A COMPARISON OF INFORMATION STRUCTURES FOR A RIGID DECISION RULE CASE

The information economics model of individual decision assumes that decision makers are capable of instantly modifying their decision rules in response to signal changes from the information structure. Individuals, however, often tend to stick to rigid decision rules, particularly when they are trained to respond with conditioned reactions, such as to a traffic light. This article modifies the individual decision model for such cases. It discusses probabilistic information structures as well as the deterministic information function. It results in an ordering of information structures that differs from the ordering imposed by the Blackwell Theorem. When deterministic information functions are considered, an ordering that is finer than the prevailing one is proposed. Transformations between deterministic and probabilistic information functions and the relationship between the proposed model and the previous theory are also discussed.     

COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF INFORMATION UNDER TWO BUSINESS OBJECTIVES

Information economics models evaluate the value of information under the assumption that decision makers wish to maximize their expected payoff. This assumption has been criticized for not being realistic enough since decision makers usually consider more than one business objective and might be satisficers rather than optimizers. This paper attempts to apply an information economics model to decision situations where two business performance criteria, expected payoff and risk, are considered. In order to overcome the difficulty of unknown trade-off between the two criteria, one criterion is used as an objective to be optimized, while the other is set as a constraint. This may be interpreted as a combination of optimizing and satisficing approaches. It is shown how an information system can be evaluated in terms of both expected payoff and risk. The model suggests the trade-off between the two criteria as an additional trait of an information system. In the last part of the paper, a numerical example illustrates how a comparative evaluation of information structures is performed when risk minimization and expected payoff maximization are concurrently used as business performance criteria.     

Using Electronic Medical Records in Admission Decisions: A Cost Effectiveness Analysis

In recent years, the healthcare sector has invested heavily in medical information systems to improve decision making while reducing medical costs and integrating medical data from multiple sources. However, the overall contribution of this technology to the medical field remains controversial, especially in high‐stress environments such as the emergency department. This article evaluates the differential effects of accessing an electronic medical record (EMR) system on the decision to admit, based on diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), which is one of the main reasons people go to the emergency department. The admission decision with or without accessing the EMR system is modeled as a decision tree and a Markovian process. A cost‐effectiveness analysis compares the added value of information (retrieved from the EMR system) against the cost of providing this information. This model is then tested on a simulation of patients presenting symptoms of AMI. The results show that use of the EMR led to greater cost‐effectiveness in cases of suspected AMI. The findings of this study may assist physicians by demonstrating a probable contribution of EMR to improved medical outcomes and may inform policy makers in the healthcare sector regarding the advisability of investing in such systems in an emergency department.     

The resource recovery level decision for end-of-life products

Resource recovery from end-of-life (EOL) products is becoming increasingly engaged in by companies as a response to customer, consumer, government and social pressures, the electronics industry cites competitor pressures as being the main driver of EOL product take-back and recovery. Recovery can occur at three levels; i.e. product, part and material. Each of these options has economic and environmental advantages and disadvantages depending on the product type and a host of other influencing factors. The work described in this paper supports the decision as to the most favourable route from a cost and value perspective, a software model that provides such support is also described.     

SIMULATION OF INFORMATION CHOICE

Beginning with the information economics framework and a multi-period decision model [15], this paper considers the use of computer simulation methods within an information system choice environment. Actual decision behavior is replaced by optimal decision rules, and simulation is used to evaluate the effects of parameter changes in the environmental model. Simulation is shown to be functional (1) in estimating the value of alternative information structures within a fifteen period decision model and (2) in providing sensitivity and statistical data which would be useful both for different decision maker utility functions and for a variety of information system design questions.     

WIP inventories in the simultaneous determination of optimal production and purchase lot sizes

This paper studies an integrated production and purchasing lot sizing model with work-in-process WIP inventory. In this model, the single product is made in a multiprocess manufacturing system. The raw materials are procured from outside sources and are converted gradually into the product. A solution procedure is developed to simultaneously find the optimal lot sizes for the product and its raw materials and the corresponding total relevant cost. It is shown that if the cost of WIP inventory is considered in the production lot size computation, the optimal lot sizes of the product as well as those of the raw materials could be altered significantly.     

A Decision-Theoretic Valuation of Information in Sealed-Bid Auctions for Items of Known Value

This paper considers the question of how much time and effort should be spent in preparing a bid for a single item of known value sold at a first-price sealed-bid auction. A decision-theoretic approach to this bid decision summarizes the decision maker's knowledge of the competitive environment through his or her subjective probability distribution of the highest competing bid. Research activities such as collecting and analyzing bid histories are efforts to obtain additional information that reduces the uncertainty in the highest competing bid. The decision-theoretic concepts of expected value of perfect and imperfect information are used to place an economic value on such research activities. The results presented allow the decision maker to quantify the expected value of imperfect information when the uncertainty is normally distributed. The results show that additional research is most valuable prior to auctions the bidder expects to win.     

COGNITIVE STYLE AND THE USEFULNESS OF INFORMATION*

The desirability of a merger/acquisition alternative depends in part on the perceptions of the decision maker. What sources of information are “useful” to the decision maker & Does the set of useful information remain constant for all decision makers; if not, do individuals using similar information sets have similar information processing characteristics? Do these sets vary as feedback is obtained during the decision process? To answer these questions, graduate students participated in a modified Delphi experiment, and the resulting data were analyzed by the two-way aligned-ranks nonparametric test. These test results affirm that in a merger/acquisition scenario, decision makers with different cognitive styles prefer different sets of information and these sets vary dynamically as feedback is incorporated in the decision-making process. Furthermore, information that contains worker and community welfare considerations is identified as “useful” five times more frequently by decision makers with a “feeling” cognitive style than those with a “thinking” style.     

联合订货区间值EOQ模型及变权Shapley值成本分摊方法

研究多个销售商企业组成联盟向一个供应商订购同种商品的联合订货问题。考虑到实际问题中很难预测到精确的需求，本文用区间表示单位时间需求量，研究允许缺货的销售商企业联合订货区间值EOQ模型，其中缺货完全回补。以联合订货平均成本最小为目标，结合连续有序加权集结算子求解出联合订货的周期、区间值订货量和区间值平均成本。定义变权Shapley值，给出区间值合作博弈的区间值变权Shapley值的求解方法，得出区间值变权Shapley值的表达式可直接利用相关联盟值的左、右端点计算得到。考虑联盟和局中人的相对重要性，结合需求率确定合成权重，提出基于区间值变权Shapley值的联合订货成本分摊方法。利用数值算例验证模型和方法的有效性。本文可为解决联合订货成本分摊问题提供决策参考。     

A NOTE ON THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG FINENESS,GARBLING, AND SUFFICIENCY FOR THE COMPARISON OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS*

Choice among competing information systems is an important problem for both the providers and users of information. When the attributes of the decision makers and decision problems for which information is produced are unknown or heterogeneous, it is difficult to choose among alternative information sources. Three criteria for such comparisons of information systems are available in the theory of information economics. These criteria may be distinguished by the differing restrictions that they impose on the generality of the studies in which they are used. This note explicates the relationships among these criteria and discusses the various limitations that they impose on generality.     

THE STRUCTURE OF EXECUTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEMS: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS

This paper reports on a study which attempted to identify the structure of executive information systems and evaluate their relationship to decision making. The study centered on answering the question: “Where and how do senior executives get their decision-making information?” The data, provided by five senior executives, were gathered by a variety of means which included personal interviews, questionnaires, and logs of the executives' incoming-information transactions for a two-week period. Our findings support beliefs that senior executives receive much information from the environment, that informal systems play a role equal to that of formal systems, and that computers do not provide much information directly to an executive. The study also found that internal information is important and that preferred sources and media vary with different decision roles. The authors suggest that the scope of MIS and DSS be broadened to match those information networks managers actually rely on in daily practice.     

非对称信息条件下实物期权最优投资问题研究

描述了实物期权投资者和经营者价值函数,分析了不同信息条件下实物期权的最优投 资决策. 在非对称信息条件下,实物期权经营者对于项目价值信息隐匿,这是一个具有逆向选 择的委托代理问题. 设计了以实物期权投资者利润数学期望最大为目标函数,以投资和数量折 扣作为状态方程的最优控制问题. 应用极大值原理推导了实物期权最优投资和数量折扣的求 解方案. 最后,进行了实物期权最优投资的仿真实验,验证了实物期权在项目投资问题上的分 析结果.     

ASSESSING INFORMATION SYSTEM VALUE: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Linear models of information system value that are a function of information attributes are empirically studied by having managers in two firms make assessments of the importance of attributes, the level of satisfaction produced by various levels of each attribute, and the overall value of total systems. The results verify that such models may be quite useful in information system design. It is also shown that ordinally ranked attributes work as well as the interval-scaled attributes in the linear model. Since ordinal measures are easier to obtain, this suggests that “linear ordinal” models may be the most practical method of quantifying information systems value.     

考虑不确定履约率的全局鲁棒供应组合决策研究

生产和采购的全球化为供应链企业带来了更多的复杂性与不确定性。收集全面信息和使用有效的工具是控制决策风险、减少不确定性危害的有效途径。在供应商选择与订单分配管理中,供应商履约率是影响企业供应组合决策的主要因素,如何对其进行定量刻画是迫切需要解决的问题。已有的研究通常是由期望方法或鲁棒方法来刻画履约率。然而,期望履约率法往往忽略了履约率的波动性,从而造成需求损失;而鲁棒履约率法通常存在过于保守、退化过于迅速两个缺点,使企业承担不必要的成本。本文研究供应商选择与订单分配决策问题,使用全局鲁棒优化的两个不确定集合来刻画供应商履约率,同时给出了这一问题的确定性鲁棒表达和一种多项式时间求解算法。最后,通过仿真实验证实本文的全局鲁棒优化模型可克服期望模型和一般鲁棒模型的缺点。本文提出的算法能有效求解本文全局鲁棒优化等价确定性问题,为企业的供应商选择和订单分配决策提供更为灵活精确的辅助工具。     

A Simple Algorithm for the Mathematical Programming Approach to Joint Cost Allocation for Decision Making (Demand-Adjusted-Sales-Value Algorithm)*

This paper investigates the mathematical programming (MP) approach for decision making and cost allocation in the context of joint products. Through analysis of the MP approach to marginal-value-based cost allocations, an algorithm is developed to show that the allocations contain two elements: an element that is specific to individual joint products due to differences in demand elasticities, and an element based on relative adjusted sales values. If demand elasticities are identical for all joint products, then the traditional sales value method will generate the same cost allocation as the MP method. The new algorithm, the demand-adjusted-sales-value algorithm (DASV), is especially helpful for solving the MP model with linear demand functions. The DASV algorithm provides an easy way to generate costs that are useful for optimal decision making.     

A multicriteria decision making model for reverse logistics using analytical hierarchy process

Product recovery activities such as recycling, refurbishing and direct reuse are becoming integral to manufacturing supply chains. This study presents a multicriteria decision making model for reverse logistics using analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The AHP model evaluates a hierarchy of criteria and subcriteria, including costs and business relations, for critical decisions regarding network design. Using sensitivity analysis with AHP, the work provides insights into the preference ordering among eight alternative network configurations. For instance, the choice of test sites is largely dependent on the potential for cost savings on testing procedures and transportation of scrap, and this decision is not sensitive to the importance of business relations. By contrast, the choice of collection sites is largely determined by the relative importance of business relations considerations vs. cost considerations. As well, the processing location decision favors a third-party reprocessor if there is little need to protect proprietary product knowledge and cost savings is very important. The model is demonstrated using three case studies of real-world applications.     

INFORMATION CHANNEL DISPOSITION AND USE*

The use of information channels by individuals in organizations is substantially discretionary. Although much studied, variation in patterns of discretionary use has yet to be explained adequately in terms of an accepted integrative theory validated across varieties of channel types and organizational settings. In a step toward the development of such a theory, the present paper proposes a basic channel-disposition model that relates an individual's attitude or disposition toward a channel to his/her actual use of the channel in the context of information and channel supply-and-demand structures in the organization. An exploratory study of the dispositions of 186 users of ten management information system (MIS) reports in four organizational settings provides limited evidence in support of the model proposed.     

Optimal Contract Design for Mixed Channels Under Information Asymmetry

The mixed‐channel model is becoming increasingly popular in the marketplace. In this model, a firm selling through the traditional supply chain of wholesaler and retailer opens a direct channel to the customer through Internet sales. Because both channels have their respective advantages, the manufacturer is attracted to this business model. However, it also leads to channel conflict, with the retailer feeling threatened by direct competition. One way of eliminating the possibility of this channel conflict, where the retailer is allowed to add value to the product to differentiate its offering to the customers, is proposed in this paper. The retailer is also given full authority to make pricing decisions. This paper presents a model, under this scenario, of obtaining optimum pricing decisions by both parties, the amount of value added by the retailer, and the manufacturer's wholesale price to the retailer. Our model incorporates information asymmetry, where the manufacturer has incomplete information about the retailer's cost of adding value. We obtain closed‐form contracts with incomplete information and compare them with those with complete channel coordination. We also develop a number of managerial guidelines and identify future research topics.     

A Strategic Approach on Organizing Accounts Receivable Management: Some Empirical Evidence

In this paper, the organizational behavior in managing accounts receivable is studied. It is based on the recent surge of interest in trade credit management from both academics and practitioners emphasizing 1) the rather permanent character of these short-term but continuously renewed investments and 2) their strategic potential due to the existence of financial, tax-based, operating, transaction and pricing motives. The paper focuses on a search for sources of such a strategic value and for the determinants of its risk. More specifically this potential strategic value is said to create a need for flexibility and control in managing accounts receivable. It will therefore induce a need for internalization of its management. The resulting risks, however, favor its externalization. This results in a revision of the existing decision-making processes since, the extension of trade credit becoming a strategic asset, investments in accounts receivable cannot be judged by the financial needs incurred as measured by the traditional DSO-rate anymore. More specifically, a transaction cost theoretic approach is used to explain the decision whether or not to internalize the firm's accounts receivable management and its risk, resulting in a set of hypotheses to be tested on a sample of both large and medium-sized Belgian companies.