bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Knowledge-Based System for Auditing Health Insurance Claims
Authors: Martin Jack L. , Eckerle Robert F.
Published: October 2008

A firm engaged in a cost-plus medical insurance policy can gain better control of expenditures by using a knowledge-based expert system to select a subset of previously paid claims for manual review. The selection process focuses on identifying probable errors in claim payments. Knowledge of medical practices and procedures provides the foundation for detecting errors. We obtained the knowledge from a number of health care professionals and encoded it in a rule-based system. The system has been refined over two years and is currently being used by RFE Associates, a health insurance consulting firm, to audit claim payments. A recent audit on behalf of one Fortune 500 retailer resulted in recovery of $377,000 from the plan administrator.
Still More on Pulling the Goalie
Authors: Washburn Alan
Published: October 2008

Once again the goalie is taken to task for staying in the game too long. This time dynamic programming is used to get around a questionable assumption made in previous analyses.
Decision-Aiding Software and the Law
Authors: Nagel Stuart S. , Mills Miriam K.
Published: October 2008

Decision-aiding software processes a set of goals, alternatives for achieving them, and relations between goals and alternatives to arrive at the best alternative, combination, allocation, or predictive decision-rule. The most popular decision-aiding software employed by lawyers uses the spreadsheet form and implicit theory for multi-criteria decision making. Available alternatives are placed on the rows, goals to be achieved on the columns, relations between alternatives and goals in the cells, and an overall total for each alternative at the far right. The software can determine what it would take to bring a nonwinning alternative up to first place. Such software is useful in framing inputs, overcoming analytic problems, and satisfying diverse users. It is used increasingly by people in private and government law practice for such tasks as choosing arbitrators, predicting case outcomes, and deciding whether to go to trial or settle out of court.
Comment: Tax Restructuring in Peoria, Illinois: Food for Thought
Authors: Arthur Jeffrey L.
Published: October 2008

There has been much discussion in recent years concerning the apparent lack of acceptance of many MS/OR studies. A number of reasons have been proffered for this lack of impact, but one possible explanation has not received much attention. Perhaps we have become so immersed in our sophisticated models that we often fail to see the infeasibility (moral, social, or otherwise) of our proposed solutions. A recent paper in this journal provides a prime example supporting this contention.
Book Reviews
Authors: Lev Benjamin
Published: October 2008

Golden, Bruce L.; Wasil, Edward A.; and Harker, Patrick T. eds. 1989, The Analytic Hierarchy Process: Applications and Studies, Springer-Verlag, New York, 265 pp., $59.50—reviewed by Irving H. LaValle and Jonathan F. Bard

Osborne, M. R. 1985, Finite Algorithms in Optimization and Data Analysis, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, England, 383 + xvi pp., $99.95—reviewed by Ton Volgenant

Bendell, A.; Disney, J.; and Pridmore, W. A. eds. 1989, Taguchi Methods: Applications in World Industry, Springer-Verlag, New York, 395 pp., $79.00—reviewed by Enio E. Velazco

Rubenstein, Albert H. 1989, Managing Technology in the Decentralized Firm, John Wiley and Sons, New York, xxiv + 476 pp., $49.95—reviewed by R. Gehani

Levin, Richard I.; Rubin, David S.; Stinson, Joel P.; and Gardner, Everette S., Jr. 1989, Quantitative Approaches To Management, Seventh edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 848 pp., $49.95—reviewed by Ruth A. Maurer

Ecker, Joseph G. and Kupferschmid, Michael 1988, Introduction to Operations Research, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 509 pp., $53.76—reviewed by B. A. McCarl and Hayri Onal
Introduction to the Special Issue on AIDS Modeling
Authors: Cretin Shan , Larson Richard C.
Published: October 2008

Editorial overview of the special issue on AIDS modeling.
Prognosis After AIDS: A Severity Index Based on Experts' Judgments
Authors: Alemi Farrokh , Turner Barbara , Markson Leona , Szorady Richard , McCarron Tom
Published: October 2008

Survival after diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) differs greatly depending upon the type of complications the patient experiences. A detailed understanding of this variation in survival is an essential component of health care planning so that demands for hospital beds and other health care resources can be more realistically anticipated. We developed two severity indices for predicting the prognosis of AIDS patients using additive and multiplicative multi-attribute utility models. A panel of physicians described the scoring of each index. On 97 randomly selected patient profiles, we compared both severity scores to the clinical assessments of the expert panel. The multiplicative index was more accurate than the additive index. We describe the multiplicative scoring system for AIDS severity.
Book Reviews
Authors: Lev Benjamin
Published: October 2008

Ettlie, John E.; Burstein, Michael C.; and Fiegenbaum, Avi 1990, Manufacturing Strategy, Kluwer, Boston, Massachusetts, 256 pp., $50.00—reviewed by Binshan Lin

Slowinski, Roman and Weglarz, Jan 1989, Advances in Project Scheduling, Elsevier Science Publishing, New York, 531 pp., $142.00—reviewed by Jerome D. Wiest

de Neufville, Richard 1990, Applied Systems Analysis: Engineering Planning and Technology Management, McGraw Hill, New York, 470 pp., $44.95—reviewed by Robert E. Machol

Greif, Irene, ed. 1988, Computer-Supported Cooperative Work: A Book of Readings, Morgan Kaufmann, San Mateo, California, 783 pp., $42.95—reviewed by Joseph G. Davis

Martin, James H. 1990, A Computational Model of Metaphor Interpretation, Academic Press, San Diego, California, 229 + xxiii pp., $34.95—reviewed by Roberto R. Kampfner
A Model of HIV Transmission through Needle Sharing
Authors: Homer Jack B. , St. Clair Christian L.
Published: October 2008

Intravenous drug users (IVDUs) are a high-risk group for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection because of the common practice of needle sharing. A mathematical model simulates the spread of HIV infection and HIV-related death through a population of IVDUs. Special attention is given to the movement of needles between noninfectious and infectious states. The model has several input parameters that may be adjusted to represent local population characteristics and policy interventions. Use of the model for policy analysis is illustrated with a series of simulations examining the potential benefits of a needle-cleaning campaign.
CHESS: Providing Decision Support for Reducing Health Risk Behavior and Improving Access to Health Services
Authors: Bosworth Kris , Gustafson David H.
Published: October 2008

The AIDS epidemic has challenged every aspect of the health services delivery system from prevention activities and programs to nursing home care. Computer technology provides a strategy for meeting the needs of both people at risk as well as those infected with HIV. CHESS (Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System) is an integrated decision support system that provides multi-dimensional theory-based resources to people infected with HIV and to people at risk of contracting the infection. CHESS provides users with anonymous, current, nonjudgmental, easily accessible information, decision support, referral, and social support.
Modeling Relocatable Nuclear Targets
Authors: Youngren Mark A.
Published: October 2008

The US Army Concepts Analysis Agency (CAA) is responsible for modeling the employment of tactical nuclear weapons at the theater level. The currently available simulation that models the exchange of tactical nuclear weapons takes a lot of time to set up and run. CAA has used a simple probability model based on alternating renewal processes to make a quick estimate of the probability that a relocatable combat unit can be acquired and engaged by nuclear weapons, without a loss in accuracy compared to the detailed simulation. The model may be applied to either tactical or strategic relocatable targets.
When Is a Satellite Not a Toaster?
Authors: Feuchter Christopher A. , Neuman Kurt M. , Sparrow Kalla J. , Van Meter Charles A.
Published: October 2008

We repair our automobiles but discard inexpensive appliances at the first sign of trouble: they “cost too much to fix.” Comparing $50M satellites with toasters may seem odd, but the analogy can be appropriate. The too-much-to-fix argument can be used in deciding whether to replace or to repair earth satellites. We investigated (1) when cost considerations dictate using constellations of expendable satellites to be routinely replaced and discarded on failure, and (2) when circumstances indicate using constellations of satellites to be repaired on-orbit by exchanging failed modules.
The Impact of Changes in the Delayed-Entry Program Policy on Navy Recruiting Cost
Authors: Morey Richard C.
Published: October 2008

The delayed-entry program (DEP) enables an armed forces recruit to delay reporting to boot camp for up to a year from his signing up. We focused on the effects on recruiting costs of various DEP management policy parameters, particularly the size and mix of the pool. We applied the translog model, a “flexible” econometric frontier model employing a system of equations, to a pooled monthly, cross sectional data base from fiscal year 1984 to 1986. The results played a key role in the summer of 1987 when the navy recruiting command was arguing against deep cuts in its DEP size with the chief of navy personnel (OP-01). Additionally, our results emphasized that any future controlled recruiting experiments by DoD should adjust for differences across test cells in the DEP pool.
Family Factors and the Reenlistment Intentions of Army Enlisted Personnel
Authors: Wood Lisa L.
Published: October 2008

A household decision model examines the role of family economic and noneconomic factors in the reenlistment intentions of army personnel. Although spouse employment is important to such intentions (see The White Paper 1983: The Army Family [US Army 1983] and The Army Family Action Plan I [US Army 1984]), an empirical relationship has not been established. My model examines the influence of both spouse employment status and spouse support on reenlistment. The findings show that the spouse's propensity to be unemployed and several army policy variables, such as spouse accompaniment and member wages, are significant factors. In addition, the spouse's labor market experience is hurt by the army's rotation policies, and this hurts retention. This issue is not at all unique to the military. For two-wage-earner families, earnings, employment status, and noneconomic factors influence the career choices of both spouses.
Creativity in MS/OR: Creative Thinking, A Basis for MS/OR Problem Solving
Authors: Evans James R.
Published: October 2008

Gene Woolsey and others have taught us that mathematics and models are not always necessary to solve important problems in MS/OR. Often, the best solutions are novel and unusual—that is, they are creative. In teaching undergraduates, I found that learning the principles of creative thinking helped students to address unstructured cases and to apply the traditional operations research problem-solving techniques. I also find these principles helpful in explaining, understanding, and enhancing what I do in teaching, research, and consulting. In these columns, I plan to discuss many principles of creative thinking, methods for becoming more creative, and ways to enhance problem-solving skills. I invite you to submit your examples, comments, and perspectives on creativity.
Trends in Teaching Management Science in Undergraduate Business Programs
Authors: Gunawardane Gamini
Published: October 2008

My survey on the required course in management science in business and management schools accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) investigated the objectives of this course, its content, major changes made in recent years, and issues relating to the integration of this course with functional area courses. Several significant changes have occurred in recent years.
Visual Interactive Simulation Shows How to Use the Kanban Method in Small Business
Authors: Gravel Marc , Price Wilson L.
Published: October 2008

Visual simulation allowed us to show the managers of a small clothing plant how the Kanban method could help them, to persuade them to accept it, and to support its implementation. A nonvisual simulation on a minicomputer did not convince managers that the potential benefits of the Kanban method could be obtained in the shop. A series of three visual simulations on microcomputers effectively demonstrated the method and its performance advantages. Managers better understood the nature of the model and its workings. As a result, a pilot project was set up, leading in turn to the adoption of the method in the plant.
Book Reviews
Authors: Lev Benjamin
Published: October 2008

Calvert, James E. and Voxman, William L. 1989, Linear Programming, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Orlando, Florida, xi + 655 pp., $34.00—reviewed by William B. Widhelm

Sugiyama, Tomo 1989, The Improvement Book: Creating the Problem-Free Workplace, Productivity Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 256 pp., $49.95—reviewed by Bala Ram

Porter, Michael E. 1990, The Competitive Advantage of Nations, The Free Press, New York, 855 + xx pp., $35.00—reviewed by Yu-Min Chou

Schocken, Shimon 1990, IF a THEN b ⋯ probably, An Analysis of Uncertainty Management in Rule-Based Systems, International Center for Information Technologies, Washington, DC, 184 pp., $29.95—reviewed by Stephen H. Kaisler

Ghosh, Subir ed. 1990, Statistical Design and Analysis of Industrial Experiments, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, xii + 533 pp., $55.00—reviewed by A. N. Perakis

Kay, Ronald 1990, Managing Creativity in Science and Hi-Tech, Springer-Verlag, Berlin/Heidelburg, Germany, 221 pp., $29.95—reviewed by John Whittaker

Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications, S. Garfunkel, Project Director 1991, For All Practical Purposes: Introduction to Contemporary Mathematics, second edition, W. H. Freeman and Company, New York, 400 pp., $35.95—reviewed by Saul I. Gass

Gass, Saul I. 1990, An Illustrated Guide to Linear Programming, Dover Publications, New York, 173 pp., $6.95—reviewed by Harlan P. Crowder
Modeling Strategic Decision Making and Performance Measurements at ICI Pharmaceuticals
Authors: Islei Gerd , Lockett Geoff , Cox Barry , Gisbourne Steve , Stratford Mike
Published: October 2008

Over 10 years, we have developed a DSS that is used for R&D strategic decision making at ICI for selecting research projects, monitoring portfolios, allocating resources, and terminating projects. It is based on judgmental modeling concepts that have been incorporated into a modern computer-based information system. Our DSS provides a unified analysis and reporting format that helps communication and decision making among a team of research managers. Because of its flexibility, other parts of the organization have successfully adopted it.
Decision Modeling: Tools for Strategic Thinking
Authors: Reagan-Cirincione Patricia , Schuman Sandor , Richardson George P. , Dorf Stanley A.
Published: October 2008

For 10 years, the Decision Techtronics Group (DTG) has helped public organizations use decision modeling to improve group decision making. When the New York State Insurance Department faced the task of making recommendations to resolve the medical-malpractice crisis, it developed, with the help of DTG, a system dynamics simulation model and a multiattribute utility (MAU) model to analyze policy options. Decision makers assessed the short- and long-term impact of proposed policy changes and their utility to various stakeholders. The department was able to make sound recommendations to the state legislature. This case demonstrates that the successful application of modeling to strategic decisions requires (1) an understanding of the various modeling techniques, (2) the ability to diagnose a real problem and to select appropriate techniques (3) the willingness to rethink the problem in terms of the modeling techniques, and (4) the construction of models with full participation of the decision makers.
Policy Analysis in a Political Environment
Authors: Murphy Frederic H.
Published: October 2008

The paper discusses professional ethics in policy analysis for the Carter Administration National Energy Plan.
PERT Duration Times: Mathematics or MBO
Authors: Littlefield T. K. , Randolph P. H.
Published: October 2008

We examine and compare the origins and mechanics of program evaluation and review technique (PERT) and management by objectives (MBO), reviewing the controversy concerning the mathematical validity of PERT activity duration estimates; the mathematics appear to be of little practical significance. It is the estimation process that is important, and this PERT estimation process is much like the objective development process of MBO. Definite similarities exist. PERT could be considered an extension of MBO.
Franz Edelman Award for Management Science Achievement
Authors: Brout Donald B. , Graves Stephen C. , Murphy Frederic H.
Published: October 2008

Editorial on occasion of the 20th Anniversary Franz Edelman Competition for Achievement in Management Science Practice. A short review of the award is given. It is followed by a note about award recipients and their award-winning contributions.
Scheduling Ambulances
Authors: Aubin Jean
Published: October 2008

Urgences Santé is the public agency responsible for coordinating ambulances in the Montréal area. One of its responsibilities is long-term scheduling of ambulances and technicians. After demand has been forecast and the associated number of required vehicles for each hour of a typical week has been defined, Urgences Santé rents the ambulances from 15 private owners and distributes the working hours accordingly. The complexity of the problem has led to the quest for a systematic optimization approach. The implementation of this new scheduling method has two major impacts: savings and improvement of the technicians' schedule.
Organization Life: Initiating Change and Being Appreciated
Authors: Schmidt Stuart M. , Swaffin-Smith Chris
Published: October 2008

Operations research professionals frequently formulate proposals for instituting new systems in their firms. To implement these changes, they must persuade line and staff employees as well as managers to accept their ideas. They also need managerial commitment, material, and staff support for their proposed projects. To achieve success in their technical projects, OR professionals should pay attention to their personal styles.
Book Reviews
Authors: Lev Benjamin
Published: October 2008

Conway, Richard; Maxwell, William L.; McClain, John, O.; and Worona, Steven L. 1990, User's Guide to XCELL + Factory Modeling System Release 4.0, The Scientific Press, San Francisco, California, 186 pp., $47.50—reviewed by Suraj M. Alexander

Thomas, Joseph L.; McClain, John O.; and Edwards, David B. 1989, Teaching Notes Cases in Operations Management Using the XCELL Factory Modeling System, The Scientific Press, Redwood City, California, 103 pp., $15.00—reviewed by Suraj M. Alexander

Thomas, L. Joseph; McClain, John, O.; and Edwards, David B. 1989, Cases in Operations Management Using the XCELL Factory Modeling System, The Scientific Press, Redwood City, California, 143 pp., $22.50—reviewed by Suraj M. Alexander

Horovitz, Jacques 1990, Winning Ways: Achieving Zero-Defect Service, Productivity Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 177 pp., $24.95—reviewed by Wan S. Shin

Evans, James R. 1991, Creative Thinking in the Decision and Management Sciences, Southwestern Publishing, Cincinnati, Ohio, 167 pp., $12.50—reviewed by Frederic H. Murphy

Quarterman, John S. 1990, The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems Worldwide, Digital Press, Bedford, Massachusetts, 723 pp., $49.95—reviewed by E. S. Theise

Ross, Sheldon M. 1990, A Course in Simulation, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 202 pp., $35.00—reviewed by Franklin E. Grange

Wolstenholme, Eric F. 1990, System Enquiry: A System Dynamics Approach, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 238 + xvi pp., $39.95—reviewed by A. N. Perakis
Optimal Partitioning of Data Bases across Multiple Servers in a LAN
Authors: Berman Lawrence , Nigam Raj
Published: October 2008

In 1987, Merrill Lynch was planning to establish about 450 local area networks (LANs) at its retail branch offices. Attached to the LANs would be personal computers for over 10,000 retail brokers, data-base servers providing customer and product data, and communication servers for interacting with remote systems and downloading data to the local data bases. The firm had not resolved how many data-base servers would be needed. We partitioned the data bases across multiple servers on a single LAN and developed an analytical methodology to determine the minimum number of data-base servers needed. We showed that, at most, two servers were needed for any branch office.
Vehicle Utilization at Bay of Plenty Electricity
Authors: Buchanan John , Scott John
Published: October 2008

Despite its often mathematical and abstract nature, queuing theory has provided a number of significant and useful results. In a vehicle-utilization study for Bay of Plenty Electricity (a medium-sized electrical supply authority in New Zealand), we used results from queuing theory to implement a car pooling system at the head office. Since we undertook the study in a somewhat adversarial climate, the process assumed great importance. The involvement of all staff throughout the study, from the top executives down, contributed to the (ultimately) successful implementation of a pooling system for vehicles. The number of vehicles at the head office was reduced by 35 percent, contributing significantly to annual savings of NZ $55,000.
MUDRAPLAN—A DSS for Media Planning: From Design to Utilization
Authors: Rathnam Sukumar , Arun M. R. , Chaudhury Abhijit , Shukla P. R.
Published: October 2008

In advertising, media planning consists of deciding where to advertise, what elements of the medium to choose, and how many insertions should appear in each vehicle. The parameters planners consider are cost and reach. Because the relationships between the variables that make up a media plan are nonlinear and often irregular, media planners have difficulty making good decisions consistently. Also it may be difficult to quantify such parameters as impact and recall. We have mathematically modeled the media-planning problem for print media as a nonlinear decision problem. In preliminary use of our DSS, a media agency saved 20 to 30 percent and obtained a solution very different from those generated by traditional trial and error methods.
The Evaluation of Research Papers (Or How to Get an Academic Committee to Agree on Something)
Authors: Liberatore Matthew J. , Nydick Robert L. , Sanchez Peter M.
Published: October 2008

The College of Commerce and Finance at Villanova University sponsors an annual research awards program. Its objectives are to encourage and reward faculty research efforts. The process of selecting papers to win the award turned out to be far more complex than we initially expected. After many unsuccessful attempts at developing a manageable procedure, we used the analytic hierarchy process to structure the selection process. We have used this approach for the last three years without any serious problems. The faculty and external advisors using the system believe that it can better capture the subjective judgments of the evaluators than any of the previous approaches.
Precedence Constrained Routing and Helicopter Scheduling: Heuristic Design
Authors: Fiala Timlin M. T. , Pulleyblank W. R.
Published: October 2008

Mobil Producing Nigeria has an offshore oil field consisting of approximately 45 platforms. Each day certain platforms must be visited to regulate flow rates and a number of people must be transported between specified pairs of platforms. All transport is performed by helicopter. Mobil wanted to find a route for each daily set of stops that satisfied all the requirements and minimized the total distance flown. We developed two heuristics that produce very good solutions to this problem. The first ignores the problem of helicopter capacity, and the second handles it explicitly. Mobil has cited two benefits of the optimization software: all routing requirements are satisfied, and a significant reduction of total daily flying time has been achieved.
Alberta's Energy Efficiency Branch Conducts Transportation Audits
Authors: Erkut Erhan , MacLean Doug
Published: October 2008

In 1988, the Energy Efficiency Branch of Alberta's Department of Energy launched a computerized transportation audit program. Its purpose is to identify possible savings in the consumption of energy in the transportation sector. In the first 18 audits completed, the potential annual fuel savings averaged 34 percent. The program consists of four segments: vehicle selection, vehicle maintenance, driver training, and vehicle routing. We concentrate here on the development and implementation of the vehicle routing component and its use by Scott National to save 10 percent of its annual fuel costs.
Scheduling Meter Readers for Southern California Gas Company
Authors: Wunderlich Julie , Collette Martin , Levy Laurence , Bodin Lawrence
Published: October 2008

In 1988, Southern California Gas Company (SOCAL) initiated a study to investigate the potential benefits of using optimization software to route and schedule its meter readers. We developed and implemented a set of optimization algorithms and tested them on a carefully selected sample region. Based on this study, SOCAL projected tangible annual benefits of about $874,185 plus additional cost avoidance. The cost savings motivated SOCAL to implement a computerized meter-reading system, which was delivered in early 1991.
Improving Intercity Freight Routing with a Tactical Planning Model
Authors: Roy Jacques , Crainic Teodor Gabriel
Published: October 2008

Routing decisions play an important role in managing the operations of LTL motor carriers. They strongly interact with service and terminal operation policy choices and are particularly sensitive to variations in demand. We conducted several studies with large Canadian carriers, using a network optimization based methodology for tactical planning of freight transportation that we developed. We obtained results that illustrate the complexity of the routing decisions and the importance of tactical analysis and planning for the efficiency of intercity freight transportation.
Interactive Optimization of Bulk Sugar Deliveries
Authors: van Vliet André , Boender C. Guus E. , Rinnooy Kan Alexander H. G.
Published: October 2008

An interactive optimization system for planning bulk deliveries was implemented by Suiker Unie, a farming cooperative that processes about 60 percent of the Dutch sugar beet crop. The bulk delivery problem differs in several aspects from the standard multi-depot vehicle-routing problem: trucks deliver full loads to each customer and can reload at any one of five factories. Loading the trucks is very time consuming, and at each factory trucks can only be loaded one at a time, so that the problem includes both scheduling and routing. Since September 1991, the planners of Suiker Unie use the system to interactively determine and adjust daily schedules. In addition to the improvement of the efficiency and quality of the planning process, the use of the system turned out to yield about seven percent savings in operating costs.
A Planning Heuristic for Military Airlift
Authors: Rappoport Harold K. , Levy Laurence S. , Golden Bruce L. , Toussaint Katherine J.
Published: October 2008

The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is responsible for planning the allocation of airlift resources for moving cargo and passengers during peacetime and in crisis situations. The airlift-planning heuristic is a candidate for incorporation in the Airlift Deployment Analysis System, an interactive data-base environment. It was developed for the US Air Force under a subcontract with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The heuristic is fast and flexible, incorporating all significant constraints for both deliberate (peacetime) and execution (crisis) planning. Because of its speed and detail, MAC will be able to evaluate many options quickly when performing deliberate planning. With its interactive data-base structure and ability to interrupt and restore a problem at any time in the analysis, MAC can be very responsive in execution planning.
Introduction to the Special Section on Strategy
Authors: Hax Arnoldo , Klavans Richard
Published: October 2008

To formulate and implement strategies in high-technology environments one needs an interdisciplinary framework. One needs to understand the role of the individual entrepreneur, the appropriateness of organizational policies, the evolution of a firm's distinctive competencies over time, and the financial implications of competitive strategies.

This special edition has brought together some of the most advanced studies on these topics. The contributors come from two important groups: academics with a strong orientation towards practice and consultants with a strong orientation towards theory. Each contribution is the tip of a different iceberg. Behind each contribution is a wealth of research and practical experience in formulating and implementing strategies in high-technology environments.
The Success of High-Technology Firms: Early Technological and Marketing Influences
Authors: Roberts Edward B.
Published: October 2008

The success of high-technology companies depends upon many factors, among them technological and marketing influences at or soon after company founding. For a sample of newly founded companies in the Greater Boston area, rapid transfer of technology from an advanced technology-based “incubating organization,” an initial focus upon product development and manufacture, visible marketing organization and practices, and accurate understanding of customer needs and competition are apparent among the more successful.
Measuring Complexity in High-Technology Manufacturing: Indexes for Evaluation
Authors: Cooper William W. , Sinha Kingshuk K. , Sullivan Robert S.
Published: October 2008

Making strategic decisions based on performance evaluation across wafer fabrication plants in semiconductor manufacturing companies or across companies within the semiconductor industry is challenging because relevant information regarding competitors is not publicly available. One common practice is to analyze the performance of the plant longitudinally. However, as product and process technologies and product mixes change rapidly, the same plant cannot be compared across time periods. In a collaborative research project with a semiconductor manufacturing company, we conceptualized complexity and operationalized it in the form of indexes. We then applied these indexes to the operations of a wafer fabrication plant to assess the changes in its operational complexity on a monthly basis. The indexes proved very useful as inputs to models for evaluating the performance of the plant relative to competition, for formulating cost strategies, and for supporting production planning decisions.
Quality in Policy Modeling
Authors: Allen Patrick , Bennett Bart , Carrillo Manuel , Goeller Bruce , Walker Warren
Published: October 2008

The environment in which mathematical modeling and policy analysis takes place examines increasingly broader, more complex issues with scarcer resources: namely, time, money, and people. These and other developments have often led to diminishing quality in modeling and analysis. We recommend that a thorough, conscious effort be expended to deal with the full breadth of tasks impacted by modeling and the related interactions of the staff. Improvements at all levels will provide greater opportunities for the staff and enhance overall quality.
Decision Aid for Managing Cotton Insects
Authors: Bowden R. O. , Luttrell R. G. , Shin W. S.
Published: October 2008

To increase cotton production, millions of dollars are spent each year to control pests. We developed a rule-based expert system, called cotton insect consultant for expert management (CIC-EM), to assist cotton producers with control decisions for 13 critical insects in Mississippi. We built CIC-EM primarily around an entomologist's knowledge of the cotton pest management domain. The knowledge base was also influenced by other scientists, extension publications, and computer simulation results. The system has been evaluated by 13 regional experts and will be used beginning with the 1991 production season with the potential of reducing the costs of cotton insect control. By reducing the number of unnecessary applications of insecticide, CIC-EM can help producers increase production profits, while reducing the negative effects that insecticides have on the environment.
The Limits of Japanese Production Theory
Authors: Zangwill Willard I.
Published: October 2008

The concepts in “Japanese” production theory, also called zero inventory or just-in-time, have often improved productivity dramatically, sometimes by 100 percent or more. The theory's central principle is that inventory reflects underlying waste and that eliminating waste causes inventory to drop and productivity to rise. Costs are reduced, response time to customers is improved, and the ability to market in niches is enhanced. Ordinarily, as setup time or costs are reduced, inventory and production costs should decline. But in some circumstances, setup reduction can increase inventory and cost. An exploration of these contradictions may lead to a new and more powerful production theory that resolves these contradictions.
Introduction: The Practice of Decision and Risk Analysis
Authors: Bodily Samuel E.
Published: October 2008

Decision analysis has come of age as a methodology and practice for decision making under uncertainty. It has advised policy at the highest levels of business and government and aided individuals in private decisions. Risk analysis, a companion methodology, has been used on countless project and policy evaluations. This special issue comprises descriptions of important applications of decision and risk analysis around the world, a tutorial on state-of-the-art methods, updates of consulting and management practice and methodology, discussion of methods appropriate to government decisions, and provocative opposing essays on the contributions and limitations of decision analysis in practice.
Applications of Decision Analysis to the Military Systems Acquisition Process
Authors: Buede Dennis M. , Bresnick Terry A.
Published: October 2008

We used decision analysis to define requirements for the US Marine Corps' mobile protected weapons system during the concept selection phase of the systems acquisition process; to analyze the mix of air defense weapons for the forward area air defense of the US Army during the demonstration and validation phase; to assist in the evaluation by US Army and the Marine Corps of competing proposals for the light armored vehicle in the full-scale development phase; to determine which service (army or air force) should be the proponent for the PATRIOT missile system in the production and fielding phase; and to provide cost-benefit priorities of projects to the Marine Corps in the program objectives memorandum process, which allocates resources throughout the systems acquisition cycle.
Operations Risk Management at a Major Bank
Authors: Engemann Kurt J. , Miller Holmes E.
Published: October 2008

Risk management decisions are among the most conceptually difficult ones faced by managers. Financial institutions depend upon their operations and may incur considerable losses if those operations are interrupted. We participated in the development and implementation of an operations risk management program in one of the nation's largest banks. We developed a methodology, based upon decision analysis, as a framework for making risk management decisions. The bank implemented an ongoing corporate-wide contingency-planning program for all operation's services, using the risk management methodology to analyze operational risks in a probabilistic environment. This program, implemented prior to regulatory mandates, remains an industry leader for over a decade.
Spiderplots versus Tornado Diagrams for Sensitivity Analysis
Authors: Eschenbach Ted G.
Published: October 2008

Sensitivity analysis, supported by computer hardware and software, can easily overwhelm an analyst or decision maker with data. However, this data can be organized in a readily understandable way using well-designed graphs. Two graphical techniques, spiderplots and tornado diagrams, are commonly used respectively by engineering economists and decision analysts. Their advantages are complementary. Management scientists should often use both to convey their results to decision makers succinctly and clearly. The simpler tornado diagram can summarize the total impact of many independent variables. An individual spiderplot displays more information about a smaller number of variables. This includes the limits for each independent variable, the impact of each on the dependent outcome, and the amount of change required to reach a break-even point.
Experiences with Decision Conferencing in Hungary
Authors: Vári Anna , Vecsenyi János
Published: October 2008

Since 1985, decision-conferencing technology has been successfully transferred to Hungary. Transition to a market-structured economy and a pluralistic political system created a good environment for goal-centered and participative decision support. We summarize the experience of 26 decision conferences supporting organizational decisions in manufacturing companies, service organizations, and governmental authorities. A variety of tools and techniques such as multiattribute utility models and decision trees, assumption surfacing techniques, sociotechniques, and text analytical procedures were applied. In the majority of the cases we evaluated, participants developed innovative solutions which were widely accepted and fully or partially implemented. However, difficulties with using expected utility for rank-ordering alternatives or cost-efficiency as a basis for resource allocation indicate that the application of decision-support techniques is sensitive to idiosyncratic socio-economic factors.
Franz Edelman Award for Management Science Achievement
Authors: Spencer Thomas , Graves Stephen C. , Murphy Frederic H.
Published: October 2008

The 21st annual Franz Edelman Award Competition marked the beginning of the third decade of a competition that has matured into our profession's most honored award for the practice of management science. The Franz Edelman Award for Management Science Achievement is jointly sponsored by TIMS and the College on the Practice of Management Science of TIMS and ORSA (CPMS). The quality of the submitted work was very high, and it was a difficult process to select the seven finalists who competed at the joint TIMS/ORSA meeting in Orlando on April 26, 1992. As usual, the presentations were of the highest caliber, which made the work of the judges very difficult.

The purpose of the competition is to draw out and reward outstanding examples of work done by our profession. The prize is awarded for implemented work that has had significant, verifiable, and preferably quantifiable impact—not for the paper submitted nor for the presentation describing the work. The client organization that used each finalist's work is presented with a plaque commemorating the prize. The authors receive a replica of the plaque and cash awards that this year totaled $15,000.
Improving Fire Department Productivity: Merging Fire and Emergency Medical Units in New Haven
Authors: Swersey Arthur J. , Goldring Louis , Geyer Earl D.
Published: October 2008

In September 1991, the New Haven Fire Department implemented an innovative reorganization plan having dual-trained fire medics responding to medical emergencies or fire incidents. The plan was the culmination of a 10-month problem-solving process that required redefining the original problem by shifting attention from closing fire stations to reorganizing the deployment of fire department services. The work made use of both a new spatial queuing model and the existing firehouse siting model, and required timely analysis under constraints of the budgetary process. In a matter of weeks and at times, days, we had to win the approval of the chief administrative officer, the board of finance, and the board of aldermen. The plan increased productivity by both reducing cost and improving public safety. Yearly savings are $1.4 million and amount to nearly 10 percent of the fire suppression budget, while small reductions in fire protection are more than offset by substantial improvements in emergency medical response time.
Book Reviews
Authors: Lev Benjamin
Published: October 2008

Goodwin, Paul and Wright, George 1991, Decision Analysis for Management Judgment, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester/New York, 308 pp., $39.95—reviewed by John R. Schuyler

Bain, Lee J. and Engelhardt, Max 1991, Statistical Analysis of Reliability and Life-Testing Models, second edition, Marcel Dekker, New York, 520 pp., $115.00—reviewed by Jayavel Sounderpandian

Ellis, Dennis and Nathan, Jay 1990, A Managerial Guide to Business Forecasting, Graceway Publishing Co., Flushing, New York, 153 pp. (paper), $29.50—reviewed by Douglas A. Samuelson

Erickson, Gary 1991, Dynamic Models of Advertising Competition, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, Massachusetts, 122 pp., $49.95—reviewed by Dennis J. Hanseman

Adelman, Leonard 1992, Evaluating Decision Support and Expert Systems, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 232 pp., $44.95—reviewed by Roger Alan Pick

Fucini, Joseph J. and Fucini, Suzy 1990, Working for the Japanese: Inside Mazda's American Auto Plant, The Free Press, New York, $viii + 258 pp., $19.95—reviewed by R. Ray Gehani

Trippi, Robert R. and Turban, Efraim 1990, Investment Management: Decision Support and Expert Systems, Boyd and Fraser Publishing Company, Boston, Massachusetts 02116, paperback, 292 + xx pp., $13.50—reviewed by David Bendel Hertz

Smith, David K. 1991, Dynamic Programming: A Practical Introduction, Ellis Horwood, London, 164 pp., $29.95—reviewed by A. N. Perakis

Clark, Kim B. and Fujimoto, Takahiro 1991, Product Development Performance: Strategy, Organization, and Management in the World Auto Industry, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Massachusetts, 410 pp., $29.95—reviewed by Sang-Lin Han
Improving the Utility of the Bellcore Consortium
Authors: Hoadley Bruce , Katz Paul , Sadrian Amir
Published: October 2008

Bellcore, a research and development company owned by the seven regional telephone companies, aims to deliver research, engineering services, technical support, and software systems (R&D) that have maximum utility to its owners. They have different but overlapping R&D needs and different R&D budgets. We developed a 0-1 nonlinear integer programming algorithm that enables them to share costs optimally for different projects, get only the R&D that they need, and stay within their budgets. In 1991, each owner received on average 23 additional existing Bellcore projects at no additional cost. Over all owners, these projects were originally priced at $52.6 million. The algorithm is now part of the Bellcore budget process.
Let the Needles Do the Talking! Evaluating the New Haven Needle Exchange
Authors: Kaplan Edward H. , O'Keefe Elaine
Published: October 2008

New Haven, Connecticut implemented a needle exchange program in November 1990 to combat the spread of the AIDS virus. We developed a syringe tracking and testing system that provided data for mathematical models of HIV transmission. The models suggest that needle exchange reduced the HIV infection rate among program clients by 33 percent. In response, the Connecticut legislature continued funding the program, expanded needle exchange services to Bridgeport and Hartford, and decriminalized syringe possession. New needle exchange programs and legislation have also been developed in New York City, California, and Massachusetts partially as a result.
The Modernization of Merit Brass
Authors: Flowers A. Dale
Published: October 2008

The Merit Brass Company embarked on a modernization program at midyear 1990. Its goal was to improve customer service as economically as possible, since customer service is the most important variable in the industry. The company had outgrown its people-intensive systems and needed to implement management science methodologies to elevate it to the next level of performance. The new integrated management system relied on four major methodologies: statistical forecasting, cellular manufacturing, manufacturing (and purchasing) resource planning (MRP), and finished goods inventory management. At a modest cost and in record time, the company completed the implementation of all four components. The effects proved to be both synergistic and dramatic. The company has made major improvements in customer service while reducing costs.
Optimizing the Value Chain
Authors: Shapiro Jeremy F. , Singhal Vijay M. , Wagner Stephen N.
Published: October 2008

The current emphasis on optimizing the value chain, or integrated planning, advocated by business strategists and logistics practitioners indicates that the time is ripe for large increases in the number and scope of mathematical programming applications. Recent breakthroughs in information technology make it possible to develop advanced decision support systems based on mathematical programming models for integrated planning that operate on desk-top computers. We developed an advanced DSS operating on a personal computer that was used to evaluate strategic production and distribution planning questions in a large consumer products company.
Introduction to the DSS Prize Papers
Authors: Gray Paul
Published: October 2008

In this issue, we present the winner and finalists of the 1992 DSS Prize competition as well as one finalist paper from the 1991 competition that was not previously published. The judges for the 1992 DSS Prize competition considered all the papers submitted to DSS-92, held in Chicago June 8–10. The winning paper was Albert A. Angehrn's “Computers that criticize you: Stimulus-based decision support systems.”
A System for Group Production Planning in Manufacturing
Authors: Migliarese Piero , Paolucci Emilio
Published: October 2008

Group decision support systems (GDSSs) are responding to the growing importance of groups, lateral coordination, and the integration of activities inside modern businesses. The development of GDSSs has gone through three phases, each showing distinctive research themes and application fields, ranging from decision rooms to distributed systems. We developed a GDSS prototype (GROUPS), based on an empirical study of an IBM plant in Italy, to foster group cooperation in obtaining production efficiency and effectiveness. The GROUPS project incorporates particular software modules specifically designed to support the interactions and communications of a group of production managers.
MEDESS: A Methodology for Designing Expert Support Systems
Authors: van Weelderen Jim A. , Sol Henk G.
Published: October 2008

Improving the performance of an expert should be considered on an individual, organizational, and interorganizational level. Understanding problems should receive as much attention as solving problems. One should address “why,” “what,” “how,” and “with what” questions related to design problems. We used MEDESS in four cases as a framework for designing expert support systems (ESS) at KEMA, the shared laboratories of the Dutch electricity supply utilities, to improve the performance of experts. The ESS we describe here is used to help two consultants to double the amount of work they do and to do it more accurately.