Knowledge that Transforms

Management, itself, has come to accept, to an increasing extent, a new definition of its functions. Perhaps, in this evolution is to be found the hope of the future, based upon managerial acceptance of new concepts, new interpretations, and rejection of some old concepts—economic, political, sociological, and ethical. (Epigraph by George Fillipetti, Industrial Management in Transition, p. 328.) Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.

This article describes a problem in which most of the warehouses in a distribution system were owned by the Company and a significant reduction in the number of warehouses was being considered. A model of the distribution system was used to determine, through a series of approximations, a system in which total costs—including the fixed costs—were minimized by eliminating the most costly warehouses and changing the locations and sizes of others. The development of the model and the interpretation of the results in terms of management action are discussed. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.

In planning and managing one of today's scientific development programs, the project manager must chart a course of action from seemingly innumerable alternatives. In addition to the quantity of decisions, his planning and management tasks are usually further complicated by a required compression of the time schedule for the project and by the knowledge that Performance, Cost and Time estimates, from which he must base his decisions, are biased and have an unknown amount of uncertainty built into them. Research and development management today attempts to give overall direction to its research resources applied to the programs, projects, and the systems making up each project, by requiring evidence of a concurrent, coordinated plan for achieving technical, cost and time objectives. Once such a plan is established and approved—a plan in which a high degree of interdependence and uncertainty exists—a requirement for a project team that is capable of literally “creating on schedule” has in effect been established. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.

This paper describes the use of simulation to solve a variation of the repairman problem too complex to be handled by analytical means. It describes the operation of a model simulating a service activity and the use of the model to provide data for management decisions. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.

As we move toward more complex ways of controlling production and distribution of a greater variety of goods and services through ever more complicated technology, it is perhaps natural that some should entertain the illusion that automation will ultimately take the place of human effort in supplying our needs. We hear daily that this or that management group will soon be replaced by the computer. But in truth, the evidence is that the need for managers is greater than ever and that the supply lags ever further—in quality and quantity—behind the still growing demand. As John Fischer puts it in Harper's Magazine (4): “Our inability to locate enough first rate management talent in many fields—from college president to corporate controller, from regional planner to operations analyst—may yet prove to be the breakdown point in our civilization.” In this paper I wish to advance the idea that universal education in management sciences is as urgent—perhaps even more urgent—a need as education in the physical and biological sciences. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.

Industrial long-range planning requires forecasts of market requirements, business environments and corporate (or divisional) capabilities. This article concerns itself with the problem of forecasting weapon markets. The needs for such forecasts are discussed and it is shown that mere reliance on official military plans, programs, statements, and “requirements” is a poor guide for long-range planning in the defense industry. It is further shown how system research studies can improve the forecasts sought. The proper conduct of such long-range-planning-oriented studies is outlined in some detail. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.

This paper describes a digital simulation model of a hypothetical business system and discusses problems pertinent to the construction and use of the model. Constructed in the course of a management control systems research project, the model exemplifies many problems of control and management of a large system, emphasizing information flow, its control, and its use in decision procedures. The model's modular nature permits a variety of experimental uses. The broad scope of the modeled system posed implementation problems which were resolved by the development of a general simulation capability, called SIMPAC, whose main features are described. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.

This paper presents the conclusions of a series of experiments to evaluate the use of a decision simulation game in a graduate business school curriculum. A brief description of the simulation model is followed by a discussion of how the game was first utilized. The first formal evaluation experiment and conclusions are then presented. The second and third decision simulation game sessions are then described to illustrate the evolution of curriculum design which includes a simulation decision game. The next section deals with the experiments planned to evaluate these game sessions. The final part presents the overall conclusions and describes the decision simulation game to be utilized in 1963. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.

The usual approaches to management control system design often fail to be effective, sometimes creating problems more significant that those they resolve. Such failures result from lack of total system understanding, from use of subsystem constraints, and from inadequate or improper treatment of the human decision-making elements of the system. Examples drawn from Industrial Dynamics research studies illustrate these problems and provide some pointers for remedying the difficulties. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.

Small and medium-sized job shops are often run with little or no production scheduling. As the number and complexity of jobs increases, management finds it increasingly difficult to control costs and still maintain delivery dates. In order to provide management with the needed control, some practical scheduling system is needed. This case study describes the installation, in a medium-sized tool shop, of such a system based on CPM and operated manually. Emphasis is placed on the problems of converting CPM into a continuing, working system under the manual operation of shop scheduling personnel. Much of the value of CPM in the final system is its use as a “one-shot” analytical tool to aid in the production of a shop schedule. An unusual feature of the system is that it provides a method for the routine scheduling of two critical manpower resources in a multiple-network situation. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.