bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Expert System Configures Intrusion Detection Systems
Authors: Davis J. Steve , Usera Carlos A.
Published: October 2008

The CONFIDS expert system configures an Army facility intrusion detection system (FIDS). The FIDS uses reliable communication links to alert an operator of a monitor console to intrusion attempts, which are detected by remote sensors. We faced two major challenges in developing the expert system: to encode the necessary electronic security expertise, and to design the user interface to allow effective use by novices. During the project we realized another important goal: we designed CONFIDS to facilitate modification. The system has performed well in comparison to human experts and has proven to be usable by novices.
Entrepreneurs Enabled: A Comparison of Edelman Prize-Winning Papers
Authors: Wynne Bayard E. , Robak Nicholas John
Published: October 2008

A study of 10 years of Edelman prize-winning papers (1977–1986) has yielded a wealth of information regarding applied contemporary managerial theory. We have distilled the core theory of seven authors who write about management principles and applied it in depth to the 40 papers that contain enough data about the client companies to lend themselves to the analysis. The first-prize winners are clearly superior, and all the finalists tend to exhibit these principles to a greater degree than would be expected by chance. The study provides fodder for future study of applied entrepreneurial activity and lends credulity to the Edelman award process as it has been conducted in the past.
Repositioning OR's Products in the Market
Authors: Selhausen Hermann Meyer zu
Published: October 2008

The findings of an empirical investigation concerned with the organizational conditions under which OR is done in German business firms to a great extent contradict almost all the well-known and widespread perceptions of OR. I think that the situation calls for a fundamental rethinking of the concept and process of OR. Using a marketing-oriented frame of reference, I consider a system of producers, retailers, and clients of OR to discover steps that can be taken to reposition OR's products in their market.
Book Reviews
Authors: Lev Benjamin
Published: October 2008

Bliss, Elizabeth 1985, Data Processing Mathematics, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 254 pages, $32.00—reviewed by Susan Athey

Voss, C. A., editor, 1987, Just-in-Time Manufacture: International Trends in Manufacturing Technology, Springer Verlag, New York, 398 pp., $79.00—reviewed by Danny Samson

Bhatnagar, S. K. 1986, Network Analysis Techniques, Halsted Press (John Wiley and Sons), New York, 264 pp., $24.95—reviewed by Edward C. Rosenthal

Walsh, L.; Wurster, R.; and Kimber, R. J., editors, 1986, Quality Management Handbook, ASQC Quality Press and Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 997 + xii pp., $75.00—reviewed by Rick L. Edgeman
Editorial: Why I Have Never Published in Interfaces but Hope to in the Future
Authors: Murphy Frederic H.
Published: October 2008

Editorial about drastic reduction of the organizational behavior faculty at the School of Organization and Management at Yale University when Michael Levine became dean of the school in October of 1988.
Misapplications Reviews: Dealing with Autism
Authors: Barnett Arnold
Published: October 2008

Autism is a form of brain damage that causes devastating deficiencies in speech, comprehension, and social interactions with others. It strikes roughly one in every 2,000 children. The rate of spontaneous recovery from autism is estimated as below two percent. As of now, the majority of those born autistic spend their adult lives in institutions.
Distribution Estimation by Computer Simulation
Authors: Harris Carl M. , Marchal William G.
Published: October 2008

Probability distribution functions can be estimated by micro-computer simulation or by using mainframes. There is a tendency to substitute arithmetic power (brute force) for analytic intelligence. Logically modeling a relationship and identifying the driving variables often yields more insight than voluminous computation; at least, experimental effort can be greatly reduced by careful pre-analysis. The size of sampling error inherent in the simulation process is not fully appreciated. Sample sizes required for satisfactory levels of precision are frequently larger than intuitively expected by the analyst with little statistical training. Many types of realistic simulations cannot be executed efficiently on desktop computers because of their relatively slow speed, particularly when the sampling is done in conjunction with spreadsheet software.
The Fifth Column: On Becoming an Elephant
Authors: Woolsey Robert E. D.
Published: October 2008

A number of years ago I was teaching in the executive program of the second largest industrial group in a nameless westernized country. My part of the program was a combination of operations research and information systems well laced with what were perceived to be cynical comments on playing company politics for blood. The format was a series of case studies that are guaranteed to trap any unwary believer in quantitative rationality into blowing himself out of the water. I have, over a period of years, collected and used these cases in such programs around the world.
Determining Strategic Groups Using Multidimensional Scaling
Authors: Pegels C. Carl , Sekar Chandra
Published: October 2008

Millard Fillmore Hospital (MFH), a major hospital in the Western New York area, needed to develop strategies to attract physicians who could increase patient referrals to the hospital. Bed utilization, a key determinant of economic performance of any hospital, in turn depends on increased referrals. Our study aimed to develop strategic groups of hospitals to help to determine the strategies that would make MFH attractive to physicians. We used multidimensional scaling to determine the strategic groups of hospitals and the resultant competitive position of MFH and to determine which factors were strategically important. These results were used to develop strategies specifically focused to attract physicians and to increase patient referrals.
He Saved the Company $10 Million—And Apologized!
Authors: Simkin Mark G. , Daniels Edward B.
Published: October 2008

This is a true, but disguised, account of a young OR-type who found that a hospital didn't need to build a $10 million parking garage. But his findings scrubbed his supervisor's pet project and uncovered an even more difficult problem that he was assigned to solve.
20/30 Hindsight: But Routine Army Procurements ARE Policy Decisions
Authors: Chamberlain Robert G. , Fox George
Published: October 2008

Usually, it is much cheaper to stockpile factories to make Army materiel than to stockpile the materiel itself. We were that close to getting the Army's routine procurement accounting system to show the trade-off on every report. What could we have done differently, so that billions of dollars would be spent more effectively?

“Hindsight,” they say, “is always 20/20.” I am not convinced. What can you learn from our story besides what we point out below?

For that matter, what can we all learn from your story? Not a thing, unless you tell it. Do you have the self-confidence to share a lesson from the School of Hard Knocks? If so, please do!—Robert G. Chamberlain
Introduction To Special Section: Airline Operations Research
Authors: Cook Thomas M.
Published: October 2008

This special issue is devoted to applications of MS/OR that have actually been implemented in at least one airline worldwide and that work. I made a special effort to solicit papers from practitioners and to ask practitioners as well as academics to referee the papers. This practitioner orientation made putting this special issue together extremely difficult for several reasons.
Booking Control Increases Profit at Scandinavian Airlines
Authors: Alstrup Jens , Andersson Sven-Eric , Boas Søren , Madsen Oli B. G. , Vidal René Victor V.
Published: October 2008

Planes are overbooked to avoid empty seats. Yet, there is a trade-off of increased upgradings, downgradings, and denied boardings. The patterns of reservations, cancellations, and no-shows are random. Thus, determining the best overbooking levels involves stochastic multistage optimal decision making and time series analysis. An overbooking model for a nonstop flight with two types of passengers is based on a statistical description of the booking process and two-dimensional stochastic dynamic programming. It produces, apparently for the first time, an optimal policy for a real case. The model has been validated and used at Scandinavian Airlines. The net potential revenue increase was about two million US dollars per year.
Development of an Automated Airline Crew Bid Generation System
Authors: Jones Russell D.
Published: October 2008

A system was developed and implemented to automate one of the major processes in scheduling crew members for an airline, the bidline generation process. Predetermined flight itineraries are assembled to form complete schedules of work for crew members over an entire month. The system uses a heuristic design and includes many techniques used in expert systems design. It provides bidlines on time that are equal to or better than those produced by a previous system at a great savings in time and effort.
Performance Analysis and Capacity Planning of a Landing Gear Shop
Authors: Srikar B. N. , Vinod B.
Published: October 2008

A closed queuing network performance model was developed at American Airlines to evaluate the performance of large complex flow shops. The model has been successfully applied to predict performance and to estimate capacity of the landing gear shop and the engine blade and vane shop.
The Easy Chair: What Did Those Early Pioneers Have Uppermost in Mind, Model Building or Problem Solving?
Authors: Miser Hugh J.
Published: October 2008

Recently the Committee on the Next Decade in Operations Research cited the earliest OR experience in the UK as support for an emphasis on “building and analyzing models” as being central to OR. Based on the literature of that time and my own experience, this citation is not a faithful representation of the work of the OR pioneers. Rather, while they were primarily driven by problems, their view of theory and practice was a balanced one, conditioned by continuing involvement with the problems of the organization they served.
Turn Off the Lights
Authors: Randolph Paul H.
Published: October 2008

Turning off lights as you leave a room is a good habit to develop.
A Multiobjective Linear Programming Methodology for Public Sector Tax Planning
Authors: Chrisman James J. , Fry Timothy , Reeves Gary R. , Lewis Holly S. , Weinstein Robert
Published: October 2008

Designing an equitable and efficient tax structure is one of the most important tasks of public sector decision makers. The tax-structuring problem is characterized by many often conflicting objectives, such as maintaining adequate revenue levels, reducing property taxes, and minimizing the burden placed upon low income taxpayers. Using an interactive multiobjective linear programming (MOLP) methodology we were able to provide the city manager of Peoria, Illinois with insights necessary to restructure the city's tax system. After six iterations of the model, the results of our analysis indicated that tax revenues could be maintained and city residents' taxes reduced by shifting some of the burden to noncity residents, many of whom consume the public goods the city offers. To do so, our solution called for increasing the sales taxes on general and durable goods, instituting a gasoline tax, and reducing both property taxes and sales taxes on food and drugs. A major benefit of the MOLP model according to the city manager was its ability to illustrate the trade-offs between the different tax structuring objectives.
The Easy Chair: Observation and Experimentation
Authors: Miser Hugh J.
Published: October 2008

If operations research and the management sciences are to represent reality adequately, they must observe its phenomena carefully; but observation and experimentation are not emphasized in the MS/OR literature — nor in the training of its workers — as heavily as early experience would lead one to expect. Some of my experiences with analyses for the US Air Force in the early '50s support my belief that observation and experimentation should be more heavily stressed in MS/OR than they are.
Scenario Planning at Southern California Edison
Authors: Mobasheri Fred , Orren Lowell H. , Sioshansi Fereidoon P.
Published: October 2008

After a review of its forecasting record for the prior two decades, Southern California Edison Company became convinced that traditional forecasting methods were inadequate, and it adopted the techniques of scenario planning to develop its resource plan. Scenarios were created, their implications were evaluated, and strategic responses were developed.
Taguchi Designs and Linear Programming Speed New Product Formulation
Authors: Schmidt Michael S. , Meile Larry C.
Published: October 2008

Shipley Company supplies photoresist to the microelectronics industry for use in chip making. A design team developed a new photoresist using Taguchi experimental designs to describe the linear responses of key characteristics and linear programming to optimize the factors of formulation. We interchanged objective statements and property constraints when key properties were identified. This method of development allowed the design team to take the new photoresist, Megaposit S9400, from concept to marketplace in just seven months.
The Evolution of the Management Sciences: A Report on the 1988 Survey of TIMS Membership
Authors: King William R. , Grover Varun , Nelson Anthony
Published: October 2008

The last two decades have witnessed an evolution in the field of management science as evidenced by the changing profile and habits of TIMS members. This paper reports the results of a survey administered to over 2,400 TIMS members in an attempt to assess the current status of the field and the organization. Specifically, it evaluates the changes in the characteristics of members, their professional roles, their evaluation of TIMS services, and their journal preferences. The results indicate that while TIMS has adapted quite well to the changing demographics of its membership, there are a number of specific concerns that need to be addressed.
No Haven for More Politics: Comment on Murphy's “Old Politics in New Haven”
Authors: Sen Subrata K.
Published: October 2008

Management and OR at Yale: A response to Fred Murphy's editorial.
A Simulation-Based Resource-Planning System for the Oregon Motor Vehicles Division
Authors: Randhawa Sabah U. , Mechling Ann M. , Joerger Robert A.
Published: October 2008

The Oregon Motor Vehicles Division operates 61 field offices in Oregon. They continually evaluate ways to improve customer service. A computerized resource-planning system was developed to support their manpower planning and scheduling decisions to improve the quality of service provided to the customers. At the heart of the system is a flexible discrete-event simulation model. A number of supporting programs facilitate data input, file management, and report generation. The system can be used in a what-if mode to evaluate the effects on different planning strategies.
Trash Management: Sizing and Timing Decisions for Incineration and Landfill Facilities
Authors: Baetz Brian W. , Pas Eric I. , Neebe Alan W.
Published: October 2008

Managing municipal solid waste (trash) is becoming increasingly important for public sector agencies responsible for its treatment and disposal. Waste-management facilities, such as landfills and incinerators, have substantial development and operating costs, and the public is increasingly concerned with their location and operation. A dynamic programming approach to determine the optimal sizing and timing for landfills and waste-to-energy facilities was used by three municipalities currently in the planning and development stage. It has potential application for other municipalities investigating strategies for developing and expanding their waste-management systems.
Misapplications Reviews: Strange Postures
Authors: Machol Robert E.
Published: October 2008

The following “misapplication” occurred in a project in which I was involved some 40 years ago. I want to tell about it now not only because of its intrinsic interest, but also because it illustrates how much the world has changed in these 40 years. At that time hardly anybody had heard the words operations research or management science (or systems engineering or systems analysis), and very few of the people working on this project had. More importantly, almost nobody understood certain ways of looking at the world, and in particular looking at problems, that now seem perfectly obvious to all of us.

After World War II, the newly formed US Air Force decided to worry about a gadget that had been called the V-2 during World War II and was then called the ballistic missile.
Market Segmentation Using Modeling and Lotus 1-2-3
Authors: Winter Frederick W.
Published: October 2008

Normative segmentation is difficult because of cost versus revenue considerations. A Lotus 1-2-3 work sheet offers a convenient and “manager friendly” way to select appropriate marketing mixes to target to various market segments. The model described was used by a sporting goods manufacture to design a marketing mix for a new product that would yield the greatest profit. The work sheet assisted the user by structuring complex issues such as opinion leader effects, competitive response, product cannibalization, and the effect of experience on cost reduction.
A Survey of MS/OR Surveys
Authors: Morgan Catherine L.
Published: October 2008

Surveys of companies and practitioners on private sector use of MS/OR in the last 30 years have implications far broader than establishing technique applicability. To date they have shown extensive use of MS/OR in large Fortune 500-size firms only. They have become of questionable value in studying large firms although they may still be useful for studying smaller firms. The surveys suggest that analysts should be dispersed throughout the firm, that early MS/OR efforts should rely on simple techniques, and that problems consistently reported by MS/OR professionals can be avoided by enhancing communications with management. A review of the implementation problems consistently cited suggests that education can be effective in removing barriers to MS/OR use.
What is Appropriate Training for Developing a Management Scientist?
Authors: Reinitz Rudolph C.
Published: October 2008

The Institute of Management Sciences has asked educators and employers of management science professionals to respond to the question raised in the title of this paper. Several eminent educators have expressed their views in the October 1970 issue of Management Science. As a supervisor of management science professionals and a professional in this area myself, I should like to offer comments on those aspects of the problems which are of greatest concern to me.
Perspectives on MS Applications—All Around the Model
Authors: Shycon Harvey N.
Published: October 2008

The past four articles of this series have addressed the problem of successful implementation of management science studies. We have concentrated on the project team's method of organization for achieving management cooperation and participation in the studies (obtaining, therefore, the all-important element of personal involvement). We have mentioned also as a precondition to management participation the need for the education of operational management in management science concepts and techniques and their usefulness in critical decision problems. It is on this latter ingredient in the successful application of management science that this article will concentrate.
Marketing Science—Whither New Products
Authors: Longman Kenneth A.
Published: October 2008

An essay about excessive amount of new products brought to the market, where the differences between them are minute, or even hard to discover.
Corporate Viewpoints—Interviews with Top Managers: Interview with Theodore O. Yntema
Authors: Braunstein Daniel N.
Published: October 2008

Interview with Theodore O. Yntema. Theodore O. Yntema is a member of the faculty of the School of Economics and Management at Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan. He was a professor of statistics as well as of business and economic policy at the University of Chicago when he joined Ford Motor Company in 1949 as a vice-president, and was chairman of the Finance Committee and a director at the time of his retirement from Ford in 1965. Since then he has served as chairman of the National Bureau of Economic Research and as a trustee or director of the University of Chicago and a number of foundations and corporations.
A Candle to Saint Jude, or Four Real World Applications of Integer Programming
Authors: Woolsey R. E. D.
Published: October 2008

This author has discovered the interesting fact from his experience that on many real world problems, people with experience can beat an elegant theoretical method all the time. If one were to accept this fact as truth, heresy though it may be, one would be driven to the even more embarrassing conclusion that maybe the way to do some things better is to ask the experienced people and then simulate them. Of course one must agree that this method flies in the face of all of the theory that says, “Work from the theory to the model to the world.” The author has had, however, enough bitter experience with the latter method, to find that it has no useful purpose other than for pelting adversaries at learned society meetings.
Information Systems in Management Science—Predicting the Future of Computers
Authors: Stern Harry
Published: October 2008

I am convinced that the future growth of the computer field is much more dependent upon society's priorities and values than upon anything the computer business itself does. For the past twenty-five years, the American public has been pro science and technology, and computers were the darling of the scientist and the technologist. If society is as pro science and technology over the next ten years as it has been over the past twenty, marginal decisions will be made in favor of the computer and the industry will continue to grow rapidly. But there is every indication that our society is becoming progressively more anti science and technology. If this trend continues, the computer industry will top out and show signs of weakening over the next ten years.
Council Happenings
Authors: Hess Sidney W.
Published: October 2008

A report from the Council meeting on October 1, 1971, in Detroit. The report includes membership issues, naming Les Simon as a new Editor-in-Chief of Interfaces, establishing a new editorial policy, approving new chapters, and TIMS election nominations for 1971–1972.
Management Science Roundup
Authors: Bucatinsky Julio
Published: October 2008

In the first part several comments by Peter Drucker are presented. Peter Drucker said in 1958 that management science was in danger of becoming a management gadget bag of techniques for the efficiency expert. This danger existed because of the practitioners' emphasis on technique rather than on problem definition. According to Drucker, the focus of much of the work in management science has been not on such questions as what is the business enterprise, what is managing, what do the two do and what do the two need, but rather the focus has been on “Where can I apply my beautiful gimmick.” “The emphasis has been on the hammer, rather than on driving in the nail, let alone on building the house.”

The regular part of the column, In this issue, presents:

—“What do you think?—JB”;

—“Editorial notes”;

—“Inventory control for the District of Columbia—Siedman”;

—“Management science at the National Bureau of Standards—Suzuki”;

—“NSF seeks proposals for research conferences—Renirie”;

—“Funds allocation in a corporate trust department—Chang”;

—“Profit planning model for a commercial bank—Wisz”;

—“Syborn's planning model—Mitchell”;

—“Support for research in the mathematical sciences—JB”;

—“Center for Future Research established at USC—JB”;

—“Research fellowships in OR/MS at the International Center for Management Sciences, University of Louvain—JB”;

—“Seen Elsewhere: (1) Technological Progress Function. A New Technique for Forecasting, (2) Forecasting Inventory Requirements in a Large Scale Department Store Setting, (3) Technical Forecasting at National Level in Japan (4) Applications of a Model Used in Calculating the Mental Load of Workers in Industry, (5) Mathematical Models for Manpower and Personnel Planning, (6) A Production Management Operating System Simulation, and (7) A Management Coach Concept for Management Development”;

—“Bulletin Board: (1) TIMS meetings, (2) Other meetings/symposia, (3) Personal notes, (4) Notices and (5) Errata”;

—“Deadline for future issues of INTERFACES”.
Behavioral Science—Management Science: A Behavioral View
Authors: Braunstein Daniel N.
Published: October 2008

A data-based, nonpolemic approach to the integration of the study of human behavior and management science ought to be feasible. Yet, the proponents and propagators of such behavioral terms as Theory Y, open-systems, encounter groups, Motivator-Hygiene variables, the Management Grid, and others have often exhibited more management than science. In this column, we will try to put away the buzz-words and take a “Behavioral Science” perspective. By “Behavioral” we refer to any data collected from observations of human behavior, much of which is to be found in the fields of psychology, sociology, political science, and, upon occasion, that part of the field of economics which concerns itself with the real world. “Science” refers to serious attempts at objective inquiry, although controversy may exist as to satisfaction of the objectivity.
“Cogito, Ergo Sum”
Authors: Kastens Merritt L.
Published: October 2008

The academic disputes between the “humanistic” and the “mechanistic” schools of management theory are essentially sterile because they both focus primarily on the arrangement of activities within an organization. They tend to move rather casually over the fundamental fact that any organization exists—or should be permitted to exist—only in order to produce an incremental social or economic value. The effectiveness with which that end is achieved through the skillful application of accessible resources must be the final measure of management performance. But this criterion demands a high facility in relating causes and effects, which is a rational process. There is no way to master it except to think.
Perspectives on MS Applications—All Around the Model
Authors: Shycon Harvey N.
Published: October 2008

The current part of this series has been concerned with how best to integrate management science into the organization in order that it have maximum opportunity for achieving its goals. The prior article discussed the stages of introduction of the new activity and announced the management science program. This article discusses staffing the management science program. There are two considerations of importance in staffing: (1) Organization, (2) Skill mix.
Marketing Science—Eating and Drinking Things
Authors: Longman Kenneth A.
Published: October 2008

An essay discussing new product opportunities that arise from a cursory analysis of people's eating habits at social occasions at work.
Behavioral Science—Some Implications of Broadbent's Information Processing Research
Authors: Braunstein Daniel N.
Published: October 2008

In my first column (INTERFACES, May 1972), I promised a series of articles which would examine data-based interfaces between behavioral and management science. As an example, I am going to use some of the material recently published by the eminent English experimental psychologist D. E. Broadbent, in his scholarly, research-oriented book, Decision and Stress (1971).
Open Letter to TIMS Members
Authors: Ackoff Russell L.
Published: October 2008

The memorandum to you of April 20, 1972, from Peter V. Norden and Sidney W. Hess on “Change of Slate for TIMS 1972 Election” stated, “Russell L. Ackoff, nominated as a candidate for the Office of President Elect of TIMS for the 1972–73 term … has withdrawn his candidacy for personal reasons.” This is not true. But I can understand the reasons for explaining my withdrawal in this way. It puts the matter to rest. I withdrew because the officers of TIMS would not permit circulation of my platform for office with the ballot.

Reproduced below is the relevant letter which I sent to Peter Norden after the Nominating Committee, which he chaired, was kind enough to nominate me.
President's Comment
Authors: Magee John F.
Published: October 2008

I understand and respect Russell Ackoff's conclusion that he should withdraw his candidacy after I refused, following consultation with other officers of TIMS, to permit circulation of his “platform for office” with the ballot. It may be helpful to readers of Dr. Ackoff's open letter on the subject, printed above, to have additional information presented here.
Perspectives on MS Applications—All Around the Model
Authors: Shycon Harvey N.
Published: October 2008

The major theme of this series of articles has been how to achieve successful implementation of management science studies. It has been my experience that the necessary ingredients for successful implementation are two: management involvement and participation in studies, and the education of decision-making management in the concepts of management science in order to facilitate involvement. In order to achieve this twofold objective, we must be concerned with the integration of management science into the organization in a manner which will provide it with the opportunity for achieving effective implementation.
Information Systems in Management Science—Is Information Systems Talking to Itself?
Authors: Stern Harry
Published: October 2008

The title for this Column was suggested by a continuing discussion at TIMS meetings, “Is TIMS talking to itself?” Both questions are part of the broader question of “Is staff talking to itself?”, whether that staff is in the area of management science, information services, economics, planning, or what have you. The fact is that top managers are bombarded with ideas about the latest fad. They are told that if they do not have a management information system, or a management sciences group, or econometrics input, or a five-year plan, that they are just not going to be able to compete. The business schools are probably the worst offenders, but the Wall St. Journal, Fortune, and the New York Times all help out, and these topics become grist for the luncheon circuit mill. It is no wonder that under this pressure, the top managers cave in and do the vogue thing. Then a group springs forth within the company, and begins to try to find a role within the company where none existed before. There are two roles that such groups can play in any organization, a line role or a consulting role.
IBM Burlington's Logistics Management System
Authors: Sullivan Gerald , Fordyce Kenneth
Published: October 2008

IBM's logistics management system (LMS) is a real-time imbedded transaction-based integrated decision and knowledge-based expert support system which serves as a dispatcher, monitoring and controlling the manufacturing flow of IBM's semiconductor facility near Burlington, Vermont. Burlington produces various logic and memory micro electronic chips and modules that are used throughout the IBM product line. LMS helps improve manufacturing performance and is critical to running major areas of the manufacturing facility. It was developed by the advanced industrial engineering department.
Introduction to Special Section: MS/OR in Small Business
Authors: Mehra Satish
Published: October 2008

This special issue is devoted to the application of MS/OR techniques and tools in small business environments. Special effort was made to search out real life issues and implementation examples. Both academicians and practitioners were involved in writing the papers and refereeing them. In spite of the time constraints faced by our practitioner colleagues, they very kindly provided assistance with this special issue, which contains a good mix of articles.
Selecting Profitable Hotel Sites at La Quinta Motor Inns
Authors: Kimes Sheryl E. , Fitzsimmons James A.
Published: October 2008

Selecting a good site plays a crucial role in the success of a hotel, and as competition intensifies in the lodging industry, it has become increasingly important. The success of a site is based on competitive, demographic, physical, market awareness, and demand generator variables. We built a regression model for La Quinta Motor Inns, a mid-sized hotel chain headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, that predicted profitability for sites under consideration. We validated the regression model on new data and incorporated it into a spreadsheet decision model that management uses for selecting sites. The model minimizes the risk of picking an unprofitable site.
Management Science Improves Fast-Food Operations
Authors: Love Robert R. , Hoey James M.
Published: October 2008

Many small businesses face the problem of scheduling employees with differing work skills and work-time availabilities and preferences to satisfy manpower requirements that fluctuate from hour to hour and day to day. An owner and operator of several fast-food restaurants replaced the time-consuming, nonproductive task of manually scheduling employees with a cost-effective, microcomputer-based employee scheduling system. The system standardized the scheduling process across his restaurants and resulted in higher quality schedules from both the management and employee viewpoints.
The Transferability of Just-in-Time Concepts to American Small Businesses
Authors: Inman R. Anthony , Mehra Satish
Published: October 2008

The just-in-time management philosophy has traditionally been considered applicable only to large manufacturing firms. An examination of over 100 manufacturing firms, large and small, reveals that JIT is just as applicable to small firms as to large. Almost all elements traditionally implemented in house or regarding vendors are equally adaptable to both size firms. The use of outside consultants seems more prevalent in large firms. Small manufacturing firms actually managed greater percentage lot-size reductions from suppliers, greater reductions in inventory, and increased inventory turns.
Applying MS/OR Techniques to Small Businesses
Authors: Mehra Satish
Published: October 2008

Small businesses, like large businesses, face complex problems that require the use of MS/OR techniques. Large businesses do have the resources to employ MS/OR techniques vigorously. Small businesses can, and should, use MS/OR techniques and tools to solve their problems effectively.
Book Reviews
Authors: Lev Benjamin
Published: October 2008

Balachandran, Sarojini 1987, Decision Making—An Information Sourcebook, Oryx Press, Phoenix, Arizona, 208 pp., $49.50—reviewed by Benjamin Lev

Daduna, Joachim R. and Wren, Anthony, eds. 1988, Computer-Aided Transit Scheduling: Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Computer-Aided Scheduling of Public Transport, Springer-Verlag, Berlin; New York, 335 pp., $33.70—reviewed by Lawrence Bodin

Das, T. K. 1986, The Subjective Side of Strategy Making, Prager, New York, 269 pp., $36.95—reviewed by Allen C. Bluedorn

Nicholson, Michael 1989, Formal Theories in International Relations, Cambridge, University Press, Cambridge, England, 256 pp., $49.50—reviewed by Edward C. Rosenthal

Pirow, P. C.; Duffy, N. M.; and Ford, J. C., eds. 1988, Information Systems in Practice and Theory, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North-Holland), Amsterdam, The Netherlands, xi + 503 pp., $105.25—reviewed by Jeanne W. Ross

Dogramaci, Ali and Fare, Rolf, eds. 1988, Applications of Modern Production Theory: Efficiency and Productivity, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, Massachusetts, 288 pp., $59.95—reviewed by Thomas R. Gulledge, Jr.
Developing a Production System in Mexico
Authors: Plenert Gerhard
Published: October 2008

In designing and installing a manufacturing system for a factory in Mexico, we had to address problems and considerations that are typical in implementing production systems for developing countries; for example, the unskilled work force and poor power supplies. Other problems in planning and developing arose from conditions and goals that differ from those in other developing countries; for example, poor employee-management relations. Many such problems can be avoided or solved with proper planning.
An n-Dimensional Uniform Random Number Generator Suitable for IBM-Compatible Microcomputers
Authors: Macomber James H. , White Charles S.
Published: October 2008

The uniform random number generator is the basic building block used in computer-based Monte Carlo and simulation studies. Mixed congruential random number generators, such as those intrinsic to MS-DOS or PC-DOS BASIC, have a number of shortcomings that make them unsuitable in multidimensional studies. A random number generator that overcomes these shortcomings is the generalized feedback shift register generator, an algorithm well documented for mainframe use. It can be used in a microcomputer environment and implemented in BASIC.
Parallel Processing Implications for Management Scientists
Authors: Adams Dennis A.
Published: October 2008

As parallel processing systems become more accessible, management scientists need to be aware of their implications for algorithm design. Parallel processing systems can simultaneously execute several programs and can be categorized by the number of processors available or the number of data streams that can be used. Efficient interprocessor communication is essential. Fine-grained parallel programs explicitly make use of these communication functions to improve speed, while coarse-grained programs interact less frequently and distribute similar subprograms among processors. In either case, procedures can be used to enable serial programs to execute on parallel processors. Management scientists have used these systems to investigate linear programming problems, simulation models, and network analysis. They offer users opportunities to address problems whose solutions were previously limited by serial-processing architectures.
Introduction to the Special Issue on the Practice of Mathematical Programming
Authors: Murphy Frederic H.
Published: October 2008

This issue concentrates on linear programming, with a little integer and nonlinear programming. It contains three applications papers, two historical papers, two reminiscences, one view of the future, and five tutorials.
A History of Mathematical Programming in the Petroleum Industry
Authors: Bodington C. E. , Baker T. E.
Published: October 2008

The petroleum industry's extensive use of LP-based operations planning models is well known and often cited as a major triumph of applied operations research. However, few people outside of the petroleum industry realize the degree to which mathematical programming concepts and techniques have penetrated all facets of the oil business from strategic planning through process control. Mathematical programming techniques have been developed and applied, decade by decade, from the 1940s to the present and hold even greater potential for the 1990s.
Shadow Prices: Tips and Traps for Managers and Instructors
Authors: Rubin David S. , Wagner Harvey M.
Published: October 2008

Managers who build their own microcomputer linear programming models are apt to misuse the resulting shadow prices and shadow costs. Fallacious interpretations of these values can lead to expensive mistakes, especially unwarranted capital investments. If executives follow a few simple guidelines, however, they can avoid the pitfalls. Instructors of linear programming can assist future managers by teaching how to apply ranging analysis that is available in commercial microcomputer optimization software.
Some Thoughts on Math Programming Practice in the '90s
Authors: Hirshfeld David S.
Published: October 2008

Since mathematical programming's inception in the early 1950s, practitioners have transformed theory into practice, produced an imposing array of technical advances on their own, and applied math programming effectively in countless settings in the public and private sectors. The next 10 years hold the promise of even greater technical development and expansion in the practice of math programming. Three topics bear on the outlook for the 1990s and beyond: the changing demographics of math programming practitioners, model building skills in the math programming community, and computing environments and resources.
To the Editor
Authors: Troutt Marvin D.
Published: October 2008

The maximin and minimax operation is a familiar one in MS/OR. This basic MS/OR concept might be used to provide some interesting variety to the everyday TV weather report.
A Multi-Refinery, Multi-Period Modeling System for the Turkish Petroleum Refining Industry
Authors: Buchanan John E. , Garven Susan C. , Genis Orhan , Shapiro Jeremy F. , Singhal Vijay , Thomas Jerry M. , Torpis Sevket
Published: October 2008

As part of Turkey's efforts to position itself to join the European Economic Community before the end of the century, the Turkish Petroleum Refineries Corporation (TUPRAS) is seeking to upgrade the specifications of her domestically refined petroleum products to approach and ultimately match the specifications that will be in effect throughout Europe. TUPRAS also seeks to increase production of refined products to try to keep pace with increasing domestic demand. Significant capital investment over the next 15 years will be required to attain these goals. TUPRAS senior management commissioned us to develop mathematical programming models for studying their strategic investment options, to exercise the models in performing an extensive analysis of the options, and to transfer to TUPRAS a decision support system based on the models for continuing analysis. The system is used by TUPRAS to analyze capital investments worth tens of millions of dollars.
Tabu Search: A Tutorial
Authors: Glover Fred
Published: October 2008

Tabu search is a “higher level” heuristic procedure for solving optimization problems, designed to guide other methods (or their component processes) to escape the trap of local optimality. Tabu search has obtained optimal and near optimal solutions to a wide variety of classical and practical problems in applications ranging from scheduling to telecommunications and from character recognition to neural networks. It uses flexible structures memory (to permit search information to be exploited more thoroughly than by rigid memory systems or memoryless systems), conditions for strategically constraining and freeing the search process (embodied in tabu restrictions and aspiration criteria), and memory functions of varying time spans for intensifying and diversifying the search (reinforcing attributes historically found good and driving the search into new regions). Tabu search can be integrated with branch-and-bound and cutting plane procedures, and it has the ability to start with a simple implementation that can be upgraded over time to incorporate more advanced or specialized elements.
Supply and Distribution Planning Support for Amoco (U.K.) Limited
Authors: Mehring Joyce S. , Gutterman Milton M.
Published: October 2008

The Supply and Distribution Planning System (SDS), developed for Amoco (U.K.) Limited, is designed to support routine planning of monthly and annual distribution of oil products, periodic negotiations of product exchanges and terminal throughput agreements, and strategic planning for facility location and markets. To support these applications, SDS allows users to specify the products, supply sources, terminals, markets, transport options, and time periods they want to consider for planning and then generates and solves a linear programming model of the specified supply and distribution system. SDS, which can represent supply, terminal operations, and primary and secondary distribution, is one of the few LP models that integrates functional areas in the oil industry. The system is flexible, accurate, and produces relevant reports. However, it was not adopted for routine planning largely because, due to economic conditions, very limited resources were available for implementation. To ensure that a system is used, developers and users must make substantial investments not only in developing it, but in establishing and maintaining a suitable environment for it.
Locating an Ambulance on the Amherst Campus of the State University of New York at Buffalo
Authors: Carson Yolanda M. , Batta Rajan
Published: October 2008

We used past call-data statistics and a network representation of the Amherst Campus of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo to find a dynamic positioning strategy for the campus ambulance. As measure of performance we used the system-wide average response time to a call. We solved one-median problems on several network “states” to determine optimal locations for the ambulance. To conclude our research effort, we validated the model. Models are not truth—the 30-percent savings predicted by our model evaporated during the test, which gave us a mere six-percent savings. This seemingly odd result is explained by the “elbow” relationship between travel time and travel distance, a relationship empirically postulated by the RAND fire project team in 1979.
Decision Support and Expert Systems for Real Estate Investment Decisions: A Review
Authors: Trippi Robert R.
Published: October 2008

Decisions about investment in commercial real estate projects are influenced by many factors, both quantitative and qualitative. With the aid of computerized decision support and expert systems, investors and developers are applying increasingly sophisticated forms of analyses to project screening, portfolio management, and other high-level decisions related to real property assets. In this field, even small improvements in decision making can have major monetary impact. Although many off-the-shelf and custom-built systems have been developed, these computer technologies have yet to be fully exploited by the real estate investment industry.
Constrained Approval Voting: A Voting System to Elect a Governing Board
Authors: Brams Steven J.
Published: October 2008

I designed a voting system for a professional association to ensure the equitable representation of different interests on its governing board. Approval voting, whereby voters can vote for as many candidates as they approve of, is combined with constraints on the numbers that can be elected from different categories of members to find the set of candidates most approved of by all voters, subject to the constraints.
Book Reviews
Authors: Lev Benjamin
Published: October 2008

Stevenson, William J. 1989, Introduction to Management Science, Richard D. Irwin, Homewood, Illinois, 844 + xvii pp., $39.50—reviewed by Ruth A. Maurer

Baird, Bruce F. 1989, Managerial Decisions under Uncertainty, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 530 pp., $44.95—reviewed by David Chender Chou

Walk, Manfred 1989, Theory of Duality in Mathematical Programming, Springer-Verlag, New York, 178 pp., $49.00—reviewed by Eric S. Theise

Pervozvanskii, Anatolii A. and Gaitsgori, Vladimir G. 1988, Theory of Suboptimal Decisions: Decomposition and Aggregation, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 384 + xiii pp., $99.00—reviewed by Eugene Veklerov

Ethier, Stewart N. and Kurtz, Thomas G. 1986, Markov Processes: Characterization and Convergence, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, $47.50—reviewed by Ralph L. Disney

Chapman, C. B.; Cooper, D. F.; Page, M. J. with contributions from J. B. Clark, M. A. M. Ezzmael; K. Hilton; C. Mar-Molinero; and S. C. Ward 1988, Management for Engineers, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, England, 654 pp., $39.95—reviewed by Holger Hinz
Introduction to DSS Prize Papers
Authors: Gray Paul
Published: October 2008

Presentation of the five finalist papers for the First International Competition for Outstanding DSS Applications and Achievements, held in conjunction with the DSS '90 meeting in Cambridge, Massachusetts from May 21 to May 23, 1990. An overview of the background and the course of this competition is given.