Planning models in the UK: A survey

This paper presents the results of a survey on the use of computer-based models in the broad areas of planning and strategy formulation in UK companies. This survey updates and complements other recent surveys, which exclusively considered the use of corporate models, and shows a continued increase in the numbers of these models in use. In particular, models in the following broad categories were examined: forecasting, marketing, personnel, production and models of ‘one-off’ situations, as well as corporate and financial models. For such models the paper includes details of: frequencies of occurrence and relationship to company size; professional roles of the model-builders and users respectively; frequencies of use. In these and more subjective ways, the survey attempts to assess the place and value of computers in planning.     

Some trends in corporate modelling

This paper reviews the evidence of a number of surveys and case studies of corporate modelling in the U.K. Some general conclusions as to trends are drawn. Thus corporate models will display increasing modularity; will be more likely to include probabilistic elements; will more often incorporate physical flows; and will be generally linked to a greater number of other models in organisations. Micros are making a substantial impact as tools for running decision support systems both of the corporate model and the ad hoc model variety. Forecasting techniques are still greatly underutilised in many organisations. Although most corporate models are currently of the deterministic financial simulation type, the influence of management education will help the adoption of more advanced models by more numerate senior managers and accountants. Indeed there is already evidence that this is happening in some organisations.