bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Creativity in OR/MS: From Technique to Epistemology
Authors: Tsoukas Haridimos , Papoulias Demetrios B. 
Published: October 2008

James R. Evans has made an interesting contribution with his articles on creativity in OR/MS practice. His main conclusion is that OR/MS practitioners ought to take creativity seriously if they want to be effective problem solvers, and he has suggested a number of techniques that would help them. In a sense, creativity has always been part of the OR/MS tradition, albeit in an embryonic form. Since its early days, for example, OR/MS has been an interdisciplinary undertaking that encouraged bringing insights from different disciplines to bear on a particular problem. Similarly, as Evans has reminded us, OR/MS theory building involves elements of creativity, although this is less related to OR/MS practice per se and more to generating new ideas and novel insights, an activity characteristic of all scientific research.
Book Reviews
Authors: Lev Benjamin 
Published: October 2008

Davison, A. C. and Hinkley, D. V. 1997, Bootstrap Methods and Their Applications, Cambridge University Press, New York, 582 pp., $39.95—reviewed by Thomas Freeman, Jr. Reinertsen, Donald G. 1997, Managing the Design Factory: A Product Developer's Toolkit, The Free Press, New York, 269 pp., $30.00—reviewed by Belarmino Adenso-Díaz. Bertsekas, Dimitri P. 1998, Network Optimization: Continuous and Discrete Models, Athena Scientific Publishing, Belmont, Massachusetts, 593 pp., $74.00—reviewed by Hanif D. Sherali. Tijms, Henk C. 1995, Stochastic Models: An Algorithmic Approach, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, UK, paperback, x + 375 pp., $22.50—reviewed by J. Ben Atkinson. Dingle, John 1997, Project Management: Orientation for Decision Makers, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 279 pp., $34.95—reviewed by Thomas Freeman, Jr. Birge, John R. and Louveaux, François 1997, Introduction to Stochastic Programming, Springer-Verlag, New York, 421 pp., $49.95—reviewed by Shabbir Ahmed. Neufeld, John L. 1997, Learning Business Statistics with Microsoft Excel, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 436 pp., $25.00—reviewed Linda L. Brennan. Box, George and Lucerno, Alberto 1997, Statistical Control by Monitoring and Feedback Adjustment, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 327 pp., $69.95—reviewed by Jim Tsoukalas.
Creativity in MS/OR: Choosing the Appropriate Technique
Authors: McFadzean Elspeth 
Published: October 2008

There is a great need for creativity within the MS/OR environment. Managers must be capable of defining problems, developing novel solutions, and implementing them effectively. A lot of research has focused on creativity. Researchers, for example, discussed methods of improving creative thinking in people, presented techniques that can encourage participants to develop more novel ideas, described the creative problem-solving process. I focus on creative problem-solving (CPS) techniques and how best to choose the most appropriate for a given situation. To this end, therefore, I have categorized the techniques and placed them in a continuum ranging from paradigm-preserving techniques to paradigm-breaking techniques.
Information Systems in Management Science
Authors: Vazsonyi Andrew 
Published: October 2008

Harry Stern in his final column in this series (INTERFACES, Vol. 3, No. 1 (November 1972), pp. 18–22) concisely summarized what he has been saying in these columns for six years. Naturally, his final column was incomplete because he did not (and could not) say what a splendid job he had been doing. I read INTERFACES more regularly than any other publication, and I always found Harry's column illuminating. So before I take up the cause of Information Systems let me say: Thank you, Harry Stern. In reality this is not my first column as in “Why Should the Management Scientist Grapple with Information Systems” (INTERFACES, Vol. 3, No. 2 (February 1973)), I tried to establish my position with regard to Information Systems and Management Science and the objectives of the column as I saw them. Now I would like to provide a little more background and specifics.
Reliability of Models in the Social Sciences
Authors: Churchman C. West 
Published: October 2008

A model is a device for helping man to think rationally. Sometimes it takes a very simple form, as when we say that an assertion A cannot be both true and false. Sometimes it takes a more subtle form, as when we construct rules for thinking about risky situations. Sometimes men build physical models to help them think about reality. A wind tunnel or the model solar system one sees at the planetarium are examples. These physical models are designed to have many of the properties of the real objects. Furthermore, one can manipulate the models and determine the consequences of certain changes if they were to occur. One fascinating exercise of planetaria consists of taking the audience through thousands of years of astronomical history. In this way, they can think more adequately about the stellar environment in which they live. Some models strip away large parts of the real event and display only the characteristics of interest. A so-called “communication map” of a company is an excellent example. Such maps display by arrows how messages and other means of communication are transmitted in the company. The map does not show anyone talking to anyone else, and yet one can easily determine from the map which persons communicate with each other. The map helps us think about communication system and possibly helps us to think how we should modify it. Finally, there are models that are expressed in terms of a very rich language that enables us to discuss reality in a precise way and to use fantastically ingenious methods to predict the consequences of proposed changes in the real world. It is these so called mathematical models that will concern us in this chapter.
Management Science Roundup
Authors: Bucatinsky Julio 
Published: October 2008

—“Fiscal Impact Assessment Methodology for Land Development”; —“Operation and Development of a National Water System”; —“Energy Modeling—Art, Science, Practice”; —“Energy Models—State of the Art Review”; —“TIMS XX—Israel”; —“News from Brazil”; —“News Release from Carnegie-Mellon University”; —“Seen Elsewhere: (1) Heroin Epidemics: A Quantative Study of Current Empirical Data by Leon Hunt, (2) Software and Its Impact: A Quantative Assessment by Barry W. Boehm, (3) Data Management for a Penny a Byte by Stuart McIntosh and David Griffel, (4) A European Bibliography of Corporate Planning 1961–1971 by P. J. Kettlewell, and (5) The Use of Systems Analysis in New Product Development by Raymond C. Zoppoth”; —“Bulletin Board”.
Information Systems in Management Science—Mathematical Modelling for Management
Authors: Eilon Samuel 
Published: October 2008

Mathematical modelling has made an immense contribution to management—it has helped to convert muddled thinking and amorphous deliberations into an orderly analysis, allowing crucial issues to be highlighted and purposely debated. It has taken the mystique out of some managerial tasks. It has allowed for many programmable decisions to be programmed and has shown how certain analytical tools cut across conventional boundaries between types of managerial functions, or even industries. But the present shortcomings of mathematical modelling and the blind belief of some modellers in the infinite power of mathematical analysis have led to a backlash. The criticisms range from accusations that most analysts address themselves to the wrong problems, to suggestions that analytical models are inappropriate for solving managerial problems. It is important for us to recognise the various shortcomings and limitations of the present state of the art in order to appreciate the true contribution that can be made and in order to combat the total rejection advocated by a growing number of sceptics.
A Comparison of Operations Research and Management Science Based on Bibliographic Citations
Authors: Back Harry B. 
Published: October 2008

The references that appear in footnotes and bibliographies have been used extensively as an “unobtrusive measure” of scientific communication. By analyzing large numbers of bibliographic citations, investigators in many fields have been able to discern significant sociological and historical patterns. For example, studies of citations have revealed the structure of scientific disciplines and the linkages between various subfields; the extent of collaboration, cooperation and interpersonal communication within research specialties; and the history, growth and impact of research areas and methodologies. In this paper, bibliographic citations are used to explore in depth the similarities and differences between the journals Management Science (MS) and Operations Research (OR). Specifically, references were analyzed in order to obtain answers to the following six questions: (1) Do OR and MS differ in the rate at which they introduce topics that have not previously received significant coverage in these journals? (2) To what extent do OR and MS treat related subject areas? (3) Is the concentration of subspecialties in OR different from those in MS? (4) Do the topics treated in OR have the same time perspective as those treated in MS? (5) Is there a difference in the extent to which OR and MS serve as sources and receivers of information? and (6) In which journal have the more outstanding papers appeared?
Book Reviews—What's the Purpose? What's the Use?: A Review of a Management Science Special Issue on “Urban Issues II”
Authors: Brewer Garry D. 
Published: October 2008

In recent years, professional journals have occasionally issued a number devoted to a specific topic. Given a tendency toward increased specialization and fragmentation of many professional disciplines, this practice is as inevitable as it is understandable. However, it places specific burdens on a reviewer, burdens shared to a lesser extent by the reader, to determine what purposes the special issue serves and to venture some speculations about the principles used to guide the selection of contributions in the issue. There are some general procedural clues. A special issue could be used to provide an overview, a historical background, or a summing up of some specialized field. Unfortunately, the concept of “urban issues” is so vast and ill-defined that this purpose is probably as inappropriate as it is impossible to fulfill. Perhaps the issue could be devoted to a thorough presentation of the state of the art in some area or field, which would also provide clues about further, needed developments. But could the state of the art of urban issue analysis be contained within 135 pages of a single journal? At best one might hope that a few selected aspects would be detailed to indicate, even if partly, what the state of one or a few procedures, theories, or techniques might be.
Management Science Roundup
Authors: Bucatinsky Julio 
Published: October 2008

—“Operations Research Education In Japan”; —“A Business Economist Looks at Mathematical Models”; —“Operations Research in High Schools: An Experimental Program”; —“A Computerized M.I.S. for Law Enforcement Agencies”; —“Second Industrial Engineering Conference in Monterrey, Mexico”; —“News: Conference on Hospital/Medical Systems”; —“News: Interface with the Future”; —“News: Research on Municipal Informations Systems”; —“News: Center For Futures Research”.
International Aspects of Operations Research and The Future of Our Industrial Society
Authors: Jensen Arne 
Published: October 2008

Operations Research is, in its elementary form, going to be as widespread as mathematics and physics nowadays. But only IF we meet the challenge and are willing to communicate to the surroundings not only the proper use of our own remedies, including management sciences, but also remedies, such as information processing and automatic control. Operations Research for laymen in the post industrial society will require deep and exciting research, and we are in the lucky situation that we, through the work heretofore carried out, are in possession of quite a number of results suitable for this type of communication with our surroundings. The Operations Research process is a combination of logic and creativity. With our youth behind us, we can hope that in the future our science as a melting-pot for new developments—for the benefit of mankind—is going to be even more valuable. We are going to take part in the choice of the futures of our industrial society.
Management Science and the Gas Shortage
Authors: Erikson Warren J. 
Published: October 2008

It is probably safe to assume that there is no one unaware of the recent gasoline shortage. The debates still go on regarding whether or not the shortage was “real” (government and/or oil company conspiracies, etc.) but one thing is sure: The lines at the gas pumps were real. It is easy to find individuals proposing solutions, and it is equally easy to find individuals who claim that each of these solutions won't work. Frequently any analysis to show why a particular solution will or will not work is missing. This paper contains an analysis that focuses on the problem as seen by the average driver. The key issue is: “What can be done to shorten ridiculously long lines at the pumps?”
Challenges and Problems in the Evaluation of Governmental Programs
Authors: Staats Elmer B. 
Published: October 2008

No one doubts the practical difficulties of assessing the cost and benefits of social programs and of evaluating the impact of these programs in many situations. Those people responsible for program formulation and evaluation system design at all levels of government must work at solving the problem of clearly defining objectives and measurement criteria so as to provide program managers with the information necessary for critical evaluation. Else, success and determination of whether approaches or funding levels need to be revised cannot be intelligently assessed. We in the GAO are continuing to work on new evaluation methods and techniques to improve our ability to estimate effectiveness and enable us to continue to deliver meaningful information to the Congress. In the final analysis, the hard choices will be political choices but political leaders and the public need increased awareness of the arguments, pro and con, concerning the choices that must be made. Those who want to do right should at least be equipped with good information.
Motivation, Model Perversion, and The Management Science Team
Authors: Ramsing Kenneth D. , Moberg Dennis J. 
Published: October 2008

Throughout the development of management science, there have been complaints that staff people in this field have been insensitive to the overall goals of the organization. The focus of management science people has been largely that of model development and construction. In short, this has led to the conclusion that management science teams are composed of “model perverts.” If this is true, then there are some important motivational considerations that must be kept in mind. An understanding of these considerations is crucial to assuring that management science will be both effectively utilized and well integrated with the goals of the organization.
Principles of Operations Research—8. The Burns Balance
Authors: Machol Robert 
Published: October 2008

This is the eighth in a series of articles on the principles of operations research. As the reader will note, these are somewhat different from similarly titled subjects in the usual textbooks. The late Robert Burns, a radio comedian of a generation ago, was distinguished from the poet of the same name by the nickname “Bazooka”, from the home-made musical instrument which he played and made famous. Many of his stories centered around Arkansas, and one in particular described a technique for weighing hawgs which he had observed there: Select a perfectly symmetrical plank, and balance it across a sawhorse. Place the hawg on one end of the plank, and pile rocks carefully on the other end until it has just returned to an equilibrium position. Then guess the weight of the rocks.
Principles of Operations Research—9. The Hawthorne Effect
Authors: Machol Robert E. 
Published: October 2008

This is the ninth of a set of articles on principles of operations research. As the reader will note, these are somewhat different from similarly titled subjects in the usual textbooks. Everybody knows about the Hawthorne Effect. Some 40 years ago some experiments were carried out at the Hawthorne plant (near Chicago) of the Western Electric Co. to determine the effect of the environment on productivity. Each change in rest period, lighting levels, and so forth was associated with an increase in productivity. Finally, they changed everything back to the way it had been in the first place and productivity increased by still a further increment. The workers reacted not to the variables which were supposed to be the subject of the experiment, but to the experiment itself.
The Systems Approach: A French Experience
Authors: Chinal Jean P. 
Published: October 2008

The Systems Approach has become an increasingly familiar way of attacking various problems in engineering, management and, possibly, other areas. As a new viewpoint it can be detected today in three ways: in its applications, in the disciplines associated with its development and, in the various sources, some outside engineering and management, which can be ascribed to it. In what follows we describe a French experience to express and teach systems engineering at ENSAe France, since 1970. It is shown how from the experience of aerospace systems projects and from a reflection upon the school's own curricula in related fields of control, computer and electrical engineering, the decision was made to develop a new, separate program, based upon a pragmatic concept of systems, as evidenced in the French aerospace and defense industries. This five-year experience is then commented upon and summary of opinions of students, course alumni and industry systems engineers on the concept of the systems approach and teaching is presented.
Facilities Expansion Model
Authors: Drayer Wayne , Seabury Steve 
Published: October 2008

The Operations Research Department was requested by the Tubular Products Division to assist in determining the production capabilities for their new facilities. This was a crucial management decision not only because substantial capital had to be committed but the production capability of the new facilities would greatly affect the division's ability to compete in the expanding specialty tubing industry. A linear programming model of the existing and the proposed facilities was developed to evaluate alternative facilities. The forecasted annual shipments for seven major material grades were broken down into six hundred product categories based upon historical size mix patterns. The model assigned these product categories to existing and proposed facilities taking into consideration the operating capabilities, efficiencies, and capacities of the facilities in order to minimize the total operating costs. Eighteen proposed facilities were evaluated under varying market forecasts. In addition, the model was used to evaluate phasing out older facilities, different locations for new facilities, and different startup dates for the new facilities. The production capabilities for the new facility chosen by division management was identified by the model. Division management felt that the new facilities would substantially increase their ability to compete in the specialty tubing industry plus reduce annual operating costs by several million dollars.
Improving the Deployment of New York City Fire Companies
Authors: Ignall Edward J. , Kolesar Peter , Swersey Arthur J. , Walker Warren E. , Blum Edward H. , Carter Grace , Bishop Homer 
Published: October 2008

How many fire companies does New York City need and where should they be located? Given a fire alarm of unknown severity, how many companies should be dispatched to it? These two questions are fundamental issues in the deployment of the City's fire-fighting resources. Since 1968, the New York City Fire Department and The New York City-Rand Institute have carried out a joint project to improve the delivery of Fire Department services in the face of skyrocketing demand. In November 1972, two historical deployment changes were implemented: (a) six of the 375 fire companies in the City were disbanded and seven other companies were permanently relocated; and (b) in high fire incidence areas of the City, an adaptive response policy was implemented. Under adaptive response, fewer companies are initially dispatched to potentially less serious alarms. This is in contrast to the traditional dispatching policy where the same number of companies are dispatched to each alarm. The joint Fire Department-Rand Institute project and the analyses which led to these and other improvements and the wide range of mathematical models used are described. The changes have resulted in savings to the Fire Department of over $5 million per year, a reduction in the workload of fire companies and a more equitable distribution of fire companies throughout the City.
The Fifth Column—On Doing Good Things and Dumb Things in Production & Inventory Control
Authors: Woolsey Gene 
Published: October 2008

After years of waiting, Operations Research finally printed an article on inventory control that could meet the standards of the journal of the American Production and Inventory Control Society. I suggest that Mr. Bishop's article, [Bishop, Jack L., Jr. 1974. Experience with a successful system for forecasting and inventory control. Oper. Res. 22 (6) 1224–1231.], “Experience with a Successful System for Forecasting and Inventory Control” be made required reading for anyone who still is teaching the square-root formula for the Economic Order Quantity with a straight face. Also presented is an example of doing some dumb things first in production and inventory control, where amazing improvements in operating methods could have been achieved by asking simple questions that nobody in the plant would dare to ask.
Perspectives on MS Applications—All Around the Model
Authors: Shycon Harvey N. , Schuldenfrei Robert L. 
Published: October 2008

A continuing theme in this series of articles has been the need to involve management with the management scientist in order to achieve a twofold objective: (1) input from management concerning its problems, thus assuring that we understand and address problems of importance to them, and (2) to develop involvement and understanding by management which will in turn aid implementation and success of the work. The experience of several dozen projects, many described in these pages, continues to demonstrate the validity of these principles. In talking with Robert L. Schuldenfrei of the professorial staff of the College of Business, University of Rhode Island (who collaborated with me in the column devoted to the subject of “Management Science in a Period of Uncertainty” Interfaces, February, 1975, p. 79), he suggests another form of human interaction which can make our work more effective. It is a technique of model building interactively with the computer. It involves the time share computer, a data base, graphics display and some powerful software. He calls it Information Cyberdynamics.