REQUIREMENTS PLANNING FOR CONTROL OF INFORMATION RESOURCES

Producing reports assembled from files, records, and raw data is a major function of the computer in modern organizations. Transaction processing, records management, file organization, and data-base management are aspects of the information production function that have received a good deal of attention. But planning, scheduling, and controlling the production of information products have been neglected. For complex applications involving assembly of reports from multilevel information sources, the requirements planning model is suggested as an effective alternative to present methods. Thus, our suggestion is that the computer be used to plan, schedule, and control computer production of information products. Presently available material requirements planning software may be employed with minor modifications that depend on the given information system characteristics. In this paper an example of requirements planning as applied to production of information in a satellite control system is presented.     

FILE MANAGEMENT IN MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS*

The file management requirements of a particular management information system, that used for intelligence operations, are examined and a data storage and retrieval system developed that can be either manual or computer based. Scoring models are used to quantify the value of information. Values are adjusted dynamically so that decisions can be made on which items to add and which existing items to delete. Results of experiments with a police intelligence system are presented.     

Communication and its constraints on the structure of organisations

Control of organisations is one of the principal concerns of management. Day to day control is frequently mainly achieved by oral or verbal communication. It is suggested that loss or distortion of information during its passage through a chain of command can impose a major constraint on the effectiveness of an organisation. An experiment was devised in order to determine the information loss and distortion likely to occur when verbal information is passed through a series of people. It was found necessary to develop a method of coding and classifying verbal and written information before the data could be analysed. Some 21 different types of verbal information ‘bit’ were eventually isolated. It was found that there were some unexpected effects in the information loss process, and that distortions could frequently take place which created an exactly opposite effect to that required. It was also noted that critical loss levels existed, and that the believed ability to act on the information was related to this level. The results are described in the paper and losses and distortions are quantified so that the reliability of the human command system can be evaluated. The losses are then related to the deduced and observed limitations of the size and structure organisations.     

Computer integrated manufacturing: a complex information system

To be successful in today's competitive global environment, manufacturers must be able to respond quickly to changes in the manufacturing environment. Automation technology makes it possible for manufacturers to have this essential capability. A conceptualized information system that integrates the programmable design of a product and its manufacture with both planning activities and the manufacturing process is described. The information system integrates the programmable automation technologies used in computer integrated manufacturing with engineering and business databases. The computer integrated manufacturing concept is expended to the concept of a computer integrated economy. The technological difficulties that arise when implementing a computer integrated economy are identified.     

The database management system for Sakarya automotive suppliers and supply chain

This paper describes a database management system which was the result of a study carried out by Sakarya University and Adapazari Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The aim of the study was to increase the competitiveness of automotive companies in national and global markets by providing financial, economical and technological information regarding product design, supply chain, quality and job satisfaction. The results indicated that it is of vital importance to generate a supply-chain database management system for better selection of suppliers. Due to the huge number of data to be considered in decision-making, computer support seems to be inevitable.     

The value of information concept applied to data systems

Cost-benefit analysis has a considerable literature in which information systems have been patently ignored. This reflects the considerable difficulties of applying the theory to information systems, and the state-of-the art remains relatively as Koopmans described it some 19 years ago (1957). A bar to further development would appear to be the lack of an applicable value-of-information concept. This paper seeks to clarify the issues and provide a robust theoretical and data analysis framework that will cover most situations. The approach here is to separate explicitly the dimensions of cost from those of information benefit, and examine the implications. The Null Information Benefit condition emerges as a special theoretical case, but potentially a most important one in applications. This case together with the Pareto optimum defines a large class of such problems that can be handled by the decision criteria and data analysis techniques tabulated and discussed here. The selection of input data techniques defines the limits of later project justification and may be crucial to the political viability of the projects throughout its life. Finally, the general management vs information systems management relationships are discussed in terms of this situation.     

THE DOLLARS AND SENSE OF SIMULATION

This paper deals with the economics of computer simulation applied to problems in the operations management/industrial engineering area. First, the material in the literature dealing with the economics of simulation is summarized. However, the amount of information available on the economics of simulation is very small. A number of hypotheses are presented for this paucity of material. Since many managers operate in an environment in which costs and benefits are relevant to their decision-making process, the lack of data on the economics of simulation may be a barrier to the utilization of the technique. In an attempt to improve this situation, a framework for the collection and specification of the economics of simulation modeling projects is proposed as a method of urging management scientists to begin to collect and publish data on the economics of simulation projects.     

基于知识管理的动态客户关系管理研究

在分析B C模式下企业与消费者之间交易特征的基础上,提出了B C模式下的DCRM的思想及其内涵,并用一家超市的实例说明了这种管理方法的有效性及可行性,从而提出了基于知识管理的DCRM框架应包括战略形成、价值创造、渠道整合、绩效评价和信息管理等五个过程,并指出了研究成果对企业CRM实践的指导意义及未来研究方向。     

Management Information Systems and Corporate Planning

If we accept the correlation between MIS and computer based systems then the corporate planner has to consider the impact on his own company of a major new function. In so far as computers and the associated highly paid staff are concerned, the planner is certainly threatened with a major cost growth area that develops a momentum of its own. He may need all his energy to contain this growth in highly expensive resources to a scale that matches the company's overall operations. On the other hand an emphasis on management information and redesigned systems may lead to radical redesign and improvement in profitability of a company's operations. These two aspects are different sides of the same coin and in the future the corporate planner will play a dominant part in determining whether a company enjoys the benefits as well as incurs the costs of a sophisticated MIS.     

The fastest itinerary in time-dependent decentralized travel information systems

A travel information system (TIS) provides customers with information about transportation, transfers, and routings. A decentralized TIS is composed of autonomous subsystems and a central computer, where local subsystems have full control of their data and there is not a complete database in the central computer about the entire TIS. The transportation vehicles are scheduled. A travel itinerary from one spot to another contains the travel path and the schedule of transportations. The approach presented in this paper is for the central computer to identify the fastest itinerary across autonomous subsystems, based on the incomplete local information provided by the independent subsystems.     

A Manifesto for Information Management Research

This paper calls for major rethinking in information management research as we enter the second half of the 1990s and approach the 21st century. It argues that, should we not take up the challenges identified herein, it is likely that what little remains of the discipline ‘information management’ will be subsumed into the realms of computer science/engineering at one end of the spectrum, and strategic management and organizational behaviour at the other. It argues that while it is no bad thing that aspects of the topic are dealt with in these related fields, it is important that information management should be seen as a discipline in its own right. In order to achieve this recognition – indeed, in order to earn this recognition – major restoration is required. The paper seeks to begin a debate on this topic by presenting a manifesto¹ for reform in the field of information management by discussing a series of concerns regarding the focus, methods and quality of research in this field; its reference disciplines, and its international and cross-cultural considerations. This is not meant to be a comprehensive treatment of the issues by any means, but an attempt to present aspects of the topic that are of importance. By commencing the debate, it is hoped that the issues will become clearer, and action can begin to be taken. The list will doubtless be refined as the debate ensues.     

Early involvement in the design chain—a case study from the computer industry

This work presents a case study of how a design chain, with more than three tiers of organisations (customer, manufacturer, and supplier), can involve its members in the early stages of the design and development process to meet their needs more effectively. A vertical design chain model, consisting of strategy, process and information levels, is adopted to elucidate how a computer company can provide for different customers and use various suppliers to create synergy within the design chain. The results of this study demonstrate that the re-engineering of cross organisation product design flow, product data management software applications and the integration of information from various parties are critical to the early involvement in a vertical design chain. Based on this case study, the proposed early involvement model can shorten the time taken to develop new products and considerably reduce the number of engineering changes for various manufacturers.     

Description and Evaluation of an Approach to Implementing Programs in Organizational Settings

A broad-based approach to implementing programs is described and evaluation information is reported from two investigations of its use by program managers in educational organizations. The approach consists of a framework of program implementation factors from which implementation procedures are derived. The procedures then are used by a manager to help facilitate implementation of a program according to plan. In the first investigation, three program managers were trained in the approach to assist them in implementing a behavioral group counseling program in three public high schools. In the second investigation, a program manager was trained to help implement a case management system in an elementary school. Results of both investigations suggest that managers were able to utilize the program implementation procedures, with their respective programs being more completely implemented when the procedures were applied. Reactions aboul the approach obtained from human service program managers, following both investigations, suggest that it may be a worthwhile managerial strategy. Advantages and limitations of the approach are considered and its relationship to organizational behavior management is discussed.     

Using strategic issue analysis

Strategic issue analysis is proposed as a method for resolving the strategic issues that are an important part of strategic management. The SIA process is one in which a strategic issue information model is developed using a joint manager-analyst teamwork approach. The issue models and supporting data then provide the basis for strategic decision making. The approach has numerous advantages over other approaches— both more and less formal—for resolving the strategic questions that must be addressed in any comprehensive planning process.     

Non-significant,self-validated part identification numbers

The numbering and identification of parts within a manufacturing organization is of immense importance, for it serves as a major means of communicating information throughout the organization. The oldest, and still most prominent method of part identification is the use of meaningful, alphanumeric part numbers. With the transition to computer-assisted manufacturing systems, however, many of the weaknesses of this type of system have come to light. A newer approach to part numbering, the use of all-numeric, non-significant part numbers as a vehicle for identifying parts and accessing the required information about each, may be a major contributor to improved communications in the computer age. This paper explores both approaches to part identification, addressing the advantages and drawbacks of each. It is concluded that the use of non-significant numbering is indeed the best approach to a flexible, simple, and standardized identification system, allowing access to all pertinent part information without incorporating that information into the part number. Two case studies, one of a leading compressor manufacturer, and the other a producer of greeting cards, are presented, demonstrating the feasibility of a conversion from significant to non-significant systems and the benefits obtainable. The problem of reducing data entry errors and maintaining data integrity with non-significant part numbers is analyzed and a proposed algorithm presented. Finally, routines are demonstrated for both generating and then vetting and validating non-significant numbers.     

A Framework for Examining the Interface between Operations and Information Systems: Implications for Research in the New Millennium*

Even though much research has been published in operations and information systems, both functional areas find their roots in other disciplines. While operations management evolved from operations research in the 1960s, the field of information systems is of more recent vintage and traces its original roots to computer science. Both disciplines now naturally have come closer together as information and process-technology-based changes force manufacturing firms to become more efficient and customer focused. Market and technology-driven e-commerce initiatives that are likely to dominate business strategies in the future cannot be successfully achieved without a successful integration of operations and information systems. In this paper, we present a unifying framework that can be used to better understand the management of the functional interface between operations and information systems. We also categorize and highlight the contributions of the articles that appear in this special research focus issue. Finally, research directions that emerge from our understanding of this interface are outlined in an effort to stimulate further thinking and research that can advance our knowledge of this interface area.     

USING MANAGEMENT GAMES AS AN AID IN TEACHING MIS DESIGN

As an approach to teaching management information systems, students are required to play a management game. The students become aware of information needs through participation in the decision process of the game. The student then develops an integrated system to assist in playing this management game. This new approach, the gaming method, is considered an effective way of teaching integrated systems because the intimate interrelationships between decision-making processes and information systems can be easily illustrated.     

The use of advanced management techniques in R & D

The paper discusses information collected in a study carried out by Bradford University Management Centre in 1985/86 to establish the state-of-the-art in the use of advanced management techniques in R & D departments of UK organisations. Data from two questionnaires were supplemented by more detailed discussions with selected respondents and a survey of the relevant literature was carried out. Indications are that both project management in R & D and managerial development of R & D staff are receiving attention, particularly from senior management. As yet, however, the potential of recent advances in computer technology and of existing MS techniques has not been fully realised. In this context, the effectiveness of present training courses in project management techniques is questioned.     

Communication between Managers and Staff in the NHS: Trends and Prospects

The importance of the role of communication in the success of individual performance in social and business life is now widely recognized. Within organizations, effective internal communication between managers and staff is vital to organizational success. This is particularly so during periods of change, when staff uncertainty increases and there is an increased need for greater amounts of information and more frequent communication. Staff in the NHS have recently experienced some quite dramatic changes in their working practices. This paper therefore examines the current state of communication within the NHS and the implications which this poses for the overall functioning of the organization. In particular, the relationship between communication and the motivation of staff is described. The nature of communication audits, the main research approach used to assesses communication effectiveness, is then delineated, and areas of the NHS chosen for analysis by this means are proposed. The results of a series of audits are summarized. Problems in information flow, use of information sources and channels, the timeliness of information exchanged, the extent to which people send information to each other and the quality of working relationships are identified. The implications of these findings for the NHS and general views of management are considered.