1,721,159 research outputs found
Critical Path Analysis and Linear Programming
No full textThis is one of the first volumes in a new series of textbooks in operational research. The key objectives of the series are to provide concise introductions to the core topics in operational research focusing on the practical relevance of those topics to today's students and taking a non-mathematical orientation in favour of software applications.
Each core subject will be paired with another core subject in order to provide maximum value for money for students
How do higher education systems of developing countries respond to the Push for Implementing Reforms and Innovation? The case of Bulgaria
No full textAckoff's Fables revisited: stories to inform operational research practice
No full textThis paper considers Ackoff's Fables, a set of short stories published by Ackoff in 1978 as guides to creative problem solving. The paper argues that storytelling of this kind contributes usefully to management and MS/OR education, before addressing how such Fables might be interpreted. It is demonstrated, using one of Ackoff's Fables, The Smart Jackass, for illustrative purposes, that interpretation of even apparently straightforward stories such as these is not unambiguous. The Fables can be interpreted in a multitude of different and sometimes contradictory ways, and the truths they might contain are not self-evident. Yet, as the basis for discussion, they still have much to offer as educational tools. The paper concludes with a discussion of literal truth in stories, and presents a classification of story types according to their relationship to literal truth
Board wargames for decision making research
No full textThis paper discusses some aspects of a game for research into decision making. From our experience with commercial board wargames, we identify six requirements for a research game, and three requirements for its control. The Organisational Control Game, a wargame which we have developed, is shown to satisfy the requirements. The Superior Commander system is used to control the game, and the importance of the dummy task is discussed. We conclude that commercial board wargames can be adapted to examine decision making scientifically, we offer some guidelines for game development, and we consider extensions to other contexts, particularly those related to business games
Identifying and addressing senior executives’ different perspectives of the value of IT initiatives
No full textThe full benefit of a firm’s IT plan will not be realized if senior executives have different perceptions of the effectiveness and value of IT investments. However, differences in perceptions are rarely the focus of any governance process. We used a method based on Repertory (Rep) Grid analysis to surface critical perception differences in a U.K. firm’s senior management team, comparing these to the CIO’s perceptions. From the lessons learned in this case, we provide recommendations for using Rep Grids and the associated heat maps.1,<sup/
A fairer assessment of DMUs in a generalised two-stage DEA structure
No full textIn Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a variety of approaches have been used in the context of single-stage and basic serial two-stage systems to attain fairness in the evaluation of decision-making units (DMUs). Little work, however, has been done to address this challenge in a generalised two-stage structure featuring additional inputs in the second stage and a proportion of first-stage outputs as final outputs. In this paper, we argue that in this context, fairness is enhanced by increasing measures related to the discriminatory power and the weighting scheme of the method. We describe a mechanism that gives prominence to a more contemporary concept of fairness, incorporating diversity and inclusion of minority opinions. These aspects have, to our knowledge, not yet received explicit attention in the methodological development of DEA. We propose a novel combination of an additive self-efficiency aggregation model, a minimax secondary goal model, and the CRiteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation (CRITIC) method, in order to promote these aspects of fairness, and thus achieve a better degree of cooperation between the stages of a DMU and among DMUs. The additive aggregation model is chosen over the alternative multiplicative approach for a variety of reasons relating to the emphasis on the intermediate products exchanged and the simplification. The minimax model offers peer evaluation in which each DMU aims to evaluate the worst of the others in the best possible light. Application of the CRITIC method to DEA addresses the aggregation problem within the cross-efficiency concept. Practical applications of this approach could include supporting the determination of training needs in job rotation manufacturing, or evaluation of sustainable supply chains. The paper includes a description of a numerical experiment, illustrating the approach
"Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin (...to transfer some knowledge?)" Narrative approaches to the transfer and interpretation of organisational knowledge
No full textNarrative approaches to the transfer of organisational knowledge
No full textNarratives, or stories, have been identified as one of the ways in which knowledge might be transferred, shared or exchanged in organisational settings. Beyond their identification, little consideration has been given to the ways in which narrative approaches can increase our understanding of the creation and dissemination of knowledge in organisations. This paper reflects upon some of the ways in which narrative approaches might contribute towards a better understanding of organisational knowledge management. It contributes to the debate on the nature and significance of the contextual features of organisational knowledge, particularly the role of tacit knowledge, and identifies some of the distinctions between formal and informal knowledge transfer mechanisms, which operate (with or without effective management) within organisations
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