| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
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| 18.1 | Stanford Digest V1.9 | HERON::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Mon Jul 25 1988 21:04 | 578 |
| I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 05-Apr-1988 10:02 CET
From:
BEANE@AITG@MRGATE
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: ROACH@A1NSTC
Subject: Stanford Digest V1.9
*******************************************************************************
***** STANFORD TECHNOLOGY DIGEST *****
**** VOLUME 1 NUMBER 9 ****
*** MARCH 1988 ***
** Reesa Abrams, Ira Machefsky Editors **
*******************************************************************************
STANFORD TECHNOLOGY DIGEST is a monthly technology transfer forum for
communicating research, technical, and competitive information between
the Digital and Stanford University communities.
*******************************************************************************
The purpose of STD is to inform Digital readers of events and activities of
interest in the Stanford research community. The style of this digest will
be to provide abstracts or short articles of interest with references to
more detailed information for you to pursue should you wish to follow-up.
This magazine is restricted for use only by employees of Digital Equipment
Corporation.
We welcome contributions from anyone who is sponsoring research, doing
work or just visiting Stanford at any time.
We also encourage comments from readers and Letters to the Editor, which
will be published with the author's permission.
If you wish to subscribe to STD or change your subscription address
please send mail to CALDEC::ABRAMS.
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THIS ISSUE 10 PAGES
I. MANUFACTURING IN THE 90'S - STANFORD BUSINESS SCHOOL
II. BAY AREA SYSTEMS SEMINAR
III. ME210 DESIGN REVIEW OPPORTUNITY
IV. SEMINARS AT BERKELEY
V. THE MANAGERIAL CHALLENGES OF INTEGRATING CAD/CAD
VI. INFORMATION NEEDED FOR JOINT DEC/APPLE UNIVERSITY PROGRAM
VII. DEC PERSONNEL ON CAMPUS
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
I. MANUFACTURING IN THE 90'S - STANFORD BUSINESS SCHOOL
On Saturday, April 16, 1988 the Stanford Graduate School of Business will
run a one day conference to address the major issues facing the manufacturing
sector.
"Increasing competition, accelerating change, globalizing industries, uncertain
government policy ... today's business environment grows ever more complex.
As companies strive to win, manufacturing is emerging as a critical strategic
resource. Excellence demands that manufacturing integrate with all other
parts of the organization to produce a coherent winning strategy. JIT,
zero defects, flexible manufacturing are typical of manufacturing issues
profoundly affecting all aspects of a company's operations. For the
manufacturing industry of the 90's success is truly on the line."
Keynote speakers: Our Time Has Come - A Manufacturing Renaissance
George Fisher, President and CEO, Motorola
Competing in the Global Marketplace
Shoichiro Irimajiri, President, Honda of America
Manufacturing
Workshop Leaders:
A1. A Case for CIM
J. Tracey O'Rourke, President and CEO, Allen-Bradley
A2. Distributed Technologies in High Tech Manufacturing
Dr. Mihir PArikh, President and CEO, Asyst Tech. Inc.
A3. Innovative Strategies in Small Scale Manufacturing
Maurice E.P. Gunderson, President, Edison Systems Corp.
A4. Managing Major Transitions in Manufacturing
Homer Moeller, Senior V.P. Operations, Hanes Knit Prod.
A5. Quality, Culture and Renewal in American Manufacturing
Robert Waterman, President, Waterman and Co.
A6. Technology and Global Sourcing
Ralph Russo, V.P. Worldwide Operations, Apple Computer
A7. Tomorrow's Accounting Today
Professor Geo. Foster, Stanford Graduate School
of Business and John Lamley, Group Controller, H.P.
A8.
The Opportunities and Problems of Multi-National
Manufacturing
Robert C. Graham, President, RCG Associates, Inc.
Tom Metz, Program Manager 9370 System Development, IBM
B1.
Benefitting from Japanese Style Management in the U.S.
Eystein Thordadson, Senior V.P. General Manager,
Hillsboro Facility, Fujitsu America
B2. Careers in Manufacturing: Pros, Cons, Paths, and
Salaries
Bill Bridenbaugh, Senior V.P. Boise Cascade
Scott McNealy, President, Sin Micro
B3. Changing the Role of Manufacturing in a Large Corp.
Earl Hewitt, General Manager, Operations, Northern
Telecom
B4. International Sourcing as a Long-Term Strategy
David E. Patterson, V.P. Supply, Cummins Engine
Andrew Chu, Southeast Asia Business Director, Cummins
Engine
B5. Manufacturing as a Competitive Advantage
Elizabeth Haas, Principal, McKinsey & Co.
B6. Manufacturing Strategy - An Example That Worked
Jean-Pierre PAtkay, General Manager
Manufacturing Productivity Division, H. P.
Measuring Quality in the Plant and in the Eyes of the
B7. Customer
Doug Campbell, CEO, Kilovac
Martin Dorio, Dir of Quality and Productivity, FMC
B8. New Product Development/Manufcturing Start-Up
Walt Rosenbrough, Senior V.P. Marketing,
SSI/Hillenbrand Ind. and Prof. Steven Wheelwright
Stanford Graduate School of Business
B9. Plant Development:Innovation in Operations
Mark Chestnut, V.P. Operational Effectiveness,
Cummins Engine
Biotechnology Startups: Shooting For Wild Success
C1. Gary T. Steele, President and CEO, Molecular Devices
Encouraging Innovation at 3M: Organizational
C2. and Cultural Mechanisms
Bill DeGenaro, Director of Innovation Resources, 3M
C3. Optimizing the Location of Business Operations
Tsuyoshi Kawanishi, Senior V.P. Semi-Conductor
Group, Toshiba Corporation
C4. Overview of Quality Engineering For Product Design:
Case Studies of the Taguchi Method
Dr. Genichi Taguchi, Executive Director, American
Supplier Institute and Yuin Wu, V.P. American
Supplier Institute
C5. The Impact of Changing Technology on the workforce
Austin E. Vanchieri, President, Information
Systems Division, Xerox Corp.
The Role of Manufacturing in U.S. International
C6 Competitiveness
Allen J. Lenz, Director, Office of Trade and Investment
Analysis, U. S. Dept. of Commerce
C7. Time-Based Competition
George Stalk, V.P. Boston Consulting Group
Transferring New Products to Manufacturing:
C8. Too Soon or Too Late
Thomas Huseby, V.P. Industrial, Raychem
To Register contact:
The Manufacturing Conference
Graduate School of Business
Stanford, University
Registration Fee:
Students $12
Corporate Prepaid $125
Day of the Conference $150
Lunch and Reception Included
INDICATE CHOICE PREFERENCE FOR EACH OF A, B, AND C CONFERENCES.
Capacity is limited and priority will be given to registrations prior
to April 1. For more information please call 415 - 493 - 9097.
If you are going to attend please inform Reesa (CALDEC::) Abrams so we
can assure the maximum Digital coverage for this seminar.
*******************************************************************************
II.
BAY AREA SYSTEMS SEMINAR
The Bay Area Systems Seminar was held at Stanford University
on Friday, March 25th. The abstracts of the program follow.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Concurrent, Real-time Collection on Stock Multiprocessors
John R. Ellis, Kai Li, Andrew Appel
DEC-SRC
E-mail: DECSRC::Ellis
We've designed and implemented the first copying garbage-collection
algorithm that is efficient, real-time, concurrent, runs on commercial
uniprocessors and shared-memory multiprocessors, and requires no change
to compilers. The algorithm uses standard virtual-memory hardware to
detect references to "from space" objects and to synchronize the
collector and mutator threads. We've implemented and measured a
prototype for the ML language running on SRC's 5-processor Firefly.
It will be straightforward to merge our techniques with generational
collection (Ungar, Shaw). An incremental, non-concurrent version could
be implemented easily on many versions of Unix.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Sun Network Software Environment
Masahiro Honda
Sun Microsystems
The Sun Network Software Environment (NSE) is a network-based object
manager for software development. The goals of the NSE are to 1)
facilitate parallel development of large software systems, 2) help
maintain consistency and completeness of objects being developed, and
3) be extensible to different types of objects. Parallel development
is supported through an optimistic concurrency control mechanism, where
developers do not acquire locks before modifying objects. Instead,
developers copy objects, modify the copies, and merge the modified
objects with the originals. The NSE provides copy operations on units
that are complete and consistent sets of objects. These copy
operations produce logical copies; a physical copy of and object is not
made until the object has been modified. To help developers merge
objects, the NSE detects conflicting modifications and provides tools
to resolve the conflicts. Finally, the objects managed by the NSE are
typed, and the set of types is extensible by tool builders. Objects
manipulated by different software tools can be managed by the NSE by
tool builders defining NSE types for these objects.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Spider: High-Performance Processor Interconnect Software
Kent Treiber
IBM Almaden Research Center
Spider is a completed research project on high performance
processor interconnect software. The original goal was to
support message transfer between closely coupled
mainframes with roughly an order of magnitude
fewer instructions than currently available software
without inventing new architectures.
It's interesting to note that Spider was implemented
on top of what some view as an archaic, monsterous
and slow operating system: MVS. The talk will include an
overview of Spider, discuss some of the interesting design
issues and review performance data.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Analysis of Diskless Workstation Traffic on an Ethernet
Riccardo Gusella
University of California, Berkeley
E-mail: [email protected]
We analyze the traffic on a 10 Mb/s Ethernet local area network
that connects diskless workstations to file servers in a university
environment. The traffic is substantially heavier than has been recorded
in previous studies; over 1-second intervals it frequently exceeds
30% of the network bandwidth.
We display and interpret the distribution of packet lengths and packet
interarrival times for the three protocols that carry significant traffic:
TCP (character traffic), ND (paging traffic), and NFS (remote file
access traffic). The two latter protocols account for 68% of
the packets and 94% of the data bytes on the network.
File access to a remote file server generates bursts of traffic
that can last several seconds and demand bandwidths in the order
of 120K bytes per second, or about 10% of the Ethernet bandwidth.
*******************************************************************************
III.
YOU ARE INVITED
to a
D E S I G N R E V I E W
of the
Stanford University ME210 Design Project
"AUTOMATIC TILT ADJUSTING ROBOT END EFFECTOR"
Your comments on the design would be greatly appreciated!
If you know anyone else who might be interested, please
forward this invitation.
When: Thursday April 7 at 9am
Where: Chelmsford (CTS) Harvard Conference Room
Any Questions: Call Cindy Pribble at dtn 287-3526
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
STATUS - Stanford University ME210 Design Project -
"Tilt Adjusting Robot End Effector"
A design team at Stanford University is developing a robot end
effector for placement of components with parallelism problems. A
design review of the project was held at Stanford in early March.
A prototype has been built of the passive tilt design, which features
a ball-and-socket joint to adjust for components in which the grip
surface (usually top of the heat sink) is not parallel to the lead
plane. The joint pivots freely on an air bearing and is supported by
the Bernoulli effect.
Primary objectives of the design are to adjust for tilt, maintain X-Y
placement accuracy, control placement force, and prevent lead damage.
The basic concepts used in their design work seem to work; however,
initial trials with the prototype reveal some problems which must be
corrected. The pneumatic line for vacuum pick-up of the part was
routed through the center of the joint, but this interferes with the
air flow required for Bernoulli effect and the line will have to be
routed around the outside. Other areas of concern include bearing
alignment in the z-compliant device, and the transition from a
frictionless air bearing to a rigid joint.
Using this gripper results in a placement sequence as follows:
- Pick up chip from carrier
- Place chip on level surface
- Adjust for tilt with air bearing
- Lock joint and pick up chip
- Look at chip and make X-Y offset calculation
- Place chip on board, with lead plane parallel to board surface.
Future plans for the design team include completion of the acceptance
test procedure, further debugging of the prototype hardware, and
set-up of a work station utilizing the AdeptOne robot for thorough
demonstration and testing of the prototype. The design project is
scheduled for completion in June, 1988.
*******************************************************************************
IV. SEMINARS AT BERKELEY
We are sometimes asked for a list of the research interests of faculty
members at different universities. The following list of the CS
seminars given at Berkeley shows the faculty sponsors and their research
areas.
I. MAJOR SEMINARS
These seminars will be held every semester.
CS 298-1 Computer Systems [Hardware]
Anderson, Despain, Ferrari, Katz, Ousterhout, Patterson
CS 298-2 Theoretical Computer Science
Blum, Canny, Karp, Lawler, Seidel, Vazirani
CS 298-3 Software Systems
Fateman, Ferrari, Graham, Harrison, Hilfinger, Kahan, Rowe,
Stonebraker, Wilensky
CS 298-4 GRA-VIS-MOD [Graphics, Vision, Geometric Modeling]
Barsky, Malik, Sastry, Sequin
II. OTHER SEMINARS OFFERED EACH TERM
These are seminars with more than one sponsor. They
are likely to keep going, without regard to faculty sabbaticals
and leaves.
CS 298-6 Symbolic Mathematics and Scientific Software
Fateman, Kahan, Parlett
CS 298-8 Distributed System Performance
Anderson, Ferrari, Smith
CS 298-10 Expert and Knowledge-Based Systems
Russell, Zadeh
CS 298-12 Data Base Design
Rowe, Stonebraker
CS 298-14 Computational Complexity
This seminar is run by and for the grad students in theoretical
CS; faculty are explicitly /not/ invited to attend.
III. SEMINARS SPONSORED BY INDIVIDUALS
These seminars are sponsored by individual faculty members,
primarily as a device for meeting with students they supervise.
These seminars will most likely be scheduled each term, so long
as the faculty sponsor does not go on leave.
CS 298-5 Object Oriented Programming Systems
Rowe
CS 298-9 Postgres Development Issues
Stonebraker
Cs 298-13 Natural Languages
Wilensky
CS 298-18 Language Implementation and Environments Research Group
Graham
CS 298-28 Software Engineering
Ramamoorthy
IV. PROJECT-ORIENTED SEMINARS
These seminars are tied to specific research projects and presumably
will continue as long as the project does--should check with the
faculty concerned each term or year.
CS 298-19 SPUR
Katz, Ousterhout, Patterson
CS 298-20 Transaction Processing Architectures
Katz, Patterson, Stonebraker
*******************************************************************************
V. THE MANAGERIAL CHALLENGES OF
INTEGRATING CAD/CAM
A new report has been released by Paul Adler of IE Dept. at Stanford (also
a part of SIMA) in February 1988. It summarizes the results of an investigation
into the managerial challenges of integrating CAD and CAM. It was guided by
two research questions:
a. What are the organizational conditions and managerial approaches
that can maximize the effectiveness of CAD/CAM?
b. What effect is CAD/CAM integration having on the
Design/Manufacturing interface? How should this interface be
managed? Is CAD/CAM the long-awaited solution to persistent
management frustrations and organizational frictions at the
Design/Manufacturing interface?
Nine U.S. electronics businesses and 4 U.S. aircraft companies believed
to be the leaders in CAD/CAM integration were visited. The output is what
is believed to be the 'best practice' in each. Digital was visited.
Three conclusions were reached:
1. There is still struggle to capitalize on CAD/CAM potential.
The integration potential is underexploited.
2. CAD/CAM integration does not solve Design/Manufacturing
problems it highlights them showing organizational and management
issues to be resolved.
3. 5 Key Strategic Challenges to CAD/CAM were identified as
managerial challenges representing skills, procedures, structure,
strategy, and culture.
There is a very comprehensive writeup of about 100 pages with an
executive summary. If you are interested in a copy please contact
Reesa (CALDEC::) Abrams
*******************************************************************************
VI. Information Needed for Joint DEC/Apple University Program
Digital's External Research Program is in the early stages of putting
together a program of joint DEC/Apple projects on university campuses.
These projects are intended to complement/supplement work under way as
internal DEC engineering projects in support of the recent DEC/Apple
announcements. In order to identify areas of interest for this
program we would appreciate hearing from anyone connected with or who
knows about any internal DEC/Apple joint projects. Please send a note
to Ira (RDVAX::) Machefsky. Thanks in advance.
*******************************************************************************
VII. DEC PERSONNEL ON CAMPUS
DEC personnel resident on campus:
Ira Machefsky - CRA Quantum Project Manager
Hewon Hwang - GEEP in Manufacturing Systems Masters Program of SIMA
in ME - Digital return date - 3-21-89
Alex Bronstein - GEEP - finishing a dissertation in Formal
Verification of Concurrent Systems in CS.
Digital return date - 6-30-89
Bruce DeLagi - Co-Director Architecture Project, Heuristic
Programming Project
Reesa Abrams - Technology Transfer Liason
Brian Michon - GEEP MSCS, System Design/Interface - Digital return
date - 4-1-88
Carrie Wilpolt - GEEP MSCS, Software Engineering/Programming Systems -
Digital return date - 4-1-88
Nancy Wogrin - GEEP in AI Masters Program - Digital return date -
7-15-88
********************************************************************************
********************************************************************************
END OF THIS ISSUE
********************************************************************************
********************************************************************************
|
| 18.2 | FWD: MARCH/APRIL. WTD | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Tue Apr 09 1991 15:24 | 700 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 08-Apr-1991 06:00pm CET
From: BEANE
BEANE@BIGRED@MRGATE@DPD03@DPD
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: See Below
Subject: FWD: MARCH/APRIL. WTD
<<forwarding/distribution deleted>>
********************************************************************************
***** WESTERN TECHNOLOGY DIGEST *****
**** VOLUME 4 NUMBER 5 ****
*** MARCH/APRIL 1991 ***
** Mary Elizabeth Hayes Editor **
********************************************************************************
WESTERN TECHNOLOGY DIGEST is a monthly technology transfer forum for
communicating research, technical, and competitive information between
Digital and research communities.
********************************
THIS MAGAZINE IS RESTRICTED FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY BY EMPLOYEES OF DIGITAL
EQUIPMENT CORPORATION. @ Copyright Digital Equipment Corporation 1987, 1988,
1989, 1990, 1991.
*******************************************************************************
The purpose of WTD is to inform Digital readers of events and activities of
interest in the research community. The style of this digest will be to
provide abstracts or short articles of interest with references to more
detailed information for you to pursue should you wish to follow-up.
We welcome contributions from anyone who is sponsoring research, doing
work.
We also encourage comments from readers and Letters to the Editor, which
will be published with the author's permission.
If you wish to subscribe to WTD or change your subscription address
or to submit papers or articles please send mail to REESA::HAYES
If you wish to receive copies of the articles mentioned in WTD, please send
all requests to REESA::HAYES. Please include your mail stop as the articles
are sent in hard copy format. Also please note, if you are ordering copies
of articles from past issues, you must but the issue, title and authors name.
********************************************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THIS ISSUE =
I. Why Are There So Few Female Computer Scientists?
- Ellen Spertus
II. Autonomous Robots For Semiconductor Manufacturing Enviornment
- Jean-Claude Latombe
III. Economic Issues In Computer Interface Standardization
- Garth Saloner
IV. Ways Women Lead - Judy B. Rosener
V. The Concept Database: Multimedia Tool To Support Concurrent
Design History Archival - Alice M. Agogino & Stephen Bradley
VI. Learning Lost: The Problem Of Not Accounting For R&D
- Margaret B.W. Graham
VII. Berkeley Image Database Project - U.C. Berkeley
VIII. Safety Of The Thermal Protection System Of The Space Shuttle
Orbiter: Quantitative Analysis And Organizational Factors
- M. Elizabeth Pate-Cornell & Paul D. Fischbeck
IX. Texas A&M's Program for Automation In Manufacturing
- Becky Taylor
X. High-Speed Communication Networks Seminar April 18-19
- U.C. Berkeley
XI. Note: Two Past Seminars - Innovations In Trading Systems
- U.C. Berkeley & The CASIS Workshop Seminar
XII. Automated Paper Request Form
*****************************************************************************
Why are There so Few Female Computer Scientists?
Ellen Spertus
Women pursue education and careers in computer science far less
frequently than men do. In 1989, only 17.5% of PhDs in computer
science went to women, and only 6.5% of computer science professors
were female. Additionally, the number of female computer science
students appear to be increasing at only a slow rate or even
decreasing. Even apart from ethical concerns at women's lack of
participation in computer science, the demographics of the country are
such that the United States will not have enough engineers and
scientists unless under represented groups increase their
participation. This report examines the influences against a women's
pursuing a technical field, particulars computer science. Such factors
include the different ways boys and girls are raised, the stereotypes
of female engineers, subtle biases that females face, problems
resulting from working in mostly environments, and sexual biases in
language. Recommendations appear describing effective and ineffective
ways that people try to encourage women. A theme of the report is that
women's under representation is not primarily due to direct
discrimination but to unconscious behavior that tends to perpetuate
the status quo.
*******************************************************************************
Autonomous Robots for Semiconductor Manufacturing Environment
Jean-Claude Latombe
Stanford University
Center for Integrated Systems Seed Project - Final Report
The goal of this CIS seed project is investigate the application
of the concept of "autonomous robot" in a semiconductor manufacturing
environment. In the first year of our project, we have decided to
focus our work on the transportation of wafer boxes in a clean room
environment. In the second year, in order to attract more support, we
have extended this application to virtually any transportation task in
an indoor environment.
The main thrust of our research has been to design a multi-robot
transportation system. This system is based on the following main
ideas:
1. It can operate many (10 or more) robots in the same facility,
in order to reduce wasting times and increase reliability of
the transportation system.
2. The system is easily instructed. It accepts high-level goals
stating what should be done, rather than how to do it.
3. A planner/scheduled/monitor assigns tasks to individual
robots, plans and schedules their execution. It also monitors
the progress of the robots.
4. The overall system is distributed, so that each robot has
partial autonomy. Each robot has some freedom in choosing
tasks and decides its own motions.
Most of the system has been implemented, although its integration
is not completed yet. Experiments have been conducted with the various
implemented components.
*******************************************************************************
Economic Issues in Computer Interface Standardization
Garth Saloner
MIT
Dept. of Economics and School of Management
Traditionally, computer vendors have provided a range of mutually
incompatible systems, both in that machines manufactured by different
vendors are not easily physically networked and in that peripherals
and software written for one machine are not easily adapted to
another. Recently, however, there has been a major trend towards an
alternative paradigm in which there are no proprietary boundaries
between the product offerings of different vendors. The goal of the
proponents of so-called "open systems" is to provide nonproprietary
standards specifying how the components at the interfaces interact.
There are several facets to open systems. First, open systems
will provide a standardized interface between applications software
and any vendor's computer. This interface will provide "portability":
the ability to transfer any software written to comply with that
interface to any other computer system conforming to the standard.
Importantly, this "applications environment" could be quite richly
specified, including specifications of graphics and particulars of the
user interface, such as the "look and feel" of the display and
windowing specifications. Second, standard networking protocols would
be provided allowing seamless inter-computer communication between
computers conforming to the communications interface. Finally, it
would provide standard peripheral interfaces.
*******************************************************************************
Ways Women Lead
Judy B. Rosener
Graduate School of Business
University of California, Irvine
Women managers who have broken the glass ceiling in medium-sized,
nontraditional organizations have proven that effective leaders don't
come from one mold. They have demonstrated that using the
command-and-control style of managing others, a style generally
associated with men in large, traditional organizations, is not the
only way to succeed.
The women's success shows that a nontraditional leadership style
is well suited to the conditions of some work environments and can
increase an organization's chances of surviving in an uncertain world.
It supports the belief that there is strength in a diversity of
leadership styles.
The men are more likely than the women to describe themselves
in ways that characterize what some management experts call
"transactional" leadership. That is, they view job performance as a
series of transactions with subordinates - exchanging rewards for
services rendered or punishment for inadequate performance. The men
are also more likely to use power that comes from their organizational
position and formal authority. The women respondents, on the other
hand, described themselves in ways that characterize
"transformational" leadership-getting subordinates to transform their
own self-interest into the interest of the group through concern for a
broader goal. Moreover, they ascribe their power to personal
characteristics like charisma, interpersonal skills, hard work, or
personal contacts rather than to organizational stature.
***************************************************************************
The Concept Database: Multimedia Tool
to Support Concurrent Design and Design History Archival
Alice M. Agogino and Stephen Bradley
Proposal Abstract
Berkeley Expert Systems Technology Lab.
University of California, Berkeley
They propose to develop a novel computer-aided concurrent design
tool for assisting engineers during the conceptual phase of design.
The Concept Database will utilize database, optical disk and new
multimedia technology to provide the designer with access to a broad
spectrum of design information which will suggest and describe
potentially useful design concepts and previous designs. The intent is
to provide the designer with information needed to produce initial
designs with better life cycle performance. The tool will (1) push
life cycle issues to the forefront of the design process, (2) provide
the information needed to make informed design decisions, (3)
structure the search for information so that the designer's intent and
the justification of decisions made during the design process can be
recorded, and (4) store new designs in the database in such a manner
that future designers can retrieve the design as a useful example when
similar situations arise. Current research is focused on methods of
retrieval from a concept database and support of design decision
making during concept retrieval. The tool under development will
support design teams working in a networked workstation environment.
Emphasis is being given to use of well developed technologies and
existing standards (such as relational databases and SQL) to insure
that a practical and scalable system is developed. The target area of
application for the prototype is the domain of mechanical
interconnection (fastening and joining) concepts used in electronic
and computer product mechanical design.
******************************************************************************
Learning Lost: The Problem of Not Accounting for R&D
Margaret B.W. Graham
This paper at one level is an outsider's attempt to contribute a
footnote to the emerging literature of accounting history. At another
level it seeks to provide some historical perspective concerning the
contemporary problems raided by accounting for R&D. She takes as her
field of interest a broad layman's definition of accounting. For the
purposes of this paper the term "accounting" refers to that whole
complex of activities that assign, measure, monitor, report in or out,
and predict value on behalf of a particular corporation or
institution. It refers further to the formal systems, mechanisms and
documents that constitute those activities.
******************************************************************************
Berkeley Image Database Project
University of California at Berkeley
Information Systems and Technology
Advanced Technology Planning
The Advanced Technology Planning group at the University of
California in Berkeley has developed an image-oriented database access
system that runs on networked workstations and can be used with a
variety of commercial database management packages. The project
demonstrates the feasibility of online access to digital images of
maps, slides, paintings, photographs, rare manuscripts, museum
artifacts, botanical specimens, and other visual materials.
The image database software was originally developed on Sun
workstations and now runs under the X window system on Sun, IBM,
Digital Equipment, MIPS, and Apple Macintosh Unix workstations.
Collection data can be organized in flat files or as Ingress, Oracle,
or Sybase databases. The project addresses issues of fast networking,
distributed data and processing, massive storage requirements, color
display and printing, software portability, and non-traditional uses
of computers.
Prototype image databases have been developed for the Lowie
Museum of Anthropology, the University Art Museum, the Architecture
Slide Library, the Geography Map Library, and the University Herbarium
at Berkeley.
Berkeley campus users of the ImageQuery of ImageView software
include the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, the Quantitative
Anthropology Laboratory, the College of Environmental Design, the
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, the
Department of Geography, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
The Apple A/UX Development Group and Ingress Corp. have binary
demo copies of the software. Commercial source license holders include
Combustion Engineering, Nippon Steel, Forefront, BellSouth Services,
NYNEX Corporation, Bellcore, and ARIIS Image & Information Systems
(Montreal).
Note: If you are interested in sponsoring this project or would like
more information, please call the Berkeley Office of Technology
Licensing at (415) 643-7201, or Barbara Morgan, Director,
Advanced Technology Planning at (415) 642-5567.
**************************************************************************
Safety of the Thermal Protection System
of the Space Shuttle Orbiter:
Quantitative Analysis and Organizational Factors
M. Elizabeth Pate-Cornell
Dept. of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management
Stanford University
&
Paul S. Fischbeck
Dept. of Engineering and Public Policy & Dept. of Decision
Carnegie-Mellon University
Report to The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Effects of Organizational Factors on TPS Reliability: Main Preliminary
Observations.
In the second phase of this work, they explore to what extent
organizational procedures (for instance, those that induce time
pressure and turnover of the personnel) are at the root of these
incidents. Rules that apply uniformly across tiles of widely variable
risk-criticality, and rules that do not account for the possibility of
system weakening over time may become major contributors to the
overall risk. Furthermore, the scope of the research cannot be
strictly limited to the TPS. Procedures and management decisions
regarding the maintenance of the insulation of the ET and the SRBs
also affect the reliability of the tiles since they are a source of
debris. Finally, in the long term, weakening of the tile system due to
repeated load cycles, exposure to environmental conditions on the
ground, or chemical reversion, may become a dominant factor of the
failure risk. The problem of deterioration over time may not be (and
is not likely to be) of immediate concern for well-bonded tiles, but
may become a critical factor of those tiles whose capacities have been
reduced by defective installation and maintenance. Therefore, in the
second phase, we will examine closely the procedures of the
organization, using our PRA model to see how the relative
contributions of each of these factors affect flight safety.
In addition, the structure of the organization and its
peripherals (NASA, plus Lockheed, Rockwell etc.) and the rules that
determine the relations among these organizations (for example, in
setting contracts, pay scales, and incentives, as well as schedule and
budget constraints,) may also effect flight safety to the extent that
they determine the occurrence and severity of human errors and their
probabilities of detection. Some organizational improvements (which
may have been recommended before and ignored for various reasons) may
have only a minor effect on the reliability of the Orbiter; others may
be essential soon. Our analytical model will be used to determine
which of these factors actually affect the probability of failure of
the tiles (and consequently, or the Orbiter) and by how much. Finally,
the culture of the organization may also play a role. As we describe
below, the low status of the tile work may induce low morale among
some tile technicians. Furthermore, the behaviors of other workers
towards the tile technicians may be a significant source of additional
work load and time pressure.
*****************************************************************************
Texas A&M's Program for Automation in Manufacturing
Becky Taylor
Digital Equipment Corporation
Texas A&M's PAM (Program for Automation in Manufacturing)
conference is a biannual meeting of industry and academia. There are
10 projects currently funded by the PAM project; 9 companies fund the
project. My understanding is that "dues" are $35,000 apiece. For this,
members have access to all results from all projects. The projects
are not necessarily CS-related; as a matter of fact, most of them are
not. The following are the projects funded through the summer.
. 90-01 'Evaluation of Quality, Life and Sensors for Machining of
New Materials and Composite Stacks'
. 90-02 'Drilling of Electronic Circuit Boards'
. 90-03 'Superplastic Forming Characteristics of 8090
Aluminum-Lithium Alloy Reinforced with Silicon Carbide'
. 90-04 'Understanding and Reducing Machine Errors'
. 90-05 'A Laser Projection System for Guiding Composite
Manufacturing'
. 90-06 'Modeling and Verification of Long Term Creep in
Viscoelastic Materials'
. 90-07 'A Knowledge and Optimization Based Scheduled for
Electronics
. 90-08 'A Generalized Approach to Practical Statistical Design
for Product Quality and Manufacturability'
. 90-09 'Integration of JIt and Order Release Strategies by
Simulation'
. 90-10 'An Automated Procedure for Detection of Noisy and
Incipient Failures in Computer Components'
Currently, PAM is comprised of the following members:
. Bell Helicopter
. Compaq
. DEC
. General Dynamics
. IBM
. LTV Aircraft Products Group
. Naval Weapons
. TI
. Westinghouse
Even though all members have access to all results, each project
has a primary and one or more support mentors. The primary is supposed
to provide industry contacts to the researchers to facilitate
technology transfer as well as real-world 'sanity checking' of the
research. DEC is primary contact for project #90-07, and is secondary
contact for project #90-02. 90-07 is due to be installed at the
Albuquerque assembly facility within the next 6 weeks for field
testing. 90-02 was funded by the Greenville Manufacturing facility via
Low-End Systems. LES is no longer involved with PAM; therefore, look
for DEC primary mentorships of this project to fade after this summer.
A&M has some needs of DEC in order to successfully complete the
research on 90-07. Marlin Shopbell of SCIT is the contact and will be
indentifying who in Albuquerque will be working with the A&M folks to
install/test the KOBS software. Marlin and I identified the following
action items, to be followed by by Marlin.
. Review monthly status with Dr. Malave
. Identify resource in Albuquerque and hand over to Dr. Malave by
February.
. Plan for installation in Albuquerque over A&M's spring break
Some Environmental 'Asides"
Compaq is very active in PAM; they have donated a 486 PC as well
as a server to the program. A&M is, of course eating this up and is
trying to figure out how to get some hardware from IBM. I predict
they will angle for an RS/6000. Question: how long is the 3100 to be
out there?
The PAM facilitator, Dr. Don Phillips, has 25 years' experience
in simulation/modeling, much of which seems applicable to the
activities out of SEMATECH.
A&M is attempting to define a concept around building a small
factory (The Innovation Factory) to provide a more realistic
environment for teaching, research, technology transfer as well as a
small amount of manufacturing.
Texas State Technical Institute (TSTI) out of Waco is attempting
to setup the Texas Manufacturing Technology Center to provide an
infrastructure for small manufacturing (500 employees) entities.
Purpose: technology transfer for small firms that can't afford
time/employees to track new technologies in order to remain
competitive.
In the area of simulation software, Dr. Phillips referenced
their AI simulation lab where they are working on an object-oriented
simulation language. There was no time to check this out last week,
but perhaps this merits a separate visit relative to SEMATECH's RFP's.
CHIPS
------
One goal for traveling to A&M was to find out more about a
software project called CHIPS; it was in field test at AMD here in
Austin last year and is currently undergoing 'sanity checking' of there
underlying model at SEMATECH. CHIPS was not funded by PAM; it is a
separate activity funded by contract to SEMATECH.
I spent most of Thursday afternoon meeting with Dr. Brian
Deuermeyer, the individual who is responsible for the modeling
software comprising the heart of CHIPS. He made it extremely clear
that CHIPS has become a paper tiger for him and he is ready to turn it
over to someone interested in productization. After a discussion with
him, I am of the opinion that CHIPS will require the following (at a
bare minimum) to produce it:
. Documentation on current internals from A&M (already planned)
. (re) Design of CHIPS internals and UI; they currently use
Athena widgets rather than X widgets
I am unsure of DEC's/SEMATECH's interest in doing this. Rather
than glaze you eyes with a discussion on whether to do this, reply
with you interest level in pursuing this further.
Overall Impressions
-------------------
There would appear to be potential overlap (and also potential
for a high degree of synergy) between KOBS and the AI work underway at
MCC. What mechanism currently exists within DEC to ensure we're not
spending money twice? This is not to imply that we are; I do not claim
to be intimately familiar with A&M's efforts nor especially conversant
with MCC's work, though I do make an effort to read the summaries
which come from Bill Kuhlman. This is to highlight a potential for
spending money in two areas simultaneously where one expenditure might
suffice. Who within DEC is tracking this? If no one, do we need someone?
Overall, DEC is showing many faces to A&M. It is my impression
that the other folks present have been with the program from the start
of their company's decision to join PAM. Would we benefit from
dedicating a second individual to this effort?
DEC will have an opportunity to define new projects this summer.
This requires a bit of up front effort in terms of defining what is
needed. I am assuming that since PAM is manufacturing in orientation
that this effort will be forthcoming from SCIT. Is this a valid
assumption?
Note: Becky Taylor
AUSTIN::TAYLOR
*******************************************************************************
High-Speed Communication Networks
An Intensive Short Course - April 18-19, 1991
Continuing Education in Engineering, University Extension,
and the College of Engineering, University of Calif. Berkeley
An intensive short course Thurdsay-Friday, April 18-19, 1991 at
the San Francisco Airport Hilton. A revolution is taking place in
communication networks with the development of much faster information
transport and new communication services.
Course Objective:
This course provides an overview of the operating and design
principles of modern communication networks, including a description
of the major trends. It is of interest to communication engineers who
desire a self-contained and up-to-date overview of this emerging
technology.
Participant Background Expected:
The course stresses descriptions of operating principles over
formulation. A basic familiarity with communication technology is
helpful.
Course Content:
The course begins with an overview of high speed networks and
their operating principles. Typical performance measures of such
networks, multiplexing and switching principles, and ATM and SONET are
discussed. The focus then moves to the optical communication
technology that is making these high-speed networks possible. The
discussion of the fibers, optical sources, and receivers is
self-contained and emphasizes their systems characteristics.
The course continues with a detailed description of switching.
The different configurations of high-speed switches and their
properties are discussed. Local-access networks, such as DQDB and
FDDI, which will connect users in a metropolitan area to large-scale
networks, are explored. Multimedia information terminals and
applications are discussed next. Comments is made on multimedia
operating systems, databases, and mail.
Attention then turns to the Intelligent Network architecture. The
objective of this architecture - separate control and resources in
order to increase flexibility and simplify the introduction of new
serves - is examined. The course concludes by exploring some
economic considerations of high-speed networks.
Faculty:
Pravin Varaiya - is Professor of Electrical Engineering and
Computer Sciences and Professor of Economics at the University of
California, Berkeley.
Jean Walrand - is Professor of Electrical Engineering and
Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.
Program:
Thursday, April 18 Overview
. What are high-speed networks?/Communication services/Multiplexing
and switching/ATM and SONET/ User access: SMDS and BISDN
Physical Layer
--------------
. Optical link and its characteristics/Fiber attenuation and
dispersion/Optical sources: LED and LD/Optical detectors: PIN and
APD/Modulation schemes and sensitivity.
Switching
---------
. Objective and performance measures/Time and space division
switching/Clos and Benen networks/Fast-packet switching architectures
Friday, April 19
Local-access networks
---------------------
. FDDI, DQDB, HangMAN, SMDS and Frame Relay
Multimedia
----------
. HDTV and integrated terminal/Operating systems/Integrated
mail/Integrated database
Intelligent Network
--------------------
. POTS and new services IN architecture IN element functionalities
Functional components
Economics
---------
. Trends/Technology/Demand/Deployment strategies
Schedule
--------
Registration 8-8:30am Thursday, April 18
Lectures 8:30am -12 noon and 1-4:30 pm each day
Lunch 12 noon -1 pm each day
Breaks 10 am and 2:30 pm each day
Location San Francisco Airport Hilton, San Francisco
International Airport
Fee $695, including course notes and lunch and
refreshments each day. Enrollment is limited
and advance enrollment is required.
For more enrollment information or questions, call (415) 642-4151,
FAX (415) 643-8683, or write to Continuing Education in Engineering,
University Extension, University of California, 2223 Fulton St.,
Berkeley, CA 94720.
****************************************************************************
Note: These are two past seminars
Innovations in Trading Systems
Berkeley Program in Finance Preliminary Program
Spring 1991 Seminar- March 17-19, 1991
Sunday, March 17
. Keynote Address, Gary Ginter - Chicago Research and Trading
Monday, March 18
. Opening Remarks, Mark Garman - Conference Chair
University of California, Berkeley
Trading Networks and Market Structure:
. Trading Mechanisms in Securities Markets: Theory and Evidence
Ananth Madhavan, Wharton Business School
. Shackled Liquidity: An Institutional Manifesto,
Evan Schulman, Lattice Investments, Inc.
. Innovations in Equity Trading: CREF's Experience
Paul Davis, College Retirement Equities Fund
. Topic: Liquidity Effects of Market Automation
Albert Kyle and Elliot Moskowitz
The Fuzzy Logic of Investment:
. Understanding Fuzzy Logic Concepts and Methods
Enrique H. Ruspini, SRI International
. Topic: The Investment Applications of Fuzzy Logic
Daniel C. Bochsler, Togai InfraLogic
Simulated Trading Environments
. Simulated Option Trading
Gerard Gennotte and Mark Rubinstein, U.C. Berkeley
Expert Systems for Investment
. Expert Systems as Power Tools for Decision Making:
The Economic Benefits from the New Knowledge Technology
Edward Feigenbaum, Stanford University
. Topic: A Language for Implementing Investment - Expert Systems
Dale Party, Integrated Analytics
. An Alternative to Rule-Based Systems: A Neural Net Approach to
Intelligent Investment Decision Support
Douglas Stone, Frank Russell & Co.
Real-Time Decision Support in Trading
. Fault Tolerance and Real-Time Communications Support for
Next-Generation Trading Systems
Ken Birman, ISIS Distributed Systems/Cornell University
. Linking Analytics and Execution with Quantitative Rule-Based Control
David Leinweber, Leinweber & Co.
The CASIS Workshop Seminar - February 25 & 26,91
Stanford University
Feb, 25 1991
Session: Data Visualization:
. M. Levory, "Algorithms and Architectures for Visualizing Volume Data"
. R. Samadani, "Image Information Extraction for Databases and
Visualization"
. Q Lin, "Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar"
. W. Davis, "Hypermedia Display of Remote Sensing Data"
Session: Networks and Telecommunications:
. W. Wang, " The Christmas Tree: an Output -Queuing Space-Divison
Switching Fabric"
. F. Chiussi, "An 0.8 Micron BiCMOS Sea-of-Gates Implementation of the
Tandem Banyan Fast Packet Switch"
. F. Paul-Dubois-Taine, "Buffer Management Strategies in ATM Switches
Carrying Bursty Traffic"
. J. Peha, "Cost-Based Scheduling Algorithms to Support Integrated
Services in High-Speed Packet Switched Networks"
. J.M. Cioffi aand P.S. Chow, "Network Coding"
Tuesday Feb, 26
Session: Parallel Programming and Architecture
. W. Lynch, "Virtual Memory and Cache Performance"
. A Zimmerman, "The Parallel Architect's Workbench"
. M. Lam, "Evaluation of Parallelization Techniques"
. F.F. Lee, "ALGE: A High Performance Array Processor for
Three-Dimensional Lattice Gas Simulations"
Session: Programming Environment
. J. Vlissides, "A Grand Tour of interviews 3.0"
Session: Neural Networks
. J. Burr, "Energy in Digital VLSI Neural Networks"
. M. Murray, "The Stanford Boltzmann Engine"
. M. Leung, "Texture Recognition"
Session: Low Power Signal Processing
. J. Burr, E. Tsern, B. Bass, J. Burnham, G. Yeh, "Interleaved
Processors, Pipelined Memory, and MultiChip Modules"
. V. Roychowdhury, "A New Understanding of Perceptions"
. K.Y. Siu, "Depth-Size Tradeoffs for Neural Computation"
. NASA Caucus
**************************************************************************
XII. Automated Paper Request Form
Below are the papers that are available from the March/April 1991 issue
of WTD. Please send all requests to REESA::HAYES. Please include your mailstop
and the automated paper form. Do not send the entire issue with your request
at the bottom; also if you are ordering papers from past issues, you must
add issue, title and author of paper. Thanks
[ ] Why Are There So Few Female Computer Scientists?
[ ] Autonomous Robots For Semiconductor Manufacturing Environment
[ ] Economic Issues In Computer Interface Standardization
[ ] Ways Women Lead
[ ] The Concept Database: Multimedia Tool To Support Concurrent
Design And Design History Archival
[ ] Learning Lost: The Problem Of Not Accounting For R&D
[ ] Safety Of The Thermal Protection System Of The Space Shuttle
Orbiter: Quantitative Analysis And Organizational Factors
[ ] Texas A&M'S Program For Automation In Manufacturing
********************************************************************************
Distribution:
TO:
Steve Becker@AQO DENNIS DICKERSON@DL STEVE DONOVAN@DLO Tommy Gaut@HSO
Ed Hurry@DVO jim rather@HSO Pat Roach@VBE Czarena Siebert@HSO
Mike Sievers@HSO Dale Stout@HSO Susan Sugar@MWO Sherry Williams@HSO
Mike Willis@HSO Tom Wilson@HST
|
| 18.3 | FWD: APRIL-BULLETIN.WTD | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Tue Apr 09 1991 15:55 | 70 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 08-Apr-1991 08:12pm CET
From: BEANE
BEANE@BIGRED@MRGATE@DPD20@DPD
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: See Below
Subject: FWD: APRIL-BULLETIN.WTD
From: HSOMAI::REESA::HAYES "Mary Hayes 05-Apr-1991 1020" 5-APR-1991 13:40:49.48
To: @WTD
CC: HAYES
Subj: APRIL-BULLETIN.WTD
Feminist Perspectives On Organizational Theory & Research
Spring Colloquium Series
Graduate School Of Business
Stanford University
This spring series is offered at no charge through SCOR and the
Graduate School of Business. All Classes are on Wednesdays, from noon
to 1:15p.m. Located at the Graduate School of Business, room 79.
April 10th:
Sylvia Yanagisako. Anthropology and Feminist Studies, Stanford
University - "Capital and Gendered Interest in Italian Family Firms".
Sylvia Yanagisako is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and
Director of the Program in Feminist Studies at Stanford University.
Her major research has focused on kinship, gender and societal class,
specifically among Seattle Japanese-Americans and family firms in the
silk-weaving industry of Como, Italy. She earned a Ph.D. in
Socio-Cultural Anthropology from the University of Washington.
This talk addresses the transformation of women's and men's
interest in capital accumulation in family firms in northern Italy.
Family firms are treated as complex structures of production,
reproduction, love, power, and nurturance, which are constituted and
transformed along with the desires and strategies of their members.
The focus is on the gendered character of this changing complex
because gender is central to production of social actors and their
desires in capitalist firms.
May 8th:
Faye Crosby. Psychology, Smith College - "Discrimination and
Reverse Discrimination: Fantasies, Illusions, and the Cold Hard Truth"
May 15th:
Ella Bell. Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst-
"Life Journeys of Women in Corporations"
May 29th:
Marta Calas. Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst -
"Haciendo Punto en Orto Son: Re-presenting the Other in International
Management".
Distribution:
TO:
Steve Becker@AQO DENNIS DICKERSON@DL STEVE DONOVAN@DLO Tommy Gaut@HSO
Ed Hurry@DVO jim rather@HSO Pat Roach@VBE Czarena Siebert@HSO
Mike Sievers@HSO Dale Stout@HSO Susan Sugar@MWO Sherry Williams@HSO
Mike Willis@HSO Tom Wilson@HST
|
| 18.4 | CRL - Stanford DASH - Reminder | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Thu Apr 18 1991 17:54 | 87 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 17-Apr-1991 01:57am CET
From: TSS
TSS@AIADM@SELECT@HERON@ULYSSE@MRGATE@VALMTS@VBO
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: PATRICK ROACH@VBE
Subject: CRL - Stanford DASH - Reminder
From: AIADM::CRL::MARYG "Mary Gallagher" 15-APR-1991 10:00:10.42
To: aiadm::tss
CC:
Subj: REMINDER - Design of the Stanford DASH Multiprocessor - Digital Cambridge Research Lab - Apr 19
Digital Equipment Corporation
Cambridge Research Lab
Seminar
Friday, April 19, 1991
3:15pm - 4:15pm, Refreshments at 3:00pm
"Design of the Stanford DASH Multiprocessor"
Anoop Gupta
Computer Systems Laboratory
Stanford University
The Stanford DASH project represents an experiment in understanding the
scalability issues for shared-memory multiprocessors. The fundamental
premise behind DASH is that it is feasible to build large-scale
single-address-space multiprocessors with coherent caches. The scalable
memory bandwidth in DASH is achieved by distributing main memory among the
processing nodes and by interconnecting the nodes with a scalable network.
The coherent caches are supported using a distributed directory-based
cache-coherence protocol. Globally coherent caches significantly reduce the
latency of accesses to shared data objects thus yielding higher processor
utilization and higher overall performance. Additional mechanisms to hide
the latency of remote accesses and to support efficient synchronization are
also provided.
We are currently building a DASH prototype. The prototype will consist of
16-64 MIPS R3000/R3010 processors delivering up to 1600 MIPS and 600 scalar
MFLOPS. The interconnection network consists of a pair of meshes, each with
16-bit wide channels. There is considerable support provided for
performance monitoring. A 16 processor version of the prototype has been
built and is currently being debugged. With luck, I should be able to
report on some preliminary performance results.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Anoop Gupta is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford
University. Prior to joining Stanford, he was on the research faculty of
Carnegie Mellon University, where he received his Ph.D. in 1986. Professor
Gupta's primary interests are in the design of hardware and software for
large scale multiprocessors. He is currently leading the design and
construction of the DASH multiprocessor at Stanford. He has also worked
extensively in the area of parallel applications. Professor Gupta was the
recipient of a DEC faculty development award from 1987-1989, and he received
the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award in 1990.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Digital Equipment Corporation's Cambridge Research Lab is located on the
north side of Technology Square, at the junction of Hampshire Street and
Broadway. The address is:
Digital Equipment Corporation
Cambridge Research Lab
One Kendall Square, Bldg. 700
Cambridge, MA 02139
For questions regarding the seminar, directions, or parking, or to add
your name to the mailing list, call DTN: 259-6601 or send email to
CRL::TSS
% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
Received: by easynet.crl.dec.com; id AA25361; Mon, 15 Apr 91 09:56:04 -0400
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
To: aiadm::tss
Subject: REMINDER - Design of the Stanford DASH Multiprocessor - Digital Cambridge Research Lab - Apr 19
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 09:56:10 EDT
From: maryg
|
| 18.5 | FWD: Western Technology Digest | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Mon May 06 1991 11:06 | 208 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 01-May-1991 06:55pm CET
From: BEANE
BEANE@BIGRED@MRGATE@DPD03@DPD
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: See Below
Subject: FWD: Western Technology Digest
********************************************************************************
***** WESTERN TECHNOLOGY DIGEST *****
**** VOLUME 4 NUMBER 5 ****
*** MAY 1991 ***
** Mary Hayes Editor **
********************************************************************************
WESTERN TECHNOLOGY DIGEST is a monthly technology transfer forum for
communicating research, technical, and competitive information between
Digital and research communities.
********************************
THIS MAGAZINE IS RESTRICTED FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY BY EMPLOYEES OF DIGITAL
EQUIPMENT CORPORATION. @ Copyright Digital Equipment Corporation 1987, 1988,
1989, 1990, 1991.
*******************************************************************************
The purpose of WTD is to inform Digital readers of events and activities of
interest in the research community. The style of this digest will be to
provide abstracts or short articles of interest with references to more
detailed information for you to pursue should you wish to follow-up.
We welcome contributions from anyone who is sponsoring research, doing
work.
We also encourage comments from readers and Letters to the Editor, which
will be published with the author's permission.
If you wish to subscribe to WTD or change your subscription address
or to submit papers or articles please send mail to REESA::HAYES
If you wish to receive copies of the articles mentioned in WTD, please send
all requests to REESA::HAYES. Please include your mail stop as the articles
are sent in hard copy format. Also please note, if you are ordering copies
of articles from past issues, you must but the issue, title and authors name.
********************************************************************************
MAY WTD BULLETIN
* A WORD FROM YOUR EDITOR:
During this time of transition, a lot of you are moving
around the company. Please take a moment and let me know if you
have changed your address. Please send email to REESA::HAYES
and I will update my distribution list.
*****************************************************************************
Berkeley Program in Finance
Spring 1991 Tokyo Seminar
Securitization in Fixed Income Markets:
New Developments in Financial Engineering
Tokyo Bay Hilton International
May 27-30, 1991
As you can see from the preliminary program, they have assembled
an impressive list of speakers for the upcoming seminar. These
speakers, both academics and practitioners, will provide in-depth
analyses of new developments in quantitative fixed-income modeling,
and institutional considerations and trends in asset securitization.
Among the specific quantitative topics to be covered are: recent
advances in term structure modeling in the United States and Japan,
innovations in bond options and bond option pricing models, the
economic motivation for valuation of swap transactions, and the
pricing of timing and quality options in futures contracts. Speakers
will also discuss the structure of and historical experience with
mortgage and non-mortgage asset-backed securities in the United States
and Japan, the structure of the Japanese financial system and its
likely impact on the growth of securitization, and some of the legal
aspects affecting securitization in Japan. The mandate of each speaker
is to convey even technical results in nontechnical language
accessible to practitioners. There will be simultaneous translation
between English and Japanese. Each Participant will receive a binder
of the exhibits used by each speaker.
The seminar fee is $2,610 if payment is made by May 6, 1991, and
$2,900 if payment is made after this date.
Monday, May 27, 1991
Welcome Buffet
Tuesday, May 28, 1991
Institutional Trends and Developments in Asset Securitization.
9:00-9:05 am
Welcome and Introduction, David Modest, University of California at
Berkeley.
9:05-9:45
Trends and Developments in U.S. Asset-Backed Securitization, David
Modest, U.C. Berkeley.
9:45-10:30
The Japanese Mortgage System, Ulrike Schaede, Hitotsubashi University,
Tokyo and University of Marburg.
10:45-11:30
Legal Aspects of Securitization in Japan, Masaru Ono, Nishimura/Sanada
11:30-12:15pm
Securities Financing in Japan, Ulrike Schaede.
1:45-2:30
Trends in Securitization in Japan, Toshihiro Mori, Goldman Sachs
2:30-3:15
Problems in Japanese Securitization, Katsuhiko Takita, Nippon Credit
Bank.
3:15-4:00
Asset Securitization: The Japanese Investors' Perspective, TBA
4:15-5:00
The Economics of Securitization in Japan, Yoshitsugu Kanemoto,
University of Tokyo.
5:00-5:45
The Pricing of Securitized Debt, Robert Wolfe, Goldman Sachs.
5:45-6:15
Program Summery, Albert Kyle, U.C. Berkeley.
Wednesday, May 29, 1991
Recent Advances and Developments in Fixed-Income Modeling
9:00-10:00am
Pricing Interest Rate Contingent Claims, Bjorn Flesaker, University of
Illinois.
10:00-11:00
The Term Structure of Interest Rates in Japan, Kenneth Singleton,
Stanford University.
11:15-12:15pm
Innovations in Bond Options, Kenneth Singleton.
1:45-2:45
Estimation and Testing of an Interest Rate Option Pricing Model, Bjorn
Flesaker.
2:45-3:45
Mortgage Pricing Models: The Current State of Academic Research, David
Modest.
4:00-5:00
ARM Prepayment in Theory and Practice: Justifying Backward and Forward
Path Dependence in a Hazard Function, Nancy Wallace, U.C. Berkeley.
5:00-6:00
Determinants of Residential Housing Prices in the Bay Area 1970-1988:
Effects of Fundamental Economic Factors or Speculative Bubbles, Nancy
Wallace.
6:00-6:30
Program Summary, Hayne Leland, U.C. Berkeley.
Thursday, May 30, 1991
9:00-10:00
The Valuation of Swaps, Suresh Sundaresan, Columbia University
10:00-11:00
The Economic Analysis of Swap Transactions, Setsuya Sato, The Bank of
Japan.
11:15-12:15
The Pricing of Timing and Quality Options, Suresh Sundaresan.
12:15-12:45
Program Summary, Albert Kyle, U.C. Berkeley.
To receive a seminar registration form or to get more information,
please contact, Mical Ellen Visher, Assistant Director
Berkeley Program in Finance in Asia
350 Barrows Hall
Haas School of Business
Berkeley CA. 94720
Phone: 415-642-0114
FAX: 415-643-8460
Distribution:
TO:
DENNIS DICKERSON@DL STEVE DONOVAN@DLO Tommy Gaut@HSO Ed Hurry@DVO
Louis Pau@VBE jim rather@HSO Pat Roach@VBE Czarena Siebert@HSO
Mike Sievers@HSO Dale Stout@HSO Susan Sugar@MWO Sherry Williams@HSO
Mike Willis@HSO Tom Wilson@HST
|
| 18.6 | FWD: MAY-WTD 1991 | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Tue May 21 1991 13:57 | 601 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 17-May-1991 03:59pm CET
From: BEANE
BEANE@17383@MRGATE@DPD03@DPD
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: See Below
Subject: FWD: MAY-WTD 1991
********************************************************************************
***** WESTERN TECHNOLOGY DIGEST *****
**** VOLUME 4 NUMBER 6 ****
*** MAY 1991 ***
** Mary Hayes Editor **
********************************************************************************
WESTERN TECHNOLOGY DIGEST is a monthly technology transfer forum for
communicating research, technical, and competitive information between
Digital and research communities.
********************************
THIS MAGAZINE IS RESTRICTED FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY BY EMPLOYEES OF DIGITAL
EQUIPMENT CORPORATION. @ Copyright Digital Equipment Corporation 1987, 1988,
1989, 1990, 1991.
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The purpose of WTD is to inform Digital readers of events and activities of
interest in the research community. The style of this digest will be to
provide abstracts or short articles of interest with references to more
detailed information for you to pursue should you wish to follow-up.
We welcome contributions from anyone who is sponsoring research, doing
work.
We also encourage comments from readers and Letters to the Editor, which
will be published with the author's permission.
If you wish to subscribe to WTD or change your subscription address
or to submit papers or articles please send mail to REESA::HAYES
If you wish to receive copies of the articles mentioned in WTD, please send
all requests to REESA::HAYES. Please include your mail stop as the articles
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of articles from past issues, you must but the issue, title and authors name.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
THIS ISSUE =
I. The Economics of Alternative Integrated Circuit Manufacturing
Technology: A Framework and Appraisal - W. Edward Steinmueller
II. Modeling the Perormance of Cluster-Based Fabs
- Samuel Wood & Krishna Saraswat
III. Representing Probabilistic Knowledge in Relational Databaes
- Thierry Barsalou, R. Martin Chavez, & Gio Wiederhold
Hypertext Interface for Decision-Support Systems: A Case Study
- Thierry Barasalou, R. Martin Chavez, & Gio Wiederhold
Knowledge-Directed Mediation Between Application Objects and
Base Data - Thierry Baralou & Gio Wiederhold
Outer Joins and Filters for Instantiating Object from
Relational Databases through Views
- Gio Wiederhold & Byung Suk Lee
Knowledge-Based Mapping of Relations into Objects
Thierry Barsalou & Gio Wiederhold
Updating Relational Databases through Object-Based Views
- Thierry Barsalou, Gio Wiederhold, Niki Siambela,
Arthur Keller
Management of Complex Structural Engineering Objects
in a Relational Framework - Gio Wiederhold, Kincho Law,
Thierry Barsalou
IV. Manufacturing in the 21 Century at Stanford University
Slide Presentations
V. SIMA - Stanford Integrated Manufacturing Associates
Proposals
VI. Automated Paper Request Form
*****************************************************************************
The Economics of Alternative Integrated Circuit
Manufacturing Technology: A Framework and Appraisal
Dr. W. Edward Steinmueller
Deputy Director of Center for Economic Policy Research
Stanford University
For twenty years, the U.S. circuit (IC) industry led the world in
developing new process techniques and product designs. During the past
decade, the hegemony of the U.S. IC industry disappeared with the
rapid technological and economic ascendancy of Japanese electronics
and IC firms. The rapid ascent of Japanese competition has led many
analysts and industry participants to question the long term
survivability of the U.S. IC industry. One set of explanations offered
for the reversal of the U.S. IC industry's fortunes focuses on the
successful Japanese implementation of strategic trade and technology
development policies in disrupting the "food chain" of the U.S. IC
industry. Instances of the outcomes of these policies include loss of
U.S. position in downstream markets such as consumer electronics, the
continuing modest penetration of U.S. produced ICs in the growing
Japanese electronic system market, and the intense pressure on U.S.
semiconductor capital goods suppliers by relatively new Japanese
competitors.
This paper examines additional options available for U.S. IC
producers based on alternative IC manufacturing technologies such as
microfactories. These alternative technologies address the issues of
capital cost and therefore capacity races, design variety, component
and system product differentiation and military electronics
requirements. They appear to offer opportunities for restoring
American's technological leadership by building strength in
specialized markets in the course of developing technologies that will
be increasingly useful in all IC markets as we approach the turn of
the century. Before we examine microfactories specifically, however,
it is essential to understand why the existing strategic options
appear to be inadequate in offering viable options for the restoration
of U.S. IC industry leadership.
*******************************************************************************
Modeling The Performance Of Cluster-Based Fabs
Samuel C. Wood & Krishna C. Saraswat
Stanford University
CIS- Center for Integrated Systems
Open-architecture cluster tools are likely to gain an
increasingly important role in semiconductor manufacturing. The
growing importance of the tools are due to a variety of perceived
advantages, including economic performance, which is the topic of this
paper. The economic performance of cluster-tools is evaluated by
modeling a hypothetical cluster-based fab, where almost all of a 0.6um
DRAM process flow is performed in cluster tools. Similarly, a
conventional fab under the same cost constraint running the same flow
is also modeled as a base for comparison. From this model, a number of
inherent differences between cluster-based fabs and conventional fabs
are observed and described.
Monte carlo cost-based simulations are than run on the two fabs
to compare the potential cost and throughput time (or cycle time)
performance of the fabs. Results suggest that the cluster-based fab
can operate at considerably reduced throughput times for a relatively
small cost per wafer premium. These results are particularly sensitive
to assumptions regarding equipment costs and wafer handling times in
the cluster. Modeling the cluster-based fab revealed a number of fab
design and management issues that are much less significant or
nonexistent for conventional fabs. These issues include configuration
and scheduling, lot size, and scaling the fab. These observations
suggest that cluster-based fabs, if they come into existence, will
need to be designed and run differently than conventional fabs.
******************************************************************************
Representing Probabilistic Knowledge in Relational Databases
Thierry Barsalou, R. Martin Chavez, & Gio Wiederhold
Stanford University
As knowledge bases are enlarged to support more complex classes
of problems, expert systems will demand efficient knowledge-management
techniques-techniques that are already available in database systems.
In this paper, they present the design of a database schema suitable
for knowledge bases that employ a decision-network representation.
Using this schema, they describe the process of translating existing
knowledge bases into relational format. Although exploratory in
nature, there work indicates that the application of database
techniques offers numerous advantages over an ad-hoc scheme for
managing probabilistic knowledge bases.
Hypertext Interfaces For Decision-Support Systems: A Case Study
Thierry Barsalou, R. Martin Chavez, & Gio Wiederhold
Stanford University
Stanford School of Medicine
Decision-support systems require intuitive human interfaces that
maximize the flow of information between machine and user. They describe
the use of hypertext authoring tools for designing high-grade
interfaces to PENGUIN, a database system extended with structural
semantics, and to KNET, a shell for constructing probabilistic expert
systems. The interface designer uses hypertext tools to construct a
visual representation of the underlying database or knowledge base.
They demonstrate that the separation of the hypertext interface from
the computational engine expedites the development of applications
that merge expert-system and relational-database technologies.
Knowledge-Directed Mediation Between Application Objects And Base Data
Thierry Barsalou and Gio Wiederhold
Stanford University
Integration of database and artificial-intelligence methods is
critical for the next generation of information systems. In this
paper, they offer a conceptual framework for such systems. They
envision a partitioned architecture where multiple applications
residing on distributed workstations exploit multiple remote data
resources. Central to the model is an intermediate layer of mediators
that perform the knowledge-based task of transforming data into
information needed by the workstation applications. To illustrate this
notion, they introduce, a specific mediator, implemented in the
PENGUIN system, that defines an object-based layer on top of relational
database systems.
Outer Joins And Filters For Instantiating Objects From
Relational Databases Through Views
Gio Wiederhold and Byung Suk Lee
Stanford University
One of the approaches for integrating an object-oriented programs
with databases is to instantiate objects from relational databases by
evaluating view queries. In that approach, it is often necessary to
evaluate some joins of the query by left outer joins to prevent
information loss caused by the tuples discarded by inner joins. It is
also necessary to filter some relations with selection conditions to
prevent the retrieval of unwanted nulls.
The system should automatically prescribe joins as inner or left
outer joins and generate the filters, rather than letting it be
specified manually for every view definition. They developed such a
mechanism in this paper. To overcome the heterogeneity of an
object-oriented model and the relational model, they first developed a
rigorous system model. The system model provides a well-defined
context for developing a simple mechanism.
The mechanism requires only one piece of information from users:
null options on an object attribute. The semantics of these options
are mapped to referential integrity constraints on the query result.
Then the system prescribes joins and generates filters accordingly.
They also address reducing the number of left outer joins and the
filters so that the query can be processed more efficiently.
Knowledge-Based Mapping Of Relations into Objects
Thierry Barsalou and Gio Wiederhold
Stanford University
Database and expert systems share a common goal-generating useful
information for action- but accomplish their tasks separately, using
different principles. It is clear, however, that database systems can
gain expressive power by using artificial intelligence techniques. The
object-oriented paradigm currently receives much attention as such a
method to develop enhanced database management systems (DBMSs). In
this paper, they show that the increased power can be achieved by
superimposing an object-based interface onto a relational DBMS. For
this purpose, they exploit knowledge of the database structure to
automatically map relations into object templates, where each template
can be a complex combination of join and projection operations. Once
created, the objects are declaratively instantiated using data from
the base relations. This domain-independent architecture provides a
clear separation between storage and working representations and
offers sharable access to information and multiple views of the same
data. In the context of a biomedical engineering application, the FACS
instrument for analyzing and sorting cell suspensions, they
demonstrate the capabilities of a prototype implementation of this
architecture.
Updating Relational Databases Through Object-Based Views
Thierry Barsalou, Gio Wiederhold, Niki Siambela & Arthur M. Keller
Stanford University
The view-object model provides a formal basis for representing
and manipulating object-based views on relational databases. In this
paper, they present a scheme for handling update operations on view
objects. Because a typical view object encompasses multiple relations.
They are facing a problem analogous to the issue of updating through
relational views. A view-object update request must be translated into
valid operations on the underlying relational database. Building on an
existing approach to update relational views, they introduce
algorithms to enumerate all valid translations of the various update
operations on view objects. The process of choosing a translator for
view-object update then occurs at view-object generation time. Once
chosen, the translator can disambiguate any update request on the view
object.
Management of Complex Structural Engineering Objects
in a Relational Framework
Gio Wiederhold, Kincho H. Law & Thierry Barsalou
Dept. of Civil Engineering/Computer Science/Medical Informatics
Stanford University
To structure the development of an integrated building design
environment, the global representation of the design data may best be
organized in terms of hierarchies of objects. In structural
engineering design they deal with large sets of independent but
interrelated objects. These objects are specified by data. For an
engineering design data base the system must be able to model the
objects composing the design as well as to manage effectively the
design data. The data base management system therefore needs to have
some knowledge of the intended use of the data, and must provide an
abstraction mechanism to represent and manipulate objects. Much recent
research in engineering data base focuses on object management for
specific tasks but gives little attention to the shareability of the
underlying information. This paper describes an architecture for the
management of complex engineering objects in a sharable, relational
framework. Potential application of this approach to object management
for structural engineering analysis and design is discussed.
*******************************************************************************
Manufacturing in the 21 Century at Stanford
University, held there annual review on May 20,21 & 22, 1991. Below are a
list of slide presentations that are available through WTD.
1. A Real Time Control System For Semiconductor Equipment
G.F. Franklin - Stanford University
2. Knowledge Service, Library and Software Integration
Jeff Y.C. Pan - Stanford University
3. Structured User Interface Builder and Applying it to CIM
Steven Tang, Ernest Wood & John Vlissides - Stanford University
4. SPIDER - A Bridge to Lab Operations
Ernest Wood - Stanford University
5. Dynamic Global Schema Integration: A Framework for
Semiconductor Manufacturing Database Integration & Evolution
Shailesh Agarwal, Krishna Saraswat, Gio Wiederhold, Ernest
Wood & Arthur Keller - Stanford University
6. Manufacturing Science: The Virtual Factory - The Stanford
Program in Semiconductor Manufacturing
Plummer, Wong, McVittie, Ray, Koehler, Wood & Goossens
7. Semiconductor Manufacturing Research Program - Students
Project Summaries
8. Properties of Si-Based Epitaxial Layers and Superlattices
M.A. Nicolet, T. Vreeland, Jr. - Stanford University and
K.L. Wang, R.P.G. Karunasiri - UCLA
9. TI/AIR force MMST Review: Overview of the Stanford Research
Program on Advanced Micro Factory
Krishna Saraswat - Stanford University
10. On-Site Process Monitoring Techniques Using Acoustic Waves
B.T. Khuri-Yakub, K.C. Saraswat, Y.J. Lee, Sanjay Bhardwaj-
Stanford University
11. Semiconductor Manufacturing Research - Background, Motivation,
and Overview
Paul Losleben - Stanford University
12. Advanced Visualization Techniques for Semiconductor Device
Simulation
Umberto Ravaioli & Karl Hess - University of Illinois
13. SPEEDIE Progress Report
James P. McVittie, Juan Rey & Krishna Saraswat - Stanford
University
*******************************************************************************
SIMA- Stanford Integrated Manufacturing Associates have asked Digital
(along with the other companies who are on its Industrial Council)
to evaluate proposals for next academic year's proposal granting
process. Listed below abstracts of the proposals. Anyone interested
in evaluating relevant proposals may do so by contacting Mary Hayes
at REESA::HAYES and listing the proposals you want to evaluate,
your full name, Organization, DTN and MailStop.
1. Integrated Model for Optimizing Equipment for a Production
Line.
What we propose to build is an integrated "executive " planning
model for use in negotiations between those who purchase equipment for
producing chips and electronic boards and those who manufacture the
equipment of this purpose. Given the design characteristics, either
prespecified or as parameters (to be varied), the integrated
optimization model will consist of a "capital equipment" part
representing the different ways basic machine components may be
combined and configured to produce the equipment and a
"production-line" part simulator that generates the schedule or
production and measures operating costs, through-put, process
dependability, and product reliability. The model, by generating a
coordinated, efficient, and timely plan for change, is expected to
help U.S. industry survive fierce foreign competition by adapting more
quickly to rapid technological change, quality improvement, on-time
delivery and lower costs.
2. A Knowledge-Based Approach to Finite Element Analysis.
The innovation expected during the efforts carried out on this
project relate primary to the integration of expert system technology
into Mechanical Design and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The
resulting software will provide an efficient 3-D design tool that will
make expert skills available to the novice user without requiring an
exhaustive background in FE theory and Terminology. This availability
is likely to reduce design time and productivity. The Design
Representation System developed as part of this work will represent
the design in a format that may be addressed by a variety of other
applications. Feature-based design is gaining popularity and the
intended generality of the DRS will represent an advance in this
domain.
3. Integrate Design, Manufacturing and Marketability.
The proposal is to deliver the prototype IDMM course, jointly
listed and jointly taught in the School of Engineering and the
Graduate School of Business, that requires teams of business and
engineering students to work through a design problem for a product
that will be evaluated by a market reaction to the product's quality,
price and performance characteristics. Course development has been
partially supported by SIMA AY1990-1991. This proposal seeks the
funding necessary to complete development and delivery of the
prototype course, and to actively revise the course as needed based on
our initial teaching experience.
4. Building Core Competence in the Manufacturing Enterprise.
Proposed is the development of a course that will emphasize the
integration of management, engineering and technology utilization in
building a successful manufacturing enterprise. The main theme of this
course is that a manufacturer can become a first rate competitor in
today's dynamic environment by investing strategically in building its
"core competence" and continuously seeking out, tactically, new
opportunities to apply its core competence to secure a competitive
position. In most cases, such new opportunities arise as the industry
undergoes a structural change.
5. A Quantitative Measure of Flexible Manufacturing.
Proposed is a one year research project to develop a quantitative
theory on flexibility that is applicable to different situations
within a manufacturing enterprise. This includes, for example,
flexible manufacturing equipment that can be easily shifted from
production of one product to another, a flexible design process that
allows easy design adjustments in response to marketing feedback, a
flexible workforce that can be shifted between jobs while keeping
efficiency, etc. This research will establish the notion of
flexibility as a structural concept instead of an operations concept:
the degree of flexibility is measured by the capability of an
organization to change its structure and/or policy in a short period
of time in order to respond to unanticipated exogenous variations. A
model will be developed that allows one to assess, quantitatively, the
costs and benefits of a certain degree of flexibility. The theory will
then be applied to specific cases.
6. Vertical Integration of an Autonomous Multi-Hand Assembly.
The goal of our project is to advance assembly automaton well beyond
the current state of the art. To do this, we propose a new set of
integrated system research in task planning, motion planning and
sensory-based object motion control. An outcome of the project we
propose here will be the demonstration of a vertically integrated
assembly station made of cooperating manipulators. We plan to
demonstrate our research results with mechanical assemblies including
both rigid and deformable parts. The input to the assembly station
will consists of a CAD model of the components of an assembly product,
together with the spatial and fastening relations among these
components in the product. The station will automatically figure out
the assembly sequence and the motions of the parts, and perform the
assembly automatically.
7. Supply Chain Management.
A supply chain is a network of facilities that perform the functions
of procurement of materials, transformation of materials to
intermediate and finished products, and distribution of finished
products to customers. Managing a supply chain effifiently to meet
high levels of customers service is a major challenge, due to the
complexity of the network, the interdependence in performance among
different sites, decentralized management control coupled with
organizational barriers, the existence of uncertainties in demand,
process and supply, and the complex role of buffer inventories at
different sites of the supply chain. This research proposes to develop
analytical models to characterize the interrelationships between
different sites in a supply chain. Such models can provide an explicit
relationship between inventory stocking policies and allocation of
safety stocks in a supply chain, as well as to evaluate opportunities
and options to improve the overall efficiency of the supply chain.
Some examples of such opportunities include: new product or process
design, network redesign, transportation mode changes, cycle time
reduction, and reduction in variability.
8. The Diffusion of JIT in U.S. Manufacturing.
This proposal requests SIMA support for research on the diffusion of
Just-in-Time (JIT) in U.S. manufacturing. The proposed research
examines the manufacturing environment in which JIT spread and the
academic environment in which researcher studied JIT. This approach
integrates manufacturing practice, production theory, and
organizational research using diffusion of innovations and
institutional theory as a framework. The objective of the study is to
understand how techniques such as JIT originate, diffuse through
industry, and are modified as they diffuse. We will also try to
understand the role of academia, in general, and the role of the field
of industrial engineering, in particular. The research includes both
case study research, providing evidence from JIT implementation, and
data analysis, focusing on the board stream of production research in
which JIT spread.
9. Transfer of Training in Engine Manufacture: A Comparison of
Ford and Nissan in their Home Countries and in Mexico.
Training is an important interface between manufacturing technology
and management, as it is the means by which the labor force (at all
levels) learns how to function in the production system. We propose
that SIMA support an investigation for the transfer of training by
Ford and Nissan from their home country engine plants to their Mexican
engine plants.
10. A Field Study of Diversity, Conflict, and Performance in
Multifunctional Teams.
Today's manufacturing managers are not only dealing with ethnic and
gender diversity due to changes in the workforce, but they must also
mange functional diversity, as cross-functional interaction is
becoming critical for product development. The proposed research
builds on a preliminary investigation which, through a series of
interviews, examined the nature of conflict resulting from functional
diversity on project teams.
11. An Integrated Spreadsheet Modeling Environment for The
Stanford Manufacturing Models Laboratory (MML)
The electronic spreadsheet, augmented by quantitative analysis tools,
and recently available technology for providing real-time data from
the factory floor, presents an important new environment for
manufacturing models. If offers the advantages of:
. Low Cost/Ease of integration of diverse analytical tools
. Ease of integration of sub modes into larger models
. Access to vast amounts of data, including real-time data
. Wide managerial acceptance.
The goals of the project are to establish a research test-bed for
manufacturing techniques beneficial to industry, a library of data and
models available to students and industry, a seminar series to apprise
industry of technological developments, a set of teaching materials
available throughout Stanford on low cost PC's.
12. The Application of Queuing Theory to the Design of Production
Line Systems with Variable Processing Times.
The focus is on the design of production line systems where there is
considerable inherent variability in the processing times at
individual stations. This variability substantially decreases the
production rate because it frequently causes temporary blocking or
starving along the line. Using the powerful technique of queuing
theory, we have made some exciting discoveries about ways to increase
the production rate substatially (ranging upwards of 20%) with no
increase in capital or operating costs by using innovative designs
that minimize blocking and starving. These designs frequently
unbalance the allocation of work to stations, the allocation of work
to stations, the allocation of storage to buffers between stations,
and the allocation of extra processing units to some stations.
13. Simulation and Analysis of Highly Reliable Systems.
We propose to continue our work on the development of simulation
algorithms for the analysis of highly reliable systems. Our initial
SIMA grant only began on Jan, 1, 1991. We have identified several new
research topics in highly reliable system simulation with personnel at
IBM. We are exploring other topics in simulation and stochastic
modeling with personnel at DEC, Ford and GM. Topic being discussed
include validation of computer simulations and stochastic modeling of
manufacturing systems and the evaluation of future product designs. In
this effort we expect to draw on our knowledge and experience in
simulation output analysis, gradient estimation, and queuing theory.
We expect to become an integral part of the SIMA Modeling and
Simulation Laboratory.
14. Real-time, Model-based Reasoning for Intelligent Process
Management.
We request continuation funding for research to improve industrial
process-management and processautomation capabilities of
computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) systems. Our project focuses
on monitoring and control of manufacturing in the process industry, in
particular, aluminum manufacturing.
*******************************************************************************
VI. Automated Paper Request Form
Below are the papers that are available from the May 1991 issue
of WTD. Please send all requests to REESA::HAYES. Please include your
mailstop and the automated paper form. Do Not send back the entire WTD
with your request at the bottom; also if you are ordering papers from
past issues, you must add issue, title and author of paper. Thanks.
[ ] The Economics of Alternative Integrated Circuit
Manufacturing Technology: A Framework & Appraisal
[ ] Modeling the Performance of Cluster-Based Fabs
[ ] Representing Probabilistic Knowledge in
Relational Database
[ ] Hypertext Interfaces for Decision-Support Systems:
A Case Study
[ ] Knowledge-Directed Mediation Between Application Objects
and Base Data
[ ] Outer Joins and Filters for Instantiating Objects from
Relational Databases Through Views
[ ] Knowledge-Based Mapping of Relations into Objects
[ ] Updating Relational Databases through Object-Based Views
[ ] Management of Complex Structural Engineering Objects in
a Relational Framework
Slide Presentations
[ ] A Real Time Control System for Semiconductor Equipment
[ ] Knowledge Service, Library and Software Integration
[ ] Structured User Interface Builder and Applying it to CIM
[ ] SPIDER - Bridge to Lab Operations
[ ] Dynamic Global Schema Integration: A Framework for
Semiconductor Manufacturing Database Integration & Evolution
[ ] Manufacturing Science: The Virtual Factory - The Stanford
Program in Semiconductor Manufacturing
[ ] Semiconductor Manufacturing Research Program
[ ] Properites of Si-Based Epitaxial Layers and Superlattices
[ ] TI/AIR Force MMST Review: Overview of the Stanford Research
Program on Advanced Micro Factory
[ ] On-Site Process Monitoring Techniques Using Acoustic Waves
[ ] Semiconductor Manufacturing Researach - Background, Motivation,
and Overview
[ ] Advanced Visulization Techniques for Seimconductor
Device Simulation
[ ] SPEEDIE Progress Report
********************************************************************************
Distribution:
TO:
DENNIS DICKERSON@DL STEVE DONOVAN@DLO Tommy Gaut@HSO Ed Hurry@DVO
Louis Pau@VBE jim rather@HSO Pat Roach@VBE Czarena Siebert@HSO
Mike Sievers@HSO Dale Stout@HSO Susan Sugar@MWO Sherry Williams@HSO
Mike Willis@HSO Tom Wilson@HST
|
| 18.7 | dWD: Inside Info, 5/22/91 -- my apologies if this i | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Tue Jun 04 1991 14:49 | 1424 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 28-May-1991 09:17pm CET
From: BEANE
BEANE@BIGRED@MRGATE@DPD04@DPD
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: See Below
Subject: FWD: Inside Info, 5/22/91 -- my apologies if this is a duplicate for some
ISSUE NO. 189 MAY 22, 1991
*****************************************************************
* *
* PLEASE NOTE new ordering instructions, USE ABSTRACT NUMBER *
* as well as normal information when ordering articles. *
* You will note also a new format. Other improvements *
* will be made soon to expedite this service for you. *
* Watch this space for further announcements. *
* *
*****************************************************************
INSIDE INFORMATION is a biweekly current awareness service that contains
abstracts of current journal articles indexed by subject. This service is
provided by Maynard Area Information Services.
INSIDE INFORMATION is available in hardcopy or electronic format. To be put
on the distribution list for either format, contact Sandy Haber at
ASABET::HABER, or DTN 223-2634. Please include your full name, DTN,
mailstop and VMS node. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR INSIDE INFORMATION.
Please feel free to distribute INSIDE INFORMATION to your group.
****************************************************************************
PLEASE NOTE: Full text reprints of articles abstracted in INSIDE INFORMATION
can be ordered for $10 each, to cover royalty fees.
TO ORDER ARTICLES: Send ABSTRACT NO., Journal name/date/page numbers, title
of article; your name, cost center, mailstop and node address to:
ASABET::REPRINTS or REPRINTS @MLO (All-in-1) or
REPRINT SERVICE MLO4-3/A20 (Interoffice Mail)
As an alternative, journals, from which articles are abstracted for INSIDE
INFORMATION, are available in most Digital Library Network libraries.
***************************************************************************
SUBJECTS IN THIS ISSUE INCLUDE:
APPLE COMPUTER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTIVITY TECHNOLOGY
COMPETITION INTERNATIONAL TRADE PROGRAMMING WORKSTATIONS
COMPUTER INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT SALES
EDI MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTORS
FACTORY AUTOMATION NETWORKS SOFTWARE
FINANCE OPERATING SYSTEMS STORAGE DEVICES
HUMAN RESOURCE MGMT. PERIPHERALS SUPERCOMPUTERS
INFORMATION SYSTEMS PERSONAL COMPUTERS SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPLE COMPUTER, INC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: What Do You Get With UNIX on a Mac?
Author(s): Farrow, Rik
Journal: UNIXWorld
v. 8, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 48-52
Abstract: 389 JA
Subjects:
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
OPERATING SYSTEMS
"Apple Computer's newest version of UNIX, A/UX 2.0.1, boasts a
full Macintosh environment that is almost indistinguishable
from a Mac running its Multifinder graphical user interface
(GUI). Because you can run Multifinder under A/UX either as
a UNIX process or a MacOS subprocess, you get about 3,600
commercial applications at your disposal. You're ready to get
in line, right? Maybe. It depends on how you answer these
questions: if you're a Mac user, you can connect your Mac to a
UNIX system or network without resorting to A/UX -- so why spend
more money for A/UX, plus bite the UNIX bullet? If you're a
UNIX user, and want a new workstation, why buy a Mac when you
could opt for a faster RISC system? Like all complicated things
in life, the answers depend on circumstance."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPETITION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Organization of the '90s
Author(s): Dichter, Steven F.
Journal: The McKinsey quarterly
n. 1 1991 pp. 145-155
Abstract: 412 JA
Subjects:
MANAGEMENT
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
"Organizations based on the 'Command and Control' principles of
the 1910s are too costly, too slow to adapt, too unresponsive to
customers, and too limited in creativity and initiative to
respond effectively to the competitive challenges of the 1990s.
Many companies are beginning to experiment with a new set of
organizational principles. Few have yet made a complete
transformation, but there is much to be learned from the efforts
underway."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPUTER INDUSTRY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Challenges for the Computer Industry in the 1990s
Author(s): Bohlin, Ron; Guiniven, Joanne
Journal: The McKinsey quarterly
n. 1 1991 pp. 106-116
Abstract: 411 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
ECONOMICS
STANDARDIZATION
TECHNOLOGY
"Continued technological developments, shifts in product and
market demand, standardization, and intense competition are
fundamentally changing the nature of the computer industry. For
most companies, the heady growth and relative profitability of
the 1970s and early 1980s have been replaced by wrenching
restructuring and the threat of further consolidation.
Competitive success in the new industry structure will stem from
the ability to focus clearly on business priorities, develop
skill-based advantages, and out-execute the competition. This
article examines strategic alternatives and their implications."
(This article is adapted from The 1990s Report on the Computer
Industry, published by McKinsey & Co., c1990)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDI (ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Breaking Barriers to EDI
Author(s): Emmett, Arielle
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 7 April 1, 1991 pp. 64-1 to 64-4
Abstract: 380 JA
Subjects:
INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
STANDARDS
Information systems managers working for importers and
exporters face a host of barriers when setting up international
EDI applications. Their common lament is that true
international EDI -- that is, computer-to-computer exchange of
structured business information across borders -- remains
difficult, if not impossible to achieve. For one thing,
vendors are selling piecemeal EDI solutions that solve only part
of an importer's problem. And the global EDI community has not
yet adopted a common computer syntax for formatting and sending
EDI documents worldwide. However, standards are beginning to
evolve, and these barriers are slowly crumbling.
Title: GE Spreads EDI Gospel
Author(s): McKusker, Tom
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 8 April 15, 1991 pp. 55-58
Abstract: 385 JA
Subjects:
DATA INTERCHANGE
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
NETWORKS
The VAN (value-added network) providers so far have played a
dominant role in ensuring the reliable delivery of EDI messages.
The computer-to-computer delivery of purchase orders,etc.
between trading partners is a virtual Tower of Babel of
incompatible cross-industry standards that have only recently
been simplified under the ANSI X.12 standards and, in turn, by
translation and communications software emanating from the
value-added networks. With some 15,000 large organizations now
using EDI, the large corporate market has been penetrated.
What's left is to get these large companies' smaller trading
partners to buy into EDI for well below the several thousand
dollars they've been paying to date. And VANs are also looking
to increase the menu of services they're offering, including
some relatively gourmet plans. General Electric Information
Services in Rockville, MD, by far the premier provider of EDI
services, is working with these big companies to recruit the
many small firms needed to make EDI practical.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FACTORY AUTOMATION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Open Systems: Gateway to a New Age
Author(s): Sheridan, John H.; Teresko, John
Journal: Industry week
v. 240, n. 8 April 15, 1991 pp. 25-56
Abstract: 378 JA
Subjects:
CAD/CAM
CUSTOMIZED SOFTWARE INTERFACES
INTEGRATED BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
OPEN SYSTEMS
"It may be too early to write the obituary for proprietary
computer systems. But as more and more users come to appreciate
the role that 'open' systems can play in creating a
computer-integrated paradigm, the new computing paradigm will
gather momentum. And companies, which want the 'best of the
best', will find it easier to match information-technology
strategy to corporate strategy. Open systems is the new
computing paradigm that promises to liberate users from
dependence on specific vendors' products -- and to remove
obstacles."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FINANCE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Budget Growth Skids to 3.4%
Author(s): Moad, Jeff
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 8 April 15, 1991 pp. 44-47
Abstract: 384 JA
Subjects:
BUDGET SURVEYS
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
"Recession, continued decentralization and skepticism over
information technology's payoff have slowed 1991 budget growth
dramatically. Citing ongoing economic uncertainty, continuing
corporate decentralization and a rising tide of upper management
skepticism over the real benefits of information technology
investments, IS executives said their overall budgets will grow a
paltry 3.4% in 1991 more than their 1990 levels. Many IS
leaders say this year's all-time low budget growth rate is a
temporary condition, tied directly to uncertainty over the
recession and the recent war in the Persian Gulf. In fact, some
say that, until late last year, they had been expecting budget
increases at least as large as last year's (9.5%). But sliding
revenue and profit projections, particularly in industries such
as air travel, financial services and some segments of
manufacturing, have sent IS executives back to the budget drawing
boards."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Managing the Diverse Work Force
Author(s): Overman, Stephenie
Journal: HRMagazine
v. 26, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 32-36
Abstract: 403 JA
Subjects:
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
EEO
PLURALISM
WORK FORCE
Managing diversity is a kind of contradiction within itself.
Managing diversity means communicating to employees that all
people are valued whatever their differences -- cultural, racial
or sexual preference. If a business is to succeed, these
individual and cultural threads must be woven into the corporate
fabric. The US has traditionally had a diverse work force, but
with concerns about declining productivity and a shortage of
skilled workers, employers are looking more closely at how to
effectively manage that diversity. Whether diversity director is
the wave of the future or a fad is open to debate. DEC's
diversity program is mentioned, along with Travelers Corp.,
Unisys, Honeywell, Corning, and ARCO.
Title: Ways to Make Diversity Programs Work
Author(s): Leonard, Bill
Journal: HRMagazine
v. 36, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 37-39,98
Abstract: 408 JA
Subjects:
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
EEO
MULTICULTURAL RELATIONS
ORGANIZATIONAL TRAINING
"As diversity awareness becomes a primary focus of
organizational training, many companies are reevaluating their
policies and programs. In many cases, companies are looking to
outside diversity specialists for help in evaluating what type
of diversity training best fits their corporate culture. In a
recent interview with HRMagazine, diversity/management
specialist Lewis Griggs discussed ways employers can address the
management of multicultural diversity and the trends that will
affect US businesses in the next decade."
Title: A '90s model for Performance Management
Author(s): Greene, Robert J.
Journal: HRMagazine
v. 36, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 62-65
Abstract: 409 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
WORK FORCE MOTIVATION
"The only enduring competitive advantage is a high-quality,
well-motivated work force willing to work together as a team to
increase productivity. All other resources can be bought in the
marketplace -- by anyone. This is one of the principal
challenges facing human resource practitioners in the '90s.
Given the scarcity of customers and the competition for these
customers, organizations must, above all else, seek that source
of competitive advantage that will enable them to survive.
Today's human resource function is critical to the performance
of the organization. It must take the lead in attracting,
retaining, and motivating a high-quality work force. The key
issues are: how to determine what is needed at each level within
an organization to produce organizational performance; how to
measure and reward performance at each level; and how to
re-focus individuals and units on satisfying customers rather
than on pleasing those higher in the organizational hierarchy."
Title: Stemming the Exodus of Women Managers
Author(s): Rosen, Benson; Miguel, Mabel; Peirce, Ellen; Univ. of No. Carolina
Journal: Human resource management
v. 28, n. 4 Winter 1989 pp. 475-491
Abstract: 429 JA
Subjects:
PROFESSIONAL WOMEN
WOMEN MANAGERS
WORKING WOMEN
"Survey findings based on a national sample of CEOs and human
resource managers indicate that over 50% of organizations have
experienced moderate to great difficulty attracting and
retaining women managers and professionals. Respondents
perceived that the most serious career problems encountered by
women revolve around organizational politics, career development
opportunities, and family conflicts. Existing and needed human
resource management policies in response to these problems are
reported. A series of additional analyses highlights
differences across industries and according to company size and
stage in the corporate life cycle. Based on survey findings,
recommendations are discussed for human resource management
practitioners concerned with increasing their companies'
abilities to actively for and retain women managers."
Title: Mentoring as an Antidote to Stress During Corporate Trauma
Author(s): Kram, Kathy E.; Hall, Douglas T.; Columbia University; Boston Univ.
Journal: Human resource management
v. 28, n. 4 Winter 1989 pp. 493-510
Abstract: 430 JA
Subjects:
DOWNSIZING
GLOBAL COMPETITION
MENTORING
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
STRESS MANAGEMENT
"This article examines mentoring as a potentially useful
resource in an organization's adaptation to global competition
and the need for improved learning capabilities. [The authors]
were surprised to find that mentoring relationships were
perceived as more desirable under conditions of corporate
stress, low job challenge, and low job involvement. [They] were
further surprised to find that individuals in early and later
career stages were as likely, or more likely than, their
midcareer colleagues to embrace the mentoring role. Thus, it
appears that mentoring may be more readily available as an
antidote to stress than previously considered, and that it may
be an important form of coping with the stressful, nonrewarding
conditions that typically characterize corporate downsizing. Not
only is mentoring an important form of promoting development
(for self and for others), but it also may represent a valuable
vehicle for social support and learning during times of major
corporate change."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: An EIS for the Desktop
Author(s): Pinella, Paul
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 9 May 1, 1991 pp. 26-30
Abstract: 396 JA
Subjects:
CORPORATE REPORTING STANDARDS
EXECUTIVE SYSTEMS
LOCAL AREA NETWORKS
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
WINDOWS
Last September, Pilot Executive Software charted a new course
for executive information software. Lightship is one of the
first tools for Microsoft Windows designed to build and run EIS
applications on PCs and local area networks. It is a relatively
inexpensive PC tool for building EIS applications on LANs, and
unlike most host-based EIS applications developed by programmers
proficient in specialized languages, it is object-oriented.
Theoretically, it can be employed by any reasonably proficient
Windows user to develop, modify and run applications that draw
data from any workstation or server on a LAN. Lightship could
broaden EIS use to include thousands of middle-level managers
and other employees who make critical business decisions every
day. By climbing aboard the Windows bandwagon first and pricing
its product so aggressively, Pilot is in a position to lead the
way toward making the transition to a new class of EIS, which it
calls the "enterprise information system." There is some risk
in allowing EISs to proliferate in the hands of inexperienced
users unaware of corporate data controls, yet many more IS users
are intrigued by Lightship's potential to deliver EIS power to
growing numbers of decision makers who rely heavily on
spreadsheets, PC databases, and LANs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Browsing Through Terabytes
Author(s): Stein, Richard Marlon
Journal: Byte
v. 16, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 157-164
Abstract: 402 JA
Subjects:
INFORMATION RETRIEVAL
INFORMATION SERVERS
USER INTERFACES
Wide-area information servers (WAIS), an engineering effort
spearheaded by Thinking Machines in Cambridge, MA, are opening
a new frontier in personal and corporate information services.
The goal of this research project is to enhance existing
information services and provide a utilitarian mechanism for the
industry. WAISes provide the user-interface structure and
underlying information retrieval protocol necessary to
automatically collate, collect, and integrate diverse data
streams. WAISes can distill the content of vast archives into
neatly manageable and browseable folders. Online information
services such as BIX and CompuServe attest to the need for this
type of technology. The next phase of information commerce will
add WAIS capabilities to existing online services. This will
allow a user's workstation to act as librarian and information
collection agent from a large number of sources.
Title: Groupware: Some Issues and Experiences
Author(s): Ellis, Clarence A.; Gibbs, Simon J.; Rein, Gail L.; MCC
Journal: Communications of the ACM
v. 34, n. 1 Jan. 1991 pp. 38-58
Abstract: 413 JA
Subjects:
COMPUTER-SUPPORTED COOPERATIVE WORK (CSCW)
ELECTRONIC WORKPLACE
GROUP WORK
MAN-MACHINE INTERACTIONS
"Groupware reflects a change in emphasis from using the computer
to solve problems to facilitate human interaction. This article
describes categories and examples of groupware and discusses
some underlying research and development issues. GROVE, a novel
group editor, is explained in some detail as a salient groupware
example."
Title: The Impact of Information Systems on Organizations and Markets
Author(s): Gurbaxani, Vijay; Whang, Seungjin
Journal: Communications of the ACM
v. 34, n. 1 Jan. 1991 pp. 59-73
Abstract: 414 JA
Subjects:
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
"The adoption of information technology in organizations has
been growing at a rapid rate. The use of the technology has
evolved from the automation of structured processes to systems
that are truly revolutionary in that they introduce change into
fundamental business procedures. While the importance of the
relationship between information technology and organizational
change is evidenced by the considerable literature on the
subject, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis of these
issues from the economic perspective. The aim of this article
is to develop an economic understanding of how information
systems affect some key measures of organization structure.
This article analyzes the roles of information systems, how they
evolve and how they affect organizations and markets. In
particular, it analyzes the impact of IT on two important
attributes of firms -- firm size and the allocation of
decision-making authority among the various actors in a firm.
To this end, it starts with economic theories of organization as
the foundation for its analysis."
Title: Beyond the Bells and Whistles
Author(s): Yaplee, Darlene; Sun Microsystems Inc.
Journal: Personal workstation
v. 3, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 39-47
Abstract: 418 JA
Subjects:
DESKTOP COMPUTING
MIXED-MEDIA COMPUTING
MULTIMEDIA COMPUTING
NETWORKED WORKSTATIONS
SUN MICROSYSTEMS
Multimedia, or mixed-media computing, is making computer industry
headlines. But what's being overlooked amidst all the noise is
the true value of multimedia. It's not just bells and whistles;
what counts is its ability to support and enhance the way people
work. People want access to video, graphics, sound, images and
even telephone calls from their desktop computers because they
depend on these sources of information to do their jobs. And
they also want to be able to share multimedia information
because collaboration among workers in dispersed locations is
part of the way organizations get things done today. Powerful
mixed-media solutions running on Unix workstation networks do
exist today and they demonstrate the real potential of
multimedia technology: to help organizations expedite
mission-critical tasks through people-to-people multimedia
communications. This article discusses how Sun is using
multimedia to bring workgroup computing to new levels of
productivity.
Title: Incredible Shrinking Computers
Author(s): Bell, Trudy E.
Journal: IEEE spectrum
v. 28, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 37-41
Abstract: 425 JA
Subjects:
DESKTOP COMPUTERS
LAPTOP COMPUTERS
NOTEBOOK COMPUTERS
PORTABLE COMPUTERS
SYSTEMS
"How did engineers maneuver that powerful computer into that
tiny box? Today's notebook computers pack motherboard, hard
drive, modem, screen, keyboard, and long-lived batteries into a
package weighing under 3.6 kg, with lighter successors on the
horizon. The secret was heroic engineering of compact
components and power management software. Plus, there were
problems to overcome that desktop computers never see --
including such exotica as rotary shock."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Little Dragons Breathing Fire
Author(s): Poole, Gary Andrew; Kellner, Mark; Magnier, Mark
Journal: UNIXWorld
v. suppl. 1991 pp. 39-44
Abstract: 383 JA
Subjects:
SOUTHEAST ASIA
UNIX
The Southeast Asian countries of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan,
and Korea may play second fiddle to Japan, but their financial
and technological influence still makes them significant
players. This report is focused on these so-called
"second-tier" countries (the first tier is Japan), because of
their financial and technological influence in the region. The
authors call these countries "little dragons", but their buying
power is anything but small.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MANAGEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Men, Women & Leadership
Author(s): Nelton, Sharon
Journal: Nation's business
v. 79, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 16-22
Abstract: 395 JA
Subjects:
FEMININE LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP STYLES
MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS
TRANSACTIONAL STYLE
TRANSFORMATIONAL STYLE
"The fortunate companies are those in which the differing
leadership styles of men and women are complementary rather than
confrontational. Many women are adopting the best of
traditional styles, such as a focus on performance, while more
men are using "soft" approaches that work for women. This
article deals with the special leadership traits that men and
women bring to managerial positions and how forward-looking
companies will allow both men and women to develop those
abilities to the fullest. Men and women managers can work
comfortably together at the top and their differing styles of
leadership can be complementary, producing a synergism that
gives the company benefits it would not receive if two men or
two women were in those jobs."
Title: Intelligent Buildings
Author(s): Flax, Barry M.; AT&T
Journal: IEEE communications magazine
v. 29, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 24-27
Abstract: 417 JA
Subjects:
ARCHITECTURE
CONNECTIVITY
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
HUMAN FACTORS
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
"An Intelligent Building is one that creates an environment that
maximizes the efficiency of the occupants of the building while
at the same time allowing effective management of resources with
minimum life-time costs. Intelligent Buildings make good
business sense. As the Information Age takes us to new heights,
the Intelligent Building System (IBS) has the flexibility and
modularity to accommodate every change. An IBS is the
integration of a wide range of services and systems into a
unified whole. In general terms the components are: energy
management systems, temperature management systems, lighting
control and reduction, access and area locate systems, security
systems, fire life safety, telecommunications - including ISDN,
office automation, computer systems, LANs, MISs, cabling schemes
and records, maintenance systems, and expert systems. This
article examines each of these."
Title: Getting Along with the CEO
Author(s): Pepper, Jon D
Journal: InformationWeek (Manhasset, N.Y.)
n. 319 May 6, 1991 pp. 38-45
Abstract: 421 JA
Subjects:
INFORMATION OFFICER
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
A recent study indicates that the average tenure of a CIO is
only three years and that almost one-third of all corporate CIOs
unwillingly depart from their posts. The key reason is friction
between the CIO and the man at the top. Underlying that friction
are two differing perspectives. The CIOs tend to look inward,
giving most of their attention to their companies' managers and
employers, who they see as their clients. CEOs, on the other
hand, direct their vision outward into the marketplace, focusing
on the suppliers and customers who do business with their firms.
Too often, these different visions lead to different
expectations, resulting in times when the CEO's expectations of
what IS should do don't mesh with those of the CIO -- one
reason why the CIO is prone to serve as a scapegoat. However,
despite the CEO-CIO tensions, there are still plenty of chief
executives more inclined to defend their information executives
than to assail them. Communication, maybe more than technical
know-how, is crucial to CEO-CIO dealings. Xerox, Unum Life
Insurance, and Aetna are highlighted.
Title: Corning's Class Act
Author(s): Hammonds, Keith H.
Journal: Business week
n. 3213 May 13, 1991 pp. 68-76
Abstract: 426 JA
Subjects:
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
DIVERSITY
MARKETING
QUALITY
"An old-line manufacturing company in a small upstate New York
town is an unlikely place for innovation. Yet thanks to the
visionary leadership of CEO Jamie Houghton, Corning Inc. has
become a laboratory for issues such as quality control,
work-force diversity, and shared technology. At the same time,
it has become a global competitor, with leading shares in hot
markets."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MANUFACTURING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Benchmarking World-Class Performance
Author(s): Walleck, A. Steven; O'Halloran, J. David; Leader, Charles A.
Journal: The McKinsey quarterly
n. 1 1991 pp. 3-24
Abstract: 410 JA
Subjects:
BENCHMARKING
COMPETITION
PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS
"Competitive analysis is a powerful tool for strategy formulation
because it quantifies competitive gaps in cost, quality, and
timeliness. But it usually does not provide a deep
understanding of the processes and skills that create superior
performance. Benchmarking world-class performance within and
across industries, however, not only quantifies performance
gaps. It also looks beyond discrete product evaluations to
compare manufacturing and management processes. Benchmarking
establishes how much a company needs to improve to be at
world-class levels of functional and cross-functional
performance."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NETWORKS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Forecasting New Highs
Author(s): Carr, Jim
Journal: LAN : the local area network magazine
v. 6, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 36-44
Abstract: 419 JA
Subjects:
ECONOMICS
LANS
SALES
"The networking market is growing so fast that it has become the
tail that wags the dog. While PC sales have slowed, network
sales continue to surge. And, the continuing national economic
recession notwithstanding, this growth appears destined to
continue unabated, at least through 1995. Just how fast and how
far the network industry will grow remains open to conjecture.
But conjecture, in the form of projections, estimates, and
educated guesses, is what market research firms do. The
accuracy of these estimates remains open to question and the tide
of world events. Market research projections offer a valuable
'what-if' look at the future. These what-ifs...help coalesce
an image of how the networking picture will change over the
coming years, allowing you to evolve your networks, rather than
being caught with obsolete technology."
Title: I Still Don't Know
Author(s): Reddy, Shyamala
Journal: LAN : the local area network magazine
v. 6, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 47-52
Abstract: 420 JA
Subjects:
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
WIDE AREA NETWORKS
"For years now, both the telecommunications and networking
industries have anticipated the advent of ISDN. ISDN was going
to revolutionize data and voice communications by providing
transmission for both over the same digital link, paving the way
for cheaper, easier-to-manage networks and creative new
multimedia applications. In reality, incompatible
implementations, billing complexities, and a general lack of
availability have slowed widespread acceptance of ISDN to the
point where its window of opportunity may have just about closed
once and for all. Will a recent standardization agreement
salvage ISDN or has the technology of the future passed itself
by?"
Title: LAN/WAN Protocol Analyzers: Network Management's Overnight
Sensation -- 20 Years in the Making
Author(s): King, Steven S.; Miller, Mark A.
Journal: Data communications
v. 20, n. 6 May 1991 pp. 78-94
Abstract: 422 JA
Subjects:
INTERNETWORKS
LOCAL AREA NETWORKS
NETWORK ANALYSIS
NETWORK MANAGEMENT
WIDE AREA NETWORKS
"Throughout most of the 1970s and '80s, protocol analyzers were
employed in networks largely dominated by slow terminal traffic
and well-known protocols like X.25, IBM's SNA/SDLC, and DEC's
DDCMP. Today, though, those networks are evolving into LAN
internetworks. In the process, they're developing critical
management deficiencies: Enter the analyzer. As an essential
tool for configuration, repair, and maintenance, protocol
analyzers help network engineers evaluate data traffic on a
wide variety of LAN and WAN links. They do so by tracking
packets, errors, and network utilization, as well as by decoding
various protocols. With the advent of multi-layered LANs and
high-speed, packet-oriented, wide-area technologies like ISDN,
the complexity has grown exponentially. Further, as networks
become more heterogeneous, users and their equipment
increasingly fall outside the realm of single-vendor network
management systems. All this has created tremendous
opportunities -- and difficulties for makers of protocol
analyzers. Fortunately for besieged LAN and WAN engineers, the
latest generation of high-speed, intelligent protocol analyzers
is rising to the occasion."
Title: Preparing for FDDI
Author(s): Marsh, James
Journal: The DEC professional
v. 10, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 38-49
Abstract: 423 JA
Subjects:
COMMUNICATIONS
DEC
LANS
OPEN SYSTEMS
SYSTEMS
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
"The market for FDDI local-area networks is now firmly
established. There are definitive applications for the
bandwidth afforded by this technology. With a growing number
of vendors making FDDI products available, businesses large and
small are implementing this technology. Such implementation
involves more than simply putting a new class of data
communication components in an existing network. The movement to
FDDI entails a thorough assessment of network topology, data
traffic matrices, and requirements for network flexibility and
growth. For many large network environments, the implementation
of FDDI is and will be a staged process, with several key
activities necessary for bringing this data-link level
technology into play. This article addresses, in fundamental
terms, the process involved, as well as some of the more
important implications. Overall, the process is one of clearly
defining the requirements for FDDI, planning a new cable plant
or modifying an existing one, constructing the key elements,
installing the specialized equipment and then running online
production."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPERATING SYSTEMS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: UNIX for a Once-Closed World
Author(s): Nee, Eric
Journal: UNIXWorld
v. suppl 1991 pp. 10-18
Abstract: 382 JA
Subjects:
EUROPE
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
UNIX
"As Eastern Europe moves toward a free-market economy, UNIX
vendors see this region as an emerging market, but the effects
of Communist rule hold it back from open systems. Demand for
new computers in the region is high, but a lack of money,
infrastructure, skilled people, and copyright protection,
together with continuing Western restrictions on high-tech
sales, continues to put a damper on the market. UNIX vendors
are not going to find it any easier to sell their systems in
Central and Eastern Europe than they do in the West. Computers
compatible with proprietary DEC and IBM systems -- designed and
manufactured in the East -- populate many sites. MS-DOS PCs are
very popular and are used in many situations where Western users
would use minicomputers. While interest in UNIX and open systems
is growing, there is very little experience with it in most
countries. UNIX source code was on the list of restricted
products until last year and sales of most Western workstations
and minicomputers remain regulated by the Coordinating Committee
for Multilateral Export Controls. Opportunities for UNIX
vendors do exist, however, because of the many new applications
being installed."
Title: Toward a New Order
Author(s): Smaalders, Bart
Journal: UNIX review : the magazine for systems and solutions developers
v. 9, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 22-26
Abstract: 390 JA
Subjects:
SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION
UNIX
"Traditional UNIX system administration techniques and tools are
obstacles to the widespread use of UNIX. Other factors forcing
a focus on system administration are the general acceptance of
the client-server model of distributed computing, the
proliferation of inexpensive personal UNIX workstations, and the
increasing size and complexity of the associated servers. As a
result, several standards organizations and most major UNIX
companies have increased their efforts to develop new tools and
standards to help manage the increasingly complex environments.
This article explores the requirements for such tools and the
emerging paradigms on which they may be based."
Title: POSIX for VMS
Author(s): Naecker, Philip A.
Journal: The DEC professional
v. 10, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 58-64
Abstract: 424 JA
Subjects:
APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT
OPEN SYSTEMS
VMS
"VMS Engineering has been working on integrating POSIX into VMS.
POSIX is in external field test, and early indications are that
the field test is going well. The goal of POSIX is to promote
portability of application programs across open systems
environments. The standards seek to accomplish this by
defining the interface between applications and operating
systems. The standards are achieving uncommon success among the
many competing standards bodies and are being quickly and
broadly accepted into all areas of computing. The POSIX
standards for the system interfaces and tools are based on
UNIX, but they don't require UNIX as part of the specification."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERIPHERALS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Helical Scan Recording: 8mm Evolves
Author(s): Beavers, Kelly J
Journal: SunTech journal
v. 3, n. 4 Sept/Oct 1990 pp. 40-48
Abstract: 387 JA
Subjects:
DATA PROCESSING APPLICATIONS
MAGNETIC TAPE
STORAGE DEVICES
"The term 'helical scan' has received considerable attention
lately with regard to magnetic tape peripherals, primarily
because both 8mm and 4mm digital audio tape (DAT) drives use
helical scan recording techniques for data processing
applications. Whereas a stationary-head tape drive records data
onto a limited number of tracks running parallel to the tape, a
helical scan device reads and writes from a high-speed rotating
drum to a slow-moving tape. These tracks can be densely packed,
thus achieving very high data capacities and performance. In
spite of its great commercial success in audio/video, helical
scan recording was initially ignored by the computer industry."
Then in 1987, Exabyte Corp. introduced one of the first helical
scan-based tape subsystems that could digitally record data for
computer applications. Other helical scan recording
technologies have emerged including VHS and 4mm DAT. Many
proponents are poised to enter the DAT market, but the
"technology has been stalled by industry controversy over which
data format to use and whether sufficient numbers of DAT drives
will be sold into the consumer market to gain manufacturing
price economies-of-scale."
Title: Sharing On The Network
Author(s): Schlesinger, Lee
Journal: Network computing
v. 2, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 54-62
Abstract: 399 JA
Subjects:
HARDWARE
NETWORKS
"Competition for scarce resources helps precipitate evolution."
In the network computing environment, such competition has led
to the evolution of peripherals that can be shared efficiently
by many users on the network. In the first days of desktop
computing, every PC has its own peripherals -- its own disk
storage, a dot matrix printer, and maybe a 1,200 bps modem.
Empowering users was a nice idea, but it brought an entire set
of problems with it, namely -- how to administer dozens of
independent machines. Thus began the first real step toward
recentralization of services on the network. File servers were
the first shared device. Peripherals today are the hardware
components not typically found on most users' desktop machines;
at first, file servers were considered peripherals. This article
discusses the sharing of peripherals, stating that the number
one reason to consider sharing is cost.
Title: The LAN Peripheral Sharing Story
Author(s): Bolles, Gary A
Journal: Network computing
v. 2, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 64-70
Abstract: 400 JA
Subjects:
NETWORKING
NETWORKS
In the beginning, all a LAN administrator had to worry about was
a file server and a printer. Now a LAN is composed of an almost
bewildering array of shared devices, all of which need to be up
and running all of the time. When it all works, it's worth it.
Each of the devices mentioned above meets an important work
requirement. What's not clear is if your network needs all of
these, which, of course, depends upon the needs of users on the
LAN. A peripheral-sharing solution must meet real user needs;
LAN peripheral-sharing products need to reflect the kind of
simplicity that a fax offers in order to gain user acceptance.
LAN peripheral-sharing schemes must first represent some
advantage -- to individuals and/or the organization -- over
previous methods, and the capability must be easily integrated
into the user's normal work methods.
Title: Halfway Measures
Author(s): Haight, Timothy
Journal: Network computing
v. 2, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 72-78
Abstract: 401 JA
Subjects:
NETWORK MANAGEMENT
NETWORKS
"The concept of 'peripheral' is much like the concept of
'center'. Both are rather ambiguous terms. Given such a loose
meaning, it in not surprising that information managers'
experiences with peripherals vary widely. When the definitional
net is cast so wide as to include everything except network
servers and printers, almost any experience will have taken
place somewhere. It is surprising , therefore, that a
uniformity did emerge in this month's survey of more than a
dozen network managers across the country. Their attitudes
toward network peripherals fell into two main categories,
perhaps best described by whether they saw the glass of
peripheral functionality as half empty or half full. The
managers interviewed have taken one of two courses: they have
either delayed implementing newer technologies, such as fax
servers and networked CD-ROM drives, because the technologies
are not yet mature, or they have employed these peripherals, and
others such as modem pooling devices, for part of their
potential functionality. Along the way, while taking these half
measures, some information managers shared their techniques for
both getting real use out of these peripherals -- and getting
around some peripherals' galling limitations."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Does Compaq's Formula Still Compute?
Author(s): Ivey, Mark
Journal: Business week
n. 3213 May 13, 1991 pp. 100,104
Abstract: 427 JA
Subjects:
COMPAQ COMPUTER CORPORATION
IBM COMPATIBLES
"More than mere clones, Compaq Computer Corp. PCs featured the
latest technology and incorporated advances others didn't have.
They also carried higher prices and delivered fatter profits to
Compaq and its dealers. Compaq's machines gained a huge
following in big corporations, and the nine-year-old company
grew into one of the most successful startups ever. Lately,
though, CEO Joseph R. Canion's formula is showing signs of
wear."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRODUCTIVITY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Making Usable, Useful, Productivity-Enhancing Computer Application
Author(s): Gould, John D.; Boies, Stephen J.; Lewis, Clayton; IBM Research; U
Journal: Communications of the ACM
v. 34, n. 1 Jan. 1991 pp. 74-85
Abstract: 415 JA
Subjects:
COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
USABILITY DESIGN
USER INTERACTIONS
"This article is a status report about the value of the process
of usability designs and, mainly, a description of new ideas for
enhancing the use of the process. The authors first note that,
when followed, the process leads to usable, useful, likable
computer systems and applications. Nevertheless, experience and
observational evidence show that the process is often not
followed, despite designers' enthusiasm and motivation to do so.
To get around these organizational and technical obstacles, the
authors propose a) a greater reliance on existing methodologies
for establishing testable usability and productivity-enhancing
goals; b) a new method for identifying and focusing attention on
long-term trends abut the effects that computer applications
have on end-user productivity; and c) a new approach, now under
way, to application development, particularly the development of
user interfaces."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROGRAMMING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: A Dynamic C-Based Object-Oriented System for UNIX
Author(s): Engelstad, Steve; Falck, Keith; et al; AT&T Bell Laboratories; Int
Journal: IEEE software
v. 8, n. 3 May 1991 pp. 73-85
Abstract: 393 JA
Subjects:
OBJECT-ORIENTED LANGUAGES
"Calico is a new C-based object-oriented language supported by
an integrated software-development environment. [The authors]
designed Calico to provide a rapid development environment for
object-oriented systems that would leverage off of the Unix/C
environment and provide strengths from several languages and
systems, including Smalltalk, CLOS, C++, and Eiffel. None of
these languages directly addressed [their] needs, but each
contributed ideas to be developed and used. Calico introduces
some unique language features, but its primary contribution is
the productivity advantage that this feature integration
provides to the Unix environment."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SALES
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: A Conversation on Conversation with Deborah Tannen
Author(s): Wiesendanger, Betsy
Journal: Sales & marketing management
v. 143, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 38-42
Abstract: 386 JA
Subjects:
COMMUNICATION STYLES
SALES SUPPORT
"Tannen, currently a professor of linguistics at Georgetown
Univ., tells how understanding differences in conversational
styles can go a long way toward helping people overcome what at
first might seem an insurmountable barrier in their ability to
communicate effectively. In this exclusive interview, Tannen
was asked about some of the many problems faced by salespeople
and managers in their day-to-day communications with customers
and colleagues."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEMICONDUCTORS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Chipper Days for US Chipmakers
Author(s): Schendler, Brenton R
Journal: Fortune
v. 123, n. 9 May 6, 1991 pp. 90-96
Abstract: 388 JA
Subjects:
CHIP DESIGN
CHIP MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGY
"Once largely given up for dead, they are now capitalizing on
their superior skills at innovative design. Their
semiconductors are selling fast -- and are nicely profitable.
No, not the Japanese. Last year it was US chipmakers that added
to market share -- modestly, but in an almost flat year. It was
the first time that the US had gained on the Japanese in chips
since 1979. Even in Japan, which makes and uses nearly half the
world's chips but has avoided foreign suppliers, the American
market share inched up past 11% -- while the Japanese piece of
the North American market fell from 26% to 22%. Though the
world market for semiconductors expanded only slightly in 1990,
many US companies showed impressive growth. Leading the charge
was Intel", whose revenues swelled 25% as they overtook Texas
Instruments to become the second-largest US chipmaker. No. 1
Motorola's revenues grew 13%. So far, chipmaking profits have
nicely outpaced security analysts' expectations. US chip
companies have found they CAN compete -- as long as they pick
their ground carefully.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOFTWARE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Coming Showdown Over Software Patents
Author(s): Schwartz, Evan I.
Journal: Business week
n. 3213 May 13, 1991 pp. 104,106
Abstract: 428 JA
Subjects:
PATENTS
PROGRAMMING
It used to be that a bunch of programmers could go into business
by developing a software package that improved on an existing
one. The only caveat was that they not violate any copyrights
-- i.e. don't copy the actual lines of computer commands from an
earlier program. It wasn't always easy, but many dozens
succeeded. Things aren't so simple now, because you can get
patents on software. And this stronger form of
intellectual-property protection makes an enormous difference,
as well as sending a chill through the industry.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
STORAGE DEVICES
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Backing Up Large Systems
Author(s): Kolstad, Rob
Journal: UNIX review : the magazine for systems and solutions developers
v. 9, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 29-32
Abstract: 391 JA
Subjects:
BACKUP PROCEDURES
DUMP PROGRAMS
LARGE DISK SYSTEMS
SECONDARY STORAGE
"UNIX backup programs seem to suffer from a common set of
problems, including the inability to work correctly with and
sequence automatically through local and remote partitions.
Every site with significant secondary storage seems to invent a
new way to sequence backups. This article details an
evolutionary step toward bringing backup into the era of large
disk systems."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPERCOMPUTERS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Intel Woos Business Users
Author(s): Davis, Dwight B
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 9 May 1, 1991 pp. 34-38
Abstract: 397 JA
Subjects:
COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
PARALLEL COMPUTERS
PARALLEL MACHINES
"It's a well-kept secret: many business problems are uniquely
suited to the skills of massively parallel computers, says
Intel. But skeptical commercial users still balk at programming
the mammoth machines." As a vendor of parallel computers, Intel
has been more successful than most. Today, Intel has an
installed base of more than 270 iPSC-family computers; iPSC/860s
account for about 60 of the total. As is the case with other
leading parallel processor vendors, Intel has sold the vast
majority of its supercomputers to educational institutions and
research facilities. Only a small number of commercial users
are likely to port their applications to parallel supercomputers
in the near future, unlike their brethren in science and
academia. Nevertheless, convinced that the commercial user is
desirable, Intel is passionately courting MIS. Its thrust into
the commercial realm follows the broad acceptance of massively
parallel designs by the leading-edge research community. New
compilers that ease the programming task and the examples of
some intrepid users convinced academics that massive parallelism
is legitimate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: 25 Tough Integration Problems
Author(s): Staff
Journal: Systems integration
v. 24, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 35-51
Abstract: 394 JA
Subjects:
PROBLEM SOLVING
This is the second annual Tough Questions and Answers report.
Certain issues came up repeatedly, forming the basis of the
editors' choices of exactly which 25 questions to look into.
The one fact that came through loud and clear was: Few problems
can be solved simply by buying a product and installing it, like
plumbing. Building multivendor computer solutions isn't as
simple as playing with Legos, despite what vendors may say.
Included are: CASE, communication servers, COS seal of approval,
C2 security, database downsizing, EISA vs. MCA, fault
tolerance/security, FDDI, frame relay, graphical user interfaces,
graphics standards, image processing, Macintosh integration,
multimedia, network management, object-oriented databases,
OS/2, PC-based UNIX, RAIDS vs. SLEDS, SMDs, tape storage, UPS,
wireless LANs, and X.400/X.500.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TECHNOLOGY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: How Imaging Can Change Your Business
Author(s): Tapellini, Donna
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 7 April 1, 1991 pp. 71-74
Abstract: 381 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS TRENDS
IMAGING SYSTEMS
MIS
SOFTWARE TOOLS
By now, it's a time-worn clich� to proclaim any one technology
the "technology of the decade". But it's fair to say that
imaging is and will continue to be a technology of such
importance that most major companies will evaluate it, create
pilot projects or implement full production systems in the years
to come. User demand is high, and so is interest on the part of
senior management. It is predicted that the current market for
electronic-imaging products and services will explode from $1.2
billion in 1989 to $12.2 billion in 1994. Imaging costs can be
extremely high, and the task of choosing the right equipment from
the myriad of bundled systems, piecemeal software, scanners,
jukeboxes, networked applications and utilities is fraught with
difficulties. Yet, companies experimenting with imaging are
finding that it can provide surprising, even revolutionary,
competitive advantages. This is the first in a series on
imaging technology, and it looks at some businesses that have
used electronic imaging creatively to discover new products,
services, and sources of revenue.
Title: Acquiring Technology from Outside
Author(s): Cutler, W. Gale
Journal: Research technology management
v. 34, n. 3 May-June 1991 pp. 11-18
Abstract: 416 JA
Subjects:
EXTERNAL SOURCES
FOREIGN TECHNOLOGY
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
"Managers of industrial research organizations must ensure that
technological advances achieved in their laboratories
materialize in the company's products and processes. It is the
author's personal observation that this challenge occupies so
much of the attention of R&D managers that they fail to consider
another major challenge - how to identify sources of technology
external to the firm that are available, and how to go about
acquiring and implementing technology from those sources. This
paper addresses the latter challenge." Digital's External
Research Program (ERP) is highlighted. Their ERP makes
cooperating universities "virtual laboratories" for DEC.
Through it, DEC "monitors major research developments and seeks
to identify leading scientists who are performing research of
interest to the company. The ERP staff operates as a catalyst
to help build lasting relationships between those researchers and
Digital's research, engineering, applications development, and
manufacturing groups."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
WORKSTATIONS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The 88000: Motorola's Future at RISC
Author(s): Cook, Rick
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 7 April 1, 1991 pp. 37-4
Abstract: 379 JA
Subjects:
MOTOROLA INC.
MULTIPROCESSORS
RISC
"What do you get when you combine an innovative RISC
architecture, a major microprocessor manufacturer and a strong
software compatibility program? In the case of the Motorola
88000, you get an also-ran. High priced and late to market,
Motorola's 88000 chip has not fared well in the RISC arena.
Currently, the 88000 is a distant third in the market, well
behind SPATC from Sun Microsystems Inc. and the R2000 and R3000
from Mips Computer Systems Inc. But a sound software strategy
and a strong systems mentality may yet rescue the product."
Title: HP Speeds Up the Workstation Race
Author(s): Curran, Lawrence
Journal: Electronics
v. 64, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 43-48
Abstract: 392 JA
Subjects:
APOLLO
HEWLETT-PACKARD
RISC
"Sun Microsystems Inc. still leads the pack in the workstation
race, but developments at Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment,
and IBM have workstation watchers buzzing. Digital and HP
switched positions in the rankings last year, with DEC dropping
from second to third place in workstation revenues. And
although still a distant forth, IBM zoomed ahead of Intergraph
Corp. to round out the top five 1990 workstation vendors. But
right now, all eyes are on Hewlett-Packard Co., which made a big
move late last month by introducing the reduced-instruction-set
computing HP Apollo 9000 series 700 models. These machines set
a new price-performance standard for desktop workstations -- one
that competitors will be shooting to eclipse in the ever changing
race for performance leadership in the market. The jockeying
all adds up to more mips and megaflops per buck -- and probably
better deals -- for corporate and engineering department managers
who are shopping for desktop machines."
Title: Sun Compatibles: Who's Putting the Sizzle in SPARC?
Author(s): Francis, Bob
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 9 May 1, 1991 pp. 43-46
Abstract: 398 JA
Subjects:
RISC WORKSTATIONS
SUN MICROSYSTEMS
UNIX
"Sun's SPARC system has been licensed to other vendors in an
attempt to broaden the appeal of Sun's UNIX platform. But, so
far, few machines are actually shipping, and the competition's
coming on strong." Solbourne Computer Inc. had the first
Sun-compatible to hit the streets, but it has been joined by an
army of manufacturers. Seven new systems were introduced at
fall's COMDEX show alone, although few systems are actually
shipping. It's too soon to say how well these various SPARC
players will fare over the long run, but some IS managers
already are putting SPARC-compatible machines to work. Part of
Solbourne's success appears to be based on its niche approach to
the SPARC market -- it builds high-end SPARC servers and has
carved out a favorable reputation among Sun's customer base --
but it is open to question whether other clone companies can
repeat this success.
Distribution:
TO:
DENNIS DICKERSON@DL STEVE DONOVAN@DLO Tommy Gaut@HSO Ed Hurry@DVO
Louis Pau@VBE jim rather@HSO Pat Roach@VBE Czarena Siebert@HSO
Mike Sievers@HSO Dale Stout@HSO Susan Sugar@MWO Sherry Williams@HSO
Mike Willis@HSO Tom Wilson@HST
|
| 18.8 | FWD: JUNE/JULY WTD | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Wed Jul 17 1991 10:52 | 317 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 28-Jun-1991 06:08pm CET
From: BEANE
BEANE@BIGRED@MRGATE@DPD20@DPD
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: See Below
Subject: FWD: JUNE/JULY WTD
********************************************************************************
***** WESTERN TECHNOLOGY DIGEST *****
**** VOLUME 4 NUMBER 7 ****
*** JUNE/JULY 1991 ***
** Mary Hayes Editor **
********************************************************************************
WESTERN TECHNOLOGY DIGEST is a monthly technology transfer forum for
communicating research, technical, and competitive information between
Digital and research communities.
********************************
THIS MAGAZINE IS RESTRICTED FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY BY EMPLOYEES OF DIGITAL
EQUIPMENT CORPORATION. @ Copyright Digital Equipment Corporation 1987, 1988,
1989, 1990, 1991.
*******************************************************************************
The purpose of WTD is to inform Digital readers of events and activities of
interest in the research community. The style of this digest will be to
provide abstracts or short articles of interest with references to more
detailed information for you to pursue should you wish to follow-up.
We welcome contributions from anyone who is sponsoring research, doing
work.
We also encourage comments from readers and Letters to the Editor, which
will be published with the author's permission.
If you wish to subscribe to WTD or change your subscription address
or to submit papers or articles please send mail to REESA::HAYES
If you wish to receive copies of the articles mentioned in WTD, please send
all requests to REESA::HAYES. Please include your mail stop as the articles
are sent in hard copy format. Also please note, if you are ordering copies
of articles from past issues, you must but the issue, title and authors name.
********************************************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THIS ISSUE =
I. Corporations, Culture, and Commitment: Motivation and
Social Control in Organizations - Charles O'Reilly
II. The Best and Brightest Speak Out - Barbara Berkman
III. Invisable Men and Women: A Status Report on Race as a Variable
In Organization Behavior Research - Taylor Cox & Stella Nkomo
IV. Deconstructing Organizational Taboos: The Suppression of Gender
Conflict in Organizations - Joanne Martin
V. Approximation Schemes for Covering and Packing Problems in
Image Processing and VLSI - Dorit Hochbaum & Wolfgang Maass
The Linzertorte Problem, or a Unified Approach to Painting,
Baking and Weaving - Dorit Hochbaum & Edna Wigderson
A Unified Approach to Approximation Algorithms for Bottleneck
Problems - Dorit Hochbaum & David Shmoys
Fast Approximation Algorithms for a Nonconvex Covering Problem
- Dorit Hochbaum & Wolfgang Maass
Optimal Algorithms for the Allocation Problem and
its Extensions - Dorit Hochbaum
VI. Re-Evaluation Mode Timing Simulation - Marko Chew & Andrzej Strojwas
VII. Automated Paper Request Form
*******************************************************************************
Corporations, Culture, and Commitment: Motivation and
Social Control in Organizations
Charles O'Reilly
U.C. Berkeley
Graduate School of Business
The material presented here offers one perspective on corporate
culture. It emphasizes how, from a managerial perspective, culture may
be understood in terms of the norms shared by members of the
organization. When these expectations are widely shared and strongly
held, they may powerfully shape behavior, and in turn, be of great
help or harm to the individual or the organization. Management needs
to be sensitive to what the central organizational norms are and how
it can affect them. To fail to understand these issues is to ignore
the advice of a CEO who said, "We will either be a victim or a
successful result of our culture."
*******************************************************************************
The Best and Brightest Speak Out
Barbara Berkman
Electronic Business
Innovation. Protectionism. Global competitiveness.
Manufacturing's future. If these are the most pressing issues facing
U.S. electronics and computer companies today, then their weight lies
squarely on the talent of tomorrow - the Class of 1989, the graduate
engineers and MBAs on whom the industrial future rests. What follows
is a first glimpse of that future. Electronic Business tapped a
sampling of the best and brightest school students at the country's
top institutions. Thus armed, they ran a series of focus groups with
two goals in mind: to learn the expectations of the business and
technology leaders of the future, and to channel their solutions to
the leaders of today.
In their view, the corporation of today is for the most part
marked by instability, not opportunity. A workplace made unstable by
corporate restructurings or foreign competition has taught the Class
of 1989 to seek - now more then ever - jobs that are challenging and
broad-based. It is the way they have chosen to adapt, managing their
careers so that they are less vulnerable. Their idea of job security
isn't a position that is guaranteed for life, but a job that lasts
maybe three to five years and prepares them for a broad range of
responsibilities in future positions. In answer, companies need to
rethink the compensation, benefits, recognition, and impact on the
corporation they offer. Tomorrow's job-hopping leaders want mobility
from project to project; better mentor programs; technical ladders for
engineers; and above all, a shift toward pay for performance. The
implication for corporations is that the importance of retirement and
other benefits to a highly skilled workforce is on the wane.
*******************************************************************************
Invisible Men and Women: A Status Report On Race as a
Variable in Organization Behavior Research
Taylor Cox, Jr. & Stella M. Nkomo
University of Michigan/University of North Carolina
Twenty-five years after passage of the Civil Rights Act, the full
integration of racial minorities in the United States workforce has
still not been achieved. Recent demographic trends indicating that the
workforce will be increasingly composed of racial minorities make this
a critical issue for academics and practitioners alike. This paper
reports on a review of journal research addressing issues of race in
organizations. Articles published in twenty major outlets for
organization behavior research between 1964 and 1989 were reviewed.
Data on the quantity, types and topics of published work are
presented. Results indicate that the amount of total published
research is small relative to the importance of the topic, and the
recent trend is for less rather than more research. And that the
designs and research questions have been very narrow, and that the
topics covered are not representative of the domain or organization
behavior. Based upon the findings, some suggestions for future
research are offered.
*******************************************************************************
Deconstructing Organizational Taboos: The
Suppression of Gender Conflict in Organizations
Joanne Martin
Graduate School of Business
Stanford University
This paper begins with a story told by a corporation president to
illustrate what his organization was doing to "help" women employees
balance the demands of work and home. The paper deconstructs and
reconstructs this story text from a feminist perspective, examining
what it says, what it does not say, and what it might have said. This
analysis reveals how organizational efforts to "help women" have
suppressed gender conflict and reified false dichotomies between
public and private realms of endeavor, suggesting why it has proven so
difficult to eradicate gender discrimination in organizations.
Implications of feminist perspective for organizational theory are
discussed.
*******************************************************************************
A Unified Approach to Approximation Algorithms
for Bottleneck Problems
Dorit Hochbaum & David Shmoys
U.C. Berkeley
This paper investigates an extremely simple, powerful technique
for devising approximation algorithms for a wide variety of
NP-complete problems in routing, location, and communication network
design. Each of the polynomial-time algorithms presented here delivers
an approximate solution guaranteed to be within a constant factor 0 of
the optimal solution; such a polynomial-time algorithm is called a
0-approximation algorithm.
The Linzertorte Problem, Or A Unified Approach To Painting, Baking and Weaving
Dorit Hochbaum & Edna Wigderson
U.C. Berkeley
This paper studies primarily the complexity of properly painting
2-colorable graphs. Their aim is to achieve a most efficient procedure
that will produce such a coloring. In order to do this, they first
must introduce measures of efficiency for painting algorithms. They
describe a general complexity model - the path model that is
applicable to all 2-colorable graphs. Then for the class of grid
graphs they restrict the general model to three specific models - the
vertex model, the line model and the parallel model.
Approximation Schemes for Covering and Packing
Problems in Image Processing and VLSI
Dorit Hochbaum & Wolfgang Maass
U.C. Berkeley/University of Illinois at Chicago
Polynomial approximation schemes are described in this paper for
several strongly NP-complete problems that have important applications
in the areas of robot motion planning, VLSI design, image processing,
and location. These problems appear in the contexts of covering and
packing convex objects. One of them is the square packing problem,
which comes up in the attempt to increase yield in VLSI chip
manufacture. For exsample, 64K RAM chips, some of which may be
defective, are available on a rectilinear grid placed on a silicon
wafer. 2 times 2 arrays of such nondefective chips could be wired
together to produce 256K RAM chips. In order to maximize yield, they
want to maximal number of such 2 times 2 arrays into the array of
working chips on a wafer.
Fast Approximation Algorithms for a Nonconvex Covering Problem
Dorit Hochbaum & Wolfgang Maass
U.C. Berkeley/ University of Illinois
This paper studies approximation algorithms for some covering
problems that arise in motion planning for robots. These covering
problems are of particular mathematical interest since they typically
require covering points by a minimal number of objects that are
nonconvex. The corresponding problems of covering with convex objects
are usually easier to analyze. For instance, they were able to derive
polynomial approximation schemes for numerous convex covering and
packing problems. When they employ the same technique in the nonconvex
case, the scheme derived is exponential in a nonconvexity parameter.
Optimal Algorithms for the Allocation Problem and its Extensions
Dorit Hochbaum
School of Business Administration and IEOR Dept.
U.C. Berkeley
They present a proof of the impossibility of strongly polynomial
algorithms for the allocation problem, in the comparison model and in
the algebraic tree computation model, (except when the objective is
quadratic). The lower bound proof is for the allocation problem.
Consequently, there are no strongly polynomial algorithms for
nonlinear (concave) separable optimization over a totally unimodular
constraint matrix. This is in contrast to the case when the objective
is linear.
The allocation problem and its extensions are all solvable using
a greedy algorithm which is exponential. They present scaling-based
algorithms that use the greedy as a subroutine. The algorithms are
polynomial for all these problems and are also optimal in that the
complexity meets the lower bound derived from the comparison model.
************************************************************************
Re-Evaluation Mode Timing Simulation
Marko Chew & Andrzej Strojwas
Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University
Due to manufacturing variations, the propagation of signals
through a given path in a circuit is characterized by a statistical
distribution. The Monte Carlo method which is a technique to estimate
the statistical nature of the signal propagation requires the
execution of multiple simulation runs of the same input pattern with
different process conditions. We have developed a technique called
re-evaluation mode simulation which can handle a wider range of
process conditions since logic behavior is considered. Techniques for
inexpensively evaluating the effects of different process conditions
on circuit path delays have not considered the logic behavior.
Consequently, the range of process conditions accommodated by these
techniques is unnecessarily limited.
*******************************************************************************
VII. Automated Paper Request Form
Below are the papers that are available from the June/July 1991 issue
of WTD. Please send all requests to REESA::HAYES. Please include your
MailStop and the automated paper form. Do Not send back the entire WTD
with your request at the bottom; also if you are ordering papers from
past issues, you must add issue, title and author of paper. Thanks.
[ ] Corporations, Culture, and Commitment: Motivation and
Social Control in Organizations
[ ] The Best and Brightest Speak Out
[ ] Invisible Men and Women: A Status Report on Race as a
variable in Organization Behavior Research
[ ] Deconstructing Organizational Taboos: The Suppression of
Gender Conflict in Organizations
[ ] Approximation Schemes for Covering and Packing Problems
in Image Processing and VLSI
[ ] The Linzertorte Problem, or a Unified Approach to Painting
Baking and Weaving
[ ] A Unified Approach to Approximation Algorithms for
Bottleneck Problems
[ ] Fast Approximation Algorithms for a Nonconvex Covering Problem
[ ] Optimal Algorithms for the Allocation Problem and
its Extensions
[ ] Re-Evaluation Mode Timing Simulation
********************************************************************************
Distribution:
TO:
DENNIS DICKERSON@DL STEVE DONOVAN@DLO Tommy Gaut@HSO Ed Hurry@DVO
Louis Pau@VBE jim rather@HSO Pat Roach@VBE Czarena Siebert@HSO
Mike Sievers@HSO Dale Stout@HSO Susan Sugar@MWO Sherry Williams@HSO
Mike Willis@HSO Tom Wilson@HST
|
| 18.9 | FWD: Inside Info., 10 July 1991 | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Wed Jul 17 1991 12:10 | 1362 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 15-Jul-1991 05:40pm CET
From: BEANE
BEANE@BIGRED@MRGATE@DPD05@DPD
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: See Below
Subject: FWD: Inside Info., 10 July 1991
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***************************
ISSUE NO. 192 JULY 10, 1991
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SUBJECTS IN THIS ISSUE INCLUDE:
APPLE COMPUTER INC. EDI MULTIPROCESSING SYSTEMS
CIM HUMAN RESOURCE MGMT. NETWORKS TECHNOLOGY
COMMUNICATIONS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NEW PRODUCT DEV. TELECOMM.
COMPETITION INNOVATIONS PACKAGING
COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE INTERNATIONAL TRADE PERSONAL COMPUTERS
COMPUTER INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT RISC
CUSTOMER SERVICE MIS SOFTWARE
DEC MANUFACTURING STORAGE DEVICES
DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPLE COMPUTER, INC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: An Alliance Made in PC Heaven
Author(s): Armstrong, Larry
Journal: Business week
n. 3219 June 29, 1991 pp. 40-42
Abstract: 515 JA
Subjects:
COMPUTER INDUSTRY
IBM
MOTOROLA
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
"In a jaw-dropping move intended to get it into the computer biz
mainstream, Apple has forged a preliminary agreement for a
technology partnership with none other than Big Brother.
Insiders say Apple and IBM executives developed an agreement in
principle on June 10 near IBM's headquarters. The deal would
give Apple the right to use an important IBM microprocessor, say
Apple insiders and sources close to IBM. In exchange, IBM is
negotiating to put its hands on Apple's crown jewel -- its
proprietary software. By 1993, the venture could result in Apple
and IBM workstations that could be easily linked -- and even
share applications software." There is no disputing how
stunning a change in strategy this represents for Apple, and this
alliance could sharply alter the personal computer world's
balance of power. It's a major step forward for Apple's
longtime partner, Motorola Inc, who sold chips to Apple: they
will now make IBM's RISC chip for Apple, and be a second supplier
for IBM.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CIM (COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Communications Planning in CIM
Author(s): Umar, Amjad; Univ. of Michigan, Dearborn
Journal: Journal of data & computer communications
v. 4, n. 1 Summer 1991 pp. 63-77
Abstract: 549 JA
Subjects:
COMMUNICATIONS
INTERCONNECTIVITY
MANUFACTURING
"Careful planning of computer communications platforms is
essential to support computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) and
computer-integrated environments (CIEs). This article offers a
procedure for such planning that includes the various levels of
computing devices, system software, and networks, with particular
emphasis on interconnectivity and decoupling requirements. A
framework for categorizing CIM/CIE interconnectivity is also
included."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMUNICATIONS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Message Passing Holds the Key to Distributed Computing
Author(s): Tait, Peter; PeerLogic, Inc.
Journal: Computer technology review
v. 11, n. 6 May 1991 pp. 23-27
Abstract: 509 JA
Subjects:
CLIENT-SERVER APPLICATIONS
DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING
MESSAGE PASSING
Although not yet as popular as client-server, the peer-to-peer
model may be the real future of distributed computing. This
model assumes that a distributed application consists of a
number of distinct processes running on one or more computers on
the network, with communication between these processes
depending entirely on the dynamic needs of the application. The
model assumes that communication between the processes can be
initiated by either partner in the conversation. It is obvious
that this architecture offers all the same advantages as the
client-server model, with the addition of greater flexibility.
This flexibility may well prove crucial to the development of
mission-critical business applications. The peer-to-peer model
is best served by utilizing message passing as the
communications architecture, since any other communications
scheme will tend to restrict the generalized nature of the
model. Message passing offers more efficient use of distributed
resources than RPC (remote procedure call) technology.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPETITION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Designing Effective Organizations
Author(s): Parnaby, J.
Journal: International journal of technology management
v. 6, n. 1/2 1991 pp. 15-32
Abstract: 538 JA
Subjects:
DEVELOPMENT
ENGINEERING
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
SYSTEMS APPROACH
TEAMWORK
TOTAL QUALITY
"The competitiveness of an engineering company in today's
marketplace depends as much on its organizational structure and
style as on its technical capability. Indeed, the latter flows
from the former. The modern organization must be lean,
responsive, flexible and make maximum effective use of its
engineers. Many heads of technical functions have experience
only of traditional functional organizational effectiveness in
terms of speed of response, reduced lead times, and total
quality performance. Often organizational change in response to
competitive pressures is done in an unsystematic and ad hoc way,
with consequentially poor results. Whilst an organization
cannot be designed with decimal point precision, studies of
organizational innovation and system engineering show that a
set of methodologies exists to help a top management team to
improve the organizational structure of their company in a
positive, step-by-step and systematic way. Such an approach is
an integral part of a Total Quality program aimed at achieving
high quality of performance of every part of the organization."
Title: Why Japan Keeps on Winning
Author(s): Rapoport, Carla
Journal: Fortune
v. 124, n. 2 July 15, 1991 pp. 76-85
Abstract: 554 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS ALLIANCES
INDUSTRY ALLIANCES
JAPAN
Almost all of Japan's familiar blue-chip companies belong to
some kind of keiretsu, or business alliance. Among them are
Mitsubishi, Sumimoto, and Misui. These keiretsu are critical to
the country's special brand of capitalism, the reason Japan
keeps dominating world markets. What makes the difference is a
system that pulls together government, industry, capital, and
the best information on high technology worldwise to create a
machine that grinds competitors into powder. Along with cars
and consumer electronics, the Japanese are exporting their way
of doing things. Of all the American high-tech companies that
have changed hands in recent years, more than two-thirds were
bought by the Japanese. Combined with the keiretsu, these are
the significant elements of the Japanese system: antitrust --
the Japanese don't really believe in it; targeting -- without it,
Japan might not be in computers or semiconductors today;
Kabutocho -- Japan's Wall Street, where hostile takeovers and
leveraged buyouts don't exist, and big shareholders never sell,
but hang in there for business reasons and capital gains. The
whole systems sounds unfair, but it makes sense to the Japanese.
Far from seeing a need to reform, most Japanese businessmen
think that Americans should act like them. For various reasons,
Westerners cannot and should not try to emulate the Japanese
system, but they could profit by adopting some of it, and at
least should learn more about how Japan _really_ works.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Real-time Computing with IEEE Futurebus+
Author(s): Sha, Lui; Rajkumar, R.; Lehoczky, John P.
Journal: IEEE micro
v. 11, n. 3 June 1991 pp. 30-33,95-100
Abstract: 520 JA
Subjects:
BUSES
OPEN STANDARDS
REAL-TIME COMPUTING
STANDARDS
"The proposed IEEE Futurebus+ standard specifies a scalable
backplane bus architecture that can be configured in widths of
32, 64, 128, or 256 bits. Government and industry backing
promises to make the standard a popular candidate for
high-performance and embedded real-time systems of the 1990s.
This article reviews the design and application considerations
for real-time computing using Futurebus+."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPUTER INDUSTRY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: And the Winners Are...
Author(s): Curran, Lawrence
Journal: Electronics
v. 64, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 27-32
Abstract: 510 JA
Subjects:
APPLICATIONS
MICROPROCESSORS
OPERATING SYSTEMS
RISC
"Who will be the winners and losers in the Advanced Computing
Environment? Though the first platforms implementing the new
industry initiative won't be widely available until next year,
computer industry analysts are already putting together a
scorecard in the aftermath of the consortium's announcement of
its specifications and market directions. The group's
promulgations of an Advanced RISC Computing (ARC) spec for the
MIPS Computer Systems Inc. microprocessor family represents a
potentially formidable challenge to the de facto RISC chip
standards -- the Intel Corp. i860/i960 and Sun Sparc
architectures. For electronics and computer industry executives
pondering major purchases of personal computers or workstations,
the ACE consortium means keener competition among the three
camps and more favorable prices from all vendors. The 21-member
consortium is an international who's who of computer and
software companies. Among them, besides MIPS, are Compaq
Computer, DEC, NEC, Microsoft, the Santa Cruz Operation, and
Sony. Importantly, however, neither Hewlett-Packard nor IBM
belongs; each has elected to go with a proprietary RISC
architecture."
Title: How Fujitsu Will Tackle the Giants
Author(s): Schendler, Brenton R.
Journal: Fortune
v. 124, n. 1 July 1, 1991 pp. 78-82
Abstract: 529 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
JAPAN
MARKETING
Even with $21 billion in total revenues last year, Fujitsu
weighs in at only about one-third the heft of industry leader
IBM. It hasn't shown much of a flair for making its name known
outside of Japan. It has yet to become a major factor in the
booming PC business. It has sold only a few dozen big mainframe
systems and supercomputers in America, mainly to outposts of
Japanese banks and industrial companies? So how does Fujitsu
manage to rank No. 2 in the world's computer industry?
Fujitsu's substantial stakes in Amdahl Corp. and International
Computers Ltd. contributed nearly half its $5.2 billion of
overseas revenue last year. They are what makes Fujitsu stand
far above rivals NEC, Hitachi, and Toshiba as a global computer
powerhouse. Amdahl and ICL are the big guns in Fujitsu's plan
to go global by going local. Fujitsu is internationalizing by
proxy: these two companies are run by Westerners who are free to
chart their own courses and even compete against one another.
And its working so well that Fujitsu is looking for more such
deals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CUSTOMER SERVICE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Does Your Company Pass or Fail Service?
Author(s): Damian, Jacqueline; et al
Journal: Electronics
v. 64, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 48-56
Abstract: 511 JA
Subjects:
ELECTRONICS
MARKETING
QUALITY
"Hot technology isn't enough. Time to market won't do it,
either, and neither will superb quality. All of those
attributes, rightly cherished by suppliers of electronics
products, won't launch a company into the big leagues in terms
of gaining market share without the addition of one crucial, if
elusive, ingredient to the recipe: customer service. In the
fevered marketplace of the 1990s, customer satisfaction has
become a major selling point among vendors jousting for client
dollars. And high quality, once the industry's holy grail, has
become a given, something the customer expects without question.
What's left is service, a multifarious construct of tangible and
intangible considerations that can make a vendor stand out from
the crowd of competitors -- and keep his order book full."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: 'Open Systems' May Be DEC's 'Open Sesame'
Author(s): McWilliams, Gary
Journal: Business week
n. 3214 June 24, 1991 pp. 101-103
Abstract: 514 JA
Subjects:
IBM
INFORMATION PROCESSING
MARKETING
OPEN SYSTEMS
SALES STRATEGIES
"For three years now, Digital Equipment Corp has been trying
to break out of a withering sales and profit slump. The
minicomputer giant seems to have tried everything -- revamping
its VAX minicomputers, adding new families of workstations, even
taking on IBM in mainframes. It has reshuffled its organization
several times, cut 9,000 jobs and launched dozens of new sales
and service programs. Still, revenues for FY91 are only
expected to inch up 5%" from last year, and analysts figure it will
cost DEC $300 million to eliminate an additional 8,000 jobs.
Both IBM and DEC are facing what looks like permanent declines
in sales of their high-proprietary systems. But DEC has a new
plan: by pushing software and services geared toward tying all
kinds of computers together, no matter what the brands, it hopes
to win new customers and make up for the VAX sales slowdown. To
win influence in "open systems" network computing, DEC is
liberally sharing some of its best software with standards
organizations and even with its rivals, including IBM. The new
DEC won't emerge overnight, but it is on the right track.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDI (ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: EDI: Making It Finally Happen
Author(s): Barber, Norman F.
Journal: Production & inventory management review & APICS news
v. 11, n. 6 June 1991 pp. 35-40,49
Abstract: 521 JA
Subjects:
COMMUNICATIONS
DATA INTERCHANGE
MANUFACTURING
EDI, electronic data interchange, has been promoted as the
technology that will fundamentally change business processes and
relationships between manufacturers and their trading partners --
their customers and suppliers. The reality is that, while the
number of companies using EDI continues to increase, the vast
majority of these companies exchange the data from only one or
two documents and usually do so with a small set of trading
partners. To date, only a few companies can say they have made
EDI really pay off. Despite these current realities, EDI
will continue to become a competitive necessity for manufacturers
in the '90s and beyond. The continued expansion of EDI will
occur because manufacturers simply can no longer accept
antiquated communications and operating philosophies that exist
between companies when EDI and JIT programs are expanding
internally.
Title: EDI - A Strategic Weapon in International Trade
Author(s): Janssens, Gerrit K.; Cuyvers, Ludo
Journal: Long range planning
v. 24, n. 2 April 1991 pp. 46-53
Abstract: 525 JA
Subjects:
COMMUNICATIONS
EUROPE
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
"While electronic data interchange will in the long term be a
necessity for industry, there are problems to be solved before
it is generally accepted. Close cooperation between European
standard committees and the European community is recommended if
European industry as a whole is not to fall behind in the
development. In a future competitive Europe a mistake on the
possibilities of telecommunications can be fatal."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Identifying the Employee of the Future
Author(s): Mirabile, Richard J.
Journal: The Journal of business strategy
v. 12, n. 3 May/June 1991 pp. 32-36
Abstract: 522 JA
Subjects:
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
STRATEGIC PLANNING
"Organizations today are increasingly losing control over
external forces and conditions that directly or indirectly
affect their continuity as viable competitors. Given the
inability to change or even predict such forces in the world,
organizations must increasingly operate within some reasonable
set of expectations or projections. In this context of
uncertain futures, the question for many organizations becomes:
How do organizations identify the criteria for future success
and the people to assume future responsibilities? In short, the
predicament of human resources in this scenario is how to
identify the employee of the future. Hewlett-Packard evaluated
its future marketing needs and compared it to the capabilities
of current employees. This case study is an example of how
other companies can ensure they have the best people to meet
their strategic goals."
Title: Race in the Workplace: Is Affirmative Action Working?
Author(s): Gleckman, Howard; et al
Journal: Business week
n. 3221 July 8, 1991 pp. 50-63
Abstract: 555 JA
Subjects:
EEO
MANAGING DIVERSITY
MINORITY OUTREACH
"Does affirmative action work? The short answer: Yes. Since
the effort to end job bias began in earnest 25 years ago,
minorities have achieved major gains. Yet affirmative action
has become, for many, 'a four-letter word' that ignites racial
tension." Affirmative action encompasses both race and gender,
and women have been among the greatest beneficiaries. But it is
the discussion of race that stirs the fiercest emotions. And in
trying to compensate for past discrimination against some
people, companies can create fresh discrimination against
others. Many whites are resentful, and blacks feel affirmative
action has stalled.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Demand Solid, Budgets Soft
Author(s): Moad, Jeff
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 11 June 1, 1991 pp. 74-77
Abstract: 527 JA
Subjects:
ECONOMICS
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
The latest DATAMATION/Cowen & Co. IS buying survey reveals a
growing need for more mainframe MIPS and storage capacity, even
as downsizing proceeds. IS executives say their need for
additional mainframe processing power and storage capacity will
continue to grow at or above historical levels for at least the
next 3-5 years. Corporate users are shifting to the new
technologies at a slow, measured pace. Spending plans seem to
be off across the board, however, although IS executives say
it's not because they don't need more hardware and software
tools to get the job done. IS's need for increased PC, midrange
and even mainframe capacity is up, even if the budget can't
accommodate it. But IS must first perceive some improvement in
overall economic conditions if it is to loosen IT purchasing
purse strings.
Title: The DATAMATION 100: World IT Sales Grow 8.9% to $278.5B
Author(s): Kelly, Joseph
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 12 June 15, 1991 pp. 10-18,22-27+
Abstract: 546 JA
Subjects:
COMPUTER INDUSTRY
"Despite the recession, the top 100 North American information
technology suppliers grew their PC, midrange, workstation,
software and services businesses at a healthy clip in 1990. But
sellers of mainframes and datacomm equipment hit the skids."
The IS industry has always been considered resistant to
recessions and, arguably, the conventional wisdom still holds
true. This year's figures show an industry that, in its fifth
decade, still retains the trappings of growth, an industry still
able to create products and services that hold their appeal
whatever the economic climate. The weak dollar also helped the
US companies boost sales overseas, while limiting the appeal of
imported products in the US. Topping the growth list this year
were workstation sales. Digital ranks no. 2, after IBM and
before Fujitsu, NEC, Hitachi, and Unisys. Apple is ranked no.
11, Wang no. 24.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INNOVATIONS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Predictors and Financial Outcomes of Corporate Entrepreneurship: An
Exploratory Study
Author(s): Zahra, Shaker A.; George Mason University
Journal: Journal of business venturing
v. 6, n. 4 July 1991 pp. 259-285
Abstract: 539 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS TRENDS
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
"Today, there is considerable scholarly and managerial interest
in corporate entrepreneurship; that is, those activities that
enhance a company's ability to innovate, take risk ,and seize
opportunities in its markets. Corporate entrepreneurship
centers on creating new business by penetrating new markets,
pursuing new business, or both. Despite the growing recognition
and use of corporate entrepreneurship, little empirical
research has been done on its antecedents and potential
association with company financial performance. To fill this
gap in the literature, this study proposes a model that
identifies potential environmental, strategic, and
organizational factors that may spur or stifle corporate
entrepreneurship. The model also highlights the potential
associations between corporate entrepreneurship and corporate
financial performance."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Ethics and Working With the Japanese: The Entrepreneur and the
"Elite Course"
Author(s): Gundling, Ernest
Journal: California management review
v. 33, n. 3 Spring 1991 pp. 25-39
Abstract: 534 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS TACTICS
ETHICS
JAPAN
"Ethical differences between US and Japanese corporations and
individuals often emerge during the course of normal business
transactions and are a source of considerable mutual tension.
This article looks at four common cases of ethical
misunderstandings, each of which yields a particular type of
issue: family exclusivity, gray areas, loyalty, and commitment.
It then evaluates the standard dualistic interpretations for
such ethical differences -- for example, American individualism
versus Japanese group orientation -- and presents a more dynamic
and interactive model based on the linked ideals of the
'Entrepreneur' and the 'Elite Course' to explain both persistent
ethical differences and a variety of countertrends."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MANAGEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Leading a High-Commitment High-Performance Organization
Author(s): Javidan, Mansour; Univ. of Calgary
Journal: Long range planning
v. 24, n. 2 April 1991 pp. 28-36
Abstract: 524 JA
Subjects:
EXECUTIVES
LEADERSHIP
"This article conducts a thorough review of the extensive
literature on executive leadership. It provides a definition
for the concept of superior executive leadership and then
presents a model explaining the key roles and attributes
required to perform effectively in top management ranks. The
article then discusses the implications of this model for senior
executives and describes how it can be used to assess the
quality of executive performance."
Title: Open Communication Lines Before Attempting Total Quality
Author(s): McLaurin, Donald L.; Bell, Shareen
Journal: Quality progress
v. 24, n. 6 June 1991 (special issue) pp. 25-28
Abstract: 526 JA
Subjects:
QUALITY
Despite the fact the the concept of total quality is extremely
simple, its implementation is distressingly difficult. The
reason is often a lack of the communication skills necessary to
achieve the cultural change needed for total quality. What is
meant is behavioral change, both personally and organizationally.
It means changing the way we do things -- the way we make
decisions, deal with customers, and most fundamentally, the way we
communicate and work with others in our own organizations.
Changing human behavior isn't easy; it requires skills that many
people lack but everyone can learn. Just as management is
responsible for recognizing relationships among successful total
quality implementation, it is also responsible for providing the
necessary skills to people within the organizations.
Title: Is The Baldrige Overblown?
Author(s): Main, Jeremy
Journal: Fortune
v. 124, n. 1 July 1, 1991 pp. 62-65
Abstract: 528 JA
Subjects:
QUALITY
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award has become the
business equivalent of the Academy Award, the Grand Slam, and
the Pulitzer. The award has established a national standard for
quality, and hundreds of major corporations use the criteria in
its application form as a basic management guide. But winners
haven't necessarily solved their business problems and gone to
capitalist heaven: despite the superior quality of their wares,
IBM, Motorola and Xerox have all seen their profits and share
prices hit hard since they won. Nor is the Baldrige any
guarantee that a company's products _are_ superior. Executives
often mistake the Baldrige as a cure-all, however it doesn't
address the key elements of business -- innovation, financial
performance, and long-term planning. The fear is that the focus
will be on winning, not achieving real quality.
Title: Preaching the Gospel: The Evangelists of New Technology
Author(s): Beatty, Carol A.; Gordon, John R.M.
Journal: California management review
v. 33, n. 3 Spring 1991 pp. 73-94
Abstract: 535 JA
Subjects:
CAD/CAM
MANUFACTURING
NEW TECHNOLOGY
"This article reports on ten field studies of the implementation
of CAD/CAM in Canadian manufacturing firms of a three-year
period, focusing on the implementation efforts of the sponsors
(patriarchs) and champions (evangelists) in each case. Although
the patriarch appeared critical in the new technology involved,
it was the evangelist who stayed with the project throughout its
life and whose efforts were critical to its successful
implementation and integration. The successful evangelists were
those who fulfilled three basic roles (pathfinding, problem
solving, and implementing) and who demonstrated faith and
persuasion. The authors offer prescriptions for senior
management with regard to the selection and management of
project champions in the implementation of Advanced
Manufacturing Technologies."
Title: Partnering as a Focused Market Strategy
Author(s): Anderson, James C.; Narus, James A.
Journal: California management review
v. 33, n. 3 Spring 1991 pp. 95-113
Abstract: 536 JA
Subjects:
MARKETING
"Partnership-building efforts, even when sought by a customer
firm, may not be in the best interests of a supplier firm. This
article presents a comprehensive, strategic approach that offers
managers guidance on decisions about which market segments and
individual customer firms to target for close, collaborative
relationships. Firms can gain competitive advantage by
augmenting a supplier's product offering for transactional
customers."
Title: The Evolution of Strategic Alliances: Opportunities for Managerial
Influences
Author(s): Niederkofler, Martin
Journal: Journal of business venturing
v. 6, n. 4 July 1991 pp. 237-257
Abstract: 540 JA
Subjects: BOUNDARY SPANNING PROCESS
COOPERATIVE FLEXIBILITY
NEGOTIATIONS
"The number of strategic alliances between large, established
firms and small, new ventures is on the rise -- especially in
industries affected by technological change. Theoretically, the
combination of a smaller firm's know-how with a larger firm's
marketing system and financial prowess promises synergies that
can contribute to both firms' competitive advantage. Yet few of
these partnerships result in tangible benefits. On the
contrary, strategic alliances often end in disarray, with
nothing to show but wasted time and money, and possibly even a
lawsuit. The core hypothesis forwarded in this study is that a
major cause for cooperative failure is managerial, and therefore
controllable and potentially avoidable. Although today's
managers are well-trained in competitive behavior, cooperative
situations require different skills -- skills that a majority of
managers do not possess. As a result, cooperation often appears
to be managed reactively, rather than being based on a
deliberate, proactive cooperation strategy. A thorough analysis
of six cases yields a theoretical model that describes the major
factors impacting the evolution of strategic alliances."
Title: Climbing the New IS Corporate Ladder
Author(s): Stokes, Stewart L.; QED Information Sciences Inc.
Journal: Information strategy
v. 7, n. 4 Summer 1991 pp. 5-11
Abstract: 550 JA
Subjects:
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
SKILL SETS
"A new mix of business, managerial, and technological skills is
needed by IS professionals who want to be IS managers and by IS
managers who not only want to ascend the MIS hierarchy but the
traditional corporate career ladder as well. This article
examines the business, economic, technological, and cultural
forces that influence the changing role of the IS managers,
describes an IS leadership training program, and details the
managerial attitude and performance needed for continuing
corporate success."
Title: Can John Akers Save IBM?
Author(s): Loomis, Carol J.
Journal: Fortune
v. 124, n. 2 July 15, 1991 pp. 40-56
Abstract: 553 JA
Subjects:
IBM
MARKETING
Even in late 1986, Chairman John F. Akers exhibited confidence
in IBM: he asserted that, in four or five years, people would
look back and see that the company's performance had been
superlative. Now, 4.5 years later, the stock was recently below
$100, meaning that another $18 million in market capitalization
is gone. IBM's total revenues have dragged; its worldwide
market share -- where each percentage point lost equals $3
billion in annual sales -- has dropped from 30% to 21%; and its
profits, although still the biggest of any company's in the
world, have been roughed up as well. John Akers, in an
hour-long, wide-ranging interview, says the company is facing
reality at last. He claims that IBM has been caught up in an
industry moving so fast and changing so much that nobody in it
can adjust quickly enough, and then conceded that no outside
force was responsible for IBM's loss of market share. The
prognosis for IBM is uncertain; the product line was totally
remade and is much improved, but marketing is still flawed. IBM
has still much to learn about serving customers and speeding
products to market. Sidebar articles include excerpts from the
interview, and an article on the affect on Wall Street.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Yin and Yang of MIS
Author(s): McClatchy, Will; Caldwell, Bruce
Journal: InformationWeek (Manhasset, N.Y.)
n. 326 June 24, 1991 pp. 28-32
Abstract: 537 JA
Subjects:
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
JAPAN
MANAGEMENT
UNITED STATES
"Whether Japanese companies are viewed as a competitive threat,
an object lesson, potential allies or employers, or all of the
above, information chiefs in the US are faced with the need to
understand the differences between Japanese and American
information management practices. Those differences are
unarguably significant, ranging as they do from basic
communication technologies to career tracking. On the broadest
level, Japanese CIOs emphasize operational systems to manage
transaction functions, [while] on the other hand, American CIOs
place priority on management and financial systems to control
the business function. That difference reflects the
consensus-oriented, bottom-up approach used in decision-making
in Japan; in contrast, Americans take a top-down approach.
Japan's focus on corporate loyalty, coupled with its methodical,
detailed approach to information systems, means Japanese IS
managers, such as Kawasaki's Roger Peterson, stress process much
more than whiz-bang technology."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MANUFACTURING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Relational Roots of Integrated Manufacturing
Author(s): Gomsi, Jeff; DeSanti, Mike; Servio Logic
Journal: Information strategy
v. 7, n. 4 Summer 1991 pp. 33-42
Abstract: 551 JA
Subjects:
CAD/CAM
CIM
DBMS
OBJECT-ORIENTED DATA BASES
RELATIONAL DATA BASES
"To perform as advertised, the dispersed and often incompatible
elements of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) systems must
share data through a data base management system (DBMS) that
presents a consistent view of that companywide data to all
users, allowing them to update the data in a shared-access
environment, while providing security, transaction logging, and
query languages that sort data and generate management reports.
Relational and object-oriented DBMSs -- the most promising for
CIM -- are especially suited to report-intensive applications
(e.g., manufacturing resource planning [MRP]) and workstation
applications (e.g. , computer-aided design [CAD] and
computer-aided engineering [CAE]). This report explores these
two data base models, focusing on commercially available
systems."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MULTIPROCESSING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Invasion of the Superservers
Author(s): Kindley, Mark
Journal: VARbusiness
v. 7, n. 8 June 1991 pp. 40-50
Abstract: 518 JA
Subjects:
CLIENT/SERVER COMPUTING
DEC
SERVER TECHNOLOGY
VARS
"Superservers are the future of computing." They transcend
file- and peripheral-sharing and accomplish the full paradigm
shift to client-server computing, allowing users to run whatever
they want on whatever machines are on their desktops and still
be able to communicate with everyone else. They are even
optimized for network-based distributed applications, which they
will probably run with ease -- when there are some. Yet for all
of their multiprocessing capabilities, all the new class of
hardware known as superservers has done in its first year is
inspire confusion. What distinguishes this crowd of specialized
servers from its predecessors "is that the depth of functionality
the superserver vendors are attempting to provide has never been
accomplished using standard system software that runs off-the-shelf
applications. To accomplish open systems, superserver designers
have to do no less than reconcile all the incompatibilities the
computer industry has shown such a genius for propagating. No
single company, not even IBM, can do this on its own. It depends
on tentative alliances between companies that are much more
accustomed to competing with each other than collaborating...
Superservers, in fact, will make client-server computing a reality,
and eventually every computer platform will be affected. The
technology emerging today means you are going to have access to
other people and they are going to have access to you."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NETWORKS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Smart LAN Hubs Take Control
Author(s): Herman, James
Journal: Data communications
v. 20, n. 7 June 1991 pp. 62-75,142,143
Abstract: 508 JA
Subjects:
INTERNETWORKS
LOCAL AREA NETWORKS
"It's a fact of life: Highly developed organisms like LAN
internets must have sophisticated central nervous systems if
they are to survive and evolve. Smart LAN hubs are now
asserting themselves as the key nerve centers of these complex
computer nets. When used to their fullest potential,
intelligent hubs can serve as a universal tool for configuring
and managing heterogeneous architectures assembled from LANs,
routers, bridges, and servers. Thus, organizations that rapidly
come up to speed on smart hub technology will have the edge on
building successful internetworks."
Title: Multiprotocol Routers: Invasion of the Computer Giants
Author(s): Hindin, Eric M.
Journal: Data communications
v. 20, n. 8 June 21, 1991 pp. 39-52
Abstract: 547 JA
Subjects:
INTEGRATION
ROUTERS
SYSTEMS
The brisk sales and heady growth rates racked up by vendors of
multiprotocol routers in recent years stem from one basic
change in corporate networking: network managers have grown
tired of installing and maintaining parallel networks to
accommodate different types of traffic. Systems vendors have
finally gotten the message that their network products don't
measure up to user needs, and they're starting to do something
about it. IBM, Unisys, DEC, and Hewlett-Packard are drastically
overhauling their network product lines to offer customers at
least the hope of evolving to a single-backbone network. New
products are appearing that will eventually let customers build
one network that can handle any type of data traffic, and they
can be used apart from or in conjunction with the vendors'
conventional network gear, which has been widely shunned in
favor of multiprotocol routers. The systems giants still have
a long way to go in terms of technology and innovation to catch
the leading router vendors, but each is counting on its massive
size and resources to make up ground quickly.
Title: Frame Relay: The Next Generation of X.25 Networks
Author(s): Muller, Nathan J.
Journal: Journal of data & computer communications
v. 4, n. 1 Summer 1991 pp. 4-13
Abstract: 548 JA
Subjects:
BROADBAND SERVICES
COMMUNICATIONS
CORPORATE MIGRATION STRATEGIES
HIGH BANDWIDTH SERVICES
"A variety of new packet transmission technologies can achieve
throughput rates greater than conventional X.25. One such
technology, fast packet (a generic term applied to many
different high-speed transmission technologies), is already a
success on private T1 networks. Another packet technology is
frame relay, which achieves high throughput principally by
removing error correction and other overhead functions from the
network. This article discusses frame relay in detail. It
begins with a review of its predecessor, X.25, and ends with
some conjecture about the future of frame relay technology."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Product Development as a Process
Author(s): Whiting, Rick
Journal: Electronic business
v. 17, n. 12 June 17, 1991 pp. 30-36
Abstract: 542 JA
Subjects:
ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY
MANUFACTURING
"During the 1970s and early 1980s, the US electronics industry
ceded a critical advantage to Japan when American companies
proved to be too slow in adopting just-in-time, continuous
improvement, and other innovative manufacturing techniques.
Today, electronics vendors have an opportunity to gain or lose
an equally critical advantage in the way they develop new
products. Product development is about to become a key
competitive battleground, where such advantages as shorter time
to market and higher product quality will be won or lost."
Title: Managing Product Development From the Top
Author(s): Whiting, Rick
Journal: Electronic business
v. 17, n. 12 June 17, 1991 pp. 40-44
Abstract: 543 JA
Subjects:
MANAGEMENT
"To top-tier managers, the process of product development is
often a black box. For these managers, the question becomes one
of tracking the progress of development projects in terms of time,
cost, and design, but without becoming so intrusive that they
become part of the problem rather than the solution. An
increasing number of companies are using a process, often called
'phase review', to provide executives with windows into that
black box. Phase review is a two-tier approach in which a core
team of engineers, marketing personnel, and others oversee
projects on a day-to-day basis." With this process, management
knows where to work and where not to tinker. It allows management
to become involved early in the development process, rather than
managing crises later on. But it is not infallible; management
must recognize that phase reviews look at the larger picture by
focusing on the total product and surrounding business decisions.
Questions about the product itself are left to the design reviews
which occur during each phase.
Title: In Search of the Perfect Product
Author(s): Burrows, Peter
Journal: Electronic business
v. 17, n. 12 June 17, 1991 pp. 70-74
Abstract: 544 JA
Subjects:
ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY
PRODUCT DESIGN
QUALITY FUNCTION
The US electronics industry has a dubious but time-honored
tradition of making technologically excellent products that bomb
simply because customers don't need them. The reason for this
is that product design has long been dominated by product
designers, not by customers. This is why GenRad (Concord, MA)
and many of the biggest names in electronics are working with a
powerful management tool called quality function deployment
(QFD) to put the drawing board back into the customer's hands.
DEC, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, and Texas Instruments have all
announced or plan to announce products developed using this
technique. QFD makes extensive use of matrices to translate
"customer care-abouts" into products that most nearly fulfill
customers' wish lists. And it's not easy -- many companies
(including DEC) have ended up with 100-by-100 matrices to fill
in, wasting months of precious time. Team members often get
caught up in the details of the exercise while the market window
closes. Many companies, especially younger ones with roots in
the more customer-oriented 1980s, are highly skeptical of the
formality and intense attention to detail required by QFD.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
PACKAGING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Electronic Packaging in the 1990's - A Perspective from Asia
Author(s): Ohsaki, Takaaki
Journal: IEEE transactions on components, hybrids and manufacturing technology
v. 14, n. 2 June 1991 pp. 254-261
Abstract: 531 JA
Subjects:
ASIA
COMMUNICATIONS
ELECTRONICS
"Evolution of many electronic packaging techniques is required
by the advanced information society. An overview of the present
status and future trends in electronic packaging technologies
are reviewed. Advanced modules packaged with these technologies
are shown in three major systems: switching systems, transmission
systems, and computer systems."
Title: Electronic Packaging in the 1990's - A Perspective from America
Author(s): Tummala, Rao R.; IBM Corp.
Journal: IEEE transactions on components, hybrids and manufacturing technology
v. 14, n. 2 June 1991 pp. 262-271
Abstract: 532 JA
Subjects:
ELECTRONICS
SEMICONDUCTORS
UNITED STATES
"Far from passive containers for semiconductor chips in the
1960's and 1970's, advanced packages in tomorrow's most advanced
computers pose at least as many engineering and scientific
challenges as the chips that they interconnect, power, and cool.
New packaging designs in the 1990's may be expected to lead
their developers into uncharted areas of science. The
packaging community in the US, consisting of industry,
universities, and national laboratories have finally recognized
the fact that while semiconductors continue to be improved upon
relentlessly for performance as measured in picoseconds, it is
the packaging that will set the limit on system performance in
nanoseconds. This paper reviews the US packaging thrusts to
address these and other related issues."
Title: Electronic Packaging in the 1990's - The Perspective from Europe
Author(s): Wessely, Hermann; et al
Journal: IEEE transactions on components, hybrids and manufacturing technology
v. 14, n. 2 June 1991 pp. 272-284
Abstract: 533 JA
Subjects:
ELECTRONICS
EUROPE
SEMICONDUCTORS
"In the past, IC chips in packages, supplied by the IC
manufacturer, have been used in large quantities. Since for
several years the usage of bare chips has become more
considerable, bare chips have started to replace the packaged IC.
With the use of an appropriate packaging and interconnection
technology, using bare chips can result in significant
improvements in overall circuit density which can be a guide to
higher equipment operating speeds and more cost efficiency,
especially in the mainframe area. The important question arises
whether presently practiced technologies will be adequate to
accommodate the demands of the 1990's in Europe. Common
European activities have been started in the field of research
and development of information technology. ESPRIT and JESSI are
the industrial cooperative programs. Part of ESPRIT is APACHIP,
a project to develop high performance technology."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: A Battle is Brewing on the Desktop
Author(s): Curran, Lawrence
Journal: Electronics
v. 64, n. 6 June 1991 pp. 41-46
Abstract: 545 JA
Subjects:
DESKTOP COMPUTING
WORKSTATIONS
"Just when it looked as if the Intel 80386 microprocessor had
run its course as a major stimulant to the personal computer
market, a raft of new developments heralds a battle for control
of the desktop and renewed vigor in PC sales. Managers
pondering when to replace their older desktop machines will get
more bang for their bucks in the wake of key market moves, not
the least of which is Intel Corp.'s aggressive plan to extend
the architecture and performance of the industry-standard x86
microprocessor family. Some of the other forces that will
breathe new life onto the desktop include the advent of the
Advanced Computing Environment consortium, the runaway success
of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 3.0 graphical user interface, and
Digital Equipment Corp.'s bold venture to get back into the PC
business, piggybacking on on Intel-built 486-based platform.
But the initiative of the 21-member ACE consortium, if it
succeeds, will also boost sales of the PC's big brother, the
workstation. That will sharpen the competition between vendors
of x86 PCs and Unix-based RISC workstations, for desktop space
historically conceded to venerable DOS machines."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
RISC (REDUCED INSTRUCTION SET COMPUTING)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: IBM RISC System/6000: Architecture and Performance
Author(s): Oehler, Richard R.; Blasgen, Michael W.; IBM Research Division
Journal: IEEE micro
v. 11, n. 3 June 1991 pp. 14-17,56-62
Abstract: 519 JA
Subjects:
IBM
INSTRUCTION SETS
MICROPROCESSORS
"The IBM RISC System/600 realizes the idea of a superscalar
microprocessor. The architecture of this processor has its
instruction set specifically designed for a superscalar machine
containing three independent units -- branch, fixed-point, and
floating-point. Besides the emphasis on superscalar, the design
also emphasizes high-performance floating-point operations."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOFTWARE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Top 50 : Profiles of the Leading Independent Software Companies
Author(s): Hodges, Judith; Melewski, Deborah
Journal: Software magazine
v. 11, n. 8 June 1991/special pp. 23-26
Abstract: 541 JA
Subjects:
COMPUTER INDUSTRY
"While the US economy may have been slow, the software industry
in 1990 grew at an impressive rate, especially in sales outside
the US. The Top 50 independent suppliers in SOFTWARE MAGAZINE's
annual survey reported combined revenues for worldwide packaged
software sales of just under $10.7 billion for calendar year
1990. This represents a 29% increase over 1989, in which the Top
50 ranking companies collectively achieved $8.3 billion. For
independent software vendors, topping $10 billion marked a
banner year. Collectively, for the first time in the software
industry, they outperformed IBM. However, IBM still managed
strong growth in both US and non-US software operations. Digital
Equipment's percentage of software revenues to total corporate
revenues nearly matches IBM's. David Stone [said] that software
sales in fiscal 1990 accounted for 15% of total revenues, or
nearly $2 billion. And, Stone said, 'the potential is there to
be 30% [of sales].'" Microsoft is ranked #2, Lotus #3, Novell
#7, The Santa Cruz Operation #26.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
STORAGE DEVICES
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Tape Vendors Face Integrators
Author(s): Simpson, David
Journal: Systems integration
v. 24, n. 5 May 1991 pp. 34-39
Abstract: 512 JA
Subjects:
BACKUP STORAGE
MASS STORAGE STRATEGIES
"SYSTEMS INTEGRATION rounded up some of the best and brightest
to tackle the issue of high-capacity backup storage.
Representatives from seven leading storage vendors, two systems
integrators and two of the magazine's editors participated in
the discussion. This article is what this panel of experts has
to say about competing high-capacity backup technologies -- 1/4"
tape cartridge, 4mm digital audio tape and 8mm helical scan."
Media interchangeability occupied much discussion time. Other
comments: With multiserver networks serving thousands of nodes,
the tape drive is becoming more important. For DAT, the need is
to support DCLZ, and not confuse customers with an interim
solution. QIC-40 and QIC-90 standards are incompatible with
OS/2 and Unix; it's a huge problem.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYSTEMS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Next Next
Author(s): Raney, Scott
Journal: UNIXWorld
v. 8, n. 7 July 1991 pp. 57-64
Abstract: 523 JA
Subjects:
GRAPHICS
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
WORKSTATIONS
What exactly is a Nextstation? It's neither a PC nor a typical
UNIX workstation, but offers elements of the best of both. It's
inexpensive like a PC, and requires little in the way of system
administration. It sports a multitasking operating system and a
high performance CPU like a workstation. The Nextstation
resides in the fuzzy domain between PCs and workstations. With
the second generation Next platform, Steve Jobs has accomplished
what he set out to do: build a forward-looking machine that, in
theory, one-ups the best from Apple and undercuts the incursions
of Sun and IBM into the professional workstation market of
high-end application users of desktop publishing, graphic arts,
and multimedia.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TECHNOLOGY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Pass the Plasma,...Please
Author(s): Pennisi, Elizabeth
Journal: Science news (Washington, D.C.)
v. 139, n. 20 May 18, 1991 pp. 312-314
Abstract: 513 JA
Subjects:
CHIP MANUFACTURE
MICROELECTRONICS
SEMICONDUCTORS
Today interdisciplinary collaborations are occurring ever more
frequently as individuals, companies, universities and
government agencies try to keep pace with rapidly changing
technologies. Many researchers have decided that these
exchanges must occur if the US is to regain its high-technology
leadership, especially in microelectronics. Semiconductors
represent one area where such teamwork has become critical and
where researchers, the US government and industry have changed
their work habits to spur technological growth. By focusing on
specific problems and crossing disciplinary boundaries, these
players can make progress faster than ever before. Highlighted
in this article are three researchers who have applied their
diverse backgrounds to plasma processing, an increasingly
important step in the making of computer chips. And many
researchers believe that this collaboration could serve as a
model for spurring progress in other technologies.
Title: Strategic Partnering Aids Technology Transfer
Author(s): Green, John A.S.; Brupbacher, John; Goldheim, David; Martin Marietta
Journal: Research technology management
v. 34, n. 4 July-August 1991 pp. 26-31
Abstract: 552 JA
Subjects:
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
"This article describes a method of technology transfer that has
evolved out of the need to transfer promising technologies in
the 'engineered materials' field to full-scale production and
application, when the inventing company is not in the materials
production industry. The method that solves the technology
transfer problem is to develop a strategic partner who is in the
materials business and is motivated to be a licensed producer.
The experience base for the technology transfer discussed here
has involved high-strength aluminum alloys and metal matrix
composites."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TELECOMMUNICATION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Has ISDN Turned the Corner?
Author(s): Finneran, Michael
Journal: Business communications review
v. 21, n. 6 June 1991 pp. 43-46
Abstract: 530 JA
Subjects:
ISDN
NETWORKS
"The much-maligned ISDN market in the US received a shot in the
arm in late February 1991 with the announcement for a new plan
for deployment: National ISDN 1. While many in the industry
remain skeptical, National ISDN 1 is a major step forward in
making ISDN-based services available to a wide range of
potential customers at a reasonable price. There were two major
parts to this announcement: first, the major central office
switch vendors -- AT&T Network Systems, Northern Telecomm and
Siemens -- have agreed to support a common subscriber interface
standard for both basic and primary rate; second, the RBOCs will
tariff ISDN services and deploy them aggressively within
their networks. These issues address two of the major obstacles
that have prevented an ISDN market from developing."
Distribution:
TO:
judy amar@DLB DENNIS DICKERSON@DL STEVE DONOVAN@DLO Tommy Gaut@HSO
DONALD HEIDORN@DYO Ed Hurry@DVO yoshinori ishii@TKO phil james@DLB
norio2 murakami@TKO Louis Pau@VBE jim rather@HSO Pat Roach@VBE
Czarena Siebert@HSO Mike Sievers@HSO Dale Stout@HSO Susan Sugar@MWO
Sherry Williams@HSO Mike Willis@HSO Tom Wilson@HST
|
| 18.10 | Fwd: Western Technology Digest V6 #2 | MR4DEC::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Fri Oct 25 1991 00:09 | 546 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Doc. No: 005984
Date: 23-Oct-1991 08:45pm EDT
From: BEANE
BEANE@SHLACT@SELECT@MRGATE@NRGATE@NRO
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: PATRICK ROACH@LMO
Subject: Fwd: Western Technology Digest V6 #2
********************************************************************************
***** WESTERN TECHNOLOGY DIGEST *****
**** VOLUME 6 NUMBER 2 ****
*** OCT/NOV 1991 ***
** Mary Hayes Editor **
********************************************************************************
WESTERN TECHNOLOGY DIGEST is a monthly technology transfer forum for
communicating research, technical, and competitive information between
Digital and research communities.
********************************
THIS MAGAZINE IS RESTRICTED FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY BY EMPLOYEES OF DIGITAL
EQUIPMENT CORPORATION. @ Copyright Digital Equipment Corporation 1987, 1988,
1989, 1990, 1991.
*******************************************************************************
The purpose of WTD is to inform Digital readers of events and activities of
interest in the research community. The style of this digest will be to
provide abstracts or short articles of interest with references to more
detailed information for you to pursue should you wish to follow-up.
We welcome contributions from anyone who is sponsoring research, doing
work.
We also encourage comments from readers and Letters to the Editor, which
will be published with the author's permission.
If you wish to subscribe to WTD or change your subscription address
or to submit papers or articles please send mail to REESA::HAYES
If you wish to receive copies of the articles mentioned in WTD, please send
all requests to TENAYA. Please include your mail stop as the articles
are sent in hard copy format. Also please note, if you are ordering copies
of articles from past issues, you must but the issue, title and authors name.
********************************************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THIS ISSUE =
I. Spatial Domain Decomposition in Silicon Devices and Its
Application To Transient Device Analysis - Howard Read,
Shigetaka Kumashiro & Andrzej Strojwas
II. Coloring and Clique Partitioning for Data Path Allocation
- David Springer
III. Design for Manufacturability: "Good, better, best/never let it
rest/until my good is better/and my better best" - Paul Adler
Designing Bureaucracies That Work: The Case of Engineering
Change Management - Paul Adler
IV. Imaging Polished Sapphire with Atomic Force Microscopy
R.C. Barrett & C. F. Quate
V. Steady-State Analysis of RBM in a Rectangle: Numerical
Methods and a Queueing Application - J.G. Gai & Michael Harrison
VI. Process and Device Modeling - James Plummer
VII. The CIS Newsletter - Carmen Miraflor
VIII. The Strategist's Role in Shortening Product Development
- Donald Reinertsen & Preston Smith
IX. How To Deal With AIDS In The Work Place - Martha McDonald
X. Women Engineerings A Very Rare Breed - Gail Robinson,
Deirdre Drummey & Signe Myers
XI. From Affimative Action To Affirming Diversity
- R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr.
XII. Emotion And Stress: Stanford Center for Organization Research
XIII. WTD Statics
XIV. Automated Paper Request Form
*****************************************************************************
Spatial Domain Decomposition in Silicon Devices and Its
Application to Transient Device Analysis
Howard Read, Shigetaka Kumashiro & Andrzej Strojwas
ECE Department, Carnegie Mellon University
The transient simulation of multiple semiconductor devices is critical
in the analysis of dynamic effects such as latch-up. During transient
simulation, a large system of coupled nonlinear partial differential
equations (PDE) must be solved with considerable effort. In this paper,
they present a method of decomposing the spatial domain of silicon (containing
one or more devices) into smaller subdomains. A transient simulation
algorithm can then use different time-steps within each subdomains and avoid
a full solution of the nonlinear PDE's in areas where the solution does not
change rapidly.
********************************************************************************
Coloring and Clique Partitioning for Data Path Allocation
David L. Springer
SRC-CMU Research Center for Computer-Aided Design
Carnegie Mellon University
The purpose of this research is to explore new techniques for
automatic high-level synthesis of VLSI systems. In particular we are
exploring more powerful graph theoretic algorithms to determine which
elements in the behavioral description should share physical resources.
In high-level synthesis, conflict and compatibility graphs have
been used to represent the relationships between elements to be mapped
onto shared resources. A legal mapping of elements onto shared resources
is represented by a legal node of coloring of a conflict graph or a clique
portion of a compatibility graph. One of the main problems with using
clique partitioning and node coloring for synthesis is that on general
graph they are NP-complete.
*******************************************************************************
Design for Manufacturability: "Good, better, best/never
let it rest/until my good is better/and my better best."
Paul Adler
Dept. of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management
Stanford University
The objective of this paper is to better define some of the key
challenges in improving the fit between product design parameters and
manufacturing process parameters--commonly referred to as Design for
Manufacturability (DFM). Paul Adler is interpreting manufacturing
broadly, to include all the issues associated with the interface
between product development and manufacturing-- issues such as
fabrication, assembly, and test.
Designing Bureaucracies That Work: The Case Of Engineering Change Management
Paul Adler
Dept. of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management
Stanford University
Managing the EC process: initial findings.
They found that while EC process improvement task forces ostensibly
pursued goals such as decreasing processing time, processing effort,
and the number of ECs, the biggest hurdle was invariably getting their
arms around the EC process. In most firms, the EC process is not very
well understood. No single department oversees the entire process. It
is thus uncertain who participates, why they participate, what they do,
how long they take to do it. The first step for many firms is thus
simply to understand what the typical EC process is (or what variations
in EC processing are pursued).
********************************************************************************
Imaging Polished Sapphire with Atomic Force Microscopy
R.C. Barrett and C.F. Quate
Dept. of Applied Physics
Stanford University
The polished faces of c- and r- oriented single-crystal sapphire have
been studied with an optical deflection-sensed atomic force microscope using
microfabricated cantilevers and a fiber optic-based light source. Images taken
with repulsive contact forces reveal equally spaced atomic steps. The spacing
between these steps corresponds with the off-axis angle of polishing
(~ 10 arac-min). An unidentified large-scale periodicity (~ 1 micron) is
also observed. Attractive-mode images of the same sample have been obtained
using electrostatic forces. This was accomplished by evaporating a thin
metal film on the sample side of the cantilever. Charge is deposited on the
sample by applying a bias to an electrode attached to the back side of the
sample and allowing it to come to equilibrium. These attractive-mode images
reveal the same large-scale periodicity as with repulsive mode, but with an
increased amplitude. This result implies that the features are more than
simple topography, and possibly correspond to regions of charge accumulation.
**************************************************************************************
Steady-State Analysis of RBM in a Rectangle: Numerical Methods
and a Queueing Application
J.G. Dai and J. Michael Harrison
Graduate School of Business
Stanford University
Multidimensionsl reflected Brownian motions, also called requlated
Brownian motions or simply RBM's, arise as approximate models of Queueing
networks. Thus the stationary distributions of these diffusion processes
are of interest for steady-state analysis of the corresponding Queueing
systems. This paper considers two-dimensional semimartingale RBM's with
rectangular state space, which include the RBM's that serve as approximate
models of finite queues in tandem. The stationary distribution of such an
RBM is uniquely characterized by a certain basic adjoint relationship, and
an algorithm is proposed for numerical solution of that relationship.
******************************************************************************
Process and Device Modeling
James D. Plummer
CIS: Center for Integrated Systems
Stanford University
Computer simulation offers a potentially powerful tool for
designing new semiconductor devices or processes. Process and device
simulators have been used for many years, but it is only in recent years
that their use has become widespread. The reason for this increased use
is simply that modern device structures are so complex that purely
experimental design is very difficult and very expensive. The approach
taken at Stanford in developing these kinds of simulators has been to
base them on the best available physical models. They believe that this
approach increases the range of design problems that the simulators can
address.
********************************************************************************
The CIS Visitor Program Revisited
Carmen Miraflor
CIS: Center for Integrated Systems
Stanford University
The CIS Visitor Program began almost a decade ago when the CIS
was founded as a University research center. Specially designed to
promote in-depth interaction between industrial scientists, engineers,
and researchers in academia through residency at the Center. The program
facilitates contact and collaboration among the visitors, faculty and
students. CIS provides office space and supplies, computer and
telecommunications support. The visitor usually connects with a professor
whose research work is of strong interest to the researcher and her/his
company. The visiting team averages eighteen months, but has been as short
as one quarter and as long as four years. Participation in the program is
generally initiated by a Partner company and connection with a faculty
member and his research group is facilitated by CIS. Since the program's
inception, there have been 40 such match-ups in a spectrum of research
interests ranging from basic electronic material to devices, to systems
and software.
From Digital Equipment Corporation is Reesa Abrams. Reesa is the
Manager of the Technology Transfer Program which in an intrapreneurial
activity within Digital. Her job is to increase the partnership between
Digital and Stanford. This includes matching Stanford researchers to
Digital's strategic needs. Additionally she serves as an alternate to
the Industrial Advisory Boards at CIS, SIMA and CIFE. At CIS she is a
member of the Marketing Committee which pursues new industrial members
for CIS. At SIMA she is outgoing chair of the Industrial Projects
Committee which solicits industrial feedback and advice on SIMA seed
research. Reesa is also chair of the SIMA Manufacturing Models Lab
Administrative Committee. At CIFE, Reesa is active in CIFE's Management
of Technology group. Reesa comes with twenty-five years of experience
in high technology industry but success also springs from harnessing
the resources she finds at Stanford and promptly communicating this
information to various sites within Digital.
If you would like more information about the CIS visitor program,
SIMA and CIFE, please send email to Reesa Abrams at TENAYA::ABRAMS, or
call DTN 543-3433.
*********************************************************************************
The Strategist's Role in Shortening Product Development
Donald G. Reinertsen & Preston G. Smith
Journal of Business Strategy
Many corporate strategists feel that the
challenge of shortening product development cycles is unique to the
realm of the operating manager. Product development is viewed either
as a narrow tactical issue to be wrestled with by line management or as
an organizational strength or weakness to be exploited by means of
insightful strategies. This perspective can mislead strategists into
believing that they have no role to play in shortening product development
cycles--and this belief can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
**************************************************************************
How To Deal With AIDS In The Work Place:
Here's How Some Forward-Thinking Firms Are Handling The Crisis.
Martha McDonald
Business & Health
The center for Disease Control estimates that 1 million Americans
are infected with the HIV virus. Some experts, however, believe the
figure is closer to 1.5 million. As the numbers climb, more American
business will feel the sting of the epidemic through rising health
insurance and disability costs.
Is American business prepared for AIDS in the 1990's? Experts
shake their heads emphatically, saying "NO". Paul Ross, corporate manager
of the AIDS Program Office at Digital Equipment Corporation, "By and
large, business are hoping if they don't talk about AIDS- it will go
away. We are in a heavy state of denial. Although many companies continue
to respond negatively to the AIDS crisis - even to the point of terminating
the employment of HIV-positive employees and discriminating against them
in hiring, other companies are reacting in more positive ways. Levi
struss and Digital Equipment have faced the epidemic head on by designing
anti-discrimination policies and work-site education programs that foster
a compassionate and enlightened work force.
********************************************************************************
Women Engineers - A Very Rare Breed
Gail Robinson, Deirdre Drummey & Signe Myers
Design News
Pick almost any profession and you'l find that American
women have made enormous progress in recent years. But there's
one glaring exception- engineering. The National Science Foundation's
latest finding reveal that women make up just 3.5% of the engineering
workforce.
What factors discourage women from entering engineering?
Why do they shy away from a field that can be marketable, lucrative,
and challenging? This report seeks to answer these questions based
on interviews with experts and the finding form a survey of 1000 women
engineers. Finally, this report describes what steps companies, schools,
and the government are taking to attract women to engineering - at a
time when the field needs them most.
********************************************************************************
From Affirmative Action To Affirming Diversity
R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr.
Harvard Business Review
Sooner or later, affirmative action will die a natural death. Its
achievements have been stupendous, but if we look at the premises that underlie
it, we find assumptions and priorities that look increasingly shopworn.
Thirty years ago, affirmative action was invented on the basis of these
five appropriate premises:
1. Adult, white males make up something called the U.S. business
mainstream.
2. The U.S. economic edifice is a solid, unchanging institution with
more than enough space for everyone.
3. Women, blacks, immigrants, and other minorities should be allowed
in as a matter of public policy and common decency.
4. Widespread racial, ethnic, and sexual prejudice keeps them out. 5
5. Legal and social coercion are necessary to bring about change.
Today all five premises need revising.
**********************************************************************************
Stanford Center For Organizations Research
Fall Colloquium Series
EMOTION AND STRESS
Stanford University
Graduate School of Business
This series is free for all to attend. These talks will be held in Room 87,
in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. They will be
on Thursdays, 3:00 - 4:30pm. Please send me email if you have any questions.
Mary Hayes, TENAYA::HAYES.
OCTOBER 24: Robert G. Eccles - Graduate School of Business Admin
Harvard University
"The Use and Abuse of Rhetoric: Getting Action
in Organizations"
NOVEMBER 7: Robert A. Baron - School of Management
R.P.I.
"Environmentally-Induced Positive Affect: It's Effects
on Task Performance and Interpersonal Relations in
Work Settings"
NOVEMBER 14: Stephen Barley - Industrial Relations
Cornell University
"Toward a cultural Theory of Stress"
DECEMBER 5: Robert Sutton - Industrial Eng & Eng Management
Stanford University
"The Expression of Emotion in Organizational Life"
********************************************************************************
WTD PAPER STATICS
MAY 1991
AUTHOR TITLE # OF REQUESTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edward Steinmuller "The Economics of Alternative Integrated
Circuit Manufacturing Technology: A
Framework and Appraisal"
Stanford University 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Samual Wood & "Modeling the Performance of
Krishna Saraswat Cluster-Based Fabs"
Stanford University 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thierry Barsalou, "Representing Probabilistic Knowledge
R. Martin Chavez & in Relational Databases"
Stanford University 10
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thierry Barsalou, "Hypertext Interface for Decision-Support
R. Martin Chavez & Systems: A Case Study"
Gio Wiederhold
Stanford University 17
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thierry Barsalou, "Knowledge-Directed Mediation Between
Gio Wiederhold Application Objects and Base Data"
Stanford University 10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gio Wiederhold "Outer Joins & Filters for Istantiating
Byung Suk Lee Objects from Relational Database Through
Views."
Stanford University 10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thierry Barsalou, "Knowledge-Based Mapping of Relations
Gio Wiederhold into Objects"
Stanford University 14
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thierry Barsalou, "Updating Relational Databases Through
Gio Wiederhold, Object-Based Views"
Arthur Keller
Stanford University 9
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gio Wiederhold, "Management of Complex Structural
Kincho Law, Engineering Objects in a Relational
Thierry Barsalou Framework"
Stanford University 10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G.F. Franklin "A Real Time Control for Semiconductor
Equipment - Slides"
Stanford University 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Pan "Knowledge Service, Library & Software
Integration - Slides"
Stanford University 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steven Tang, "Structured User Interface Builder
Ernest Wood, & Applying it to CIM - Slides"
John Vlissides
Stanford University 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ernest Wood "SPIDER - A Bridge to Lab Operations - Slides"
Stanford University 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shailesh Agarwal, "Dynamic Global Schema Integration:
Krishna Saraswat, A Framework for Semiconductor
Gio Wiederhold, Manufacturing Database Integration &
Ernest Wood Evolution - Slides"
Arthur Keller
Stanford University 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plummer, Wong, "Manufacturing Science: The Virtual
McVittie, Ray Factory - The Stanford Program in
Koehler, Wood & Goossens Semiconductor Manufacturing - Slides"
Stanford University 7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Student Project "Semiconductor Manufacturing Research
Summaries Program - Slides"
Stanford University 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nicolet, Vreeland "Properties of Si-Based Epitaxial Layers
Wang, Karumasiri and Superlattices - Slides"
Stanford University 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Krishna Saraswat "TI/AIR Force MMST Reviews: Overview
of the Stanford Research Program on
Advanced Micro Factory - Slides"
Stanford University 4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Khuri-Yakub, Lee, "On-Site Monitoring Techniques
Saraswat, Bhardwaj Using Acoustic Waves - Slides"
Stanford University 2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Losleben "Semiconductor Manufacturing Research-
Background, Motivation & Overview - Slides"
Stanford University 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Umberto Ravaioli "Advanced Visualizaiton Techniques for
Karl Hess Semiconductor Device Simulation"
Stanford University 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL 117
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JUNE/JULY 1991 WTD STATICS
AUTHOR TITLE # OF REQUESTS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charles O'Reilly "Corporations, Culture, & Commitment:
Motivation and Social Control in
Organizations"
U.C. Berkeley 22
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barbara Berkman "The Best and Brightest Speakout" 17
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Taylor Cox, "Invisible Men & Women: A Status
Stella Nkomo Report on Race as a Variable in
Organizational Behavior Research"
Univ of Michigan
Univ of North Carolina 17
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joanne Martin "Deconstructing Organizational Taboos:
The Suppression of Gender Conflict in
Organizations"
Stanford University 31
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dorit Hochbaum & "A Unified Approach to Approximation
David Shmoys Algorithms for Bottleneck Problems"
U. C. Berkeley 6
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dorit Hochbaum "The Linzertorte Problem, or a Unified
Edna Wigderson Approach to Painting, Baking & Weaving"
U.C. Berkeley 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dorit Hochbaum "Approximation Schemes for Covering &
Wolfgang Maass Packing Problems in Image Processing
and VLSI"
U.C. Berkeley
Univ of Illinois 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dorit Hochbaum "Fast Approximation Algorithms for a
Wolfgang Maass Nonconvex Covering Problems"
U.C. Berkeley
Univ of Illinois 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dorit Hochbaum "Optimal Algorithms for the Allocation
Problems and its Extensions"
U.C. Berkeley 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marko Chew "Re-Evaluation Mode Timing Simulation"
Andrzef Strojwas
Carnegie Mellon University 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL 110
*******************************************************************************
********************************************************************************
IX. Automated Paper Request Form
Below are the papers that are available from the OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1991
issue of WTD. Please send all requests to TENAYA::HAYES. Please include your
mailstop and the automated paper form. DO NOT send the entire issue with your
request at the bottom; also if you are ordering papers from past issues, you
must add issue, title and author of paper. Thanks
[ ] Spatial Domain Decomposition in Silicon Devices and its
Application to Transient Device Analysis
[ ] Coloring and Clique Partitioning for Data Path Allocation
[ ] Design for Manufacturability: "Good, better, best/never let
it rest/until my good is better/and my better best."
[ ] Designing Bureaucracies That Work: The Case Of Engineering
Change Management
[ ] Imaging Polished Sapphire With Atomic Force Microscopy
[ ] Steady-State Analysis of RBM in a Rectangle: Numerical
Methods and a Queueing Application
[ ] Process and Device Modeling
[ ] CIS NewsLetter
[ ] The Strategist's Role in Shortening Product Development
[ ] How To Deal With AIDS In The Work Place
[ ] Women Engineers A Very Rare Breed
[ ] From Affirmative Action To Affirming Diversity
********************************************************************************
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