of queueing and manpower scheduling at a London supermarket.
Development and Implementation of a Simple Short Range Forecasting Model–A Case Study
Authors: Kallina Carl
Published: October 2008

During 1975 and 1976, the OR/MS group in the Packaging Division of American Can Company developed and implemented a simple short-range forecasting model of the trend extrapolation/seasonal adjustment type. A steady growth in model usage by a variety of both technical and nontechnical clients has been experienced. In this paper, various aspects of the development and implementation of this model are described which would seem to be of general interest to the management science community, especially practitioners. A formal description of the model logic is also presented.
After 25 Years: A Survey of Operations Research Alumni, Case Western Reserve University
Authors: Rasmussen John J. , George Thomas
Published: October 2008

As the Department of Operations Research at Case Western Reserve University entered its 25th academic year, it became apparent that a survey of past graduates would be valuable in planning for future academic excellence. In view of the fact that this Department is the oldest one of its kind in an academic institution, the significance of such a survey assumed special importance. Consequently, questionnaires were sent to alumni requesting factual and attitudinal responses in such areas as their educational background, curriculum studied, career path followed and utility of the degree.

The questionnaire was designed by the authors in consultation with the Department Chairman. Mailings, together with telephone calls, brought 137 responses from the initial list of 221 alumni, or a 62 percent response rate. Of these 137, 81 had received the M.S. in O.R. as their highest degree from the Department, and 56, the Ph.D. degree.
Yet Another Digression on Systems Analysis: The Great Spare Parts Fiasco
Authors: Phillips John P.
Published: October 2008

Top management of a well-known computer manufacturing firm recently became concerned with the growing cost of maintaining, across the country, local stocks of spare parts needed to repair and maintain the computers it typically leased, and sometimes sold, to users. This was obviously an inventory control problem, so the corporate OR/MS group was called in and told to do their thing to bring the inventory picture back into more acceptable proportions.
The Value of the Simple Approach
Authors: Howitt W. S.
Published: October 2008

In many OR problems there is a feeling at the end of the study that by the adoption of a simpler approach the task could have been completed with less effort than was actually applied.

A survey was made of about 100 defence OR tasks carried out by Australian workers. The studiers' views on whether a simpler approach would have been preferable and the associated reasons were sought. These views are analysed and discussed.

The survey supports the view that a simple approach is worthwhile in many military OR tasks. However, one class of problem was identified where a more comprehensive approach was preferred.

Some hints on how to achieve a simple approach are given.
Management Science Roundup
Authors: Bucatinsky Julio
Published: October 2008

In this issue four topics are presented:

—From Ireland: Solar energy;

—News: Nordic congress on O.R.;

—Occupational training information system in Louisiana;

—Seen elsewhere: (1) Views of Physical Distribution Managers (Business Horizons, April 1977, Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 82–86) by James A. Constantin (University of Oklahoma), Ronald D. Anderson (Indiana University), Roger E. Jerman (Indiana University); (2) Leadership, Conflict, and Program Management Effectiveness (Sloan Management Review, Fall 1977, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 69–89) by Hans J. Thamhain (GTE Sylvania) and David L. Wileman (Syracuse University).
World Models: Who is the Guarantor?
Authors: Mason Richard O.
Published: October 2008

There is an old saying, “War is too important to be left to the Generals.” To this I would add, “World models are too important to be left to the model builders.” This does not mean that the burden of the model building effort should not be borne by operations researchers and modeling experts. However, as the ultimate stakes are so terribly high, I do mean that the model builders should not do it alone. The possible survival of mankind is simply too much responsibility for one small segment of society to bear. Consequently, any policy model which is constructed needs a socially recognized guarantor. The data and assumptions of a model must be warranted and secured by some person, process or belief. This is an awesome responsibility to be assumed by a lonely model-builder. It is a responsibility that I believe must be shared by the body politic on whose behalf the model is constructed.
Applications Reviews
Authors: Millen Roger N. , Hall John R.
Published: October 2008

An overview of latest contributions in Decision Sciences, Management Science, Operations Research, and Policy Analysis.
Effective Allocation of Sales Resources
Authors: Stryker Charles W.
Published: October 2008

Beginning in 1976 the Bell Telephone System's national sales effort was supported by a computer-based system. This system identified specific business enterprises to be contacted directly by the Bell System account representatives as well as those businesses with appropriate potential sales levels to be included in the corporate national direct marketing program. In addition to increases in the sales rate and average revenue per sale, this systematic approach to account qualification has allowed a formal tracking program to be implemented. In the initial two years of system operation, a conservative estimate of the revenue generated is 15 million dollars. The method is quite general and could be applied to the sale of many industrial products.
The Fifth Column—An Essay on Misused Words: Sophisticated & Elegant and On Going Thataway with MIS
Authors: Woolsey Gene
Published: October 2008

An essay that addresses the academic requests for a model to be sophisticated and elegant, even in reality that is often not the case. An initiative for merging OR/MS with management information systems was being declined as inappropriate for several reasons because the author sees OR/MS as the application of the scientific method to management, whereas MIS is a computer-aided tool for problem solving.
Computerized Costing Model for Inland Waterways Barge Transportation
Authors: Smith Marc L. , Metzner H. E. , Brooks W. A.
Published: October 2008

Shippers and carriers are constantly in need of substantial amounts of transportation cost information: shippers are looking for the most economical means of moving freight; carriers need information to determine rates that attract or retain business.

The model presented in this paper calculates the costs associated with shipping by barge via the Inland Waterways System. It does so with great improvements in time, money and accuracy over a previously used manual method.
Management Science Process—Experience-Generalized Decision Making: The Next Generation of Managerial Models
Authors: Emshoff James R.
Published: October 2008

Until now, changes in philosophy about the appropriate role that models play in managerial decision processes have evolved in an unplanned way. Changes have generally occurred in reaction to problems that were encountered in previous phases of development. This paper makes the case for planning the next generation of model changes. It presents one possible future system, called Experience-Generalized Decision Processes, and identifies the types of resources that must be involved in research to create the system.
Optimal Control of the B/B/C Queue
Authors: Barnett Arnold
Published: October 2008

A randomized strategy to defeat the British on the battlefield is obtained. Some special cases are examined in detail.
Management Science Roundup
Authors: Bucatinsky Julio
Published: October 2008

Management Science Roundup presents in this issue:

News

—Impact of fuel shortages,

—From Ireland: Human nutrition,

—Field test of police patrol model;

Seen elsewhere

—Intuition and probability,

—Cartel pricing—world bauxite,

—Marketing decisions by computer mapping.
What Ever Happened to Professionalism?
Authors: Brewer Garry D.
Published: October 2008

If military operations research is to move beyond being mainly a hobby, to attain a state of true professionalism, a number of serious questions must be asked and the issues they raise must be resolved: To what extent can the outcomes of military models, simulations, and games (MSG's) be used to describe the real world of military operations and systems? How well are such models being used to inform and improve decisionmaking? How and by what procedures might these devices be made more effective, persuasive, and useful? What is the state of professionalism in this area? This article does not pretend to answer these questions, but does attempt to formulate them well enough so that answers are easier to find.
Report from the Berkeley Archeological Site: Have We Found a Dead Branch of the Dead Society?
Authors: Hoggatt Austin Curwood
Published: October 2008

Humorous continuation of Rothkopf's article [Rothkopf, Michael A. 1978. Publication policy in a primitive society. Interfaces 8 (2, February).].
Applications Reviews
Authors: Millen Roger N. , Hall John R.
Published: October 2008

An overview of latest contributions in Decision Sciences, MIS: Management Information Systems Quarterly, Management Science, Operations Research, and Policy Analysis.
Portfolios to Satisfy Damage Judgments: A Simple Approach
Authors: Levy Ferdinand K.
Published: October 2008

In a recent article in this journal, Professors Arnold and Botkin describe a linear programming [Arnold, Larry R., Donal Botkin. 1978. Portfolios to satisfy damage judgment: A linear programming approach. Interfaces 8 (2, February) 38–42.] procedure which will provide a minimum lump sum damage award to a successful plaintiff in a tort.

Arnold and Botkin's paper suffers from a flaw which might keep a court from adopting the model. This flaw amply demonstrates why management scientists often have a very difficult time “selling their wares” to either laymen (like the lawyers or judge in Arnold and Botkin's article) or to decision makers. That is, the authors use a pseudocomplicated (to the layman) linear programming model to determine a solution, when a trivial, easily explainable and comprehendable rule-of-thumb, as we shall show, will suffice.
Ferdinand Levy's Simple Approach: A Rejoinder
Authors: Arnold Larry R. , Botkin Donal
Published: October 2008

We would first like to clear up a misconception that we evidently created [Arnold, Larry R., Donal Botkin. 1978. Portfolios to satisfy damage judgment: A linear programming approach. Interfaces 8 (2, February) 38–42.]. The concept that had not been formally accepted by the court was the use of a portfolio of bonds rather than bank savings. The issue of the method of generation of the portfolio of bonds is not relevant to the court. Rather, the court would require proof that the cash flows so generated would be sufficient to meet the requirements.

We certainly share Professor Levy's desire for a simple and easy-to-explain method of generating such portfolios. However, we take issue with this particular method because of an assumption underlying yield to maturity (YTM).
The Fifth Column—Two Essays on Model Motivation: With This Sign, Optimize & The Shekels of Silver Solution
Authors: Woolsey Gene
Published: October 2008

Some time ago in a far city there was a manufacturing firm that was in a most happy state. Demand for their product far outstripped the ability to supply it. Their quality was so high that customers did accept the long lead times, rather than go to a vendor of less excellence. The profit margin on the products was comfortable, and soon the company found itself forced, happily, to go to a three-shift operation. However, it was not long before it was noticed that the part of the firm that did the final assembly and finishing was posting service rates to customers that were poor indeed. In fact, only with the greatest effort could the service rate of on-time deliveries reach 37%. What made this doubly strange was that the part of the firm that did the initial foundry work on the product was posting rates of 99.995% of desired tonnage. There was little question in the minds of management that the finishing and assembly shop needed looking into.
An Application of Decision Modeling to Indian Health Care
Authors: Henceroth Stan
Published: October 2008

Despite advances in medical science, the delivery of health care to Indians in remote reservation areas remains a problem. Fortunately, a potential solution has appeared from an unusual source: a NASA method for delivering medical services by using state-of-the-art telecommunications in lieu of conventional face-to-face clinical services. Telemedicine did, in fact, improve health conditions for the Papago tribe in southern Arizona. Consequently, the Indian Health Service (IHS) of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, obtained a new tool whereby health care delivery might be improved on all reservations. Perhaps equally important, the IHS was able to utilize industrial mathematical decision-modeling techniques to select from among alternative health care delivery systems for each reservation.
Some Decision Problems in Petroleum Exploration
Authors: Everett J. E.
Published: October 2008

This paper discusses methods of evaluating petroleum prospects prior to drilling, and describes an attempt to introduce expected value techniques into the selection of drilling prospects by a petroleum exploration and development company in Australia. The degree of acceptance of such methods is discussed in relation to the differing organisational structure of the company's departments. It is postulated that the appropriate means of integration between and within the organisation's departments is altered by the introduction of expected value techniques.
Management Science Process: EOQ—Once More with Feeling
Authors: Graham Robert J.
Published: October 2008

One of the objectives of this column [Graham, Robert J. 1978. On management science process. Interfaces 8 (2, February).] is to act as a forum for endeavors aimed at combining aspects of both the behavioral and management sciences into a set of useful processes for problem identification and solution. Some authors feel that the incorporation of behavioral variables in management science models is the next step in making decision aiding models more palatable to the managers who are supposed to be using them. Some of the complaints leveled against the current state of management science are that the procedures and algorithms are too cold and calculating, based on principles such as optimization which are not a part of the management psyche, built on obscure logic and mathematics, and generally devoid of management and behavioral considerations. In short, the models lack feeling. The purpose of this article is to argue that the lack of feeling is not necessarily inherent in the use of decision-aiding models but rather is a result of the way that management scientists have come to view, teach, and use such models. The main thesis is that some simple changes in the way that we motivate, construct, and use models could go a long way towards incorporating some of the behavioral aspects of management and hopefully increasing managerial acceptance.
OR/MS Implementation–A Variety of Processes
Authors: Lockett A. G. , Polding E.
Published: October 2008

The problem of Operations Research/Management Science (OR/MS) implementation is discussed, with particular attention paid to the relationship between modellers and managers. A model of the possible set of relationships is developed, which allows for a variety of organisational settings, and which complements previous organisational and psychological approaches to the problem. A series of case studies of particular OR projects are presented which illustrate some of the main lines of reasoning.