| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 26.181 | AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 7/10/90 | HERON::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Wed Aug 01 1990 17:52 | 97 |
| Printed by: Pat Roach Document Number: 012272
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I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 10-Jul-1990 05:17pm CET
From: AIIC
AIIC@AIADM@SELECT@HERON@MRGATE@HUGHI
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: ROACH@A1NSTC
Subject: AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 7/10/90
================================================================================
* * * * * * * * ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION CENTER * * * * * * * *
+ + + + + + + + NewsCapsule + + + + + + + +
* * * * * * * * Tuesday, July 10, 1990 * * * * * * * *
================================================================================
DEC STOCK: 84 7/8 +1 1/2
DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS
++++++++++++++++++++++++
* "How Software is Making Food Sales a Piece of Cake: Decision
Support Systems Are Making the Most of Scanner Data"
<Business Week 7/2/90 P. 54>
"PepsiCo Inc recently installed a DSS that gathers sales data
from supermarkets, scans it for information about sales trends
and relays the information to executives. Frito Lay Inc, a snack
food division of PepsiCo, has the most sophisticated information
resource in the industry, but Kraft USA, RJR Nabisco, and Procter
and Gamble are in the midst of installing large tracking systems.
AC Nielsen and other software publishers developed systems to sort
out data by brand in the mid 1980s; these same software makers
are responsible for the newer quasi-expert systems. The system
breaks down performance by region, details how competing
products are selling, determines which promotions are successful
and generates summary reports and graphs. Food industry companies
hope dss will stregthen their influence with supermarkets."
AI-BASED SAGACITY
+++++++++++++++++
"AI-Based Sagacity Prioritizes Tasks"
<InfoWorld 7/2/90 P. 13>
"Erudite has developed an expert system for assigning and
organizing resources. Sagacity aids users in choosing the best
workers, facilities, and equipment for a certain job via artificial
intelligence. Users can tailor the package for their own priorities
and wants."
SOUTHWESTERN BELL/HOSPITAL OF THE FUTURE
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
* "Southwestern Bell Telephone Highlights Technologies at
Dallas Infomart's Hospital of the Future Exhibit"
<PR Newswire 7/2/90>
"Just what will telecommunications at the hospital of the future
be like? The best way to find out is by getting an advance look
through the Hospital of the Future at Dallas' Infomart technology
exhibition center.
Expanding its marketing efforts to the health care industry,
Southwestern Bell is providing telecommunications services as one
of the participants at the permanent demonstration exhibit which
opened in May.
Services featured include: Plexar(R) will Integrated Services
Digital Network, business voice messaging service and systems
integration through building distribution systems and local area
networks. Plexar is SWBT's central office-based telecom service.
Anderson Consulting built and manages the Hospital of the Future.
The facility features demonstrations of applications and
innovative technologies in each area of the hospital. They
include pharmacy, radiology, patient addmitting and nursing
stations."
PLEASE NOTE: * indicates full-text article is located in the Information
Center. Please come down and copy article if you wish to
do so.
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291-8256
AIADM::AIIC
|
| 26.182 | AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 7/5/90 | HERON::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Wed Aug 01 1990 17:57 | 56 |
| Printed by: Pat Roach Document Number: 012210
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 05-Jul-1990 04:58pm CET
From: AIIC
AIIC@AIADM@SELECT@HERON@MRGATE@HUGHI
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: ROACH@A1NSTC
Subject: AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 7/5/90
================================================================================
* * * * * * * * ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION CENTER * * * * * * * *
+ + + + + + + + NewsCapsule + + + + + + + +
* * * * * * * * Thursday, July 5, 1990 * * * * * * * *
================================================================================
DEC STOCK: 83 3/4 - 5/8
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/OUTLOOK
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
* "Bright Outlook for Artificial Intelligence Yields to
Slow Growth and Big Cutbacks: Great Expectations Meet
Hard Reality"
<Wall Street Journal 7/5/90 P. B1>
The article discusses the current state of the AI industry.
According to many market researchers sales would reach $4 billion
by now, but estimates of the market today are closer to $600
million. The hundreds of AI start-up companies have yielded
only a few profitable companies and those companies are trying
to regroup. "They're hiring outside managers, trumpting the
merits of cost-cutting and playing up what their products do
while playing down the AI link."
The author also reviews the current state of the various AI
companies mentioned in the article.
PLEASE NOTE: * indicates full-text article is located in the Information
Center. Please come down and copy article if you wish to
do so.
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291-8256
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|
| 26.183 | AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 7/3/90YES | HERON::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Wed Aug 01 1990 17:58 | 43 |
| Printed by: Pat Roach Document Number: 012200
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 03-Jul-1990 06:12pm CET
From: AIIC
AIIC@AIADM@SELECT@HERON@MRGATE@HUGHI
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: ROACH@A1NSTC
Subject: AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 7/3/90-
================================================================================
* * * * * * * * ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION CENTER * * * * * * * *
+ + + + + + + + NewsCapsule + + + + + + + +
* * * * * * * * Tuesday, July 3, 1990 * * * * * * * *
================================================================================
DEC STOCK: 84 3/8 - 5/8
JACK SMITH
++++++++++
* "The Slow Road to the Top at Digital"
<Boston Globe 7/3/90 P. 33>
Boston Globe interview of Jack Smith. Jack Smith talks about
his outlook for Digital with Globe reporter, Lawrence Edleman.
PLEASE NOTE: * indicates full-text article is located in the Information
Center. Please come down and copy article if you wish to
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AIADM::AIIC
|
| 26.184 | AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 8/2/90 | HERON::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Thu Aug 02 1990 18:35 | 131 |
| Printed by: Pat Roach Document Number: 012471
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 02-Aug-1990 05:25pm CET
From: AIIC
AIIC@AIADM@SELECT@HERON@MRGATE@HUGHI
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: ROACH@A1NSTC
Subject: AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 8/2/90
================================================================================
* * * * * * * * ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION CENTER * * * * * * * *
+ + + + + + + + NewsCapsule + + + + + + + +
* * * * * * * * Thursday, August 2, 1990 * * * * * * * *
================================================================================
DEC STOCK: 74 3/8 + 1/8
NUCLEAR PLANTS
++++++++++++++
* "New Artificial Intelligence Software from Technology
Applications Helps Nuclear Plant Operators Respond Quickly
to Emergencies"
<Businesswire 7/31/90>
"Technology Applications, a Bechtel Company, announced the
commercial availabiltiy of REALM (Reactor Emergency Action Level
Monitor). REALM is a software application that uses knowledge
based systems technology to assist nuclear power plant managers,
operators, and engineers to improve the speed and effectiveness
with which they can respond to emergencies.
According to Robert Touchton, president of Technology Applications,
REALM helps nuclear plant operators monitor plant conditions
by interpreting live data from hundreds of sensors - 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week. If a problem develops, REALM processes
the information and in an instant, provides users with a
thorough and consistent assessment of the situation, an
assessment that embodies the thinking of experts."
"The development of REALM was sponsored by the EPRI, Electric
Power Research Institute and has become one of its flagship
artificial intelligence projects for nuclear power generation
facilities."
INTELLICORP
+++++++++++
* "Intellicorp Introduces Powerful Descriptive Programming
Environment For Commercial Applications"
<BusinessWire 8/31/90>
"Intellicorp demonstrated PROKAPPA, a new application development
and deployment environment that brings the benefits of object-
oriented and rule-based systems to mainstream business applications.
The PROKAPPA system is comprised of 2 integrated components; an
application development environment and a set of high-performance
runtime components. The application development environment
gives traditional 3GL and 4GL programmers access to a new
descriptive programming capability through powerful development
and debugging tools that speed application development while
increasing the power and performance of applications compared
to traditional approaches. The runtime components provide a
foundation for integrating knowledge-based systems technology
with conventionally developed systems to create high-impact end-user
applicaitons."
IBM
+++
* "New For IBM: Knowledge Seeker Spots Data Relationships"
<Newsbytes News Network 7/12/90>
"A new software package finds relationships in data that only a
trained statistician could locate without the package, according
to the software's developer, FirstMark Technologies.
Barry Bresnahan, manager of business development of FirstMark,
said the company calls its new Knowldge Seeker package a decision
making tool. The software incorporates elements of expert systems
technology. Its function is to discover relationships among data
that would not otherwise be obvious. Other software might find
such relationships, but only if the user knew what to look for.
Knowledge Seeker will notice data relationships without being
told specifically what to look for.
Statistical Software for large computers can produce results like
those of Knowledge Seeker, but requires statistical expertise
to use it."
UNISYS/AI
+++++++++
* "Managing Merged Nets: Unisys Turns to Artificial Intelligence"
<Communications Week 7/9/90 P. 20>
"The union of Burroughs Corp. and Sperry Corp. was a merger of
corporate networks: Burroughs Network Architecture and Sperry's
Distributed Communications Architecture. The merged networks
produced many more alarms than either network singly. Use of
artificial intelligence in network management helps sort them out.
Unisys still runs two separate networks, one for its engineering
departments and one for the rest of the corporation. The engineering
network, Devnet, is managed with the help of a knowledge-based
system which makes decisions based on human expertise.
Devnet is managed from the company's Roseville, MN office using
AT&T's Accumaster Integrator integrated network management system,
which Unisys also resells."
PLEASE NOTE: * indicates full-text article is located in the Information
Center. Please come down and copy article if you wish to
do so.
AI Information Center
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291-8256
AIADM::AIIC
|
| 26.185 | YES | HERON::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Fri Sep 14 1990 16:26 | 106 |
| Printed by: Pat Roach Document Number: 013119
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 13-Sep-1990 06:25pm CET
From: AIIC
AIIC@AIADM@SELECT@HERON@MRGATE@HUGHI
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: ROACH@A1NSTC
Subject: AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 9/13/90
================================================================================
* * * * * * * * ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION CENTER * * * * * * * *
+ + + + + + + + NewsCapsule + + + + + + + +
* * * * * * * * Thursday, September 13, 1990 * * * * * * * *
================================================================================
DEC STOCK: 61 5/8 - 2
ALAMO CAR RENTAL
++++++++++++++++
"Alamo Builds Networked Expert System to Set Rates"
<Network World 9/3/90 P. 13>
"Alamo Rent-A-Car has used IBM's Integrated Reasoning Shell (TIRS)
to develop a network-based pricing system. The pricing system
gathers data from various sources to aid the company in making
timely, intelligent pricing decisions."
IBM/METAPHOR
++++++++++++
"IBM, Metaphor to Codevelop Combination GUI, OOP Platform"
<Infoworld 9/10/90 P. 6>
"Patriot Partners has been formed by IBM and Metaphor to develop
a graphical user interface (GUI) object-oriented programming
platform. The new platform will allow programs to be ported
across AIX, OS/2, and UNIX.
The environment will handle multimedia, object-oriented
programming, and expert systems. It will operate on Novell
Netware, PC-Net, LAN Manager, and other leading PC LANs."
ALAMOS NATL LAB
+++++++++++++++
* "Mapping the Genome"
<AI Expert 9/90 P. 71>
"Scientists at the Los Alamos Natl Lab have used neural-net
algorithms to study DNA sequences. These applications may be
helpful for the Human Genome Project, which hopes to map the
human DNA code."
NEURAL NETS
+++++++++++
* "Using Neural Nets: Diagnostic Expert Nets"
<AI Expert 9/90 P. 43>
"Neural Nets are being utilized for diagnostic applications:
researchers at State University of New York, Buffalo are working
on a diagnostic system for determining problems in circuit boards;
scientists in Milan are working on a system that will help to
diagnose epilepsy; GTE and the Defense Communications Agency have
collaborated on an operational system, DASA/LARS, that diagnoses
problems with satellite communications broadcasts; Ford Motor
has created an engine diagnostic system that may help with
training and test sets."
GIANT COMPUTER HIGHWAY
++++++++++++++++++++++
"Creating a Giant Computer Highway"
<NY Times 9/2/90 P. f1>
"The Corporation for National Research Initiatives, a nonprofit
company, is working to create a fully integrated, high-speed
national network of computers to transmit huge amounts of informaiton
back and forth at gigabit speeds. The information network would
give scientists, students, scholars, economists and business execs
instant access to computerized libraries the size of the Library
of Congress. Doctors could access artificial intelligence systems
to treat patients, and pharmaceutical firms to design drugs. The
network may also reduce business and personal travel."
PLEASE NOTE: * indicates full-text article is located in the Information
Center. Please come down and copy article if you wish to
do so.
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291-8256
AIADM::AIIC
|
| 26.186 | AI Information Center's Update - September 1990 | HERON::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Wed Sep 19 1990 12:55 | 195 |
| Printed by: Pat Roach Document Number: 013188
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 18-Sep-1990 11:17pm CET
From: AIIC
AIIC@AIADM@SELECT@HERON@MRGATE@HUGHI
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: ROACH@A1NSTC
Subject: AI Information Center's Update - September 1990
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
* * * * * * * * ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION CENTER * * * * * * * *
> > > > > > > > UPDATE < < < < < < < <
* * * * * * * * September 1990 * * * * * * * *
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The following are abstracts of some of the new books the AIIC
has obtained during the months of August and September.
VISUALIZATION
+++++++++++++
SCIENTIFIC VISUALIZATION AND GRAPHICS SIMULATION
Thalmann, Daniel, ed., c. 1990.
In this book the author summarizes the many devices of computer
graphics, image synthesis and computer animation needed for
visualizing scientific and medical phenomena.
ENVISIONING INFORMATION
Tufte, Edward, R., c. 1990.
The book displays "design strategies for enhancing the
dimensionality and density of portrayals of information -
techniques exemplified in maps, the manuscripts of Galileo,
timetables, computer visualizations, etc." The author presents
general principles that have specific visual consequences
governing the design, editing, analysis, and critique of data
representations.
COMPUTER ETHICS
+++++++++++++++
COMPUTER ETHICS: CAUTIONARY TALES AND ETHICAL DILEMMAS IN COMPUTING
Forester, Tom and Perry Morrison, c. 1990.
"COMPUTER ETHICS is the result of the authors' work with computer
science students, focusing on the ethical dilemmas these students
will confront as professionals."
CASE
++++
COMPUTER-AIDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING: THE METHODOLOGIES, THE PRODUCTS,
AND THE FUTURE
Gane, Chris, c. 1990.
Chris Gane discusses CASE and its methodologies, provides an
analysis of EXCELERATOR, a popular CASE product and gives a
description of twenty-five other products.
OPERATION SYSTEMS
+++++++++++++++++
UNIX NETWORK PROGRAMMING
Stevens, W. Richard, c. 1990.
"This book is unique because it includes numerous case studies of
real network applications, as well as 15,000 lines of C source code,
taken directly from their source files which helps further under-
standing of networking software."
SIMULATION
++++++++++
SIMULATION: A PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH
Hoover, Stewart V. and Ronald F. Perry, c. 1989.
The authors focus on the art and science of simulation modeling
with special emphasis placed on simulation as a decision-making tool.
OBJECT-ORIENTED
+++++++++++++++
OBJECT-ORIENTED DESIGN WITH APPLICATIONS
Booch, Grady, c. 1991.
The book is a practical guide for constructing complex object-
oriented systems and provides a description of object-oriented
design methods.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
++++++++++++++++++
SHAPING STRATEGIC PLANNING: FROGS, DRAGONS, BEES AND TURKEY TAILS
Pfeiffer, J. William, et. al., c. 1989.
SHAPING STRATEGIC PLANNING offers a model for strategic planning
along with insights to make it happen.
SOFTWARE TESTING
++++++++++++++++
SOFTWARE TESTING TECHNIQUES
Beizer, Boris, c. 1990.
SOFTWARE TESTING TECHNIQUES is a benchmark work on software
testing. It addresses the idea that design for testability
is as important as testing itself. Every chapter has testability
guidelines that illustrate how the technique discussed in the
chapter can be used to make software more easily tested and
therefore more reliable and maintainable.
REFERENCE BOOKS
+++++++++++++++
DICTIONARY OF COMPUTING
c. 1990.
"This dictionary contains nearly 4500 terms used in computing.
The technical terms are clearly and concisely explained and the
broader context of any social and legal implications is provided.
The definitions have been written by practitioners in all fields
of computing."
ADDITIONAL NEW BOOKS:
+++++++++++++++++++++
Akman, V. INTELLIGENT CAD SYSTEMS II: IMPLEMENTAL ISSUES.
Allen, James. READINGS IN PLANNING.
Cohen, Philip. INTENTIONS IN COMMUNICATION.
Collins, Allan and Edward E. smith, READINGS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE: A
PERSPECTIVE FROM PSYCHOLOGY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
Earth Works Group. 50 SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO SAVE THE EARTH.
Esakov, Jeffrey. DATA STRUCTURES: AN ADVANCED APPROACH USING C.
Etherington, David W. REASONING WITH INCOMPLETE INFORMATION.
Giarratano, Joseph. EXPERT SYSTEMS: PRINCIPLES AND PROGRAMMING.
Hax, Arnold C. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT: AN INTEGRATIVE PERSPECTIVE.
Kaewart, Julie Wallin and John M. Frost. DEVELOPING EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR
MANUFACTURING: A CASE STUDY APPROACH.
Kodratoff, Yves. INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE LEARNING.
Raeth, Peter G. EXPERT SYSTEMS: A SOFTWARE METHODOLOGY FOR MODERN
APPLICATIONS.
Rich, Charles and Richard C. Waters. READINGS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING.
Shafer, Glenn. READINGS IN UNCERTAIN REASONING.
Stoll, Clifford. THE CUCKOO'S EGG: TRACKING A SPY THROUGH THE MAZE OF
COMPUTER ESPIONAGE.
Tomasko, Robert. DOWNSIZING: RESHAPING THE CORPORATION FOR THE FUTURE.
Wah, Benjamin, and G.J. Li. TUTORIAL. COMPUTERS FOR ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE APPLICATIONS.
Weld, Daniel S., and Johan deKleer. READINGS IN QUALITATIVE REASONING
ABOUT PHYSICAL SYSTEMS.
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS:
+++++++++++++++++++++++
AAAI'90. Proceedings of the Eighth National Conference on Artificial
Intelligence. Held July 29 - August 3, 1990, in Boston, MA.
C++. Proceedings of the USENIX Conference. Held April 9-11, 1990, in San
Francisco, CA.
OFFICE INFORMATION SYSTEMS. Proceedings of the Conference. Held April
25-27, 1990, in Cambridge, MA.
REFERENCE:
++++++++++
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ASSOCIATION: 1991.
FEDERAL YELLOW BOOK: A DIRECTORY OF THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES.
FODOR'S 91: USA RESTAURANTS, HOTELS, SCENIC TOURS, FESTIVALS, NATIONAL
PARKS AND MONUMENTS.
GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP BOOK: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SCHOLARSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS,
GRANTS AND LOANS FOR GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDY.
GRE: GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATION: GENERAL TEST.
THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO GMAT REVIEW: 1990-1992.
PETERSON'S GUIDE TO COLLEGES IN NEW ENGLAND: 1991.
PETERSON'S GUIDE TO FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES: 1991.
PETERSON'S GUIDE TO TWO-YEAR COLLEGES: 1991.
PRACTICING TO TAKE THE GRE COMPUTER SCIENCE TEST.
AI Information Center
DLB5-1/E3
291-8256
AIADM::AIIC
|
| 26.187 | AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 10/1/90 | HERON::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Mon Oct 08 1990 18:52 | 91 |
| Printed by: Pat Roach Document Number: 013244
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 08-Oct-1990 10:46am CET
From: ROACH
ROACH@SELECT@HERON@MRGATE@HUGHI
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: ROACH@A1NSTC
Subject: AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 10/1/90
From: AIADM::AIIC "AI Information Center, DLB5-1/E3, 291-8256 01-Oct-1990 1024" 1-OCT-1990 10:52:43.12
To: @AITC,@NEWSCAPSULE
CC: AIIC
Subj: AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 10/1/90
================================================================================
* * * * * * * * ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION CENTER * * * * * * * *
+ + + + + + + + NewsCapsule + + + + + + + +
* * * * * * * * Monday, October 1, 1990 * * * * * * * *
================================================================================
DEC STOCK: 52 + 1
HYDROLOGY
+++++++++
"Hypdrologist Develops Expert System, Wins Award"
<Government Computer News 9/17/90 P. 90>
E. Michael Thurman, a research hydrologist, developed IDA
(Intelligent Data Analyzer) to analyze water data. The low
cost expert system analyzes the data by using high-resolution
color graphics with statistical analysis and model development.
It runs on a Sun Microsystems workstation.
NETWORK MANAGEMENT
++++++++++++++++++
"Cabletron Weds Net Management, AI Technology"
<PC Week 9/24/90 P. 1>
"Cabletron Systems Inc introduced Spectrum, a UNIX-based
network management software package that uses AI algorithms
as a core technolgoy. Spectrum incorporates Cabletron's
AI-based inductive modeling technology to provide an intuitive
system that deduces and reprots network problems and can
correct them in some cases. It uses a virtual network machine
which creates a model of each network problem and either
corrects it or notiies the network manager.
Users and analysts say that Spectrum is more sopisticated than
any network management system currently available for
internetworking management. spectrum is intended primarily for
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol networks using
either the proposed IEEE 802.1 standard or the Simple Network
Management Protocol. It runs on Sun Microsystem and DEC
workstations and sells for $50,000 to $150,000."
SCHEDULING
++++++++++
"Seheduling in Real-Time"
<UNIX Review 9/90 P. 48>
The article focuses on resource scheduling under real-time
versions of the UNIX operating system. Real-time functionality
includes predictability, operation within all feasible application
time constraints, and compliance with all important time
constraints. A real-time scheduling algorithm in the operating
system's resource manager determines the sequence in which
processes must share a computing resource. Real-time schedules
include: cyclic executive, fixed priority, shortest process
time, earliest deadline, and shortest stack time.
PLEASE NOTE: * indicates full-text article is located in the Information
Center. Please come down and copy article if you wish to
do so.
AI Information Center
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291-8256
AIADM::AIIC
|
| 26.188 | AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 10/11/90 | HERON::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Thu Oct 11 1990 19:54 | 106 |
| Printed by: Pat Roach Document Number: 013372
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 11-Oct-1990 06:29pm CET
From: AIIC
AIIC@AIADM@SELECT@HERON@MRGATE@HUGHI
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: ROACH@A1NSTC
Subject: AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 10/11/90
================================================================================
* * * * * * * * ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION CENTER * * * * * * * *
+ + + + + + + + NewsCapsule + + + + + + + +
* * * * * * * * Thursday, October 11, 1990 * * * * * * * *
================================================================================
DEC STOCK: 47 - 1/2
SALES-TAX EXPERT SYSTEM
+++++++++++++++++++++++
* "Sales-Tax Expert"
<AI Expert 10/90 P. 72>
"Don Wayne Assoc. (Concord, CA) has developed an AI-based
package for public relations and advertising firms that provides
sales tax advice. Sales Tax Advisor helps to figure the right
amount of sales tax for client accounts, and suggests ways to reduce
them. The software is divided into topics: media buying,
copywriting etc. with the associated tax law for each supplied."
MONITORING
++++++++++
* "Smart Emergency Monitoring"
<AI Expert 10/90 P. 71>
"Southern California Edison will install a smart emergency
monitoring system prototype based on Technolgoy Application's
nuclear power plant monitoring software at its San Onofre, CA
nuclear power plant.
Tehcnology Application's package, dubbed Reaction Emergency
Action Level Monitor (REALM), helps to monitor and categorize
nuclear power plant emergencies. The knowledge base of the
San Onofre system includes data on reasoning, sensor states,
plant operation, and strategies. It also includes data on the
design and management methods of the San Onofre plant. In case
of an emergency, the system will give information on possible
causes, and will categorize the emergency based on government
regulations. The system can also be used off-line for worker
training and practice drills."
QUALITY CONTROL
+++++++++++++++
* "Neural Net for Quality Control"
<AI Expert 10/90 P. 71>
"AI Ware's neural network software was used to train a quality
control system for a chemical process plant in Cleveland, OH.
The neural net system examines infra-red spectroscopy
information to check for correct chemical ratios and contaminants.
AI Ware's software was trained with a set of known contaminants
and their spectroscopic output. Following the training, the network
examines the spectroscope profile for each sample and
identifies component ratios and contaminant amounts. Technicians
can then ok the sample or halt the process."
OBJECT PROCESSING
+++++++++++++++++
* "Object Processing for Knowledge-based Systems"
<AI Expert 10/90 P. 34>
"Combining objects with rules can help improve a knowledge-based
system. By using both rules and object processing, knowledge-
based systems can solve complex problems such as scheduling,
configuration, resource distribution and planning.
Both models lower maintenance costs and improve programmer
productivity. Rule processing can be used for inferencing,
hypothetical analysis, and expressing expertise. Object
processing can be used for knowledge encapsulation, data
abstraction, extensibility, and reusability. By adding objects
to rules, the knowledge base can become even more polished."
PLEASE NOTE: * indicates full-text article is located in the Information
Center. Please come down and copy article if you wish to
do so.
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DLB5-1/E3
291-8256
AIADM::AIIC
|
| 26.189 | AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 10/19/90 | HERON::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Fri Oct 19 1990 18:39 | 92 |
| Printed by: Pat Roach Document Number: 013541
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 19-Oct-1990 04:16pm CET
From: AIIC
AIIC@AIADM@SELECT@HERON@MRGATE@HUGHI
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: ROACH@A1NSTC
Subject: AI Information Center's NewsCapsule 10/19/90
================================================================================
* * * * * * * * ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION CENTER * * * * * * * *
+ + + + + + + + NewsCapsule + + + + + + + +
* * * * * * * * Friday, October 19, 1990 * * * * * * * *
================================================================================
DEC STOCK: 51 +4 1/4
NETWORK MANAGEMENT
++++++++++++++++++
"Cabletron Eyes Integrators: Key Target for Network
Management"
<Computer Systems News 10/1/90 P. 39>
"Cabletron Systems will target systems integrators in marketing
its new Spectrum expert systems-based network management software
and expects integrators to represent one third of its market
for the enterprise-wide system.
Spectrum will compete with other open systems, including AT&T's
Unified Network Management Architecture and DEC's Enterprise
Management Architecture. It lets users automate many mundane
network management functions as well as monitoring and avoiding
some potential problems without human intervention. Spectrum
costs $50,000 - $150,000 depending on configuration."
HELP DESKS
++++++++++
"Software Assists in Automation of Help Desks"
<PC Week 10/8/90 P. 33>
"Several new software programs that use expert systems to assist
corporate help desks in troubleshooting end user microcomputers
are available. Aion Corp. has announced Path Builder, a $995
expert system shell that lets nonprogrammers build diagnostic
expert systems for product troubleshooting. Path Builder
presents the developer with three types of on screen forms:
situation editors for typing in typical problems, question editors
for typing in the help desk staffer's questions, and a branch
editor that prompts the staffer to link questions to a final
resolution. Advantage KBS' OS/2-based help desk assistant is a
powerful rule-based system with a knowledge base pertaining
to IBM hardware and an interface to IBM mainframe support
products. It costs $35,000 for the server software and $1,000
per node."
RESUMES
+++++++
"What to do With That Stack of Resumes"
<Forbes 10/15/90 P. 200>
"Resumix Inc and MicroTrac Systems develop resume tracking
computer systems to aid personnel management. The traditional
way of handling quantitles of resumes is to file and then
review them as necessary. Resumix's $60,000 system contains
AI software installed on Sun Microsystems' workstations. It
uses optical character recognition technology to scan resumes,
retains a computer image for future review and creates a data
base of the informaiton. Users create criteria profiles the
system uses to devise lists of potential candidates. "
PLEASE NOTE: * indicates full-text article is located in the Information
Center. Please come down and copy article if you wish to
do so.
AI Information Center
DLB5-1/E3
291-8256
AIADM::AIIC
|
| 26.190 | AI Information Center Closing | HERON::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Mon Nov 12 1990 12:45 | 36 |
| Printed by: Pat Roach Document Number: 013734
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 07-Nov-1990 11:49pm CET
From: AIIC
AIIC@AIADM@SELECT@HERON@MRGATE@HUGHI
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: ROACH@A1NSTC
Subject: AI Information Center Closing
IMPORTANT NOTICE
****************
The AI Information Center will close Thursday, November 8th in
preparation for its move into two new locations. A library will
be located in DLB5 (currently the demo room) and LMO2 pole J4.
All requests for materials or research must be sent on-line
to AIADM::AIIC or leave a message on the answering machine
and we will handle the requests as quickly as we can. This
will be the procedure till after the move takes place.
Employees can still return books to the present library in DLB5
until November 19th.
We will notify you when the libraries will be open for full
service.
Thank you for your cooperation.
|
| 26.191 | FWD: Inside Information, 24 April 91. But first, | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Mon Apr 29 1991 19:50 | 1249 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 29-Apr-1991 05:51pm CET
From: BEANE
BEANE@BIGRED@MRGATE@DPD04@DPD
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: See Below
Subject: FWD: Inside Information, 24 April 91. But first,
From: DLNVAX::HABER "Keep dreaming, keep believing, keep a rainbow in your heart 22-Apr-1991 1407" 22-APR-1991 14:26:40.02
To: @II,@IIOVER
CC:
Subj: Inside Information, 24 April 91. But first,
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 us know if you have
changed your address.
It's simple to do -- just send MAIL to me
at ASABET::HABER.
This will ensure that you continue to
receive INSIDE INFORMATION in a timely fashion.
Thanks!
Sandy Haber
ISSUE NO. 187 APRIL 24, 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:
COMPETITION IBM OFFICE AUTOMATION
COMPUTER INDUSTRY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PACKAGING
CUSTOMER SERVICE INNOVATIONS QUALITY
DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORP. INTERNATIONAL TRADE RISC
ECONOMICS JAPAN STRATEGIC PLANNING
ELECTRONICS MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY
ENVIRONMENT MANUFACTURING TRAINING
GLOBAL ECONOMY NETWORKS WORKSTATIONS
DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPETITION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: A Star in the GM Heavens
Author(s): Sheridan, John H.
Journal: Industry week
v. 240, n. 6 March 18, 1991 pp. 50-54
Abstract: 301 JA
Subjects:
MANUFACTURING
TEAMWORK
TRAINING
NDH-Sandusky, a part of GM's Delco Moraine NDH Division, "just
might be the brightest star in the automaker's manufacturing
galaxy. In various ways, it has made great strides toward
world-class competitiveness. Thanks to a strong emphasis on open
communications, union-management teamwork, and advanced technology,
NDH Bearings has become a world-class supplier in terms of
quality, cost, and delivery. And the plant's highly motivated
workforce is determined to continue the momentum -- and to
bring in new business."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPUTER INDUSTRY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: 40 Years on the Frontier
Author(s): Runyan, Linda
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 6 March 15, 1991 pp. 34-57
Abstract: 323 JA
Subjects:
INFORMATION PROCESSING
MAINFRAME COMPUTERS
"Fasten your seat belts, and hang on tight. You're about to
take a trip through 40 years of commercial computing. In this
special section, DATAMATION celebrates the people and
technologies that created one of the world's most dynamic
industries. It all started with the shipment of Remington
Rand's UNIVAC I to the US Census Bureau 40 years ago this
month." The forces that kindled the computer revolution four
decades ago are still wielding a potent influence on the scope
and shape of information systems today. Large systems for the
government, insurance, banking and aerospace industries led the
way, followed by departmental and individual applications. But
the key was, and still is, price/performance.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CUSTOMER SERVICE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Complaints as Opportunities
Author(s): Plymire, Jerry
Journal: Business horizons
v. 34, n. 2 Mar-Apr 1991 pp. 79-81
Abstract: 338 JA
Subjects:
EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY
EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION
SERVICE QUALITY
"According to studies, only 4% of dissatisfied customers ever
give feedback about their issue. The other 96% vote with their
feet, and 91% never come back. To compound matters,
dissatisfied customers will typically tell eight to ten people
about their problem. Why won't they complain to us and let us
know they are dissatisfied? Two reasons: first, it's hard to
complain; second, employees rarely encourage feedback. For those
of us whose products is a service, our relationship with
customers is everything. Without eliciting feedback, there is no
relationship. The surest way to a customer-focused culture is
through increased complaints." This article briefly details a
five-part process that can help employees encourage complaints,
and suggests what to do with all the feedback that will be
received. "The result of this complaint generation process is a
customer-focused culture where complaints are viewed as a prime
source of opportunities. It not only helps keep the focus on
the customer; the amount of verbatim information available
directly from the customer will astound you."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: DEC's Ambitious Software Strategy
Author(s): Bunker, Ted
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 6 March 15, 1991 pp. 66-69
Abstract: 328 JA
Subjects:
CORPORATE PROFILE
NETWORK APPLICATION SUPPORT
OPERATING SYSTEMS
PRICING STRATEGIES
SOFTWARE
"Digital Equipment Corp. is changing the way it does business.
Nowhere do the changes sweeping Digital stand out more clearly
than in its software operations. In an era of shrinking profit
margins on hardware, the company is turning to a type of
software many analysts call 'middleware' -- layered software
that lives on top of operating systems -- such as graphical user
interfaces, database tools and network connection software.
Moreover, by providing software that helps MIS integrate
multivendor systems and networks, Digital hopes to become the
leading -- even essential supplier of tools that create open
systems. In order to reach its goals, Digital has created a
Software Products Group led by vice president David L. Stone.
Hearing Stone debate software strategy in his clipped staccato
phrases and simple, direct illustrations conjures up visions of
IBM. But listen more closely, look more carefully, and what
emerges is the face of Digital Equipment Corp.'s software
strategy for the 1990s."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ECONOMICS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Skilling of America
Author(s): Gordon, Jack
Journal: Training : the magazine of human resources development
v. 28, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 27-35
Abstract: 332 JA
Subjects:
EDUCATION
TRAINING
The notion that the average job of tomorrow will demand a
smarter, more highly skilled worker than does the average job of
today has become so commonplace that it is often advanced as a
self-evident fact, not a prediction or even a probability
anymore. The stated reason behind this is that technological
gadgets are taking over more of the repetitive, routine and
manual tasks that humans once had to do, leaving humans with the
unusual, the creative, and the conceptual. Unfortunately, "this
is balderdash. True, our future as a prosperous nation may very
well depend upon the skilled-up workplace becoming the norm
instead of the exception, but there is nothing inevitable about
it." A report done last year announced that the vast majority
of US businesses are not following in the footsteps of the
so-called model companies and apparently do not intend to. It
claims that the "skills gap" in the American work force does
not really exist -- at least not in relation to the jobs
employers currently want noncollege graduates to perform. It
must be said that this report hasn't made any significant dent
in the national rhetoric which still insists that jobs are
growing more and more complex and demanding. But even if it is
only a little bit accurate, it follows that a great deal of the
corporate world's howling about the sorry state of the public
education system is, to put it mildly, insincere.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ELECTRONICS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Writing an Agenda for the 1990s
Author(s): Rayner, Bruce C. P.
Journal: Electronic business
v. 17, n. 6 Mar. 18, 1991 pp. 34-40
Abstract: 315 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
STRATEGIC PLANNING
"The US electronics industry has entered a new era. Slower
growth, maturing markets, internationalization, and tough
customer demands have redefined the marketplace. For the last
few years, US electronics executives have been facing up to this
new competitive environment and writing new agendas for their
companies. The second annual CEO survey of the US electronics
industry examines the challenges facing the industry and the
strategic thinking of its chief executives. The survey looks
beyond the buzzwords at how the trends are shaping the industry
and how industry leaders are responding. It describes the
actions industry leaders are taking to move ahead of the pack in
the years to come. This article explores the key findings of
the survey. Three articles focus on the CEOs' responses to three
compelling issues: maintaining a technological edge, adapting to
the ever-intensifying competitive marketplace, and redesigning
the organization for the 1990s."
Title: A Blueprint for Competition
Author(s): Rayner, Bruce C. P.
Journal: Electronic business
v. 17, n. 6 Mar. 18, 1991 pp. 44-48
Abstract: 316 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
STRATEGIC PLANNING
"For today's electronics company, competition comes in many
shapes and sizes: from large players and small, from vertically
integrated and niche companies. And unlike years past, your
toughest competitors are just as likely to be based halfway
around the world as on the next block. Are CEOs worried? You
bet they are. In response, most CEOs have focused on efforts to
trim costs and improve product quality. But these efforts are
only the beginning of a major rethinking of the rules of
competition. The survivors will be the companies that
consistently meet or exceed customer expectations by offering
sophisticated, competitively priced products that are 100%
defect free." Unfortunately, there aren't many such companies
out there. While most companies recognize that technological
innovation, product quality, and customer service are crucial to
competitiveness, many claim to be playing a perpetual game of
catch-up with their foreign rivals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Time to Structure an Environmental Policy Strategy
Author(s): Buzzelli, David T; Dow Chemical Company
Journal: The Journal of business strategy
v. 12, n. 2 Mar/Apr 1991 pp. 17-20
Abstract: 310 JA
Subjects:
CORPORATE POLICIES
"In the 'Decade of the Environment', companies must excel in
environmental performance. How well that performance is
received by the public, by regulators, and by environmentalists
could have enormous consequences for Dow Chemical and other
companies." The author, vice president and corporate director,
for global environment, health, and safety at Dow, is trying to
find an answer to the question of how they can do a better job
of environmental planning. Dow has instituted a five-part
environmental strategy. First, top management, human resources,
financial resources and an internal "environment" enabling
employees to act as environmentalists must be committed.
Second, employees must be empowered. Third, a better job must
be done of communicating, with one hand always on the public
pulse. Fourth, get involved in public controversy. Finally, be
active players in the public policy process. "The environmental
challenges facing corporations and individuals are great, but
solutions can be found for these problems."
Title: The Global Environment & Multinational Corporations
Author(s): Choucri, Nazli
Journal: Technology review
v. 94, n. 3 April 1991 pp. 52-59
Abstract: 339 JA
Subjects:
ECOLOGY
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
The fact of human intervention in ecological processes is not in
doubt. Despite uncertainties and continued controversy, human
influences on the global environment appear significant.
But among environmentalists and policymakers, the responses to
environmental change have emphasized underlying processes such
as energy use and population growth, largely ignoring
institutions, agents and markets. This omission could impede
innovation and forestall prospects for managing the world's
environment. In the context of environmental change,
multinationals are part of the problem. They are the major
environmental factors as producers, managers, and distributors.
By necessity, these firms engage in a wide range of hazardous
and pollution-intensive activities. Global enterprises
traditionally have shaped both technological change and
commercialization worldwide. Their actions and strategies are
crucial in determining the environmental landscape. It will be
corporations that shape new modes of economic performance.
Multinationals will be in the spotlight. They will be subject
to national and international regulation as private groups use
evidence of environmental mismanagement to pressure governments
to limit corporate behavior. An environmental ethos already
affects legislation everywhere, and as problematic as
regulation, control and litigation may be, few businesses could
withstand an anti-nature reputation and the loss of goodwill.
These factors are already transforming the international
marketplace.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
GLOBAL ECONOMY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: A Guide to Global Sourcing
Author(s): Fagan, Mark L.; Temple, Barker & Sloan
Journal: The Journal of business strategy
v. 12, n. 2 Mar/Apr 1991 pp. 21-25
Abstract: 311 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
MANAGEMENT
MARKETING
Global sourcing is rapidly becoming a prerequisite to competing
in today's marketplace. The question is no longer whether to go
global, but how to do it. Traditionally, lower costs have been
the most widely recognized benefit of global sourcing. Tax
advantages can also reduce costs further. However, these are no
longer the only benefit of global sourcing. For many firms, the
payoff is increasingly coming from: availability -- worldwide
markets supplement domestic sources and help meet an increase in
product demand; uniqueness -- materials just cannot be obtained
from domestic sources; and quality. One downside of global
sourcing is often the increased expense for inventory buffers;
others are increased paperwork, the need to rework products,
cash flow issues, and increased business risks. "Global
sourcing is not a simple or easy solution to a company's
sourcing needs. But businesses aiming to grow during the 1990s
cannot ignore its potential. New markets and new competitors
will challenge established businesses. Global sourcing offers
one approach to meeting this challenge."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
IBM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The IBM Way of Winning
Author(s): Geber, Beverly
Journal: Training : the magazine of human resources development
v. 28, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 39-40
Abstract: 333 JA
Subjects:
MINICOMPUTERS
QUALITY
The IBM facility in Rochester, MN, had always been a
dependable, but never flamboyant, sibling in the IBM family.
Its low-key image was mostly a function of its products: it
developed and made minicomputers and disk drives, which carry
none of the prestige of mainframes nor the cachet of personal
computers. Over the years it has been one of the most reliable
moneymakers in the IBM corporation. But the operation has been
getting a lot more attention since it won the Malcolm Baldrige
National Quality Award in 1990.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Human-Computer Interface Development Tools: A Methodology for Their
Evaluation
Author(s): Hix, Deborah; Schulman, Robert S.; Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Journal: Communications of the ACM
v. 34, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 74-87
Abstract: 300 JA
Subjects:
INTERFACE TOOLS
MAN-MACHINE SYSTEMS
"Human-computer interface development tools are interactive
systems that support production and execution of the
human-computer interface. Despite their recent proliferation,
there are no procedures for systematically evaluating or
comparing such tools. State-of-the-art in their evaluation is
based on subjective opinion -- 'warm fuzzy' feelings." The
authors have developed and empirically validated a methodology
for evaluating and comparing human-computer interface
development tools. This is a comprehensive checklist-based
methodology that produces quantifiable criteria for the
evaluation and comparing of human-computer interface development
tools along two dimensions: functionality and usability. An
empirical evaluation shows that the methodology which is in use
in several corporate interface development environments produces
reliable (consistent) results.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INNOVATIONS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Get Innovative or Get Dead
Author(s): Peters, Tom
Journal: California management review
v. 33, n. 2 Winter 1991 pp. 9-23
Abstract: 344 JA
Subjects:
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
QUALITY
"The corporate renewal agenda for the nineties is staggering,
from quality and service to teams, information technology, and
time-based shuffle. Yet it is the failure to fundamentally
innovate that caused, among other things, almost 50% of the
FORTUNE 500 to fall off that hallowed list in the 1990s. This
is the second half of a two-part article (the first half
appeared in CMR, v.33, no. 1, Fall 1990). It describes radical
approaches, necessary in the author's view, for putting
innovation atop the corporate agenda -- starting with what he
calls 'violent market injection strategies.'"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Competing with Technology in the World Arena
Author(s): Erickson, Tamara J.; Arthur D. Little, Inc.
Journal: The Journal of business strategy
v. 12, n. 2 Mar/Apr 1991 pp. 11-16
Abstract: 309 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
MANAGEMENT
TECHNOLOGY
"Companies manage R&D in a number of ways: globally,
multinationally, internationally, or transnationally. Each
represents a different strategic approach to meet the bases of
competition in an industry." As global networks form, these
companies and others like them will respond to forces pushing for
greater efficiency of scale -- for global perspective. Pulling
in the opposite direction, however, are forces for strong
decentralized responsiveness. Managers of international
operations walk a fine line in their efforts to balance the
tension between exploiting global economies and satisfying
regional priorities. In this context, the international
management of technology presents a particularly difficult
challenge. The triple tasks of effectively harnessing these
technologies and developing products suited to regional markets,
while still exploiting the economies from worldwide product
lines in global R&D efforts, all fall within the range of
international management. This article discusses three
different strategic approaches to meeting the bases of
competition in an industry: global management, multinational
management, and international management.
Title: Soviet-U.S. Joint Ventures: Pioneers on a New Frontier
Author(s): Rosten, Keith A.
Journal: California management review
v. 33, n. 2 Winter 1991 pp. 88-108
Abstract: 346 JA
Subjects:
GLOBAL ECONOMY
RUSSIA
SOVIET UNION
"The Soviet Union's recent embrace of joint ventures as a form
of private international cooperation has attracted enormous
attention. Despite all the fanfare, few joint ventures have
commenced operations. This article probes the negotiations for
and operations of sixteen Soviet-U.S. joint ventures that have
persevered and commenced operations. These joint ventures are
pioneers on this new frontier."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
JAPAN
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Global Players, Western Tactics, Japanese Outcomes: The New
Japanese Market for Corporate Control
Author(s): Kester, W. Carl
Journal: California management review
v. 33, n. 2 Winter 1991 pp. 58-70
Abstract: 345 JA
Subjects:
GLOBAL ECONOMY
"This article, drawn from the recently published book 'Japanese
Takeovers: The Global Contest for Corporate Control', examines
the future development of a market for corporate control in
Japan. The challenge for the Japanese system of corporate
governance is to find a substitute for the lessening of capital
market discipline caused by the decline in the dependence of
firms on bank lending. A market for corporate control will
emerge in Japan: managers will be replaced and capital will be
reallocated. But this market will assume a distinctively
Japanese character, one that reinforces rather than undermines
the firm's long-term trading relationships."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MANAGEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The New Executive Unemployed
Author(s): Kirkpatrick, David
Journal: Fortune
v. 123, n. 7 April 8, 1991 pp. 36-48
Abstract: 302 JA
Subjects:
EXECUTIVES
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
UNEMPLOYMENT
"Cost cutting, downsizing, restructuring -- it all boils down to
shrinking payrolls, and it has reached the executive ranks with
a vengeance. Even top-flight managers are vulnerable to the
budget ax. To some, the loss of a job is devastating. To
others, it's the beginning of a more fulfilling life." The
recession is only partly to blame; fierce international
competition and heavy corporate debt loads are pressuring
companies to cut back more than ever before. Many companies are
opening their own in-house outplacement programs. Displaced
managers are confronting a much harsher world today than they
faced a few years ago. There are many more of them competing
for jobs, and companies just aren't hiring. It's now taking an
average of 8 months to find a new position. Many are succumbing
to depression, despite support groups, despite part-time
consulting positions. But many who are passing through this
emotional gauntlet are emerging with a smarter, better-grounded
sense of self-worth and often a more satisfying job to boot.
Title: The Changing Face of the Organization
Author(s): Baatz, Elizabeth B.
Journal: Electronic business
v. 17, n. 6 Mar. 18, 1991 pp. 60-64
Abstract: 318 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
ELECTRONICS
ORGANIZATION
"Given fierce global and domestic competition and the blistering
pace of technological change, organization is more critical than
ever for today's electronics company. What are today's CEOs
doing to manage their organizations for survival and success?
Not surprisingly, the ELECTRONIC BUSINESS/Ernst & Young survey
revealed no clear consensus on a single most critical strategy
for companies to reach or sustain exceptional organizational
performance. Most executives offered two suggestions for helping
to achieve organizational excellence: measuring customer
satisfaction and committing the entire company to quality." Key
findings: that commitment to quality and customer satisfaction are
the keys to organizational excellence; that CEOs lack reliable tools
for gauging the effects of their companies' quality programs;
that the successful corporation demands motivated, well-trained
workers and excellence at the very top; that CEOs rank training and
education as top priorities.
Title: Executive Behavior: Its Facts, Fictions, and Paradigms
Author(s): Kelly, Joe; Ibrahim, A. Bakr
Journal: Business horizons
v. 34, n. 2 March-April 1991 pp. 27-36
Abstract: 335 JA
Subjects:
EXECUTIVES
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
"Management research needs a new model, and the manager needs to
be an existentialist in looking at that model. The object of this
paper is to look behind the facts, examine the interpretations
and focus on the critical aspects of executive behavior. To do
this it is necessary to look at the deeper structures of
business behavior. This article is devoted to fathoming the
facts, the interpretations, and the critical aspects of
organizational behavior."
Title: In Search of Competence: Structured Behavior Interviews
Author(s): Van Clieaf, Mark S; Price Waterhouse Executive Search
Journal: Business horizons
v. 34, n. 2 Mar-Apr 1991 pp. 51-55
Abstract: 336 JA
Subjects:
CORPORATE PRODUCTIVITY
INTERVIEWING SKILLS
STRATEGIC POSITION ANALYSIS
"Recent management research has confirmed that the most widely
used selection tool, the traditional hiring interview, has only
a 15-20% chance of accurately predicting job performance. The
staffing process in some organizations requires change, and
tools now available can make executives and managers more
effective in predicting the job performance of potential
employees. The more senior the position, the greater the
productivity impact from hiring a competent performer. The
key is being able to define and measure effective behavior that
produces bottom-line results, and to distinguish the average
from the highly competent performer in a systematic and
defensible staffing process. Structured Behavior Interviews
give executives a better picture of the competence of job
candidates than other types of selection procedures."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MANUFACTURING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Shape of Twenty-first Century Global Manufacturing
Author(s): Goldhar, Joel D.; Lei, David
Journal: The Journal of business strategy
v. 12, n. 2 Mar/Apr 1991 pp. 37-41
Abstract: 312 JA
Subjects:
CAD/CAM
CIM
CUSTOMER SERVICE
GLOBAL ECONOMY
JUST-IN-TIME (JIT)
TECHNOLOGY
"As we approach the 21st century, US manufacturers have begun to
realize the critical importance of time as a strategic resource
to compete globally. In the next century, the organization of
design and manufacturing activities will differ radically from
even the most 'modern' methods and organizational formats used
today." The shape of global manufacturing in the next ten years
will come to rely on networks and multifunctional work teams,
which are speedily replacing the layers of management and long
chains of command found in older factories. "Digital information
technologies are consolidating once-disparate industries and
making them more related, as computer chips, microprocessors,
and fiber optics are now found in consumer electronics, office
equipment, cars and appliances. Just as important, these same
information technologies are revolutionizing factories where
design and manufacturing teams will be much more closely linked
to suppliers and customers in any part of the world. These are
the ingredients of fast-response, global manufacturing that will
determine tomorrow's winners in the fight for survival."
Title: Beyond MRP II: The Enterprise Solution
Author(s): Jain, Amit K.
Journal: Industrial engineering
v. 23, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 33-36
Abstract: 319 JA
Subjects:
CIM
COMPETITION
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
"To gain strategic advantages, many manufacturers in the past
have turned to manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) and have
fully exploited the potential of that technology. But
manufacturers must continue to improve on the competitive gains
MRP II has provided to survive and thrive in today's markets.
Some have turned to computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) for
additional business benefits, but the competitive gains of even
the most successful CIM implementations have some limits, and
many manufacturers have yet to be convinced that CIM is a
meaningful solution to their individual needs. How then does a
manufacturing enterprise continue to use computer technology to
support competitive advantages? Manufacturers must go beyond MRP
II with an integrated solution that includes MRP II, CIM, and
an executive information system (EIS). The combination of these
components is referred to as the Enterprise Solution", which
provides a dynamic enterprise-wide information system and also
offers the ability to everyone in the organization to make
decisions using "real-world" data by providing the right data
where and when it is needed.
Title: MRP II: In the Midst of a Continuing Evolution
Author(s): Kessler, Jay; IBM
Journal: Industrial engineering
v. 23, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 38-40
Abstract: 320 JA
MRP II is a tool for managing, predicting and controlling a
company's resources and the bulk of their operating investments.
Expanding on the original concept of material requirements
planning, MRP II involves the broader functions of purchasing,
capacity planning and master scheduling, as well as inventory
and production planning. The main benefit of MRP II is the
potential for controlling all of a company's production
resources. Given the progression to date, it is natural for
industry to consider such questions as whether MRP II will
experience absolute growth, whether it will expand into a
broader, more comprehensive concept, and whether artificial
intelligence, or some other new applied technology, will propel
MRP II into something other than what it is today. This article
explores the progression of MRP II from the original MRP, and
addresses the role of MRP II in the emergence of computer
integrated manufacturing, or CIM.
Title: How to Plan and Organize an MRP II Project
Author(s): Hartley, Kenneth; Coopers & Lybrand
Journal: Industrial engineering
v. 23, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 41-44
Abstract: 321 JA
"Installing MRP II represents one of the highest cost/potential
paybacks of any project undertaken in an organization. A
successful manufacturing control system is the result of careful
planning and organizing by the people responsible for developing
the system. The process of planning involves setting goals,
selecting and developing methods for achieving those goals, and
presenting the plan, as required, to begin its execution."
Title: MRP II Implementations Reap Strategic and Tactical Benefits
Author(s): Trino, Joe
Journal: Industrial engineering
v. 23, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 46-48
Abstract: 322 JA
"MRP II, like the competitive landscape American manufacturers
must contend with, is characterized more by change than
constancy. Yet there is a tendency to view them both
statically as monolithic and unalterable. In fact, they are
neither. Instead, they are unfixed and fluid, defining the
times as much as being defined by them. One of the key reasons
for the success of manufacturing resource planning is to be
found in the realities of the market. Manufacturers simply
cannot afford to ignore the dire evidence presented by slipping
share, revenues and profits. Manufacturing could no longer pass
along manufacturing and material costs to their customers to
make up the discrepancies. Again and again, MRP II has proven
to be a powerful and resourceful tool when it is properly
applied." Several case studies are presented.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NETWORKS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: TCP/IP - A Dependable Networking Infrastructure
Author(s): Malamud, Carl
Journal: Network computing
v. 2, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 84-86
Abstract: 307 JA
Subjects:
INTERNETWORKS
OPEN SYSTEMS
STANDARDS
For years we've been told that TCP/IP was just a temporary
solution until OSI would take over for open systems. Vendors of
proprietary systems such as DECnet, SNA, NetWare and others pay
lip service to TCP/IP but then go on to argue that their own
products are better. But the TCP/IP protocols prevail. Their
basic services get wide use, and their value-added services such
as Sun's Network File System continue to appear. Right now, the
future of TCP/IP looks very good even in the face of more modern
protocol suites like those offered by OSI. This article is a
primer on the basic services that make use of transmission
control protocol/internetwork protocols.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE AUTOMATION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Upgrade for Growth
Author(s): Holzinger, Albert G.; Hotch, Ripley
Journal: Nation's business
v. 79, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 14-22
Abstract: 313 JA
"You can increase your computers' capabilities in various ways --
by replacing them, for example, or networking them. The ten
suggestions in this article will help you decide what to do."
Businesses are increasingly interested in upgrades that build
inexpensively on less than state-of-the-art technology, and it's
easy to get caught up in the hype of new technology. But
upgrading intelligently requires you to look first at what you
want to accomplish, and only then at the hardware. The ten
solutions include: increase processing power; try simple
software; automate routine tasks; expand memory; rejuvenate
with a new face, a new feel -- upgrade the monitors; find new
uses for replaced machines; zap impulse buying; don't try to do
everything yourself; commit to continuing education; and
safeguard operators' health.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
PACKAGING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Advanced Surface Mount Design for Manufacturability
Author(s): Biancini, John A.; Supernova
Journal: Electronic packaging and production
v. 31, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 40-45
Abstract: 303 JA
Subjects:
SURFACE MOUNT TECHNOLOGY
PCB producibility issues must be revisited and redefined to
satisfy more complex, higher density and higher performance
system architectures. There are four specific phases of the PCB
process that need to be examined: design, fabrication, assembly,
and test. Historically, these phases have been individual
islands of activity relatively isolated from each other. Due to
the rapid evolution of SMT, there are few designers who really
understand assembly process. The article goes on to describe
common bottlenecks in production, and to discuss the four
phases.
Title: Nickel and Gold Plating in Electronic Packaging
Author(s): Lovie, John
Journal: Electronic packaging and production
v. 31, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 56-60
Abstract: 304 JA
Subjects:
PROCESSING
Gold has fought off many challengers in the last forty years to
remain the first choice finish in two major areas of electronic
packaging technology. Gold is preferred over alternatives such
as silver, solder and epoxies for high reliability applications.
Nickel is used in applications as an underplate for the gold,
and provides a uniform, pore-free surface for gold deposition,
and acts as a barrier to diffusion of substrate metal to the
surface. This article reviews nickel and gold plating
applications in two areas of electronic packaging technology.
Also, how gold and nickel plating technology is adapting to new
packaging technologies and to changes in the industry
environment is discussed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUALITY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Strategies for World-Class Quality
Author(s): Juran, J. M.
Journal: Quality progress
v. 24, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 81-85
Abstract: 305 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
GLOBAL ECONOMY
"A major phenomenon in our time has been the growing importance
of the quality function. Product quality is now widely
recognized as a major force in the competitive marketplace and
in international trade. Quality is also now recognized as a
major defense against the threats of a technological society --
threats to human safety and the environment. Lack of quality,
in such forms as product failures and waste, presents a major
opportunity for improving productivity. During the 1980s, US
companies became extensively aware of this phenomenon." With
some important exceptions, the variety of responsive strategies
tried did not lead to a world-class status with respect to
quality. The successful ones, however, provide a road map that,
if followed, leads to world-class quality. This article
contains excerpts of the author's presentation to a NIST
conference on quality, given in Washington, DC, in February
1990.
Title: Deming's 14 Points Applied to Service
Author(s): Butterfield, Ronald W.
Journal: Training : the magazine of human resources development
v. 28, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 50-59
Abstract: 334 JA
Subjects:
EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT
SERVICE INDUSTRIES
TRAINING
Since the 1950's, W. Edwards Deming has been a familiar name in
Japan. His famous 14 Points are considered to be largely
responsible for Japanese industry's post-World War II recovery
and rise to dominance in world markets. But most US
manufacturers ignored Deming's work until around 1980. By then,
thanks to severe competition, many were at death's door; some
had already died and disappeared. For those who would listen
and were willing to make the commitment, Deming had answers.
The service sector of the US economy stands at a similar
crossroad today. Service industry leaders are familiar with
Deming and his 14 Points, but many decline to adopt them
because, they contend, "service is different from
manufacturing." The real reason many be that most service
managers are so busy fighting fires they don't have time to
reflect, and simply don't think about how to translate Deming's
concepts into the language of service or to incorporate his
principles into their corporate culture. And even if they
wanted to, few resources are available to them. Most quality
consultants approach quality concepts from manufacturing
backgrounds, and then apply them to the service industry. This
article is an attempt at a service-oriented interpretation of
Deming's 14 Points. It may shed some light on how to make
quality an integral part of the service business.
Title: The State of Quality: What the Numbers Say
Author(s): Karabatsos, Nancy
Journal: Training : the magazine of human resources development
v. suppl. March 1991 pp. 27-38
Abstract: 343 JA
Nearly 10 years ago, Dr. Joseph Duran said it would take the
West 15 years to start catching up to Japanese quality. As the
'90s begin on a note of deep economic uncertainty, it's clear
that the journey is well under way. Many companies have
progressed from a state of frustration to a state of quality
awareness, and more importantly, quality strategy. A growing
body of research is helping companies to benchmark their quality
improvement efforts against real-world norms. This article is a
look at who's conducting the research and what they're finding
out.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
RISC (REDUCED INSTRUCTION SET COMPUTING)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Doing Business with Unix on Networked RISC Platforms
Author(s): Gerber, Barry
Journal: Network computing
v. 2, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 47-55
Abstract: 340 JA
Subjects:
NETWORKS
OPERATING SYSTEMS
UNIX
WORKSTATIONS
Unix may finally be moving into the business world. Slowly but
surely it's taking database applications away from mainframes
and minicomputers, while at the same time it's luring
spreadsheets and word processors from PCs and Macintoshes. This
progress comes after many years of providing a reliable platform
for solving complex scientific problems and managing complex
financial data, stock market transactions and EFTs. Three basic
reasons for this turn of events are: vendors are growing more
sensitive to commercial needs; Unix hardware and software is
geared for networks; high-performance systems can be purchased
at reasonable prices. What could really tip the scales is the
new generation of hardware that is built around RISC
architecture. Workstations with RISC CPUs far outperform PCs
and Macintoshes yet can cost substantially less.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
STRATEGIC PLANNING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Planning the Japanese Way in the United States
Author(s): Gemmell, Arthur J.; Fujitsu America, Inc.
Journal: The Journal of business strategy
v. 12, n. 2 Mar/Apr 1991 pp. 4-7
Abstract: 308 JA
Subjects:
MARKETING
MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS
PLANNING
"The chief strategist for the US division of an $18 billion
multinational -- Fujitsu Limited -- integrates Japanese planning
priorities in a domestic model." Fujitsu America, Inc. (FAI)
develops, designs, manufactures, markets, and supports a broad
range of computer and telecommunications products. It operates
over 150 facilities in 42 states and Canada. Although the
company initially started in 1968 as an OEM whose products were
marketed under private labels by other companies, today it sells
directly to end users under the Fujitsu brand name, which means
that it has had to evolve operations in order to become close the
the end user of Fujitsu products in the US. The four most
important considerations FAI addresses in its strategic planning
process include: the customer -- the most important factor;
technology; the economy; and their Japanese parentage. FAI
takes a great deal of pride in the integration of its businesses
in the local communities, with the result being that customers
see FAI not necessarily as a Japanese company, but more as a US
company that happens to have a foreign parentage.
Title: A Chink in Marketing's Armor: Strategy Above Tactics
Author(s): German, Myna; Donahue, Donald A.; Schnaars, Steven P.
Journal: Business horizons
v. 34, n. 2 Mar-Apr 1991 pp. 74-78
Abstract: 337 JA
Subjects:
MANAGEMENT
MARKETING
"In recent years, attempts have been made to equate marketing
and the military. The underlying thesis of a book by Ries and
Tout is that the military fights based on tactics and invents
strategy as an after-the-fact rationale. Marketers do likewise,
completing the analogy, they claim. However, the authors of
this article, one of whom is a former military officer and a
business school graduate, conclude exactly the opposite.
Successful wars are won by developing a long-range plan to
outwit the competition and executing the tactics in accordance
with this plan. The similarities between the military and the
business world grow each day. Both involve competition between
adversaries with various assets, motives and goals. The
military strategist who ignores a changing battlefield and
changes in technology is doomed to failure. Business
strategists must adopt the same frame of mind. They must be
futurists, studying the conceptual map in light of changes in
government and society; they must plan a strong strategy and not
give a mandate to tacticians who lack the broad perspective. It
is important to separate strategy from tactics and recognize
that, in the military and business world, strategy comes first.
If US industry takes a strategic perspective, it will fare much
better in the global wars ahead."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TECHNOLOGY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Who's Ahead in Hi-Tech?
Author(s): Rosenblatt, Alfred
Journal: IEEE spectrum
v. 28, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 22-27
Abstract: 306 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
JAPAN
UNITED STATES
"Amid talk of a decline in US competitiveness, a sampling of
opinions of SPECTRUM's readers yields surprises. Commissioned
by Japan's leading financial daily, NIHON KEIZAI SHIMBUM, the
Gallup Organization asked a cross section of IEEE members which
country they thought leads overall technologically, in which
categories, and what the future holds. Also explored were what
areas of technology most urgently deserve support, and the
expected impact of arms budgets cuts." Most of the US engineers
sampled think the US will hold the lead through 2000, but
industry observers found some of their views overoptimistic.
Almost all surveyed believe the Japanese were ahead in consumer
electronics and semiconductor memory, as well as barely ahead in
fifth-generation computers. Some advice for US companies:
"Forget the not-invented-here syndrome and take keener interest
in Japanese technology."
Title: The Rising Price of Technological Leadership
Author(s): Raynor, Bruce C. P.
Journal: Electronic business
v. 17, n. 6 Mar. 18, 1991 pp. 52-56
Abstract: 317 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Technological innovation is the most critical issue for
maintaining a competitive advantage. But all is not well on the
technology front. Key findings of a survey include: US
technology is strong now but will decline in the next five
years; while the US depends on technological breakthroughs,
basic research spending is falling; closer customer contact is
needed to define market needs and shorten product development
time; and networking will make new demands on US technological
expertise. Not surprisingly, Japan is seen as the biggest
threat. But companies seem to be doing little to fight back.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRAINING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Quality Training
Author(s): Kaeter, Margaret
Journal: Training : the magazine of human resources development
v. suppl March 1991 pp. 15-25
Abstract: 342 JA
Subjects:
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
QUALITY
"As corporate executives seek a tangible, quantifiable method
for turning their employees' focus to quality improvement,
they often turn to the training department to help define and
establish this change. Often relegated to the simpler role of
productivity improvers in the past, many corporate trainers are
now thrust into the high-profile role of implementing corporate
strategy. With this new status comes a new set of
often-exclusive challenges for today's trainers. In 1990,
Federal Express, IBM, Cadillac and Wallace Co., earned
America's highest quality accolade: the Malcolm Baldrige
National Quality Award. Find out what role training played in
their quality quest -- and the role it will continue to play as
their efforts move ahead in the '90s."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
WORKSTATIONS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: When is a Workstation not a Personal Workstation?
Author(s): Varhol, Peter D.
Journal: Personal workstation
v. 3, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 42-49
Abstract: 314 JA
Subjects:
UNIX
For some time now, the editors of this magazine have posited
"that the optimum workstation will run DOS in native mode rather
than by laborious emulations. No workstation vendor seriously
intent on the commercial market can forever ignore millions of
trained DOS users". They claim to be surprised that Sun, HP, or
NeXT haven't put an X86 on the motherboard along with the superb
internals of their own platforms, stating that "with this
preemptive strike, any one of these companies could dominate the
coming migration of users from DOS to multitasking workstations.
Failing this strike by today's workstation vendors, the next
most likely personal workstation would be an Intel machine with
a powerful multitasking operating system, outstanding graphics,
and seamlessly integrated applications. The two workstations
tested here, from Dell Computer Corp. and Bull HN Information
Systems, aim for this target. Unfortunately, both miss the
mark."
Title: IBM's RS/6000: a 12-Month Checkup
Author(s): Francis, Bob
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 6 March 15, 1991 pp. 73-79
Abstract: 329 JA
Subjects:
IBM
RISC
SAA
"IBM pitched the information systems world a new workstation
game plan last April with the introduction of its new
workstation, the RS/6000. Big Blue said then that the RS/6000
would appeal initially to technical users and then migrate as
well to commercial applications. Evidence today suggests that
IBM has scored well in the technological workstation market and
is at least on base with early commercial users. But mixed
signals regarding product positioning and SAA compatibility have
some users confused."
Title: Finding the Right Unix Workstation: Not Necessarily RISC-y Business
Author(s): Robertson, Bruce; Hwa, Michael; Lutz, David
Journal: Network computing
v. 2, n. 3 March 1991 pp. 58-63
Abstract: 341 JA
Subjects:
NETWORKED APPLICATIONS
RISC
UNIX
"While networked Unix/RISC machines have the look and feel of
their less-powerful PC cousins, the similarity ends when it
comes to running applications on this gear. Most PCs have
similar components, yet the workstation marketplace has a wider
range of choices. This wider range belies a closer examination
of how candidate networked applications can make use of these
resources. This is especially true when it comes to evaluating
client-server databases. These products can vary tremendously,
based on how much post-processing is required; the amount and
complexity of querying involved; and other simultaneous
application processing requirements." This report focuses on
selecting the correct Unix/RISC workstation platform to meet
commercial network computing needs. The authors' tests
included a sample application running under the Sun OS version
of Sybase SQL Server client-server database software.
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
|
| 26.192 | FWD: Inside Information, May 8, 1991 | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Thu May 16 1991 15:34 | 1178 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 15-May-1991 09:00pm CET
From: BEANE
BEANE@BIGRED@MRGATE@DPD03@DPD
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: See Below
Subject: FWD: Inside Information, May 8, 1991
ISSUE NO. 188 MAY 8, 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
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As an alternative, journals, from which articles are abstracted for INSIDE
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***************************************************************************
SUBJECTS IN THIS ISSUE INCLUDE:
CIRCUIT DESIGN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
COMPUTER INDUSTRY INTERNATIONAL TRADE SUN MICROSYSTEMS
DOCUMENTATION MANAGEMENT SUPERCOMPUTERS
EDI MINICOMPUTERS TECHNOLOGY
EUROPE NETWORKS TELECOMMUNICATION
FACTORY AUTOMATION OPERATING SYSTEMS WORKSTATIONS
FINANCE SALES
DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CIRCUIT DESIGN
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: SCSI ICs
Author(s): Wright, Maury
Journal: EDN
v. 36, n. 7 March 28, 1991 pp. 122-131
Abstract: 349 JA
Subjects:
BUS SEQUENCES
INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
PERIPHERALS
"Flexibility, performance, and reasonable cost have made SCSI I/O
ports a must in system designs. SCSI ICs can make implementing
the SCSI specification as simple as adding one chip to a CPU
board. Incorporate a SCSI IC into your system design, and you
can achieve data transfers as fast as 10 MHz and data paths as
wide as 16 or 32 bits. This performance, the flexibility the
SCSI bus offers, and the popularity of SCSI peripherals make the
SCSI Port a virtual necessity."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPUTER INDUSTRY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Computing in the U.S.S.R.
Author(s): Agamirzian, Igor; Soviet Academy of Sciences
Journal: Byte
v. 16, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 120-129
Abstract: 371 JA
Subjects:
COMPUTER HISTORY
INFORMATICS
RUSSIA
SOVIET UNION
"Soviet computing today is on the verge of an expansion akin to
the growth in the US in the 1980s. Soviet developers are
becoming aware of the domestic and international markets. Don't
be surprised to find the USSR emerging in this decade as a major
player in the computer revolution." This article details the
history of Soviet computing, starting with the 1940's and 1950s'
developments due to the Cold War between East and West.
Official policy has hindered hardware and software development,
but the USSR is beginning to look toward the future.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
DOCUMENTATION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The World of Documents
Author(s): Michalski, Gerald P.
Journal: Byte
v. 16, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 159-170
Abstract: 368 JA
Subjects:
ELECTRONIC IMAGING
FORMS PROCESSING
GROUPWARE
HYPERTEXT
IMAGING SYSTEMS
INFORMATION REFINING
MULTIMEDIA DATABASES
NETWORK ISSUES
TEXT MANAGEMENT
The world of documents as we know them is disintegrating before
our eyes. The mental map that equates a file object with a
document is fast being replaced by a more complex mapping.
Hypertext and "hot" or "active" links between objects are
blurring the differences between one file object and the next.
In a well-engineered system, these objects and their links can
all look like a single document. Few tasks in today's business
environment revolve around the task of filing and then
retrieving a document. Many of today's imaging offerings have
incorporated many functions, but few vendors present a complete
and integrated solution to the problems of creating, storing,
managing, manipulating, and disseminating information. The
umbrella term Intelligent Document Management (IDM) extends the
scope of imaging systems into other, related technology areas.
These technologies are not categories, but sets of features and
functions. Some systems require only one of two of them; others
will need a rich mixture.
Title: Catch the Wave of the DIP
Author(s): Harvey, David A.
Journal: Byte
v. 16, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 173-182
Abstract: 369 JA
Subjects:
DESKTOP COMPUTERS
IMAGE PROCESSING
OFFICE AUTOMATION
OPERATING SYSTEMS
PAPERLESS OFFICES
One of the challenges along the road to the integrated desktop
is dealing with the piles of information that exist in paper
form. In an age where environmental concerns have become a
reality, finding ways to conserve paper has become imperative.
The term "paperless office" is no longer a source of ridicule.
The lengthy strides made within the last few years by the
underlying technology make document imaging processing (DIP)
systems a reality -- today. In the end, a thoroughly paperless
office may be impossible. But given the state of the art of
DIP, people can now move closer and closer to that goal.
Title: The Dark Side of DIP
Author(s): Locke, Christopher
Journal: Byte
v. 16, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 193-204
Abstract: 370 JA
Subjects:
DOCUMENT RETRIEVAL
IMAGE PROCESSING
IMAGING SYSTEMS
INDEXING
"The moral of many folk tales is that the image -- the seemingly
accurate representation of reality -- often deceives, usually
with dire consequences for those who put their trust in such
alluring reflections. In the case of document-imaging systems,
this ancient warning is still well worth heeding. Information
systems don't lie intentionally, but all information-retrieval
systems tend to lie by omission: they simply have little way of
knowing what they contain relative to your queries. In
document-imaging systems, this deceit by omission is an
inherent attribute of the technology that can cost
organizations millions of dollars after all the glamour wears
off. This fatal flaw involves the definition of the contents of
document images so that relevant information can be recalled on
demand. The technical term is indexing, and it applies to any
form of computerized information. Indexing documents properly
and consistently for later retrieval isn't a low-order clerical
task but a complex exercise requiring knowledge engineering
skills. DIP tends to underestimate, or underemphasize, the
complexity of this task. Let the buyer beware."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EUROPE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Reawakening: a Market Economy Takes Root in Eastern Europe
Author(s):
Journal: Business week
n. 3209 Apr. 15, 1991 pp. 46-58
Abstract: 355 JA
Subjects:
ECONOMICS
ENTREPRENEURS
FINANCE
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
"Taxes and interest rates are staggering, supplies uncertain.
And there's no blueprint for reversing Marx's manifesto. But
that hasn't daunted half a million new entrepreneurs who are
working feverishly to rebuild amid the ruins of Communist
economies. Not only is the private sector taking root but it's
also providing a vital safety net for the displaced proletariat.
And despite the pitfalls, foreign pioneers have already cut a
slew of deals in East Europe, bringing in more than $1 billion
so far, and it looks as if that's just the beginning." Also
included are spotlights on Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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: Taking Baby Steps Toward a Daddy Track
Author(s): Hammonds, Keith H.
Journal: Business week
n. 3209 Apr. 15, 1991 pp. 90-92
Abstract: 357 JA
Subjects:
ALTERNATE WORK TYPES
CHILD CARE
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
PARENTAL LEAVE POLICIES
"Women have been struggling with the Mommy Track for years as
they try to juggle work and kids. Now, men are getting into the
act. More than half of the women of child-bearing age work
full-time, giving fathers new opportunities -- and
responsibilities -- to share the burden of rearing kids. So some
men are taking off weeks or months after a child is born.
Others are going even further, diverting their careers, perhaps
permanently, to help raise families. The result is the gradual
emergence of a new career path, the Daddy Track. It is
reserved mostly for professionals, and few of them take on the
primary child-rearing role. Still, more men are sharing more of
the burden, prompting employers to accommodate the male half of
the work force -- perhaps just in time. And if current legal
trends continue, companies that offer maternity leave may have
to do the same for men." Small highlights are given to Lotus
Development, Aetna, 3M, Eastman Kodak, and AT&T, who offer some
sort of paternity leave.
Title: Just-in-time Training
Author(s): Portnoy, B.
Journal: Enterprise
v. 5, n. 14 Spring 1991 pp. 29-33
Abstract: 359 JA
Subjects:
JOB INSTRUCTION
TRAINING
The rapid march of today's technology is making work processes,
from the factory floor to the office suite, more complex and
more demanding. But many of our most technically proficient
workers are fast approaching retirement. Employee turnover
rates continue to rise, and schools have not yet learned how to
prepare graduates for today's technology-intensive, information
-intensive work environments. The result is that American
business faces a job-skills shortage that threatens our ability
to succeed in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
Ironically, the same technology explosion that spawned the
skills crunch may very well provide ways of averting disaster.
Employers are discovering that the best learning takes place
where the actual work is one. Dubbed "just-in-time training",
these companies are using computer technology to create a new
class of job aids that make information available on-demand
right at the work site. This approach is a departure from
traditional instruction conducted for discrete periods in formal
classroom settings, and relies on computer-based job aids that
enable workers to acquire training as they perform their daily
job tasks. Martin Marietta, Remington Arms, and Ford Motor
Company are highlighted.
Title: Shaking the Blue-Collar Blues
Author(s): Fierman, Jaclyn
Journal: Fortune
v. 123, n. 8 Apr. 22, 1991 pp. 209-218
Abstract: 363 JA
Subjects:
EDUCATION
LABOR
TRAINING
Unskilled workers took a beating in the Eighties. In an
unprecedented setback, a whole segment of American society
headed downhill: people who didn't go to college. Among the
hardest hit were the nearly 9 million white men 25-34 years old
who had either dropped out of high school or quit the books
right after graduation. The crowded elevator also carried down
blacks of all educational levels, even college graduates. Women,
by contrast, generally improved their lot over the Eighties. The
small number of high-school graduates lucky enough to land good,
low-skilled jobs and hold onto them saw their wages creep upward
over the decade, but their sense of well-being quickly dissolved
when they compared them with their parents at the same age or
especially with their better-educated peers. Now, in the
Nineties, more people seem to be enrolling in post-secondary
schools, and corporations are learning that training pays off.
But business, government and academia still have more to do
before a shipshape American workforce can ensure rising
productivity and living standards.
Title: Link HR to Corporate Strategy
Author(s): Anthony, Peg; Norton, Lincoln Akin
Journal: Personnel journal
v. 70, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 75-86
Abstract: 376 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
STRATEGIC PLANNING
"Despite their increasing willingness to spend freely on
training, education and other HR programs, many corporations
lack a clear rationale for relating these enormous expenditures
to their overall business objectives. Management theories have
insufficiently emphasized the vital link between the
organization's strategic goals and the processes that ensures a
work force capable of achieving them. One approach to the
problem is a simple conceptual model that incorporates processes
that already exist in all companies. This model is constructed
on the premise that optimal use of human talent is the basis for
organizational success and that employers who plan for the
personal growth and fulfillment of their managers and employees
will find it much easier to fulfill their aspirations. The new
model incorporates processes that already exist to some degree
in all companies. In addition, it presents a way of organizing
HR programs themselves, and is useful to line managers because
it's simple to understand and apply."
Title: Jobs Must Be Marketed
Author(s): Martin, Patricia
Journal: Personnel journal
v. 70, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 87-91
Abstract: 377 JA
Subjects:
JOB MARKETING
RECRUITMENT
"The slowed growth of the the labor supply coupled with a
decline in basic skills is combining to create a severe
labor shortage in the 1990s. Those new workers who have the
skills that companies require will be the target of a hiring
scramble such as America hasn't seen since World War II.
As the baby bust trickles into the labor force, America's most
successful employers will be the ones who market their jobs to
eligible candidates and their corporate cultures to the working
population most effectively. Those HR managers who will be
successful at this will excel at: identifying the appropriate
candidates; linking their corporation to sources of good
candidates; using employees more effectively; retaining and
advancing employees; and marketing the company as a great place
to work."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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: Corporate Harvest
Author(s): Birchard, B
Journal: Enterprise
v. 5, n. 1 Spring 1991 pp. 34-40
Abstract: 360 JA
Subjects:
FINANCE
QUALITY
Total quality management demands looking at finance as producing a
product, using a process, and measuring both quantitatively.
Many staff executives react negatively when they take their
first look at total quality management, and never give it a
chance to work its magic. But companies such as Motorola,
Corning, Xerox, and DEC are showing that, with a dose of
creativity, quality management works in every kind of corporate
and staff job -- from accounting to auditing to business
planning. Many administrative managers view themselves as
protectors of the corporate entity, rather than producing a
product for their customers -- the line managers. This
attitude, along with little experience in measuring work
quantitatively, has hobbled managers' efforts to move quality
management into administration. Companies that use some simple
management tools can expect to achieve more than cutting the
cost of quality -- they can cut cycle times, boost customer
satisfaction, and better meet their customers' needs for product
and delivery. A separate article details a successful quality
management process done at Digital by two corporate analysts.
Title: Does the CEO Really Matter?
Author(s): Sellers, Patricia
Journal: Fortune
v. 123, n. 8 April 22, 1991 pp. 80-94
Abstract: 361 JA
Subjects:
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Consider the companies that everybody admires, and you have to
wonder: Are the chief executives who run them lucky or smart?
In this age of decentralized management, just what is the CEO's
role? The short answer is that the boss can make all the
difference, for good or bad. CEOs may be more important today
than 15 years ago because today companies have more options and
world is more competitive. Few CEOs then walked the
debt-defying tightropes that are common today. "But no matter
how effortlessly it appears to run, every company depends
heavily on its CEO's ability to perform three critical tasks
exceptionally well: setting the strategic direction, aligning
the employees behind the strategy so they can carry it out, and
developing a successor. To make intelligent choices in these
areas, a CEO has to know the business; to make inspired choices,
he needs a passion for it. This passion is what defines the
CEOs who really matter."
Title: Now Quality Means Service Too
Author(s): Rose, Frank
Journal: Fortune
v. 123, n. 8 Apr. 22, 1991 pp. 97-111
Abstract: 362 JA
Subjects:
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
CUSTOMER SERVICE
QUALITY
"After being viewed as a manufacturing problem for most of the
past decade, quality has become a service issue -- not just for
service-sector businesses like travel, communications, health
care, and finance but for the service side of manufacturing
companies as well. The idea is total quality -- quality in the
offering itself and in all the services that come with it.
Though not new, the concept is suddenly the rallying cry for
more and more organizations." Poor service has become an issue
for managers, and for the same reason shoddy goods did:
competition. Thanks to the Japanese, manufacturing quality has
come to be a given. If product quality is essentially the same
across the industry, service becomes the distinguishing factor.
All this has fed the trend toward total quality management --
TQM, in the jargon. With TQM, quality is no longer ghettoized
in a quality control department; it is championed by top
management and diffused throughout the company. And because
service quality can be gauged only by customer satisfaction, TQM
has redefined what quality is.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MINICOMPUTERS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Minicomputer Tries a Comeback
Author(s): Hindin, Eric M.
Journal: Data communications
v. 20, n. 5 April 1991 pp. 95-102
Abstract: 366 JA
Subjects:
CLIENT-SERVER APPLICATIONS
LOCAL AREA NETWORKS
NETWORKS
OPERATING SYSTEMS
Swept aside by the PC LAN revolution, minicomputer vendors are
hoping to recapture user interest by bringing their systems into
the LAN fold. In the past few months, 8 leading minicomputer
vendors -- DEC, Data General, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, NCR Corp.,
Prime, Unisys, and Wang -- have announced their entry into the
LAN server business. These moves were made possible by the
introduction of minicomputer variants of the two leading LAN
operating systems, Novell NetWare and Microsoft LAN Manager.
"These variants, called Portable NetWare and LAN Manager for
Unix, run as applications under a minicomputer's own operating
systems, giving the mini and its applications instant
compatibility with networked PCs. They also provide a way for
new minicomputer applications to communicate with PC clients.
In fact, in the coming years everything that minicomputer vendors
do in the way of client-server applications will be built on top
of Portable NetWare and LAN Manager for Unix. The only vendor
not using either or both of these products is IBM, which is
using its own software and protocols for linking minicomputers
with LANs."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NETWORKS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The LAN 100: No Downturn Here
Author(s): Carr, Jim; Schnaidt, Patricia
Journal: LAN : the local area network magazine
v. 6, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 36-50
Abstract: 351 JA
Subjects:
LOCAL AREA NETWORKS
SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
"The independent network systems integrator is alive and well
(and flourishing) in North America. In fact, it appears that
business for the continent's value-added resellers (VARs) of
LAN-specific products and services has never been better.
That's one conclusion that can be drawn from the 5th annual
LAN 100 Network Integrators survey. It's also what was heard
when talking to VARs who took part in this year's survey, which
is topped for the first time by computer-retail industry giant
Computerland. Find out which 100 LAN integrators sold the most
networks in 1990 and why installing LANs is more than just
assembling hardware and software."
Title: The LAN 100: Peer to Peer
Author(s): Carr, Jim; Schnaidt, Patricia
Journal: LAN : the local area network magazine
v. 6, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 65-75
Abstract: 352 JA
Subjects:
LOCAL AREA NETWORKS
NETWORK ADMINISTRATION
NETWORK INTEGRATION
Network administrators are, more than ever, understanding
networks -- their integration, their ills, and their
intricacies. Network VARs must adapt their services to fit the
needs of these increasingly experienced administrators. This
growing sophistication is viewed as a mixed blessing -- it
allows integrators to concentrate on the high-end design and
installation, but it forces them to change their sales and
support structures. The article also lists the top 10
networking trends and the 10 products the users ask for most
often, as seen by the LAN 100. Trends include: global
networking, interoperability and open systems, downsizing,
database servers, superservers, network management,
consolidation of and alliances between vendors, more
sophisticated services being demanded from integrators by users,
network purchasing influences shifting to to upper management,
and an increase in international business. The wish list
includes such things as: seamless integration of applications
into the business environment, better network management
software and hardware, more support services, internetworking,
more extensive training, client-server applications, fax
servers, fault tolerance, optical storage, and integrated cable
management systems.
Title: IBM Radically Reformulates SNA
Author(s): Gurug�, Anura; BBN Communications
Journal: Data communications
v. 20, n. 5 April 1991 pp. 72, 74-82
Abstract: 364 JA
Subjects:
DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING
FAULT TOLERANCE
IBM
NETWORK ARCHITECTURE
"IBM's multitude of SNA enhancements are part of a massive push
toward a robust, dynamic, peer-oriented architecture. Central
to this effort are the Node Type 2.1 and LU6.2 protocols that
allow SNA end nodes to conduct sessions independently of the
mainframe. Improved dynamic configuration and fault tolerance
are just as important in moving the industry's premier networking
architecture toward enterprise-wide distributed processing."
Title: The End for IBM's FEP?
Author(s): Layland, Robin; Travelers Insurance Co.
Journal: Data communications
v. 20, n. 5 April 1991 pp. 73, 84-92
Abstract: 365 JA
Subjects:
CORPORATE NETWORKING
DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING
IBM
NETWORK ARCHITECTURE
SNA
The question of the day for many in the network industry is:
"What is the future shape of IBM's SNA? The answer is as
complex as it is consequential. At the top of the architecture,
the distributed processing scheme implemented by LU6.2 and Node
Type 2.1 is one of the best peer-to-peer interfaces on the
market. But at the lower levels of the OSI market, namely
synchronous data link control (SDLC) and the front-end processor
(FEP), SNA is losing its hold on corporate networking.
Pressured by token ring solutions from IBM and third parties,
SNA's SDLC communications have peaked in acceptance and are
entering the last phase of the product cycle -- obsolescence.
The forces unleashed by the rise of token ring threaten the very
infrastructure of SNA connectivity. And multipoint SDLC
circuits are just the first casualties: The 3745 FEP and its
Network Control Program (NCP) are the next part of SNA to face
trouble. Bridge and router vendors are doing well -- so well, in
fact, that they are encroaching on what was once exclusively the
territory of IBM's front-end processor. As LAN interconnect
technology matures, the FEP may be relegated to the role of an
expensive token ring adapter."
Title: LAN-to-LAN Links in Europe: The Price Isn't Right -- Yet
Author(s): Heywood, Peter
Journal: Data communications
v. 20, n. 5 April 1991 pp. 115-120
Abstract: 367 JA
Subjects:
EUROPE
INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING
LOCAL AREA NETWORKS
"Astronomical prices for leased lines have stunted efforts to
build high-speed links between remote LANs in Europe, but help
may be on the way. As the PTTs lose their monopolistic grip on
communications, leased line prices should start to fall. And
emerging technologies such as ISDN and multimegabit switching
should make the cost of connectivity even lower. In time,
prices may even approach those now available on the other side
of the Atlantic. For that to happen, though, prices have a
long way to drop."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPERATING SYSTEMS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: A Pictorial Guide to Embedded DOS
Author(s): Small, Charles H.
Journal: EDN
v. suppl March 28, 1991 pp. 6-14
Abstract: 347 JA
Subjects:
APPLICATIONS
SOFTWARE
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
"If a committee of the smartest software engineers in the world
were to design the ideal operating system for embedded systems,
you can be sure that they wouldn't come up with anything even
remotely resembling MS-DOS. Indeed, they probably wouldn't even
put forth an operating system like DOS for IBM PCs. But the
undeniable reality is, for better or or worse, that designers
_are_ putting DOS into embedded systems. Engineers are
conscripting DOS and PCs for applications and environments that
differ radically from what DOS and PCs were designed for. To
understand the approaches to force-fitting DOS into embedded
applications, you should examine DOS in its native setting.
Then you can explore DOS in embedded systems."
Title: Portable POSIX in Real Time
Author(s): Gallmeister, Bill
Journal: UNIX review : the magazine for systems and solutions developers
v. 9, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 32-36
Abstract: 350 JA
Subjects:
REAL-TIME APPLICATIONS
STANDARDS
SYSTEM INTERFACES
"POSIX.4 provides a variety of services, including binary
semaphores, process memory locking, shared memory, priority
scheduling, asynchronous event notification, high-resolution
timers, interprocess communication and message passing,
asynchronous I/O, synchronized I/O, and pre-allocated contiguous
real-time files. When the final version of the POSIX.4
real-time standard is approved (probably by mid-1991) it will
provide, for the first time, an opportunity for the development
of portable real-time applications that can run on systems from
multiple vendors."
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."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOFTWARE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: X-Window System Development Software: Revamp Unix Code by Wrapping
It In Graphics
Author(s): Mosley, J. D.
Journal: EDN
v. 36, n. 7 March 28, 1991 pp. 91-98
Abstract: 348 JA
Subjects:
APPLICATIONS PROGRAMMING
GRAPHICS
PROGRAMMING INTERFACES
UNIX
"The X-Window System has taken the Unix world by storm and
rendered text-based applications pass�. Today you can select
from a number of graphical application programming interface
(API) development tools that automate design and coding tasks,
which previously required both an artistic flair and an intimate
knowledge of Xt Instrinsics. Application Programming Interfaces
let you transform C- and Fortran-based Unix programs into
graphical scenarios. Adding icons to your specific application,
however, may not be as simple as you think. You must select your
API building tools wisely, lest you discover that your
application code has become permanently enmeshed in an API that
you can't upgrade or alter. One of the most critical questions
to ask when shopping for an API design tool is what happens when
you change the underlying application code."
Title: DEC Displays a New Commitment to Software
Author(s): Bucken, Mike
Journal: Software magazine
v. 11, n. 1 Jan. 1991 pp. 77-79
Abstract: 373 JA
Subjects:
DEC
OPEN SYSTEMS
OPERATING SYSTEMS
SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
"Digital Equipment Corp. has for several years been described by
its cofounder and President Kenneth Olsen as a software company.
The swift moves of a 20-year DEC veteran hired last summer to a
new position overseeing much of the software development
operation has induced observers -- both inside and outside of
DEC -- to finally take that Olsen claim somewhat seriously.
Digital appointed David Stone to head a realigned organization
called the New Software Group. This group is responsible for
what Stone and other DEC officials described as 'basically all
of the software above the operating system in the network.' Its
'purpose in life is to integrate all of the operating system
components above the network in other DEC and non-DEC operating
systems, to provide people with the kind of integrated solutions
that VMS provided 10 years ago.'"
Title: Software Strategies of Hardware Makers: CASE
Author(s): Bucken, Mike; Korzeniowski, Paul
Journal: Software magazine
v. 11, n. 4 March 1991 special pp. 58-72
Abstract: 375 JA
Subjects:
CASE
DATA REPOSITORIES
OPEN SYSTEMS
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
"Large hardware vendors are facing a dilemma in computer-aided
software engineering: How far do they open their respective CASE
architectures to outside software suppliers? With the advent of
AD/Cycle in 1989, many hardware vendors have been asserting that
by using open systems, their computers can support myriad tools
and data repositories. That concentration on open systems and
international standards allows commercial users to select the
most suitable hardware/software combination for software
development. But true openness can be difficult to achieve,
consultants say, when attempting to marry widely dissimilar
tools via a data repository, which is the goal of AD/Cycle and
of the so-called CASE environments of IBM's hardware
competitors." This article describes the CASE strategies of
several companies: Hewlett-Packard, who is porting tools to
competitors and holding off on a repository choice; Sun
Microsystems, whose customers must decide from a long list,
since they are offering no favored suppliers; Unisys, who is
building on the strength of 4GLs and porting tools to Unix
competitors; Tandem, whose CASE tool options are limited, but
whose users report that progress is being made; Bull HN
Information Systems, who is planning an aggressive entrance into
the US market based on Unix; and DEC, who is soliciting
third-party support with its Cohesion software development
environment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUN MICROSYSTEMS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Where Sun Means to be a Bigger Fireball
Author(s): Hof, Robert
Journal: Business week
n. 3209 Apr. 15, 1991 pp. 73-74
Abstract: 356 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS TRENDS
WORKSTATIONS
"Workstations aren't just for the folks in engineering or
programming anymore. Dozens of businesses are finding out what
Northwest Airlines Inc. discovered: They often can do more for
less with networks of workstations than with giant mainframes.
Now, workstations are surfacing everywhere, from Wal-Mart Stores
Inc. to Chicago's Bureau of Parking. Indeed, the new push into
general-business computing is one reason why workstation sales
continue to expand faster than sales of PCs, mainframes, or
minicomputers. Sun, the market's biggest player, has the most
to gain from this expansion. But the move into the broader,
commercial computing market puts Sun against bigger computer
makers -- on their home turf, not Sun's."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPERCOMPUTERS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Calculating Reality
Author(s): Corcoran, Elizabeth
Journal: Scientific American
v. 264, n. 1 Jan. 1991 pp. 100-109
Abstract: 354 JA
Subjects:
COMPUTER INDUSTRY
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
"From the plains of Wisconsin to the outskirts of Tokyo, a few
maverick computer architects are scrambling to design the next
generation of supercomputers. Their grail is a teraflops
computers, a machine that can race through a trillion
operations a second. On the way to that goal, powerful
computation engines will permit scientists to model nature more
closely. Supercomputer users everywhere share a mutual hope:
that by the end of the decade, the competing teams of
supercomputer designers will have produced machines with enough
speed and memory to illustrate more nearly precise snapshots of
some of the most complicated phenomena in nature. These
computers would no longer be just dizzingly fast engines of
computation. Instead they would become the cross-disciplinary
equals of the superconducting supercollider or the scanning
tunneling microscope -- portals to new insights and questions in
virtually every scientific field."
Title: The Dawning of the Age of Network Supercomputing
Author(s): Herbst, Kris
Journal: Supercomputing review : the magazine of high-performance computing
v. 4, n. 4 April 1991 pp. 46-53
Abstract: 374 JA
Subjects:
NETWORKS
"The 1990s are being hailed as the era of network supercomputing
as it becomes apparent that communications between
supercomputers and other computers and peripherals can have at
least as much impact on a system's overall computing capability
as improvements in the processing power of supercomputers
themselves. Network supercomputing calls for fully integrated,
seamlessly transparent systems that can include workstations,
compute servers, file servers and other mass storage devices --
all of which can be linked over long distances. The key is to
try to integrate all of these components into a usable system
that is transparent so that users aren't even aware of the
network and it seems as if the Cray is on their desktop."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TECHNOLOGY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Self-Organized Criticality
Author(s): Bak, Per; Chen, Kan
Journal: Scientific American
v. 264, n. 1 Jan. 1991 pp. 46-53
Abstract: 353 JA
Subjects:
CRITICALITY
INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS
When catastrophe strikes, analysts typically blame some rare set
of circumstances or some combination of powerful mechanisms.
Large interactive systems perpetually organize themselves to a
critical state in which a minor event starts a chain reaction
that can lead to a catastrophe. Traditionally, investigators
have analyzed large interactive systems in the same way as they
have small, orderly systems, mainly because the methods
developed for simple systems have proved so successful. During
the past few decades, it has become increasingly apparent that
many chaotic and complicated systems do not yield to traditional
analysis. Large interactive systems naturally evolve toward a
critical state in which a minor event can lead to a catastrophe.
The authors argue that complex systems naturally evolve to a
critical state. Self-organized criticality may explain the
dynamics of earthquakes, economic markets and ecosystems. Their
theory already has improved understanding of motion in the
earth's crust, economies and ecosystems.
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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TELECOMMUNICATION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Allocating Telecommunications Resources at L.L. Bean, Inc.
Author(s): Quinn, Phil; Andrews, Bruce; Parsons, Henry; Univ. of Southern Maine
Journal: Interfaces
v. 21, n. 1 Jan/Feb 1991 pp. 75-91
Abstract: 358 JA
Subjects:
COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS
QUEUES
TELEMARKETING
The authors "developed and implemented a model for optimizing
the deployment of telemarketing resources at L.L. Bean, a large
telemarketer and mail-order catalogue house. The deployment
levels obtained with economic optimization were significantly
different from those formerly determined by service-level
criteria, and the resultant cost savings were estimated as
$9-$10 million per year. To develop the economic-optimization
approach, [the authors] used queuing theory, devised an expected
total-cost objective function, and accounted for retrial
behavior and potential caller abandonments through a regression
model that related the abandonment rates to customer service
levels. Management at L.L. Bean has fully accepted this
approach, which now explicitly sets optimal levels for the
number of telephone trunks (lines) carrying incoming traffic,
the number of agents scheduled, and the maximum number of queue
positions allowed for customers waiting for a telephone agent."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 SPARC 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."
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
|
| 26.193 | AITC Newsletter No.1 | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Thu Jul 11 1991 09:57 | 0 |
| 26.194 | AITC Newsletter No.1 | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Thu Jul 11 1991 09:59 | 310 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 10-Jul-1991 09:53pm CET
From: VAN_CLEAVE
VAN_CLEAVE@STEPS1@SELECT@HERON@ULYSSE@MRGATE@VALMTS@VBO
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: PATRICK ROACH@VBE
Subject: AITC Newsletter No.1
Digital Internal Use Only
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ AITC Newsletter +
+ +
+ Editor: Dave Van Cleave No. 1 10 July 1991 +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
� Copyright, Digital Equipment Corporation, 1991, all rights reserved
Welcome to the first issue of the AITC Newsletter. The Newsletter will
bring you news about AITC business activities on a bimonthly basis. Your
suggestions for future stories are welcome; send them to LMOADM:VAN_CLEAVE.
Remember that this Newsletter contains proprietary information that is for
Digital Internal Use only.
IN THIS ISSUE:
o AITC-IM&T Connection Strengthens Information Technology Role
o O'Connor and Infante Present to Boeing Computer Services
o DECscheduler Ships Close Year at 155% of Plan!
o Technical Strategy Supports AITC's Business Efforts
o Digital Europe Improves Productivity With BOMGEN and EASI
o AAAI-91 In Conjunction With IAAI91
o Did You Know That Digital Owns or Partners with Other Companies That
Have Knowledge-based Systems Capabilities?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Digital Internal Use Only
AITC-DIM&T Connection Strengthens Information Technology Role
As of July 1, the AITC will be strategically connected to Corporate
management through Dan Infante's organization, Information Management
& Technology (IM&T). For the past year the AITC administration has
been reporting through Dennis O'Connor to IM&T. During that period,
ISTG, SELECT, MSS, IMKA, AI Training, and Marketing reported through
Dennis to Manufacturing. Effective July 1, 1991, those groups will
also report to IM&T.
This transition completes the process that was begun twelve months
ago when Dennis became an active participant on Dan's staff. In
fact, Dan and Dennis have worked together in presenting a new vision
of information technology to Boeing Computer Services (see related
story below).
The partnership of the AITC with IM&T is important to Digital and its
customers because information technology will play a greater role in
managing complexity and diversity in large companies.
=====================================================================
O'Connor and Infante Present to Boeing Computer Services
In April, Dan Infante and Dennis O'Connor were requested by the
executive staff of Boeing Computer Services to give an IS technology
input session to help with Boeing's new 20-year plan for IS
technology.
The significance of the meeting, requested by a customer with a $128
Billion backlog, is the critical importance of information technology
in running a company. Dennis and Dan shared Digital's vision of
Information Technology and how it will play a greater role in
managing complexity and diversity. They also discussed the
importance of a holistic view that includes a corporate culture that
is geared to building a "Learning Organization."
As a result of an excellent interaction with the Boeing staff during
the full day of planning, the president of Boing Computer Services,
Art Hitsman, requested a two-day meeting of Ken Olsen and his staff
members to discuss future business possibilities.
Mr. Hitsman further requested that Dennis and Dan provide a
demonstration of the capability of Digital's global decision making
application, KARMA, and our capability in symbolic modeling (SYMMOD).
In addition to seeing these demos in Maynard, Mr. Hitsman and his
staff saw a one-hour presentation by Dan Infante on Digital's future
IS plans, which included the concept of information as a utility.
====================================================================
DECscheduler Ships Close Year at 155% of Plan!
The total revenue for DECscheduler software topped out at 155% of the
original FY91 plan with more than 200 licenses sold.
Phil James, Business Development Manager, attributes the strong sales
to demand generated at DECUS, DECworld, DECville, and as a result of
the POLYCENTER announcement. These events highlighted the need for
system management tools.
"DECscheduler offers VMS users an efficient way to schedule
production jobs," says Phil. "The need for this product is so great
that sales are strong even in a weak economy. Because the product
improves labor resu lts and brings a high return on its purchase,
there continues to be a strong demand for DECscheduler."
====================================================================
Technical Strategy Supports AITC's Business Efforts
Frank Lynch is directing the development of the AITC's Technology
Strategy, which will be used to support the group's business
activities. "We will use the Strategy to guide our choice of
business unit technology investments," says Frank. "It will provide
a set of manageable constraints to help us build a profitable and
stable business. The strategy will help guide us in developing new
applications and proposals."
Frank says that the Technology Strategy will help drive the
attributes of engineering discipline, consistency and excellence.
The Strategy will also be used to direct codevelopment efforts with
other businesses (both in and outside Digital) and to direct
university research investments. In addition, a Business Unit's
review of projects must indicate how project work maps to the
Technology Strategy.
The Technology Strategy will be strongly linked with corporate groups
such as The New Software Group. For example, the fit of current and
future technologies in the NAS Architecture will be addressed.
"The Technical Strategy will always be evolving," says Frank. "We
can't fix it in time and still be competitive. The Technical
Strategy is a continuing planning process, and it must be synch-
ronized with other planning processes in Digital. This will keep the
strategy up-to-date and help the AITC concentrate on its value-added
to other products and services."
====================================================================
Digital Europe Improves Productivity With BOMGEN and EASI
Two applications are boosting productivity in the United Kingdom and
Europe with the help of the Valbonne AI Centre. One application is
the "Bill Of Material Generator" (BOMGEN), an expert system that
provides a four-fold productivity improvement for software product
planners who manage software product information.
BOMGEN was developed jointly by the European Software Supply Business
Organisation, in Mervue Ireland and by European Artificial
Intelligence Technology Centre, in Valbonne, France.
BOMGEN was first implemented as an integral part of DEC's Software
Product Introduction process in FY89. The system is used by the
Software Product Planning groups in Europe, the U.S. and GIA. The
application is focused in three areas: 1) It helps compose software
license part numbers. 2) It helps with software product revisions by
storing the knowledge of the various changes and prompting the user
for information only when the system cannot determine the changes to
be made automatically. 3) When a product is translated into another
language, the software product translation phase makes certain the
part numbers and certain aspects of the Bills of Material change.
BOMGEN was developed using DEC's OPS5 Expert System development tool.
OPS5's structure and syntax allow the system to easily represent the
required business rules and relationships between product and DEC
Standard 012-4 information.
The system is integrated into the existing Software Product
Introduction system, DSWIFT. This integration allows BOMGEN to
include the appropriate authorization and data file accesses already
implemented in DSWIFT. A software planner uses DSWIFT to generate
all the usual planning information tht is required for software
licenses and then switches to BOMGEN to construct the appropriate
Software license part numbers.
The second application is the European Automatic Scheduling Insert
(EASI). EASI is an expert system written in VAX OPS5. I assigns
schedule dates to customer orders based on availability of the
required components at the requested date or dates. EASI was
developed in Galway with consulting help from the EAITC. It is used
in the systems manufacturing plants in Galway and Ayr, and the CSS
plants in Solent, Munich, and Annecy.
Because all supply information (which is matched against customer
demand when arriving at a schedule date for an order) is generated
within the shipping sites, more reliable schedule dates can be
provided in a shorter timeframe by having the scheduling activity
take place within the sites. Each site developed its own unique
software to receive orders, feed orders to the automatic scheduler,
update scheduling results to the business system, and to manually
schedule orders which do not schedule automatically.
====================================================================
AAAI-91 In Conjunction With IAAI91
Where: Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA
When: July 14 - 19, 1991 (Exhibit open July 16-18)
Our theme for the American Association for Artificial Intelligence
(AAAI) Conference is "The Knowledge Advantage." There will be 12
application demos and five "Service" demos. In addition, 10 third
parties will be participating with us, and IMKA will be demonstrated
with KARMA. Events will include a press conference with AAAI, a
customer reception, and a Fellowship Reunion.
The AITC will participate in three Sessions: Dennis O'Connor will be
part of the AAAI/AI Online Session. Peter Anick will discuss AI
STARS. Anil Rewari and Mike Registar will talk about CANASTA.
The AITC will have 39 people staffing Digital's participation. Most
people will staff demos (listed below) or consulting areas on the
exhibit floor. Other people will be responsible for customer visits.
In addition to people from AITC, we will be joined by a few people
supporting IMKA, DEC Press, the Fellowship Program, and Corporate
Event Services.
Adam Couture, Marketing Communications Manager, expects about 5,000
attendees at the AAAI-91. They include software engineers, software
engineering management, AI professionals, competitors, press,
consultants and students.
A number of cost cutting measures are being taken, which include
reducing the staff from 60 people to 39. Discount travel arrangements
are being made through American Express Corporate travel services.
Airport bus services will be used rather than rental cars.
AAAI-91 DEMOS
********************************************************************************
AREA DEMO NAME HARDWARE
________________________________________________________________________________
CONFIGURATION XSEL VS4000
(2 Demos) XNET VS4000
CONCURRENT ENGINEERING Produceability Automated Tool Suite (PATS) VS3100
(3 Demos) Electronic Computer Aided Process VS3100
Planning (ECAPP)
Engineering Advisor(Emerson Electric) VT1300
INTELLIGENT COMPUTER Computer Equipment Tracking System (CETS) VS3100
SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT XSAFE/PAAS VS3100
(3 Demos) DECscheduler VS3100
KNOWLEDGE BASED Marketing Data Navigator VS3100
INFORMATION RETRIEVAL Insurance Professional's Workstation VS3100
(2 Demos) (IPW)
BUSINESS MODELING Order Management Architecture VS3100
(2 Demos) Customer Service Logistics VS3100
Consulting Services Decision Tree VS3100
Fellowship Fellowship VS3100
Fellowship DEC Sys. 386
Training Book Reader DS5000
Course Guide DS5000
IMKA KARMA DS5000
VS3100
================================================================================
DID YOU KNOW ... That Digital Owns Or Partners With Other Companies
That Have Knowledge-based Systems Capabilities?
In addition to the AITC in Marlboro, Digital has an AI Program
Office in Valbonne, France, and an AI Development Office in Galway,
Ireland. But did you know that Digital owns or has a joint equity
interest in other companies doing work with knowledge-based systems?
For example, there is:
Data Logic Ltd., United Kingdom. It works with financial software
and expert systems for trading and dealing rooms.
Digital Kienzle (FRG and Europe) subsidiary of DEC Europe has PCS
subsidiary in Germany. Its work is in real time systems for manu-
facturing, imaging, and expert systems for manufacturing and
diagnostics.
STERIA SOLINSA, Spain. Software engineering for process control in
the food processing industry. It also does image processing and AI
work.
Carnegie Group Inc (CGI), Pittsburgh. Developer of Knowledge Craft,
the frame-based language used by software developers in the AITC.
CGI does expert system consulting across a wide range of industries.
CEGID Informatique, France. Active in banking and public
administration.
# # #
Digital Internal Use Only
|
| 26.195 | FYI-Intelligent Solutions Update | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Mon Aug 12 1991 19:07 | 82 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 02-Aug-1991 10:45pm CET
From: BLISS
BLISS@SELECT@SELECT@ULYSSE@MRGATE@VALMTS@VBO
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: PATRICK ROACH@VBE
Subject: FYI-Intelligent Solutions Update
INTELLIGENT SOLUTIONS UPDATE August 1, 1991, #2
Welcome to Intelligent Solutions Update. Each month this 1 page update delivers
information to Digital field and marketing organizations about the ways Digital
uses Artificial Intelligence(AI) to build superior solutions. Please send
comments to Malcolm Bliss @LMO. This update is for INTERNAL USE ONLY.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER WINS $1.6 MILLION SERVICE CONTRACT
------------------------------------------------------
Digital's AI Technology Center has recently been awarded a contract to deliver
a technology transfer program with an initial value of $1.6 million in Digital
service revenues. This is the third technology transfer program of its type
awarded to the AI Technology center in the last two years.
Technology transfer programs are intensive service offerings that rapidly bring
knowledge based solutions into the main-stream of a customer's approaches for
improving organizational effectiveness. The programs cater to the needs of
fortune 500 companies who are making knowledge based solutions a formal part of
their enterprise technology strategy.
According to Digital field personnel involved with technology transfer program
sales, the value of these programs goes beyond the technology -- they break
down barriers to efficiency at the division level within the customer's
organization and provide the Digital account team with improved visibility.
DIGITAL'S DENNIS O'CONNOR PRESENTED WITH AWARD AT AAAI '91
----------------------------------------------------------
The American Association of Artificial Intelligence(AAAI) presented its first
ever "Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence Award" to Dennis
O'Connor, Director of Digital's AI Technology Center. The award was presented
by AAAI President Daniel Bobrow, who said criteria for the award included
sustained contribution to the practical implementation of AI within a corporate
setting, successful applications of AI over time, and significant volunteer
work in the field.
The award was one of many Digital highlights at the AAAI '91 conference(July
18-21), where Digital was a major exhibitor and interacted with hundreds of
customers and prospects.
INITIATIVE FOR MANAGEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE ASSETS: PHASE 2 SPECIFICATION RELEASE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
An association of companies including Digital, Ford, and US West, have pooled
resources in an effort called Initiative for Management of Knowledge Assets
(IMKA). Within the last month, the IMKA group has released phase 2 of its
specification for knowledge representation software. The IMKA specification is
being applied in pilot programs at IMKA participant companies, and is also
being evaluated by IEEE as a standard for knowledge representation.
IMKA was formed to develop a software technology that will allow organizations
to capture knowledge and manage it as an asset. Examples of knowledge assets
include design experience, engineering skills, financial analysis skills, and
competitive knowledge. In developing the requirements for the IMKA technology,
IMKA participants relied upon the experience of the participant companies, who
are all experienced users and developers of knowledge based systems.
Q1 APPLICATION FOCUS: FRAUD MANAGEMENT AND SECURITY ENFORCEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------
Corporate AI consulting recently fulfilled a service contract by delivering 40+
page study on the application of knowledge based systems to fraud management
and security enforcement needs in the telecommunications industry.
Digital initially developed expertise in the area of fraud management and
security enforcement by developing knowledge based solutions for internal use.
Since then, Digital's expertise in fraud management and security enforcement
has been applied through studies, training, and consulting to the needs of
customers in both the financial services and telecommunications industries.
|
| 26.196 | FWD: Inside Info., 24 July 91 | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Mon Aug 12 1991 20:43 | 1402 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 25-Jul-1991 04:37pm CET
From: BEANE
BEANE@BIGRED@MRGATE@DPD20@DPD
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: See Below
Subject: FWD: Inside Info., 24 July 91
ISSUE NO. 193 JULY 24, 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:
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE GLOBAL ECONOMY OPERATING SYSTEMS
BENCHMARKING HUMAN RESOURCE MGMT. QUALITY
CIM INFORMATION SYSTEMS SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
COMPETITION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
COMPUTER INDUSTRY MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
ENGINEERING MULTIMEDIA TRAINING
ENVIRONMENT NETWORKS
DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Intelligent Foundation for Product Design Reduces Costs,
Time-to-Market: part 1
Author(s): Izuchukwu, John I.; Northeastern Univ.
Journal: Industrial engineering
v. 23, n. 7 July 1991 pp. 29-34
Abstract: 562 JA
Subjects:
AUTOMATION STRATEGIES
MARKETING
PRODUCT DESIGN
"As industries struggle to maintain their worldwide market
position, a strategic priority will not only be to continue to
automate their design and manufacturing processes but far more
importantly, to procure tools that capture design and
manufacturing knowledge as well as support reliability,
performance, and cost tradeoffs during conceptual design.
Increased foreign competition has propelled companies around the
world, particularly the US, to re-evaluate their traditional
approaches to engineering manufacturing... As competition causes
the market window to dwindle, most manufacturers will need to
augment traditional technologies such as CAE, CAD/CAM, and
database tools with artificial intelligent solutions to capture
and support evolving knowledge about optimal design practices."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
BENCHMARKING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Share and Share Alike
Author(s): Altany, David
Journal: Industry week
v. 240, n. 14 July 15, 1991 pp. 12-17
Abstract: 594 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
INFORMATION SHARING
"Benchmarkers are proving the wisdom of mothers' reproach. The
lesson we're learning from foreign companies and top performers
in the US is that information is power and that the best
database of information is one that taps into the expertise of
the world's best companies, rather than just one's own company.
Top benchmarkers claim that this simple process can propel even
dominant market leaders to higher levels of achievement. And
the key feature of successful benchmarking is, simply, sharing."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPETITION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
Title: Strategic Competitiveness in the 1990s: Challenges and
Opportunities for U.S. Executives
Author(s): Hitt, Michael A.; Hoskissson, R.E.; Harrison, J.S.; Texas A&M Univ
Journal: The Executive
v. 5, n. 2 May 1991 pp. 7-22
Abstract: 567 JA
Subjects:
GLOBAL ECONOMY
MANAGEMENT
"U.S. firms face a major global competitiveness challenge.
Although the problems relate, in part, to differences in the
economic structure, history, and cultural differences between
the U.S. and foreign rivals, these factors may not explain as
much of the variance in competitiveness as they did in the past.
Competitiveness problems are also linked to a number of
strategic factors under the control of managers. Among them are
the absorption of managerial energy in mergers and acquisitions,
increasing levels of debt, increasing firm size, greater firm
diversification, lack of investment in human capital and
inappropriate corporate culture. In response to these problems,
many firms are restructuring. When executed properly,
restructuring can help managers regain strategic control and
improve the competitiveness of their companies. However,
restructuring efforts must be accompanied by a renewed emphasis
on competitive strengths, improvements in human resource
development programs, a refocus on innovation and quality,
promotion of an entrepreneurial culture and a global, long-term
strategy."
Title: The New Competitors: They Think in Terms of 'Speed-to-Market'
Author(s): Vesey, Joseph T.; Unisys Corp.
Journal: The Executive
v. 5, n. 2 May 1991 pp. 23-33
Abstract: 568 JA
Subjects:
CONCURRENT ENGINEERING
INFORMATION PROCESSING
MANUFACTURING
MARKETING
PRODUCT LIFE CYCLES
"Time-to-market is becoming a highly competitive issue for
manufacturing companies, and in the 1990s it may be the single
most critical factor for success across all markets. A new
group of accelerating competitors is emerging that thinks in
terms of speed-to-market. These business units are using
shorter product life cycles and have a propensity for change
which is winning market share and increasing profits. Key to
their success is concurrent engineering which gives
manufacturing managers a say in designing the production and
ensuring that flexibility and efficiency are available in the
product phase of product development. Technological advances in
information processing provide the tools used in concurrent
engineering."
Title: Corporate Imagination and Expeditionary Marketing
Author(s): Hamel, Gary; Prahalad, C.K.
Journal: Harvard business review
v. 69, n. 4 July/August 1991 pp. 81-92
Abstract: 574 JA
Subjects:
INNOVATIONS
MARKETING
"In the 1990s, winning won't mean gaining market share in
existing markets. It will mean creating and dominating wholly
new markets." Companies need to "exercise their corporate
imaginations by escaping the tyranny of already-served markets;
thinking about needs and functionalities; overturning
traditional price-performance assumptions; and leading customers
rather than just following them." Early and consistent
investment in what the authors call "core competencies" is one
prerequisite for creating new markets. Corporate imagination
and expeditionary marketing are the keys that will unlock these
new markets. But in order to realize the potential that these
core competencies create, a company must also have the imagination
to envision markets that do not yet exist and the ability to stake
them out ahead of the competition.
Title: The Fallacy of the Overhead Quick Fix
Author(s): Blaxill, Mark F.; Hout, Thomas M.; Boston Consulting Group
Journal: Harvard business review
v. 69, n. 4 July/August 1991 pp. 93-101
Abstract: 575 JA
Subjects:
COSTS
MANUFACTURING
This article "identifies the huge differences in overhead costs
between three types of manufacturing companies: bureaucratic,
niche, and robust. Many old-line manufacturers respond to lower
cost competitors by outsourcing or downsizing -- the quick fix.
But the lesson of robust competitors is that lower overhead and
improved competitiveness come only from a systematic rethinking
of the whole manufacturing operation."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPUTER INDUSTRY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Computerless Computer Company
Author(s): Rappaport, Andrew S.; Halvei, Shmuel; The Technology Research Group
Journal: Harvard business review
v. 69, n. 4 July-August 1991 pp. 69-80
Abstract: 573 JA
Subjects:
FUTURE TRENDS
"Building boxes is bad business", say these authors. "The
future belongs to the computer company that competes on how
computers are used, not how they are built. The leaders will
leverage fabulously cheap and powerful hardware to create and
deliver new applications, pioneer and control new computing
paradigms, and assemble distribution and integration expertise
that creates enduring influence with customers. So long as
companies have reliable supplies of adequate hardware -- and
this seldom means the most advanced hardware -- there are fewer
advantages and a growing number of disadvantages to building it.
Three new rules will define this new focus. Compete on utility,
not power. Monopolize the true sources of added value; create
vigorous competition for enabling components. Maximize the
sophistication of the value delivered; minimize the sophistication
of the technology consumed."
Title: Fujitsu's Agenda
Author(s): Cone, Ed
Journal: InformationWeek (Manhasset, N.Y.)
n. 329 July 15, 1991 pp. 44-47
Abstract: 593 JA
Subjects:
COMPUTER BUSINESS
GLOBAL EXPANSION
STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
"Pursuing a strategy of regional alliances and global expansion,
the Fujitsu is moving boldly -- but with little fanfare -- to
edge out IBM in the world market. In the past eight months,
the $21 billion Japanese giant has moved boldly to repaint the
outer rim of the continent -- from Scandinavia to the UK to
Spain -- in its own image; the Tokyo-based firm is literally
surrounding the ailing, state-supported manufacturers of France,
Italy, Holland, and Germany with its own vigorous allies,
acquisitions, and implants. From a standing start, Fujitsu has
made itself the proprietor of Europe's sixth-largest computer
company. Meanwhile, it has widened its home-market lead over
NEC Corp. and IBM by using aggressive prices and shrewd product
placement to keep growing despite a tough market. In the US,
both Amdahl Corp., in which Fujitsu holds a 44% stake, and
wholly owned subsidiary Fujitsu America Inc. are weathering the
recession as well as anyone. And as its chief American rivals
issue doom-and-gloom earnings projections, Fujitsu is
forecasting significant growth -- a 23% increase in world-wide
sales for 1991 -- making it No.2 with a bullet in the world
computer market. In short, Fujitsu is the most important
computer company you don't know much about."
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ENGINEERING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Concurrent Engineering: [4 articles]
Author(s): Shina, Sammy G.; Reddy, Ramana; Turino, Jon; et al
Journal: IEEE spectrum
v. 28, n. 7 July 1991 pp. 22-37
Abstract: 570 JA
Subjects:
CORPORATE CULTURAL CHANGE
DESIGN STRATEGIES
MANUFACTURING
MARKETING
QUALITY
SALES
SERVICE
SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
o New Rules for Design, p. 23-26: "World-class companies must
focus all their resources so that new products are high in quality
and work right the first time. Designs can no longer be tossed
'over the wall' to manufacturing. Instead, as early as
possible, concurrent engineering teams up a company's knowledge
of design and development with its experience in marketing,
manufacturing, service, and sales.
o The Darpa Initiative, p. 26-30: "The purpose of the Darpa
Initiative in Concurrent Engineering (DICE) is to encourage the
practice of concurrent engineering in the US military and
industrial base. Toward that end, DICE's mission includes
developing, integrating, and disseminating technologies for
concurrent engineering. A consortium of more than a dozen
industries, software companies, and universities conducts DICE
for Darpa. The consortium's overall goal is to develop an
architecture for concurrent engineering in which the people
working on a project can instantly communicate with each other
and access, share, and store up-to-date information in a
transparent way, unhindered by geographic separation,
organizational structure, product complexity, and incompatible
tools, databases, and computing resources."
o Making It Work, p. 30-32: "Dedication, teamwork, and a
sweeping corporate cultural change are essential for all
products, whether one of a kind or turned out in high volume.
It takes commitment by the entire organization, from top to
bottom. In place of the typical short-term business focus,
concurrent engineering encourages quality, trouble-free
products, and continuous improvement."
o Success Stories, p. 32-37: "The experience of four different
companies [Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, Raytheon, ITEK
Optical Systems] implementing concurrent engineering reveals its
applicability to a wide range of products and systems - from the
Patriot missile, to electronic measuring instruments, to
internetwork bridges and routers, to the mirrors for optical
telescopes. These case histories illustrate how these companies
are coming to grips with introducing concurrent engineering
procedures and reaping the benefits."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: What Does It Mean to be Green?
Author(s): Kleiner, Art
Journal: Harvard business review
v. 69, n. 4 July-August 1991 pp. 38-47
Abstract: 571 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS ISSUE
ECOLOGY
"The environment is 'in'. And companies are struggling to figure
out what it takes to qualify in the public's eyes as a
legitimately 'green' enterprise. But it's not always clear what
counts. The author breaks the issue down to three concerns:
what products and packaging a company brings to market; what
information a company collects and reports; and how a company
reduces waste at its source."
Title: Managing as if Earth Mattered
Author(s): Post, James E.; Boston University
Journal: Business horizons
v. 34, n. 4 July/August 1991 pp. 32-38
Abstract: 597 JA
Subjects:
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
MANAGEMENT POLICIES
Many managers today are facing the increasingly common dilemma
of reconciling routine business activity with emerging
environmental concerns that force hard choices. These dilemmas
raise unfamiliar problems of corporate responsibility. This
article examines a variation on the central theme of this issue:
"What are a corporation's environmental responsibilities in a
world where environmental problems are growing in number,
severity, and complexity?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
GLOBAL ECONOMY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Boundaries of Business: Commentaries from the Experts
Author(s):
Journal: Harvard business review
v. 69, n. 4 July/August 1991 pp. 127-140
Abstract: 576 JA
Subjects:
CORPORATE DYNAMICS
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
HUMAN RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT
PROTECTIONISM
This article "extends the discussion begun in the May-June 1991
issue on the results of HBR's World Leadership Survey. Kenichi
Ohmae, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Michel Crozier, and James E. Austin
provide further insight into the implications of the survey.
Ohmae, in 'The Perils of Protectionism', looks at the way in
which governments mistakenly try to foil globalization; Hewlett,
in "The Human Resource Deficit', examines the coming worldwide
human resource deficit; Crozier, in 'The Changing Organization',
argues for a total break from the managerial systems of the
past; and Austin, in "The Developing-Country Difference',
comments on the surprisingly optimistic prospects for developing
nations."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
Title: The Trouble with MBAs
Author(s): Deutschman, Alan
Journal: Fortune
v. 124, n. 3 July 29, 1991 pp. 67-78
Abstract: 558 JA
Subjects:
CAREERS
EDUCATION
HIGHER EDUCATION
MANAGEMENT
There is a growing number of MBAs driven by choice or necessity
to seek their fate outside the corporate establishment. In
1991, only about half the students from top schools are taking
jobs with companies that recruit on campus. Increasingly, MBAs
must search in the hidden job market, a disturbing
undertaking for folks who just paid $70,000 for what they
thought was the heights. The director of career placement at
the Stanford business school says that this is not a temporary
situation, but is the "beginning of the way life is going to
be", partly because of so much consolidation at firms, and
partly because big industrial companies are doing so
much of their own management training. A hard look at
what business schools are turning out suggests that it's little
wonder that employers aren't clamoring for the product.
Business education has become largely irrelevant to business
practice; professors seem to have somehow let the pivotal
management concepts of the '80s get past them and have completely
missed the quality revolution, and remain oblivious to
time-based competition and breakthroughs in technology and
information management. In response to the problem, business
schools have begun trying to change how and what they teach,
groping for relevance. But it may already be too late.
Title: The Multicultural Organization
Author(s): Cox, Taylor; Univ. of Michigan
Journal: The Executive
v. 5, n. 2 May 1991 pp. 34-47
Abstract: 569 JA
Subjects:
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
DIVERSITY
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
"Organizations are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of
gender, race, ethnicity, and nationality. This diversity brings
substantial potential benefits such as better decision making,
greater creativity and innovation, and more successful marketing
to different types of customers. But, increased cultural
differences within a workforce also bring potential costs in
higher turnover, interpersonal conflict, and communication
breakdowns. To capitalize on the benefits of diversity while
minimizing the potential costs, leaders are being advised to
oversee change processes toward creating 'multicultural'
organizations. What are the characteristics of such an
organization, and how do they differ from those of the past?
What mechanisms are available to facilitate such a change? This
article address these questions. It also describes a model for
understanding the required features of a multicultural
organization and reviews tools that pioneering companies have
found useful in changing organizations toward the multicultural
model."
Title: Ask What HR Can Do for Itself
Author(s): Bailey, Betty; Digital Equipment Corp.
Journal: Personnel journal
v. 70, n. 7 July 1991 pp. 35-39
Abstract: 591 JA
Subjects:
DEC
PLANNING ANALYSIS
"For 30 years, the human resources department at Digital
Equipment Corp. busily provided planning work for clients to
help them function better, but never thought to do the same for
its own staff. That all changed in 1988 when the department
conducted a 10-month human resources planning analysis to
provide the information necessary for future decisions affecting
human resources. Three years after the study, the
recommendations and resulting programs have proven valuable."
Title: US Businesses Suffer from Workplace Trauma
Author(s): Wilson, C. Brady
Journal: Personnel journal
v. 70, n. 7 July 1991 pp. 47-50
Abstract: 592 JA
Subjects:
EMPLOYEE ABUSE
HARASSMENT
JOB STRESS
MANAGEMENT
WORK STRESS
"Decreased productivity isn't the only loss suffered by
companies that abuse their employees. Workplace trauma (the
resulting condition of this abuse) has cost companies billions
more in wrongful termination, sexual harassment and defamation
suits as well as outplacement costs, workers' compensation and
health care. Poor management is only partly to blame for this
costly problem because its roots are in the culture of the
organization. This article explains how to detect workplace
trauma and deal with it."
Title: Home Sweet Office
Author(s): O'Leary, Meghan
Journal: CIO
v. 4, n. 10 July 1991 pp. 31-40
Abstract: 596 JA
Subjects:
ALTERNATE WORK STYLES
EMPLOYEE MORALE
OFF-SITE OFFICES
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
TELECOMMUTING
Telecommuting is often unfairly dismissed by people who have
never tried it. It is still often thought of as a frivolous
work option for part-timers and people who aren't serious about
their jobs. Today, however, the arguments for flexible work
hours and locations are becoming more compelling. Proponents of
telecommuting can offer concrete evidence of productivity gains,
cost savings, improved morale and more effective workgroup
communication. The most progressive companies are struggling
with ways to meet the needs of employees, especially those with
families, for greater work flexibility and fewer hours stuck in
traffic. Telecommuting is suited to any part of the job that
doesn't require frequent face-to-face interaction. By leaving
the office proper, with its many distractions, people are often
better able to work more productively. The most common catalyst
for a corporate telecommuting policy seems to be the need to
recruit and retain valued employees. It is often the best way
to deal with increased productivity demands in specific areas.
Its flexibility can also help companies through possibly
disruptive transitions, like temporary space crunches.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Casting a Giant Shadow
Author(s): Caldwell, Bruce; Medina, Diane
Journal: InformationWeek (Manhasset, N.Y.)
n. 328 July 8, 1991 pp. 38-45
Abstract: 563 JA
Subjects:
INTERNAL AUDITORS
MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS AUDITORS
"Ranking on a par with the tax collector, DP auditors have never
been popular with IS managers. But now it turns out that the
auditors may be the key to helping IS execs solve one of their
most pressing problems: finding ways to better align IS with the
rest of the business." Armed with the technological and
business acumen needed to determine the cost to a company of a
massive computer system failure, systems auditors are charged
with making certain that a corporation's computer systems perform
as expected. The role played by these auditors is a pivotal
one, but given the rapid pace of change in technology and
business practices, it is also different from what it has been
in the past. A 1991 report, the Systems Auditability and
Control study, funded by IBM and 36 other major corporation,
concludes that internal auditors have moved beyond reviewing
systems that affect only financial statements, and now review
all computer systems and support operations that affect the
processing of critical information.
Title: Examining the Computing and Centralization Debate
Author(s): George, Joey F.; King, John L.; Univ. of Arizona; Univ. of California
Journal: Communications of the ACM
v. 34, n. 7 July 1991 pp. 63-72
Abstract: 565 JA
Subjects:
COMPUTER INDUSTRY
"Of all the issues raised in discussion of the computer's impact
on society, few have been as provocative and hotly contested as
that of computerization and centralization. The notion that
computers, or more significantly, _a_ computer, will control the
lives and destinies of humans actually predates the age of
computing. In recent years, following the advent of personal
computers and data communications, a computer counterculture has
emerged. The computerized future of the new visionaries is
marked by democratization and decentralization. Predictably,
there also has emerged a 'balanced' view somewhere in the
middle, arguing that things will stay pretty much the same as
they have been. This article explores the theories and findings
of scholars and practitioners who have been involved in the
debate on the computerization of modern organizations."
Title: MediaView: A General Multimedia Digital Publication System
Author(s): Phillips, Richard L.; Los Alamos National Lab.
Journal: Communications of the ACM
v. 34, n. 7 July 1991 pp. 75-83
Abstract: 566 JA
Subjects:
ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING
GRAPHICS
MULTIMEDIA
"MediaView is a multimedia digital publication system that was
designed to be flexible and free from restrictions. It was also
designed to take maximum advantage of the media-rich hardware
and software capabilities of the NeXT computer, especially the
features of the NeXTdimension subsystem. Rather than emphasize
the work that is almost always paired with multimedia,
presentation, MediaView emphasizes communications. The result
is a very general system -- free of artificial structure and
inconvenient metaphors. It is based on the WYSIWYG word
processor metaphor, familiar to most computer users. In
addition to text, that metaphor is extended to include several
multimedia components. In addition to the expected multimedia
components such as graphics, audio and video, MediaView supports
several nontraditional components. These include full-color
images; object-based animations; image-based animations;
mathematics; and custom, dynamically loadable components. In
providing such a range of capabilities MediaView fully exploits
the platform integration and media richness of NeXT, NeXTstep,
and NeXTdimension. Finally, being designed for maximum
communicability, MediaView allows multimedia documents to be
electronically mailed to remote sites. In short, MediaView is a
communication tool that offers new and dramatically different
ways of interacting with others."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MANAGEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
Title: Culture Clash: West Meets East
Author(s): Kelley, Bill
Journal: Sales & marketing management
v. 143, n. 8 July 1991 pp. 28-34
Abstract: 559 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
JAPAN
MARKETING
"Are the Japanese really better marketers than we are? American
managers working at Japanese firms offer their views on this
volatile issue." According to one manager, the Japanese don't
know how to market. Their idea of marketing is, we make a good
product, people should buy it, a philosophy that has served the
Japanese well. Yet this assessment makes one wonder if this
single-minded approach could leave the Japanese vulnerable in
certain areas, maybe presenting US companies with an opportunity
to exploit this 'weakness' in their quest to dethrone the
Japanese and recapture some of their previous preeminence.
Several American sales executives, most of whom are still
working at Japanese companies, were asked if they supported this
view.
Title: The Making of a French Manager
Author(s): Barsoux, Jean-Louis; Lawrence, Peter
Journal: Harvard business review
v. 69, n. 4 July-August 1991 pp. 58-67
Abstract: 572 JA
Subjects:
FRANCE
GLOBAL ECONOMY
"While the eyes of the world have been focused on Japan's
economic success story, France too has been showing a level of
progress that makes it essential for the global executive to
understand how French managers are molded." To understand the
style of management responsible for their successes, the authors
went to France to study how its managers think about management.
They learned that "management in France is considered a 'state
of mind' rather than a set of techniques; the successful
development of executives depends on creating a distinctive
shared identity, a sense of belonging to the French managerial
class. France has come closer than any other nation to turning
management into a separate profession, with its own entry
requirements and regulations. Managerial status in France is
not part of a graded continuum, but rather a quantum leap,
involving a change of legal status (in terms of pension
entitlement) as well as subtle changes in outlook and
self-perception."
Title: A New Compact for Owners and Directors
Author(s): Working Group on Corporate Governance
Journal: Harvard business review
v. 69, n. 4 July/August 1991 pp. 141-143
Abstract: 577 JA
Subjects:
CORPORATE RULE
This compact "is a product of the Working Group on Corporate
Governance, a distinguished group of lawyers representing large
public companies and leading institutional investors. The
virtual demise of hostile takeovers and leveraged buyouts has
still not cooled the tensions over corporate governance. The
basic issues in the debate -- familiar to managers and
institutional investors -- remain unresolved. The goal of the
group was to reach common ground on a set of principles that
reconciles the tensions between owners and managers. Recently,
the group agreed on a statement that all eight members were able
to endorse."
Title: SuperLeadership: Beyond the Myth of Heroic Leadership
Author(s): Manz, Charles C.; Sims, Henry P.
Journal: Organizational dynamics
v. 19, n. 4 Spring 1991 pp. 18-35
Abstract: 585 JA
Subjects:
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS
Most people think of leadership as one person doing something to
another person. This is "influence", and a leader is someone
who has the capacity to influence another. "Charismatic" and
"heroic" are also terms used to describe a leader. But the
authors believe that in "many modern situations, the most
appropriate leader is one who can lead others to lead
themselves", and they call this powerful new kind of leadership
"SuperLeadership". They take the position that true leadership
comes mainly from within a person, not from outside. Their
focus is on a new form of leadership that is designed to
facilitate the self-leadership energy within each person. This
perspective suggests a new measure of a leader's strength --
one's ability to maximize the contributions of others through
recognition of their right to guide their own destiny, rather
than the leaders' ability to bend the will of others to his or
her own. The challenge for organizations it to understand how
to go about bringing out the wealth of talent that each employee
possesses.
Title: Strategic Improvising: How to Formulate and Implement Competitive
Strategies in Concert
Author(s): Perry, Lee Tom
Journal: Organizational dynamics
v. 19, n. 4 Spring 1991 pp. 51-64
Abstract: 586 JA
Subjects:
IMPROVISATION
STRATEGIC PLANNING
"Traditional strategic plans are like traditional musical
format. All the options are specified by strategic planners,
leaving little to the imagination of the managers who have to
implement strategy. An improvisational approach to strategy is
more like jazz format. It is an open and evolving strategy,
allowing for improvisation. Managers formulate and implement
strategy together in real-time. The ideal is realized when
different managers improvise successful strategies around a common
strategic intent. Improvisation is by no means a haphazard
process. It should be accepted as a process governed both by
freedom and form. The emphasis is on action and continuous
experimentation, not obsessive planning."
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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."
Title: An Empirical Examination of the Characteristics of JIT
Manufacturers versus Non-JIT Manufacturers
Author(s): Gupta, Yash P.; Mangod, W. Glynn; Lonial, Subhash C.
Journal: Manufacturing review
v. 4, n. 2 June 1991 pp. 78-86
Abstract: 578 JA
Subjects:
CAD
CAM
COMPETITION
FACTORY AUTOMATION
FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS
"This study provides insight into the characteristics of those
companies that have implemented Just-in-Time production (JIT) as
compared to those that have not. It also examines the changes
that management can expect to encounter as JIT is incorporated
into a manufacturing firm. The responses to a survey on JIT
implementation of 175 manufacturing organizations indicate that
companies that have implemented JIT have fewer customers who
purchase in higher volumes than non-JIT customers. Service
levels in JIT companies have been found to improve in response to
customer requirements more quickly than in non-JIT companies. In
addition, product and process engineering skills are higher, and
financial liquidity is better in JIT organizations. Several
differences that were expected to exist between the two types of
firms were not supported by the data. It had been believed that
JIT companies would have significantly fewer suppliers than
non-JIT companies because JIT requires manufacturers to develop
ways of establishing long-term strategic partnerships with
suppliers. The data, however, did not support this relationship.
Also contrary to expectations, JIT companies did not exhibit
less vertical integration and did not emphasize effective
coordination among function to a greater extent than non-JIT
companies. Finally, the results showed that JIT companies did
not have the ability to change products in response to changes
in demand more quickly than non-JIT companies and JIT companies
did not have more flexibility in rerouting jobs in case of machine
breakdowns."
Title: World-Class Manufacturing in the 1990s: Integrating TQC, JIT, FA,
and TPM with Worker Participation
Author(s): Huang, Philip Y.; Moore, Laurence J.; Shin, Seung-il; Va. Polytech
Journal: Manufacturing review
v. 4, n. 2 June 1991 pp. 87-95
Abstract: 579 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
"The authors present an integrated manufacturing strategy, based
on Japanese continuous quality improvement techniques, that they
believe is the key to competitive success for US manufacturers
in the 1990s. The plan incorporates four recent developments in
production management: total quality control (TQC); just-in-time
(JIT) production methods; factory automation (FA); and total
productive maintenance (TPM). Each of these elements is defined
and the importance of its interrelationship with the other
elements is discussed. In addition, the role of worker
participation as an aid to implementation of the integrated
strategy is examined."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MULTIMEDIA
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Multimedia Scouting
Author(s): Woolsey, Kristina Hooper; Apple Computer Multimedia Lab
Journal: IEEE computer graphics and applications
v. 11, n. 4 July 1991 pp. 26-38
Abstract: 587 JA
Subjects:
APPLE COMPUTER
MEDIA
OPTICAL MEDIA
"The debut of Hypercard in 1987 made a range of sights and
sounds available to the typical viewer. In addition to
providing a general linking tool and a computer language
(Hypertalk) nonprogrammers could comprehend, Hypercard also
provided easy access to optical media -- particularly videodiscs
and CD-ROMs. These optical media gave the viewer quick,
inexpensive access to visual and aural elements from the worlds
of television, movies, and music. But the big question was
'What will the average viewer do with these media-rich,
interconnected materials?' Apple established its Multimedia Lab
in 1987 to address this question. Over the last three years,
the Multimedia Lab has experimented with a range of techniques
and developed several examples, often in collaboration with
other organizations. The context for these experiments was
developing new media types through the serious consideration of
existing media. Citing some of these examples here, [the
author] examines six existing media types and describes how they
were extended into to new genres of information display."
Title: Numbers -- A Medium That Counts
Author(s): Davenport, Glorianna; Harber, Jonathan D.; MIT Media Laboratory
Journal: IEEE computer graphics and applications
v. 11, n. 4 July 1991 pp. 39-44
Abstract: 588 JA
Subjects:
APPLE COMPUTERS
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
SPREADSHEETS
"As the computer industry waits for multimedia consumer demand
to build, industry experts look for a successor to Lotus 1-2-3,
the application that generated exponential growth in the
personal computer industry in the 1980s. The authors propose
that the spreadsheet might also be the vehicle that carries
hypermedia to the business desktop in the 1990s. Ironically,
number -- basic to computing and widely used in the personal
computer since its genesis -- seem to have been ignored in
definitions of multimedia environments. This omission results
in an impoverished information space. In 1987, Apple Computer
began distributing Hypercard", a software program for their PCs
that gives users the power of hypermedia authoring. Since 1987
other software companies have incorporated hypermedia
capabilities into their products, but unfortunately, most of
these products omit the cell. The authors propose that the
numeric cells is a powerful generic object type; a cell might be
considered the smallest unit of computation and as such it has
the potential of carrying link information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NETWORKS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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."
Title: Where Client/Server Fits
Author(s): Davis, Dwight B.
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 14 July 15, 1991 pp. 36-38
Abstract: 584 JA
Subjects:
DATABASE SYSTEMS
TECHNOLOGY
"Corporate computing centers are beginning to embrace
client/server technology selectively, as an ally in their battle
to squeeze the most out of their computing resources. IS
managers at these companies point out since the distribution of
computing resources out into local area networks is already a
fact of life, client/server technologies can help re-establish
order in and centralized management of their now fragmented
systems. Yet the debate continues about where client/server
fits into the corporate-computing landscape."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPERATING SYSTEMS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Unix Players Learning Glass House Etiquette
Author(s): Gill, Philip J
Journal: Software magazine
v. 11, n. 9 July 1991 pp. 59-64
Abstract: 560 JA
Subjects:
DATA BASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
DATA RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
TECHNOLOGY
"Unix DBMS technology is at the forefront of the first radical
redesign of corporate computing since IBM began selling
mainframes more than 30 years ago. In the past, large
centralized, hierarchical or host computers -- most often,
proprietary IBM systems -- dominated corporate computing. But
today, the majority of corporate computing power resides not
behind the glass house walls of the MIS shop, but in the desktop
personal computers, workstations and servers that populate
corporate offices and departments. Linking these departmental
workstations in a distributed, client/server configuration is
becoming the new model for corporate computing. A growing body
of evidence suggests the move to client/server computing might
do more than shift computing power out of the glass house; it
might also result in the replacement of some proprietary
mainframes with large-scale, Unix-based multiprocessor systems."
As this shift to client/server aids Unix DBMS, relational and
object data models compete.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUALITY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Baldrige Award: Focus on Total Customer Satisfaction
Author(s): Edosomwan, Johnson A.; Johnson & Johnson Assoc., Inc.
Journal: Industrial engineering
v. 23, n. 7 July 1991 pp. 24-26,63
Abstract: 561 JA
Subjects:
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
"The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Model is helping
American businesses share successful product and service
improvement strategies to improve competitiveness. At the
individual level, it has stimulated awareness on competing
through quality, enhanced value, and excellence. This article
focuses on one of the major components of the Baldrige criteria,
customer satisfaction. This category is very important as
indicated by the 300 point allocation out of a total 1,000
possible points. In addition, it is important to focus on
satisfaction because it plays a major role in the quest for any
business to increase its market share and profitability."
Title: Baldrige -- Bible or Babble?
Author(s): Braham, James
Journal: Machine design
v. 63, n. 14 July 11, 1991 pp. 34-39
Abstract: 595 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS SENSE
MANUFACTURING
"Quality is the new business battle cry. And since the
introduction of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in
1988, even more attention has been showered upon quality in
American manufacturing. Although today's quality obsession
frequently smacks more of common business sense, there are
substantial lessons to be learned. One is that the process is
more significant than the prize. Past quality winners Cadillac,
Motorola, and IBM share their successful strategies."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Software Process Improvement at Hughes Aircraft
Author(s): Humphrey, Watts S.; Snyder, Terry R.; Willis, Ronald R.; Software
Engineering Institute
Journal: IEEE software
v. 8, n. 4 July 1991 pp. 11-23
Abstract: 589 JA
Subjects:
PROCESS ASSESSMENTS
"In 1987 and 1990, the Software Engineering Institute conducted
process assessments of the Software Engineering Division of
Hughes Aircraft in Fullerton, CA. The first assessment
identified the strengths and weaknesses of the SED, and the SEI
made recommendations for process improvement. Hughes then
established and implemented an action plan in accordance with
these recommendations. The second assessment found the SED to
be a strong level 3 [where 1 is worst and 5 is best]
organization. Hughes found that the $445,000 investment
improved working conditions, employee morale, and the
performance of the SED as measured in project schedule and cost.
Hughes estimates the resulting annual savings to be about $2
million. This article outlines the assessment method used, the
findings and recommendations from the initial assessment, the
actions taken by Hughes, the lessons learned, and the resulting
business and product consequences."
Title: A Critical Look at Software Capability Evaluation
Author(s): Bollingers, Terry B.; McGowan, Clement; NEC America
Journal: IEEE software
v. 8, n. 4 July 1991 pp. 25-41,42-46
Abstract: 590 JA
Subjects:
PROCESS ASSESSMENTS
"In recent years, the concept of software process assessment has
become increasingly important both to the software community in
general and to software developers for the US Defense Dept. in
particular. In the most general use of the phrase, a software
process assessment is simply a determination of how various
parts of a project interact to produce software. The objectives
of a process assessment are to understand and improve how an
organization uses its resources to build high-quality software.
Since about 1987, the Software Engineering Institute has
promoted a well-defined approach to process assessment that
emphasizes self-evaluation by organizations, with the SEI
providing the necessary training of personnel and various levels
of onsite assistance. Results of SEI assessments are kept
confidential, and organizations are often surprised at how
positively its employees react to such assessments. However,
although SEI assessments are valuable in their own right, many
organizations are interested in them because of a closely
related program called Software Capability Evaluation, which is
used by US government agencies to judge how capable companies
are at developing software. The two programs share many
concepts and source materials, but the SCE is neither voluntary
nor confidential. The SEI has designed its process assessments
to act as preparatory tests for SCEs, so that organizations that
undergo assessments will have a better idea of what will be
expected of them during SCEs. The potential effect of these two
associated programs on the software industry is likely to be
substantial." A follow-up article, called "Comments on 'A
Critical Look'", written by two SEI employees, claims that the
article "contains a basic flaw and communicates several
misunderstandings".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYSTEMS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Electronic Meeting Systems to Support Group Work
Author(s): Nunamaker, J.F.; Dennis, Alan R.; et al; Univ. of Arizona
Journal: Communications of the ACM
v. 34, n. 7 July 1991 pp. 40-61
Abstract: 564 JA
Subjects:
GROUP DECISION MAKING
GROUP WORK
MEETINGS
"A new form of meeting environment, which [the authors] term an
Electronic Meeting System (EMS), has emerged which strives to
make group meetings more productive by applying information
technology. EMS technology is designed to directly impact and
change the behavior of groups to improve group effectiveness,
efficiency, and satisfaction. The purpose of this article is to
present the research conducted at the University of Arizona in
developing and using same-time/same-place and same-time/different-
place EMS technology."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TECHNOLOGY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRAINING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Welcome to the Electronic Meeting
Author(s): Finley, Michael
Journal: Training : the magazine of human resources development
v. 28, n. 7 July 1991 pp. 29-32
Abstract: 556 JA
Subjects:
DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS
ELECTRONIC MEETINGS
MIS
New technologies, specifically personal computers and digital
audiovisual tools, have spawned the electronic meeting. This new
breed of confab may be 'driven' by any number of commercially
available systems known as group decision support software
(GDSS). Vendors of GDSS systems claim that they keep meetings
and training session on track and focused on achieving the main
objectives by eliminating distractions, stimulating new ideas
and lively discussions, ensuring democratic involvement, and
reducing the number of meetings people need, thus saving time
and money. A hypothetical meeting is described, with people
using keypads attached to the facilitator's laptop and an
overhead projector. Each issue raised requires a "vote", the
buttons are pushed, the results show on a scatterplot on the
wall, and a consensus is reached.
Title: Corning's Blueprint for Training in the '90s
Author(s): Lang, Sarah
Journal: Training : the magazine of human resources development
v. 28, n. 7 July 1991 pp. 33-36
Abstract: 557 JA
Subjects:
EDUCATION
QUALITY
Toward the end of the 1980s, the Education and Training
Directorate at Corning Inc. "overthrew its traditions, forged
new and unusual alliances, learned to live without riches, and
began to play a starring role in a dramatic transformation of
the company -- all in response to the changing needs of the
organization as it moved into a new decade. It was a quiet
revolution with dramatic results. And it can happen anywhere."
Among the steps were the launching of a quality program and a
requirement that by 1991, all employees would spend 5% of their
working time in meaningful education and training. Implicit in
the new training requirement was the mandate that employee
education should focus on moving the company toward its goals --
to be one of the world's 10 most admired corporations by 1995.
Also desired were top quartile ranking in the Fortune 500, top
notch quality standards, strong representation of women,
minorities and non-US nationals throughout the company. All
this was to be done on a reduced budget. This has been done
since 1987, very successfully.
Distribution:
TO:
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
|
| 26.197 | Fwd: Inside Information 8/21/91 | ULYSSE::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Wed Aug 21 1991 13:24 | 1262 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 20-Aug-1991 08:50pm CET
From: BEANE
BEANE@BIGRED@MRGATE@DPD05@DPD
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: See Below
Subject: Fwd: Inside Information 8/21/91
<<forwarding/distribution delted>>
ISSUE NO. 195 AUGUST 21, 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 INC. INFORMATION SYSTEMS PARALLEL PROCESSING
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MANAGEMENT PERSONAL COMPUTERS
DATABASE MANAGEMENT MIS PRODUCTIVITY
DATABASES MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTORS
ELECTRONICS MARKETING STRATEGIC PLANNING
GLOBAL ECONOMY NETWORKS SYSTEMS
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OPERATING SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY
DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPLE COMPUTER, INC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Apple Bites Back
Author(s): Bertrand, Kate
Journal: Business marketing
v. 76, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 12-16
Abstract: 643 JA
Subjects:
MARKETING
MICROCOMPUTERS
"Changes in microcomputer buying, selling and reselling have
persistently nibbled away at Apple Computer Inc.'s
competitiveness in the past year. But now the rosy one is
biting back. Big time. The industry-wide emphasis on
easy-to-use graphical computers -- combined with a more
sophisticated customer base and growing demand for direct
post-sale support -- are shaping the Cupertino, Calif.-based
company's new marketing strategy. Apple's marketplace challenge
is twofold. At the low end of the market, it must win share via
mass merchandising -- but without alienating its established
speciality resellers. Meanwhile, with issues like networking
and software compatibility transforming the high end, Apple must
reinforce the Macintosh's value in the eyes of corporate
in-house software developers and other influential business
customers. Toward that end, the company is rolling out new
post-sale service and support options. With competitors
threatening its core business, Apple is forsaking high margins
to build market share through lower prices and mass
distribution. It's a strategy analysts say is paying off."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Artificial Intelligence: Where Has It Been, and Where Is It Going?
Author(s): Simon, Herbert A.; Carnegie Mellon Univ.
Journal: IEEE transactions on knowledge and data engineering
v. 3, n. 2 June 1991 pp. 128-136
Abstract: 660 JA
Subjects:
EXPERT SYSTEMS
HEURISTIC SEARCH
LIST PROCESSING
LOGIC LANGUAGES
MACHINE LEARNING
PARALLEL PROGRAMS
SERIAL PROGRAMS
"Artificial intelligence was born in close connection with
management science, grew apart from it, and is now forming new
links with it, as well as with the other disciplines that have
come together in cognitive science. AI specialists account for
only a fraction of the expert systems that have been built, and
this will continue to be true in the future -- the applications
of AI are too wide-ranging to be left to AI specialists alone.
The directions for near-future development of AI can be
described in terms of four dichotomies: the use of reasoning vs.
the use of knowledge; the roles of parallel and of serial
systems; systems that perform and systems that learn to perform;
and programming languages derived from the search metaphor vs.
languages derived from the logical reasoning metaphor. There is
no question of 'either-or'. Although the author believes that
there are reasons for emphasizing knowledge systems that are
serial, capable of expert performance, and designed in terms of
the search metaphor, the other pathways are also important and
should not be ignored. In particular, empirical work -- the
construction and empirical testing of the performance of large
systems -- is needed to explore all of these branching
pathways."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
DATABASE MANAGEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Distributed Database Systems: Where Are We Now?
Author(s): Ozsu, M. Tamer; Valduriez, Patrick; GTE Labs.; INRIA
Journal: Computer
v. 24, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 68-78
Abstract: 658 JA
Subjects:
DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
DISTRIBUTED DATABASES
NETWORKS
"Distributed database technology is one of the most important
computing developments of the past decade. During this period,
distributed database research has been intense, culminating in
the release of a number of first-generation commercial products.
If it meets expectations, distributed database technology will
impact data processing the same way centralized systems did a
decade ago. Distributed DBMSs could replace centralized systems
in many applications over the next few years. But some unsolved
technical problems stand in their way."
Title: Tools for Distributed Application Management
Author(s): Marzullo, Keith; Cooper, Robert; et al; Cornell University
Journal: Computer
v. 24, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 42-51
Abstract: 659 JA
Subjects:
APPLICATIONS MANAGEMENT
DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS
"Distributed computing, like anything else, profits from good
management. Here the authors discuss the issues of managing
distributed applications and present a set of tools that solves
some long-standing problems." They call the activity of
producing a distributed program that performs well in a given
environment 'distributed application management'.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
DATABASES
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Networked Users Gaining Access to Corporate Data
Author(s): Bochenski, Barbara
Journal: Software magazine
v. 11, n. 10 August 1991 pp. 63-74
Abstract: 682 JA
Subjects:
CLIENT/SERVER ARCHITECTURES
DATA RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
NETWORKS
SHARED DATABASES
Many firms are moving data to LAN servers, a way for everyone to
work smarter. The mainframe doesn't get slowed down and the
server Mips are less expensive. Despite the advantages, there
is still resistance in some MIS circles to client/server data
sharing. Security on the LAN is an important issue. Many
vendors are making sure their products work with other vendors'
products for mutual benefit. As a result, there is a broad
diversity of products becoming available to let PCs and
workstations access corporate data -- whether the data is on the
mainframe or on LAN servers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ELECTRONICS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Hard Slogging in the Japanese Market
Author(s): Doe, Paula
Journal: Electronic business
v. 17, n. 15 August 5, 1991 pp. 38-40
Abstract: 667 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
"What do major US and European electronics companies in Japan
have to show for yet another year of trade talks and market
opening efforts in the Japanese markets? Mostly slower growth
and lower profits. Despite years of effort, growth for most US
and European companies in Japan isn't picking up -- in fact it's
slowing down. And making a profit in Japan isn't getting any
easier either. Big computer makers IBM Japan, Nihon Unisys, and
DEC Japan saw earnings plummet between 19% and 60% as the
Japanese financial institutions on which they depend cut
purchases." Some US companies did well, though; Motorola Inc.
and Intel Corp. increased their sales of semiconductors in Japan
by 29% and 27% respectively, Sun Microsystems Inc. saw 60%
growth, Tandem Computers Inc. increased its sales by 31%.
However, it is worth nothing that "$20 billion sales of major US
electronics companies in Japan is small potatoes compared with
total Japanese electronics production that the EIAJ (Electronics
Industry Association of Japan) puts at some $184 billion."
Title: Dog Days for R&D
Author(s): Procter, Charles
Journal: Electronic business
v. 17, n. 15 August 5, 1991 pp. 44-47
Abstract: 668 JA
Subjects:
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Despite healthy sales and profits growth last year, R&D spending
by the top 100 US electronics companies rose by just 5.3%.
This growth rate marks a three-year low, having peaked at 22.9%
in 1987. "These 100 companies accounted for about 29% of all
company-funded R&D spending in the US last year. But the
mediocre showing among the best and brightest in the industry is
probably not a sign of serious trouble. Instead it simply
reflects the strong relationship between sales, profits, market
expectations, and R&D spending."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
GLOBAL ECONOMY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Roaches outlive elephants : An Interview with Peter F. Drucker
Author(s): Skousen, Mark
Journal: Forbes
v. 148, n. 4 August 19, 1991 pp. 72-74
Abstract: 650 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS EDUCATION
BUSINESS SCHOOLS
JAPAN
MANAGEMENT
MULTINATIONALS
Peter F. Drucker began consulting with General Motors during
World War II, and later with other large-scale American
corporations like GE, and became Professor of Management at New
York University in 1950. He is now Professor at Claremont
Graduate School in California. His books are all bestsellers.
He combines freshness of ideas with a grace and clarity that are
unique among people who write books about business management.
This wise old man of business tells, in this article, why he
doesn't see a global financial crisis, why most business school
teaching is obsolete, and why IBM and Japan Inc. are in trouble.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: 24-Hour Employees
Author(s): Solomon, Charlene Marmer
Journal: Personnel journal
v. 70, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 56-63
Abstract: 669 JA
Subjects:
ALTERNATIVE WORK STYLES
CORPORATE CULTURE
EMPLOYEE LIFE CYCLES
EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
MANAGING DIVERSITY
WORK LIFE - PERSONAL LIFE BALANCING
WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY
"As companies recognize the impact that employees' personal
lives can have on workplace productivity, balancing the demands
of work and family responsibilities is being addressed with
renewed urgency. At the core of the debate are complex issues
that challenge our most basic assumptions about the workplace:
Are prevailing work schedules counterproductive in some cases?
Is the workplace an appropriate sphere for family problems --
and solutions? Is the traditional view of employees too
limiting for the '90s? Even the most progressive employers --
DuPont and Levi Strauss among them -- have found that the search
for answers requires a serious long-term commitment."
Title: When Women Are Fired
Author(s): Phelps, Stanlee; Mason, Marguerite
Journal: Personnel journal
v. 70, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 64-69
Abstract: 672 JA
Subjects:
CULTURAL CONDITIONING
GENDER ROLES
OUTPLACEMENT PROCESS
"A two-year study of managers in outplacement shows that men and
women experience the process very differently. Women usually
take longer in transition, must overcome gender bias during the
process, approach outplacement from a perspective that perplexes
those people around them and may use outplacement to opt out of
the corporate track altogether. HR executives who understand
the dynamics can make outplacement more rewarding for everyone
involved."
Title: The Layoff Legacy
Author(s): Overman, Stephenie
Journal: HRMagazine
v. 36, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 29-32
Abstract: 684 JA
Subjects:
CORPORATE CULTURE
DOWNSIZING
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
UNEMPLOYMENT
"The mergers and acquisitions in the 1980s, followed by
recession in the early 1990s, have left the US a legacy of
layoffs. What this means to future relationships between
employers and employees is still a question. Whether caused by
mergers or acquisitions or an anemic bottom line, layoffs are
traumatic for everyone involved." Experts say that in many
cases, when companies downsize, "the cart seems to come before
the horse"; they get rid of people, then try to figure out how
to do the work with fewer staff. Downsizing is seen as a quick
fix that frequently does not work. Companies should instead
make small structural changes over a long period of time, rather
than sudden huge cuts. Companies also have to face survivors'
guilt -- those who aren't let go often feel guilty for having
their jobs while other have lost theirs, and they also work
under a feeling that the last wave of layoffs isn't over yet and
refuse to take risks when the company needs innovation. Another
affected party is the person, most often the human resource
professional, who must handle the layoff responsibilities.
Ultimately, the company's culture is affected by downsizing.
Title: Corporate Scale Down, What Comes Next?
Author(s): Weinstein, Harold P.; Leibman, Michael S.
Journal: HRMagazine
v. 36, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 33-37
Abstract: 685 JA
Subjects:
CORPORATE CULTURE
DOWNSIZING
EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
In today's economic climate, more and more companies need to
retrench. Many business executives are tempted to view
downsizing as a quick fix. However, it is important to think
through every step of the process, so that the expected results
don't give way to regrets. The only certainty about downsizing
is that work will be different. The most successful downsizings
are those that were strategically thought out from both a
business and a human resource perspective. In other words,
knowing that where the business is going and how it will
revitalize its employees was mapped-out before the actual
downsizing occurred. In this article, HR executives tell how to
do more with less while sustaining morale and productivity
within a reshaped workplace.
Title: What's Wrong With Workforce 2000?
Author(s): Thornburg, Linda
Journal: HRMagazine
v. 36, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 38-42
Abstract: 686 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
DOWNSIZING
GLOBAL ECONOMY
GLOBAL WORK FORCE
PRODUCTIVITY
SKILL SETS
"There's great turmoil within US business. Whether it's
downsizing or rightsizing; a temporary recession; or the
competition of overseas markets, economic fluctuations are
changing the predictions of 'Workforce 2000'. Published in
1987, 'Workforce 200' is the widely quoted Hudson Institute
study that examines the forces shaping the American economy,
worker demographics and the changing skills-mix facing the early
21st century. To try to pinpoint exactly how today's
occurrences are affecting this breakthrough study, the author
interviewed four experts who follow workplace trends."
Interviewed were: Joseph E. Coates, president of J.F. Coates
Inc., a Washington, DC, firm specializing in futures research
and policy analysis; Pat Choate, a political economist
specializing in US competitiveness, management and public
policy; Judith Waldrop, research editor for 'American
Demographics', with responsibility for the magazine's
statistical content; and William B. Johnston, a senior research
fellow at the Hudson Institute and project director of Hudson's
'Workforce 2000' study.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Downsizing: Information System's Strategic Challenge
Author(s): Caruso, David; Powersoft Corp.
Journal: Production & inventory management
v. 11, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 23-27
Abstract: 661 JA
Subjects:
MANAGEMENT
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Over the past 10-15 years, software has been used to plan and
control manufacturing, including MRP, MRP II, and CIM
applications. Historically, these software systems have become
increasingly more sophisticated and complex, and the hardware to
drive this software has gotten bigger, more expensive, and more
centralized. Rebelling against this scenario, many
manufacturing managers have sought refuge in other methods to
bring control of their shops back into their own hands. The
creation that was really needed was an efficient, real time
corporate-wide information system that would be efficient and
flexible enough to meet each department's IS needs. Reconciling
these trends are powerful new software architectures just now
available that promise significant change for manufacturers.
The affect of this new software will be nothing less than a
major restructuring of corporate-wide IS. IS will shift from
centralized host-based systems to downsized networks of smaller
but very powerful servers that share database information over
reliable local- and wide-area networks. This "downsizing"
trends will significantly reduce operating costs as well as
capital and support equipment expenditure and will provide
greater budgeting, selecting, and implementing flexibility.
However, this downsizing will also create a change in
information management and corporate culture that will provide
greater operational efficiency for both manufacturing and IS.
More importantly, downsizing will provide management with a
strategic benefit: it will help senior management break the
bonds of traditional monolithic IS, thereby enabling management
to reinvent corporate policy.
Title: Recovery Mission Expanding to Entire Computing Complex
Author(s): Korzeniowski, Paul
Journal: Software magazine
v. 11, n. 10 August 1991 pp. 49-58
Abstract: 681 JA
Subjects:
BACKUP SYSTEMS
DATABASE MANAGEMENT
DISASTER RECOVERY
In many ways, disaster recovery services resemble life insurance
policies: no one likes to talk about them, let alone spend a lot
of money on them, but you need to have them. Many companies
select the cheapest backup services possible, and write recovery
plans that sit on managers' shelves for weeks, months, and even
years. Only if a disaster strikes do these companies discover
how critical information systems are to their business. A few
years ago, disaster recovery centered on the corporate data
center; now the emphasis is on the entire business organization.
Disaster recovery advocates claim that companies are slowly
recognizing that they must pay more than lip service to their
corporate backup plans, pointing to increased revenue and the
rapid emergence of new services as proof of this change. Many
factors are driving the market, with the most obvious centering
on the growing importance of computer systems. Increased
regulation from external forces is also playing a role.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MANAGEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Mission Statements: Selling Corporate Values to Employees
Author(s): Klemm, Mary; Sanderson, Stuart; Luffman, George; Univ.of Bradford
Journal: Long range planning
v. 24, n. 4 June 1991 pp. 73-78
Abstract: 653 JA
Subjects:
CORPORATE VALUES
PUBLIC RELATIONS
"This article investigates the reasons for the increasing use of
the Company Mission Statement. Using information from a survey
of UK companies in 1989 it looks at the types of statements
issued by companies, their content, usage, and value to
managers. Of particular interest is whether the mission is
primarily used for the motivation of staff, or for external
image building. Related issues are the value of the mission
drafting process in bringing managers together to agree on
common objectives and the use of a hierarchy of statements to
reconcile internal and external stakeholders' interests. The
conclusion is that the Mission, which includes a statement of
company values, is an important tool for managers to assert
their leadership within the organization."
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MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Interactive Modelling in Decision Support Systems
Author(s): Jones, Matthew R.; Univ. of Cambridge, UK
Journal: Interacting with computers
v. 3, n. 2 August 1991 pp. 167-186
Abstract: 646 JA
Subjects:
DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS
HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION
INTERFACES
"In the past, the use of computer models in decision support has
involved the interpretation of written reports derived from the
output of the model. In recent years, however, the development
of microcomputers and distributed computing systems has made it
possible for decision-makers to be provided, not with a written
report, but with a copy of the model itself. The new relationship
between the user and the model, which this development establishes,
has important implications for the way in which decision support
systems (DSSs) are designed and used."
Title: Observations and Inventions: New Approaches to the Study of
Human-Computer Interaction
Author(s): Monk, Andrew F.; Wright, P.C.; York Univ., UK
Journal: Interacting with computers
v. 3, n. 2 August 1991 pp. 204-216
Abstract: 647 JA
Subjects:
HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION
USER BEHAVIOR
"Dissatisfaction with the traditional model of HCI research
borrowed from experimental psychology has lead to a number of
interesting new approaches. One is the so-called 'hermeneutic
approach' based on field research methods. Another is to apply
existing theory from cognitive psychology. This paper is mainly
concerned with a third discernible approach based around a study
of the artifacts or inventions build to facilitate human-computer
interaction. The effectiveness of different system features is
explained by reference to the user's task. The investigation of
'observation-invention' pairs is suggested as a way of providing
generalizations about user behavior consistent with this approach.
This paper relates observation-intervention pairs to other
analyses of artifacts and concludes that they have a place as
general statements of knowledge for HCI design."
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MANUFACTURING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: MRP, MRP II, OPT, JIT, and CIM -- Succession, Evolution, or
Necessary Combination
Author(s): Ptak, Carol A.
Journal: Production and inventory management journal : the journal of the
American Production and Inventory Control Society, Inc.
v. 32, n. 2 Second quarter, 1991 pp. 7-11
Abstract: 640 JA
Subjects:
INVENTORY CONTROL SYSTEMS
MARKETING
PRODUCTION AND INVENTORY CONTROL
"MRP, MRP II, OPT, JIT, and CIM. Is this just a mix of
meaningless letters or the future of American manufacturing?
This article will discuss these planning and execution
techniques that have been developed in response to market
forces. The idea of the single usefulness of each of these
concepts as opposed to a necessary coexistence will be explored."
Title: Aligning the Organization for World-Class Manufacturing
Author(s): Ross, David F.
Journal: Production and inventory management journal : the journal of the
American Production and Inventory Control Society, Inc.
v. 32, n. 2 Second quarter, 1991 pp. 22-26
Abstract: 641 JA
Subjects:
COMPETITION
ENTERPRISE FUNCTIONS
GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
STRATEGIC RESOURCES
"As the demands of world-class manufacturing force manufacturing
companies to greater levels of quality, productivity, and
excellence, the need for information systems, new technologies,
and new philosophies has grown proportionately. Since the
mid-1970's MRP II, JIT, CIM, TQC, and a number of other computer
and operations management methodologies have been developed as
solutions. These tools have given manufacturing organizations
the potential to translate product design, operations planning
and control, and the production process itself into strategic
weapons in the struggle for leverage in the international
marketplace. [However] technology is only one of the four
critical management resources required of companies seeking to
be world-class competitors. Most manufacturers implementing
computerized or operations technologies fail to develop a
strategy to bring into alignment the other three critical
resources. The real challenge for implementers will be found in
managing the significant changes technology will have on the
structure and functionality of the remaining critical
resources."
Title: Modeling and Manufacturing: Preparation for CIM
Author(s): Goldstein, David G.
Journal: The DEC professional
v. 10, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 38-48
Abstract: 648 JA
Subjects:
CIM
MODELING
Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) is an evolving business
practice. CIM has been transformed over the years from
collections of task-specific software packages to a methodology
to derive an efficient, automated business: the Computer
Integrated Enterprise (CIE). CIM should not be just a set of
tools that help you perform steps in your business cycle, but
rather should be a way of doing business, and should affect
research and development, payroll, marketing, transportation,
and even management. The CIE attempts to use computers where
they would be most cost-effective. When adopting CIM, modeling
can help examine the ramifications of automating different
aspects of a business. The model can include CAD and CAE
systems, computerized management tools, and various layouts of
robotic assemblies, workstations, conveyors, and so one. Once a
financially attractive model is determined, modeled hardware and
software can be built or bought.
Title: Distributed MRP II
Author(s): Womeldorff, Tom
Journal: The DEC professional
v. 10, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 62-69
Abstract: 649 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS SYSTEMS
CENTRALIZED SYSTEMS
DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS
INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY
MANAGEMENT
To succeed in today's global economy and highly technological
markets, manufacturers must find ways to reduce costs, increase
quality and decrease time-to-market for new products. One
solution is to move away from traditional, centralized
manufacturing organization models and toward smaller business
units with fewer organizational layers. The trend toward
distributed systems is a part of this management concept that is
pushing accountability down to the plant level. With this
comes the need to provide each individual unit with increased
operational independence. In the past, limitations in
information systems technology forced management to choose
between operational independence and effective sharing of
information throughout the corporation. In cases in which
consolidated or shared information was important, technology
best supported centralization of systems. Many manufacturers
have evolved (sometimes quite complex) centralized mainframe
information systems, which have not been able to overcome the
inherent constraints of a centralized approach; therefore
operational independence is still highly restricted. Today,
advances in hardware, databases and networking software mean a
new approach is practical. However, turning this
hardware/networking capability into an information system
solution requires rethinking what a business system such as
Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II) should look like.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MARKETING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Winning a Large Order: A Case Study Using Judgmental Modelling
Author(s): Lockett, A. Geoff; Naude, Peter; Univ. of Manchester, UK
Journal: Industrial marketing management
v. 20, n. 3 August 1991 pp. 169-175
Abstract: 663 JA
Subjects:
INDUSTRIAL MARKETING
SELLING PROCESS
"The marketing concept calls for suppliers in the marketplace to
understand the needs and wants of their target markets. It is
expected that firms adopting this concept would need to have a
higher level of understanding of their customers' needs than
those that do not. In industrial marketing, where sales are
often the culmination of months or even years of negotiations
between the buyer and the potential suppliers, it's expected
that this understanding would be higher still. This research
measures the extent of that understanding, and examines the
consequences of a supplier misunderstanding how the buyer's
needs change over the decision-making process."
Title: How Reverse Marketing Changes Buyer-Seller Roles
Author(s): Blenkhorn, David L.; Banting, Peter M.
Journal: Industrial marketing management
v. 20, n. 3 August 1991 pp. 185-191
Abstract: 664 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS
BUYER-SELLER RELATIONSHIPS
Since the 1950s, the marketing concept has held that the central
aim of the organization is to define the needs of a target
market and to adapt products and services to satisfy those needs
more effectively than competitors. The authors contend that
industrial marketers are more concerned about their performance
relative to competitors than about their capability to satisfy
their customers' needs as completely as possible. To the extent
that this is true, the authors claim these marketers are using
the wrong benchmarks to measure their effectiveness and
performance. Today, a new breed of buyer is evolving who could
pose a serious threat to nonresponsiveness in-suppliers by
offering unexpected opportunities to both cooperative
in-suppliers and willing out-suppliers. This article describes
a concept called reverse marketing, which is changing the
conventional buyer-seller relationship and has important
implications for the traditional role of the industrial
marketer.
Title: Marketing Strategies for Mature Industrial Products
Author(s): Michell, Paul C.N.; Quinn, Peter; Percival, Edward; Univ. of
Manchester, UK
Journal: Industrial marketing management
v. 20, n. 3 August 1991 pp. 201-206
Abstract: 665 JA
Subjects:
INDUSTRIAL MARKETING
"This article proposes a number of marketing strategies
available to industrial firms for extending the lives of
products and services. Each of these strategic options is
explained in detail, and suggestions are made on their
applicability. Two case examples are given to assist companies
in implementing the recommendations."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NETWORKS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: There's More Than One Way to Network a Sun
Author(s): Foley, Mary Jo
Journal: SunExpert
v. 2, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 50-54
Abstract: 678 JA
Subjects:
INTERNETWORKING
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
SUN MICROSYSTEMS
"As every Sun Microsystems Inc. user is well aware, even when
your network is the computer, networking computers -- especially
those not made by Sun -- isn't an effortless task. But
according to many in Userland, networking and internetworking
seem to be getting easier. Third-party vendors are developing
more and more hardware and software products designed expressly
to aid Sun users and non-Sun users in exchanging information.
And Sun itself continues to crank out advances and improvements
to its Open Network Computing environment. This isn't to
suggest that hooking up Suns to other vendors' systems and
peripherals is a snap. In spite of it all, users carry on,
gerry-rigging NFS and SunNet and winding their ways through the
maze of TCP/IP, X.25, SNA, LU6.2, DECnet, and AppleTalk
protocols. OSI is still fairly far from the minds and plans of
those surveyed. A handful of internetworking vendors continue
to develop gateways and services, readying themselves for that
time when (or if) UNIX users transition from their beloved
TCP/IP to OSI. The article profiles four Sun sites, with
details on their evolving heterogeneous networks."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPERATING SYSTEMS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Galaxy Distributed Operating System
Author(s): Sinha, Pradeep K.; et al; University of Tokyo
Journal: Computer
v. 24, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 34-41
Abstract: 657 JA
Subjects:
DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS
NETWORKED WORKSTATIONS
"Judging from the enormous amount of distributed-system research
carried out over the past decade, information processing experts
have come to recognize the advantages these systems possess.
These research activities have led to the availability of more
than 50 network and distributed systems. However, most of these
systems can only partially succeed in attaining the major goals
of a distributed system, which include transparency, higher
performance, higher reliability and availability, and higher
scalability. Of course, attaining all these goals in the first
attempt is impossible. Nonetheless, gradual improvements are
possible by learning from existing systems and trying to
overcome their limitations. The University of Tokyo's Galaxy
research project attempts to design, implement, and use a
distributed computing environment based on this idea. In
analyzing why existing distributed systems are limited, the
Galaxy research project borrows many concepts and proposed
facilities and integrates them with its own novel design."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
PARALLEL PROCESSING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Toward Advanced Parallel Processing
Author(s): Fukuda, Akira; Murakami, Kazuaki; Tomita, Shinji
Journal: IEEE micro
v. 11, n. 4 August 1991 pp. 16-19, 50-61
Abstract: 688 JA
Subjects:
MICROPROCESSORS
PARALLEL COMPUTING
SUPERSCALAR PROCESSORS
"Exploiting parallelism at task and instruction levels is the
key to advanced general-purpose parallel computing. The authors
are developing a reconfigurable parallel processor system with
128 Sparc microprocessors and a superscalar processor with four
operations proceeding in parallel. In the future it is planned
to replace the Sparcs in the system with the superscalar
processors."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: A Decade of Personal Computing
Author(s): Forsythe, Jason
Journal: InformationWeek (Manhasset, N.Y.)
n. 332 August 5, 1991 pp. 24-35
Abstract: 662 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS TOOLS
PRODUCTIVITY
"In the 10 years since IBM introduced its first personal
computer, the PC has dramatically changed the way companies
conduct business. Yet companies show that US corporations are in
a period of low productivity growth. Does the PC really make
businesses more productive?"
Title: PCs: What the Future Holds
Author(s): Depke, Deidre A.; Brandt, Richard
Journal: Business week
n. 3226 August 12, 1991 pp. 58-64
Abstract: 673 JA
Subjects:
APPLE
COMPUTER INDUSTRY
IBM
"In its first decade, the personal computer grew into a $93
billion market. And in the next 10 years, we'll see smaller,
smarter, vastly more powerful PCs that are easier to use. But
before that happens, the industry will have to reinvent itself.
That's why IBM and Apple, banded together against a horde of
rivals, are racing to establish the standards that will mean
dominance in the '90s."
Title: The Future of the PC
Author(s): Schendler, Brenton R.
Journal: Fortune
v. 124, n. 5 August 26, 1991 pp. 40-48
Abstract: 674 JA
Subjects:
APPLE COMPUTER
COMPETITION
IBM
MICROSOFT
NEXT COMPUTER
"Ten years ago IBM's little computer brought revolution to your
desktop -- rendering the typewriter nearly extinct, pulling
small businesses into the information age, and inspiring
man-machine love affairs every bit as passionate as those with
automobiles. Count on the 1990s to be more dramatic still. As
the August 12 decennial of the IBM PC neared, FORTUNE sought out
more than a dozen pioneers and potentates of personal computerdom
-- and set up a rare, face-to-face encounter between Apple
Computer co-founder Steven P. Jobs and Microsoft co-founder
William H. Gates III -- to assess where this swashbuckling
industry is headed next." Some of the predictions: razzle-dazzle
technology will emerge faster than ever; data networks will come
of age; users could confront a bewildering array of choices;
Japan's electronics companies will become more of a force; and
computers will finally change the nature of organizations and
office work.
Title: Jobs and Gates Get Together
Author(s):
Journal: Fortune
v. 124, n. 5 August 26, 1991 pp. 50-54
Abstract: 676 JA
Subjects:
APPLE COMPUTER
COMPETITION
INNOVATION
MICROSOFT
"The two college dropouts most responsible for unleashing the PC
revolution rarely see each other anymore, though they say
they're still friends. At FORTUNE's invitation, Bill Gates and
Steve Jobs met for a Sunday evening in late July to discuss the
prospects for the tumultuous industry they shaped. Gates, 35,
left Harvard in 1975 to co-found Microsoft. Jobs, 36, who left
Reed College to sojourn in India, is best known for co-founding
Apple Computer. Since the mid-1980s the men have taken
dramatically different paths. Gates, who owns more than $4
billion of Microsoft stock, has built Microsoft into the world's
largest and most profitable PC software company. Microsoft's
relationship with IBM soured this year, mainly because the two
couldn't agree on an operating-system strategy for future PCs.
And the FTC recently began investigating Microsoft's practices.
Jobs has been less visible but just as busy: in 1985 he started
Next, aiming to build the personal computer of the 1990s. Its
basic software, NextStep, makes the machine unusually easy to
customize; IBM was so impressed it licensed NextStep for its own
computers. Despite the dazzling technology, the going has been
slow at Next. But lately business has picked up -- 10,000
systems rolled out of Next's automated plant during the second
quarter."
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PRODUCTIVITY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Smooth Steps to Transition Meetings
Author(s): Bunning, Richard L.
Journal: HRMagazine
v. 36, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 59-64
Abstract: 687 JA
Subjects:
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Organization development (OD) interventions, commonly called
transition meetings or assimilation meetings, are commonly
conducted as a response to a given problem or situation. Large
scale changes in product methods may be needed, a work group has
become dysfunctional or the corporate culture needs to be
modified. A problem is identified, data is gathered, a
diagnosis is made, a course of treatment prescribed and
implemented, and follow up evaluation and interventions complete
the process. Less often, OD takes the preventative approach.
New teams go through a maturation process that can, but often
does not, lead to productivity. A properly conducted
transition meeting can speed the process and ensure its
success. This article describes one proactive approach and the
rich potential of its rewards.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEMICONDUCTORS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: New Chip Pact Promises Wider Door to Japan
Author(s): Rice, Valerie
Journal: Electronic business
v. 17, n. 15 August 5, 1991 pp. 28-32
Abstract: 666 JA
Subjects:
BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS
ELECTRONICS
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Three years ago, relations between US and Japanese semiconductor
makers were so strained that the two groups could not even agree
on a meeting room. Neither side would take the blame for
America's failure to sell more chips in Japan. Experts said
that a new trade agreement could only make things worse. But
last month, when a new five-year agreement between the US and
Japan took effect, some say it marked the beginning of an "era
of good feeling" between the two industries. The reason this
agreement shows signs of progress lacking in the previous one is
that both sides negotiated a deal they could live with, a deal
that eliminated many of the objectionable features found in the
past. But while the new agreement is an improvement over the
old one, the US semiconductor industry still has some very hard
work ahead of it -- and some very real hurdles.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
STRATEGIC PLANNING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Time: The Hidden Dimension in Strategic Planning
Author(s): Das, T.K.; Baruch College, C.U.N.Y.
Journal: Long range planning
v. 24, n. 3 June 1991 pp. 49-57
Abstract: 652 JA
Subjects:
DECISION MAKING
LONG RANGE PLANNING
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
"Recent research indicates that business executives differ in
their orientation toward the future, and that these orientations
are associated with individual preferences for different
corporate planning horizons. However, very little is known
about the process of setting planning horizons and its
interrelationship with the setting of corporate objectives.
Such conditions thus call for a study of the temporal aspects of
strategic management. Toward that end, this article discusses
(a) the role of individual future orientations of corporate
executives in setting planning horizons, (b) the case for
considering planning horizons as a means in the traditional
goal-means complex, and (c) the idea of planning horizons as
unacknowledged negotiating currency in the politics of strategic
decision making."
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SYSTEMS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Distributed Connection: DCE
Author(s): Semich, J. William
Journal: Datamation
v. 37, n. 15 August 1, 1991 pp. 28-30
Abstract: 645 JA
Subjects:
DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING
INTEGRATED APPLICATIONS
INTEROPERABILITY
NETWORKS
OPEN SYSTEMS
OPERATING SYSTEMS
Starting next month 'open' won't just equal UNIX anymore. On
September 17, the OSF will begin to ship a suite of black box
interoperability products, dubbed the Distributed Computing
Environment. On that date, the OSF will also open its order
book and let users purchase their own copies of DCE for a mere
$15,000. Some 74 OSF member companies (including Computer
Associates International Inc., DEC, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi,
IBM, Microsoft, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., Siemens,
Stratus, Transarc Corp., and Tricord Systems Inc.) have signed
on to build DCE into their products, assuring the customers of
each that they will be able to link together existing hardware
and software investment with future offerings from any of the
other members. UNIX International Inc., the standards-setting
group for AT&T's UNIX System V operating system, has set a goal
of building DCE compatibility into ATLAS, its recently announced
UNIX-based distributed-computing architecture. DCE is a
prepackaged group of integrated interoperability applications
that connect up diverse hardware and software systems,
applications and databases. It runs on all computers in a
system and acts as a kind of invisible broker between operating
systems, security systems, communications systems, services,
applications and databases on other platforms, and is an
integrated set of applications that perform all the tasks needed
to operate a widely dispersed network or group of networks,
along with mainframe hosts, in a truly distributed mode. It
will make a network of systems from multiple vendors appear as a
single stand-alone computer to applications developers, systems
administrators and end users.
Title: The Relationship Between Conformance Testing Of and
Interoperability Between OSI Systems
Author(s): Castro, Stephen; Corp. for Open Systems
Journal: Computer standards & interfaces
v. 12, n. 1 1991 pp. 3-11
Abstract: 654 JA
Subjects:
CONFORMANCE TESTING
OPEN SYSTEMS INTERCONNECT
PROTOCOLS
"As a part of the COS Interoperability Research Program, this
paper serves as a first step toward understanding the complex
theoretical problem of interoperability prediction via
conformance testing of implementations of OSI protocols. More
importantly, it serves as the motivation for, and rationale
behind, a prototyping project currently under development at
COS. A subject index is provided for an annotated bibliography
of conformance and interoperability testing research, and a
brief background discussion on testcase selection. A formalism
is then defined and subsequently the role of conformance testing
in predicting interoperability is described and analyzed. The
article concludes by identifying basic requirements of protocol
testing architectures whose aim is to 'increase the likelihood'
of interoperability."
Title: An Object-Based Taxonomy for Distributed Computing Systems
Author(s): Martin, Bruce E., Pedersen, C.H.; Bedford-Roberts, J.; Hewlett-Packard
Journal: Computer
v. 24, n. 8 August 1991 pp. 17-27
Abstract: 656 JA
Subjects:
DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING
TAXONOMIES
"A taxonomy is a classification tool that allows different
examples of some generic type to be described. The taxonomy
presented here is a hierarchy of questions and answers about the
features of distributed computing systems (DCSs). To describe a
specific DCS, a taxonomy user traces paths through the
hierarchy. System descriptions produced from the taxonomy can
be used as broad summaries. Alternatively, since the
descriptions are derived from the same taxonomy, they can be
used to compare systems with each other or with requirements.
At Hewlett-Packard Labs this taxonomy has been used to describe
and compare several distributed computing systems. Examples
from these systems have been selectively used throughout the
article."
Title: 'APP' Offers Guidelines for Federal Purchasing
Author(s): Cashin, Jerry
Journal: Software magazine
v. 11, n. 10 August 1991 pp. 84-95
Abstract: 683 JA
Subjects:
OPEN SYSTEMS
STANDARDS
TECHNOLOGY
"With the purchasing power of the federal government behind it,
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) wields
considerable influence in the open systems arena. The
Gaithersburg, MD, standards organization has proposed the
Application Portability Profile (APP) as a guideline for
government agencies in their quest for achieving application
portability, interoperability and scalability. Agencies can
pick and choose from seven areas outlined in the APP." These
areas are: operating system services, user interface services,
programming services, data management services, data interchange
services, graphics services, and network services.
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TECHNOLOGY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Technology Transfer: An Opportunity for Technical Communicators
Author(s): Roberts, Suzanne; Applied Technology Associates, Inc.
Journal: Technical communication
v. 38, n. 3 August 1991 pp. 336-344
Abstract: 639 JA
Subjects:
COMMUNICATIONS
COMPETITION
TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
"This article describes the effect of America's renewed interest
in technology transfer upon technical communication
professionals. It links America's lagging productivity and its
decreased global competitiveness to an inadequate process for
transferring R&D from the nation's laboratories, universities,
and businesses to the private sector; describes recent
nationwide legislation directed toward the technology transfer
process intended to improve America's competitive position;
explains the role of the technical communication professional
relative to this point, with an emphasis on rhetoric as the key
tool in the information transfer process; and outlines growth
opportunities for technical communication professionals within
universities, business, and laboratories who choose to
specialize in technology transfer."
Title: Statistical Data Analysis in the Computer Age
Author(s): Efron, Bradley; Tibshirani, Robert; Stanford Univ; Univ. of Toronto
Journal: Science
v. 253, n. 5018 July 26, 1991 pp. 390-395
Abstract: 644 JA
Subjects:
DATA ANALYSIS
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
MATHEMATICS
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
"Most of our familiar statistical methods, such as hypothesis
testing, linear regression, analysis of variance, and maximum
likelihood estimation, were designed to be implemented on
mechanical calculators. Modern electronic computation has
encouraged a host of new statistical methods that require fewer
distributional assumptions than their predecessors and can be
applied to more complicated statistical estimators. These
methods allow the scientist to explore and describe data and
draw valid statistical inferences without the usual concerns for
mathematical tractability. This is possible because traditional
methods of mathematical analysis are replaced by specially
constructed computer algorithms. Mathematics has not
disappeared from statistical theory. It is the main method for
deciding which algorithms are correct and efficient tools for
automating statistical inference. Some promising developments in
computer-intensive statistical methodology are described in this
article."
Title: New-wave Mathematics
Author(s): Bown, William
Journal: New scientist (1971)
v. 131, n. 1780 August 1991 pp. 33-37
Abstract: 655 JA
Subjects:
COMPUTATIONAL TECHNIQUES
FRACTALS
MATHEMATICS
"A new generation of mathematicians is rebelling against the
ancient tradition of theorem and proof. New-wave mathematicians
prefer to experiment with free thinking on a computer. But
traditionalists fear that they may be about to lose something
special." By giving mathematicians the ability to do billions
of complicated calculations on their own desks, the computer has
spawned a whole new way of doing mathematics known as
experimental maths. Instead of deducing proofs step by step,
these experimental mathematicians gain knowledge in the same
inductive way as most other scientists. While scientists design
experiments on parts of the real world, the new mathematicians
experiment by looking for patterns in abstract worlds existing
only inside a computer. Deep down, all mathematics follows the
example of Euclid, being founded on a few axioms -- the basic
rules that define the area of study. Now, Euclid's proofs, if
they come into it at all, will probably be someone else's job.
some mathematicians are just too busy experimenting.
Distribution:
TO:
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
|
| 26.198 | AITC Newsletter No. 4 | MR4DEC::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Mon Nov 11 1991 15:57 | 680 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Doc. No: 006351
Date: 09-Nov-1991 09:18pm EST
From: VAN_CLEAVE
VAN_CLEAVE@LMOADM@AIDEV@MRGATE@NRGATE@NRO
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: PAT ROACH@LMO
Subject: AITC Newsletter No. 4
Digital Internal Use Only
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ AITC Newsletter +
+ +
+ Editor: David Van Cleave No. 4 November 8, 1991 +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
� Copyright, Digital Equipment Corporation, 1991, all rights reserved
This Newsletter contains proprietary information that is for
Digital Internal Use Only.
NOTE: If you have an idea for an article, or comments about a
current article, please send them to LMOADM::VAN_CLEAVE.
IN THIS ISSUE:
o Jack Smith Hosts Dinner for Dennis O'Connor; CMU Names Award for Dennis
o Risky Business: When Risk-Taking Meets the Real World
o AITC Goes to Fall DECUS
o DECscheduler is Key Element of "Basic POLYCENTER Option" License
o Interim DECscheduler Release Has Improved Capabilities
o GIA's Melvin and Tavares Help AITC Fund Enterprise Integration
Lab at U. of Toronto
o Technical Exchange Offers Business Possibilities
o The ESSENSE of Security: Saying No to Intruders
o The Pros of ConMan
o AICorp Becomes CMP Partner
o 1991 AIOPEN Nets $631 For United Way
Editor's Note:
One purpose of this Newsletter is to provide information about
AITC activities that support the revenue goals of Digital's
Knowledge-based Applications and Services (DKAS) Group. If any of
the Newsletter articles spark an idea for generating revenue with
a product, service, or training, send your idea to the people
below. You will receive a response to your idea about its status.
AI Products: Phil James, AIDEV::JAMES and
Linda Reding, AIDEV::REDING
Image Products: Ed Fisher, SELECT::FISHER and
Linda Reding, AIDEV::REDING
AI Consulting: David Birnbach, SELECT::BIRNBACH
Image Consulting: Ed Fisher, SELECT::FISHER
Training: Jeff Clanon. AIADM::CLANON
Technology Transfer: Peter Sass, SELECT::SASS
==================================================================
Digital Internal Use Only
Jack Smith hosts dinner for Dennis O'Connor;
CMU names award for Dennis
By Gene Stringer
On October 7th, Jack Smith hosted a dinner reception honoring
Dennis O'Connor for being the FIRST recipient of AAAI's newly
established "Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence
Outstanding Contribution Award". This award was originally
presented to Dennis at the AAAI National Conference on July 15th
by Daniel Bobrow, president of of AAAI.
In addition, Carnegie Mellon University announced the formation of
the Dennis O'Connor Knowledge Champion Award. The award is open
to anyone who is responsible for successfully championing AI-based
solutions, particularly knowledge-based systems, as an integral
part of their organization's information environment.
The dinner took place at the Stonehedge Inn in Tyngsboro, Mass.
In attendance were Dennis, his family, a few close friends, the
AITC Staff and many long time Digital acquaintances. Speakers
included Jack Smith, Bill Hanson, Dan Infante, Lou Gaviglia, Prof.
Raj Reddy of CMU, and Prof Mark Fox, formerly of CMU, now with the
University of Toronto.
During the reception there was live Irish music and a chance to
mingle with Dennis and for some of us to see some old friends that
we haven't seen in years. After the reception there was an
elegant multi-course dinner.
Following the dinner there were roasting speeches by Lou Gaviglia
and Dan Infante. Bill Hanson spoke about the history of the AITC
from its beginning in 1978 with the XCON project to the current
organization of some 400 people today. Hanson also mentioned the
achievements of the AITC: some 45 filed patent applications,
savings of hundreds of millions of dollars, the many innovative
efforts underway from manufacturing to services, and the effort in
establishing a business unit to deliver solutions to customers.
Jack Smith spoke about the significance of being the "First"
recipient of the AAAI award, something that will never be
repeated. He also made a very significant point about budgets and
the part they play in the business community as one of the most
important tools available to managers. Smith said the most
important part of the budget as a tool is not the numbers in the
budget - because you can do anything you want with the numbers.
The important thing, Smith says, is the person behind the numbers.
It is the person that has the integrity, trust, commitment and
dedication that makes a business successful or not.
The surprise of the evening came from Raj Reddy, Director of the
Robotics Institute at CMU, who announced the formation of an
annual award to be given by CMU. This award will be called the
Dennis O'Connor Knowledge Champion Award.
Dennis graciously accepted the comments made during the evening
and thanked all for being there. He emphasized the importance of
the contribution that the entire AITC staff made to his success
over the years.
Jack then presented Dennis with a large hand cut crystal bowl as a
token of Digital's appreciation and the evening ended with
everyone personally congratulating Dennis for his achievements.
###
For more information, contact Gene Stringer.
He is manager of the AITC's Administration &
Operations Group, and can be reached at
STEPS1::STRINGER, DTN 296-5681.
==================================================================
Risky Business:
When Risk-Taking Meets the Real World
By Mary Ann Stein
Should I do it or shouldn't I? Is it the right time or is it
better to wait? What have I got to lose? Or better yet, what can
I gain?
All of us have asked ourselves these questions at some point in
our lives. If faced with a similar decision, however, each of us
would answer these questions very differently. According to Wendy
Crisp, National Director for the National Association of Female
Executives (NAFE) and featured speaker at the October 15th Women
at Work seminar, risk taking is a very personal matter. And says
Crisp, it involves working hard and learning.
Our own heritage and background influence how we approach risk
taking. Do you tend to be a dare devil or too conservative for
your own good? Can you remember stories from your family or
friends about risks they took and the consequences?
Using a combination of presentation, personal reflection and group
interaction, Wendy and the 150-200 participants including "a few
good men" examined the differences between risk and courage.
Wendy had the audience consider the terms "risk" and "courage."
It was interesting to note that "risk" seemed to have more
negative definitions come out first such as failure, gamble, fear,
compared to "courage," which was associated initially with
positive terms such as strength, confidence, payoff, fearless,
etc.
She also examined the differences between male and female approaches
to risk taking, and personal-versus-professional risk taking.
Timing is also an important factor, according to Crisp. If you
take too long to make a decision it will ultimately be made for
you. The danger is the loss of self esteem and confidence.
How do you determine the answers? For some, simply making a list
of the pros and cons then choosing the longest one is enough.
Others may discuss their decision over a bottle of wine with a
friend.
Most decisions are a combination of calculation and intuition.
For example, one of the exercises was a case study. The
participants reviewed the case study and made a list of the pros
and cons. Each item was then given 10 points if it dealt with
life or death or making money and 5 points otherwise. The final
step was to weight the items according to how you felt. Although
there were no correct answers to the case study, each group
reported different results based on their own individual
experiences.
After all the calculations and discussion, take the time to
"listen to your gut." Whether it be through prayer, meditation or
aloneness, daily quiet time is crucial to checking out how you
feel about any calculated risk. We all engage in some form of
calculation and contemplation when we consider taking any risk.
Any time we venture out and try something new, we are, at some
level, taking a risk. The Women at Work seminars are an excellent
way to explore some of the issues in working with, for, and around
women in the workplace. I encourage you to take a risk and attend
the next Women at Work seminar.
Note: This seminar was videotaped and is available through the
Hudson Library. Wendy Crisp has a unique presentation style
befitting a transplanted Californian to the Upper West Side
of New York City. Her style is evident in her writing and
can be found in NAFE's bimonthly publication EXECUTIVE
FEMALE.
###
For more information, contact Mary Ann Stein.
She is a Program Manager in the Knowledge-
Based Solutions Group and can be reached at
FRANKN::STEIN, or DTN 296-6627.
==================================================================
AITC goes to Fall DECUS
By David Buffo
The AITC will be well represented at Fall DECUS, which will be
held the week of December 9 in Anaheim, CA. Technical audiences
will have an opportunity to learn first hand about Digital's
continued leadership in knowledge-based solutions through demos on
the exhibit floor, demos in the AI Special Interest Group (SIG)
Campground, and a wide variety of sessions.
Two workstations (one VMS, one RISC) in the Knowledge-Based
Solutions area of the exhibit floor will feature products from
Digital and third-parties. These include Digital's OPS5, ADS from
AION, KBMS from AICorp, Nexpert with Open Interface Editor from
Neuron Data, and RTworks from Talarian Corporation.
DECscheduler will be prominently featured in the Site Management
and Training exhibit area and in the SIG Campground. There will
also be a full day DECscheduler seminar on Sunday, December 8.
***
For more information, contact David Buffo, who
is the AI SIG Counterpart for the AITC. He can
be reached at AIDEV::BUFFO, DTN 296-5284.
=================================================================
DECscheduler is key element of
"Basic POLYCENTER Option" license
By David Van Cleave
The "DECscheduler for VMS" software product is one of four system
management products that are bundled together in a package called
Basic POLYCENTER Option. This package is being sold as an option
to customers of the NAS 300 and NAS 400 products. The other three
products are DECinspect for VMS, VAXcluster Console System, and
the VAX Storage Library System.
The software bundling is done for both the customer and the sales
force. Customers are demanding simplified system management.
Bundling the basic software for system management into one
Q-number allows customers to purchase and install the products all
at once. Also, customers are demanding more integrated management
applications, which are provided by this option.
The Digital sales force requires simplified ways to sell.
Bundling the basic applications for system management gives sales
reps one Q-number to write on the order. This provides a simpler
means to add system management capability to each NAS 300 and NAS
400 software order.
The NAS 300 software packages provide a complete set of runtime
services for VMS and RISC ULTRIX machines. NAS 300 delivers
integration capabilities for the distribution of applications
across a network. It also provides for the interoperation of
applications that run partially or totally on a server, across
multiple servers, or from multiple desktop clients.
The NAS 400 software package provides the ultimate level of
reliability for applications that absolutely cannot fail,
according to Craig Jones, NAS Real Time Product Manager. This
level of reliability is required in businesses such as funds
transfer, or manufacturing shop floor control.
***
For more information, contact Bonnie Morrissey.
She is the DECscheduler product manager and can be
reached at AIDEV::MORRISSEY, DTN 296-5336.
==================================================================
Interim DECscheduler Release Has
improved Capabilities
By Bonnie Morrissey
The latest version of DECscheduler for VMS (V1.1a) includes
significant improvements and enhancements over V1.1. The new
version, which will ship in mid-November, has the following
enhancements:
o Improved wide area network support
o DECwindows V3.0 support
o Improved X-terminal support that enables users to run
DECscheduler on Digital's VTxxx series of terminals.
o Increased security with identifier-based access to jobs
o Improvements to DECforms menu-driven interface for easier use
o Ability to send OPCOM message upon job completion allows
easier interfacing to other system management applications
that include an OPCOM interface.
o Maximum number of nodes supported in a VAXcluster is increased
from 42 to 200. This enables DECscheduler to support large
VAXclusters.
o Actions can be taken upon jobs stalling or running too long,
resulting in improved error recovery
***
For more information, contact Bonnie Morrissey.
She is the DECscheduler product manager and can
be reached at AIDEV::MORRISSEY, DTN 296-5336.
=================================================================
GIA's Melvin and Tavares Help AITC Fund Enterprise
Integration Laboratory at University of Toronto
By David Van Cleave
Digital is one of the sponsors of a new Enterprise Integration
Laboratory in the Department of Industrial Engineering at the
University of Toronto.
Jim Melvin, GIA Group Technology Manager for Manufacturing &
Engineering, and Moe Tavares, Regional Manufacturing Manager for
Kanata, were instrumental in working with the AITC to establish
the lab. The AITC and GIA, through Digital Equipment Canada Ltd.,
are each contributing $50,000 to support this Laboratory and an
associated Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of
Canada (NSERC) Chair in Enterprise Integration.
Aids Complex Decision Making
The Chair and Laboratory in Enterprise Integration will focus on
how computer-based technologies can aid in complex decision making
within industrial enterprises. As a sponsor, Digital gets
immediate access to research results that may have a significant
impact on our operations. For example, Digital is discussing
having a prototype developed of an enterprise model and decision
support software for DEC Canada.
Sponsors also have the opportunity to learn of research progress
in learning institutions in other countries. In addition,
sponsors can hire graduate students working on sponsor projects.
The lab will be headed by Mark Fox, formerly an Associate
Professor of Computer Science and Robotics at Carnegie Mellon
University, and a founder of Carnegie Group Inc. Fox created the
SRL knowledge representation language that is the basis of the
knowledge engineering tool, Knowledge Craft, and a strong
influence on IMKA technology.
Four Projects
In his new position, Fox will manage the Enterprise Integration
Laboratory. The lab will sponsor four projects:
1. Design in the large (Design in the small is one engineer
designing his or her artifact; design in the large is what
really happens on a product that provides a solution to a
customer: teams of engineers and management cooperate to
integrate their various local designs into a global
solution.)
2. Order life cycle management
3. Theories and methods of coordination
4. Reusable enterprise knowledge: ontologies, semantics, and
reference models. A reference model is a starting point for
the creation of a specific enterprise model. It models
concepts that are common across enterprises such as products,
materials, personnel, orders, and departments.
Fox is planning on using IMKA technology, Prolog, and C++ in the
lab. "We'll look at how to gather and access information in an
appropriate manner, how to get people together to coordinate
decision making and execution," says Fox.
Other sponsors include NSERC, SPAR Aerospace, Quintus Corp., The
Carnegie Group, and Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp.
The sponsors will provide expertise, guidance, research direction
and a testbed for measuring results.
Research on DEC Equipment
In addition, DEC has recently approved an External Research Pro-
gram to provide the initial computing infrastructure for the
laboratory. Digital has approved $300K in equipment donations.
There will be four additional years of equipment donations,
dependent on Digital's satisfaction with the results of the first
year's funding.
###
For more information, contact Frank Lynch. He
is the Technology Manager for the AITC and can
be reached at STEPS1::FLYNCH, DTN 296-5040.
=================================================================
Technology Is Exchanged Between AITC and OSAG
By Frank Lynch
A technology exchange recently held between the AITC and the
Office Systems Automation Group could lead to joint project work,
which in turn could develop into new business opportunities for
both groups.
The OSAG representatives said they are interested in following up
on Image/Workflow, IMKA, and the Solutions Engineering model used
by Image Services.
Howard Webber, Advanced Development Manager for OSAG, said his
group is working in just-in-time information, and multiple
overlapping task-oriented teams technology. The AD group is also
interested in ERP sponsorship of related work at MIT (groupwork in
Tom Malone's area), CMU (the Mercury electronic library
technology), and the MAYA visual interface technology.
Dennis Saloky, Engineering Manager for OSAG's Network Applications
PCU, described their work in multimedia, information
visualization, meta data management, and computational
linguistics.
Saloky, Webber, and other OSAG representatives heard AITC
presenters talk about three technology areas:
1. Representation and Reasoning
- IMKA representation technology [Chuck Marshall]
- TIN inference/control technology [Ken Gilbert]
2. Modeling and Workflow
- KARMA for strategic planning [Richard Bowen]
- SYMMOD for business modeling [Mike Kiskiel]
- MAYA for workflow visualization [Dave Marques]
3. Intelligent Information Management
- Data Navigator for heuristic search of large databases
[Sharon Hershon]
- TELESWAT for coordination of distributed work [Scott Lutz
and Nick Howgate]
- Information Initiative/Infolense for information retrieval
[Myer Billmers]
A Solutions Integration example was also presented to show how the
Images Services group of the AITC applies the three areas above to
customer solutions business.
###
For more information, contact Frank Lynch at
STEPS1::FLYNCH, DTN 296-5040.
==================================================================
The ESSENSE of Security:
Saying No to Intruders
By Neil Pundit
The ESSENSE Security Monitor is evolving into a prototype that
will be ready for piloting internally after November 1991.
ESSENSE reacts to potential computer security threats in
real-time.
The business potential of ESSENSE fits into two categories:
products and services. As a product, ESSENSE could be sold as a
standalone tool or the technologies could be incorporated into
existing tools such as DECinspect. As a service, ESSENSE could be
part of a security consulting offering.
The latest version of ESSENSE was demonstrated at a recent AITC
Staff meeting. Neil Pundit, manager of the Advanced Technology
Research and Development (ATRAD) group, gave a brief overview.
Two of the ESSENSE engineers, Ed Valcarce and Gary Hoglund
demonstrated the system. Mark Swartwout is the ESSENSE project
leader.
The demonstration showed ESSENSE providing immediate response to
security threats, thus freeing the system manager from this task.
In the demo, ESSENSE notified the system manager when serious
security violations were detected and took security
countermeasures.
ESSENSE can be tailored to accommodate the unique security policy
of an organization. The demo showed how the system rules out
innocent security violations by maintaining case histories and
eventually inferring that a particular user does not have a
malicious intent.
To develop ESSENSE's expert system, the project team worked with
NAC Secure Systems Engineering and intrusion detection experts.
Key technologies used in the project's development included
object-oriented programming, rules via NASA's CLIPS system, C
programming (to read audit stream messages), and the X/Open
Message Catalog (for international use).
ESSENSE was shown to several customers at INTEROP-90 and was very
favorably received.
###
For more information, contact Mark Swartwout. He
is a manager in the Advanced Technology Research
And Development (ATRAD) Group, and can be reached
at AIAG::SWART, DTN 296-5570.
================================================================
The Pros of ConMan
By Neil Pundit
The advantages of ConMan, a prototype software configuration
management tool, were demonstrated recently to AITC Staff members.
ConMan solves the problem of ensuring software compatibility at
system installation or upgrade time. It also serves as a tool to
help develop the installation or upgrade plan.
The business potential of ConMan includes a standalone product or
service, as well as internal cost reduction through time savings.
ConMan is being developed by Alan Gunderson and Rose Horner in the
Advanced Technology Research and Development (ATRAD) group of
Digital Services. Alan and Rose are using object-oriented,
semantic network, and data-base technologies in the advanced
development effort.
ConMan has been presented at the Customer Service Centers, to
Digital Services engineers, and to TNSG units. Feedback from
these groups was incorporated during the tool's evolution.
ConMan provides the user with a spreadsheet-like Motif interface.
The interface allows interactive selection of the software
components to be installed and then automatically produces a
report. Layered product dependencies, as well as incompatibilities
between layered products and operating system versions, are
described in the report.
With ConMan, the user can easily develop a supported product set
since the system automatically determines software requirements.
The full set of optional software, which extends capabilities, is
also automatically determined. The user can then choose the
subset of optional software that they actually want to use.
At times a customer will successfully operate their system with a
software configuration that is officially unsupported. Therefore,
ConMan is flexible enough to allow selection of such unsupported
configurations.
ConMan utilizes an existing Rdb database of generic product reference
information that is maintained by the SQM group in TNSG. Twenty-five
types of generic software information, such as required disk space,
are supported. ConMan includes an extensible product description
language that allows declarative specification of the data.
###
For more information, contact Alan Gunderson. He
is an engineer in the Advanced Technology Research
And Development (ATRAD) Group, and can be reached
at AIAG::GUNDERSON, DTN 296-5534.
=================================================================
AICorp Becomes CMP Partner
By Adam Couture
AICorp Inc., the industry's leading independent provider of smart
application development tools, has joined Digital's Complementary
Marketing Program (CMP).
Under the CMP agreement, Digital and AICorp sales representatives
jointly market and promote KBMS, AICorp's premier application
development tool, and Digital's VAX computing systems throughout
the United States and Canada.
KBMS training is also now offered in Digital's expert system
technology training programs, including the recently announced
knowledge engineering FASTRAK curriculum.
"As businesses face increasingly competitive pressures, their
ability to develop smart applications that address complex
business needs has become critical to their success," said Themis
Papageorge, corporate marketing manager for Digital's Knowledge
Application Solutions Business Group. "Our CMP relationship with
AICorp allows both companies to work more closely with customers
and prospects to develop new solutions that address today's
demanding business issues."
KBMS, the Knowledge Base Management System, is a powerful
application development tool that enables programmers to develop
smart applications. These powerful applications can easily access
a wide variety of databases and file systems, including Rdb, RMS,
and Sequential data, as well as numerous user interfaces such as
DECwindows or Windows 3.0. KBMS for VAX customers include General
Electric, CSX Technologies, London Life, Aetna Insurance Company
and Digital Equipment Corporation.
KBMS for Digital's VAX computing systems is available now at
prices starting at $8,500(U.S.)
###
For more information, contact Adam Couture. He is
the Marketing Communication Manager for the AITC
and can be reached at SELECT::COUTURE, DTN
296-5166.
==================================================================
1991 AIOPEN Nets $631
For United Way
By Ken Gilbert
The 1991 AIOPEN was held on Friday, October 4. The weather gods
were again kind, providing a perfect day (sunny & warm). There
were a record 12 teams with 58 participants. The competition was
exceptional, with Birdies 'R' Us and the Birdie Hunters tying in
both stroke score (33) and points (31), becoming the first ever
co-champions. The teamwork award was won by Three Men, a Lady and
a Baby in a run-away with 37 points.
"Closest-to-the-pin" was won by Larry Welch, with a shot
approximately six feet from the pin on the third hole. Longest
drive was won by Kevin Moylan with a drive of over 250 yards.
Kevin was the first ever double winner, also taking the most
unusual shot prize. Kevin managed to hit a moving van (the van
was moving, not the kind of van used to move your belongings) with
his tee shot on the second hole.
Following tradition, the last group (my group) finished in the
dark. Once again, we managed to par the final hole, aided
significantly by a well directed set of car headlights (we could
actually see the hole while putting this year).
Outside Andy Ostrom's office (near pole M11 in LMO2), there are
photo's, some quite interesting (I especially like the one of Will
Anderson standing on Patti Lynch's head). Feel free to stop by
and take a look.
I'd like to thank all those who participated for your cooperation
and generosity. We generated a record $631 for the United Way,
which will be matched by Digital.
###
Ken Gilbert is the METAL architect for the
Expert Systems Tools Group. He can be reached
at GUESS::GILBERT, 296-5757.
==================================================================
Digital Internal Use ONly
|
| 26.199 | AITC
Newsletter No. 5 (December '91) | MR4DEC::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Fri Dec 20 1991 19:39 | 386 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Doc. No: 007096
Date: 20-Dec-1991 01:01pm EST
From: VAN_CLEAVE
VAN_CLEAVE@LMOADM@MRGATE@MR4DEC@MRO
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: PAT ROACH@MRO
Subject: AITC
Newsletter No. 5 (December '91)
Digital Internal Use Only
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ AITC Newsletter +
+ +
+ Editor: David Van Cleave No. 5 December 20, 1991 +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
� Copyright, Digital Equipment Corporation, 1991, all rights reserved
This Newsletter contains proprietary information that is for
Digital Internal Use Only.
NOTE: If you have an idea for an article, or comments about a
current article, please send them to LMOADM::VAN_CLEAVE.
IN THIS ISSUE:
o Digital expands training and consulting for Neuron Data development tools
o New version of Quintus Prolog opens up development market
for Digital's computers
o Personal story: Experiences with on-site training at Hughes Aircraft
o Wide range of applications represented in AI Fellowship class
o IEEE Call for Papers: "AI Customer Service and Support"
==================================================================
Digital Internal Use Only
Digital expands training and consulting
for Neuron Data development tools
By Adam Couture
At DECUS, Neuron Data and Digital announced that Digital will
expand its consulting and on-site customer training services for Neuron
Data's NEXPERT OBJECT expert systems development tool. Digital will
also provide training and consulting for Neuron Data's newest tool,
Open Interface.
Because Neuron Data is a member of Digital's Cooperative Marketing
Program, DKAS will receive the revenue from the training courses.
Digital will provide three new training programs as part of this
announcement:
1. Quickstart - Digital's introductory program targets Fortune
100 developers with a four week on-site tutorial.
2. FasTrack - A four week on-site training seminar that concentrates
half the course on study and half on prototyping.
3. Custom Training - Beginning in February, Digital will offer
customers on-site training on Open Interface and NEXPERT. The
courses range from one day to eight weeks. Digital recently
completed Neuron Data's Open Interface training certification
program. Additionally, Digital will provide customers with
consulting for both Neuron Data products.
# # #
For more information on these courses,
contact Suegene Levin, LMOADM::LEVIN 296-8600
======================================================================
New version of Quintus Prolog opens up
development market for Digital's computers
By David Van Cleave
A new Quintus Prolog development system is the industry's
first Prolog development system that is fully embeddable in C
applications. The embedding capability is important in expanding
the use of Prolog in commercial applications. This, in turn, increases
the revenue potential for DKAS because the new Prolog version V3.1
addresses the needs of the larger customer base for commercial
solutions that can run on Digital's VAX VMS family of computers.
When broad based solutions such as customer service applications
are developed using Prolog V3.1, users have easier access to their data
bases. Users can also query the data base using a more
English-like syntax, or natural language, making the applications
easier to use.
Quintus Prolog 3.1 sells for as little as $10,000 for VAXstation
computers to $20,000 for large VAX systems. Since the Quintus
Corporation is a member of Digital's Distributed Software program,
the software can be easily ordered from the DECdirect catalog.
# # #
For more information, contact
Digital's Quintus relationship manager,
Linda Reding at LMOADM::REDING 296-5183.
====================================================================
Personal story: Experiences in on-site training at Hughes Aircraft
by Vilma Irizarry
Editor's note:
This past May Vilma Irizarry took a four-month assignment as a
Knowledge Engineer (KE) at Hughes Aircraft in Long Beach, Cali-
fornia. Along with two other knowledge engineers, she mentored
Hughes employees in artificial intelligence technologies. This
was part of the Fellowship Program delivered to Hughes Aircraft
by the Knowledge-Based Solutions Group or KBSG (then called
SELECT). She found that the job challenged both her technical
and people skills with unexpected events. ##
What is it like to work on a four-month assignment at a customer
site? Was it challenging? What did you like or dislike about it?
Would you do it again? These are some of the questions I have been
asked since coming back from California.
CLASSROOM TRAINING & APPRENTICESHIP
Before I give you my perspective you should first know that this
Fellowship program was different from the regular program because it
was delivered to Hughes at its Long Beach, California, site. The
Fellowship Program is a six-month, two-part training that gives
self-sufficiency in AI to Digital customers. The first part is a
structured, two-month curriculum of classes and hands-on laboratory
training. The second part is a four-month apprenticeship.
Nine Hughes employees went through the classroom training and learned
essential knowledge-based languages and tools. They also learned
knowledge acquisition and representation techniques, design, integra-
tion and testing of expert systems, as well as prototyping. This
first part of the program was delivered by six instructors in the
AITC's training group.
The apprenticeship portion was delivered by KBSG and involved three
knowledge engineers. Two were "borrowed" from ISTG (Garry Woodruff
and myself) and the third, Darrell Weber, from the local sales
office in Culver City, California. Our task was to assist the Hughes
employees in developing prototypes of knowledge-based systems
to solve some of Hughes's business problems.
IMPORTANT COLLECTIVE SKILLS
At a first glance, our KE-role as mentor might seem simple, and easy.
Well, simple and easy it is not! To be a successful mentor you have
to understand the customer's business problem and be technically
knowledgeable and personable. In my opinion, the mentoring team
should collectively offer skills in the following areas.
o Technical Skills: o People Skills:
Project experience -- Patience
(selling ideas, getting funding, Listening
handing-off) Diplomacy
Software design Support of co-mentors
Object-oriented paradigm Awareness of student needs
Rule-based paradigm Flexibility
Conventional programming languages
Integration with conventional systems
VMS and non-VMS systems
System management
Abstraction at multiple levels
To me the fact that the job required all of these skills was not a
threat but rather a challenge. Of course, at the beginning of the
assignment it wasn't very clear what was a challenge and what was a
threat. As time went by I sensed it would build professional and
personal character. This was true and was done collectively with
the mentoring team.
One of the interesting dynamics that occurs when you put a group of
people to work together for a common, well supported goal is that they
all work towards that goal. This implies that if you don't have a
skill, you will tend to develop it -- OJT they call it.
The other thing that happens is that you tend to draw from your
co-workers's area of expertise. Through this experience you learn, not
only more about technology, but also more about non-technical issues.
You learn to overcome difficult situations.
SUPPORT IS IMPORTANT
An important aspect I want to emphasize is the support that we mentors
had from the rest of the team, especially since we were 3000 miles
away from home. From the program manager to the training team to the
sales office. This increased our ability to deal with everyday issues.
There were many aspects of this experience I liked. I found it
challenging to guide someone else in the development of knowledge-
based systems. Teaching really strengthens what you already know.
DIFFERENT BUSINESS PROBLEMS
Another aspect of the assignment I liked was the exposure to different
business problems. Although each of us was the focal point for at
least two students, we worked together as one entity for the first
five weeks. We performed informal project reviews for all students
individually. All three of us participated in each review, with one
mentor controlling and facilitating the review and the others asking
questions to draw more information from the students. This approach
was beneficial to the students and mentors alike. The students found
these reviews to be very helpful in organizing their ideas and scoping
their prototypes. For the mentors, these reviews served different
purposes. It helped us better understand the problem at hand and
allowed us to build trust with the students.
By the end of the apprenticeship all students had a prototype of a
knowledge-based system. As expected, they were all at different levels
of completion and would need to be further developed to be production-
ready. Seven of the nine students completed this portion of the
program.
The seven prototypes are:
o Financial Closing
o Help Desk
o Optical Character Recognition
o Fastener Design Assistant (screw part selection)
o Engineering Design Assistant (approved materials and processes list)
o Circuit Board Diagnostics
o Proposal Builder
MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES
The other aspect of the experience I enjoyed was the exposure to the
different personalities. At one point or another in our jobs we all
experience dealing with different personalities. Being involved in
seven projects at a time somehow adds a different dimension to it.
Our working environment was a large lab room with a cluster, several
workstations, and a printer. All of us, seven students and three
mentors, worked together in this room for four months. We found this
to be reasonable and worked pretty well, although at the beginning we
didn't think so highly of it.
We were able to communicate easily with the students without having
to search for them and the students tended to work closer together.
However, this environment forces you to deal with all of the students
whether you are the focal person or not, and whether you like it or
not. As time went by, it became clear that the technical issues would
not necessarily be the most challenging ones. We certainly
experienced a behavioral change - students and mentors. We all
learned a lot. It was quite satisfying at graduation time to witness
the change our students had gone through.
FLEXIBILITY FOR UNEXPECTED EVENTS
There were plenty of unexpected events. For instance, Hughes was
going through some changes and some of the students had to scout for
funding for their projects. They needed help to talk to higher level
management when scouting for funds. They expected us, the mentors,
to help. Of course, we didn't expect this and were not mentally
prepared for it. We compromised. We agreed to go for a first round
of meetings. Any further meeting would be handled by our program
manager. We all had to be flexible. This was especially true
because we were dealing with seven different people, with different
needs, from different organizations.
Did I like California? There are plenty of things to do and places to
visit. Boredom was not part of my vocabulary while I was there. The
weather -- I hated it. No white, puffy clouds. No green mountains
(actually I wasn't aware there were even mountains until three weeks
into the assignment). Living a block away from the ocean did help,
though. Californians I liked - they are interesting and friendly
people.
To me, the assignment was exciting, challenging, and a great learning
experience. When I think of my experience in California I mostly
think of cooperation and flexibility. Would I do it again?
Absolutely. Like you know, dude, it was totally radical.
# # #
For more information, contact Vilma Irizarry
at AIDEV::IRIZARRY, DTN 296-5393.
====================================================================
Wide range of applications represented in
AI Fellowship class
By David Van Cleave
The seven people who recently graduated from the AI Fellowship program
represented a variety of disciplines ranging from communications to
precision robotic control to deep water oil drilling.
The students and their projects for the 17th Fellowship class are:
Peter Burke, Mercury Communications, Ltd., England. "A Knowledge-
based System for Automatic Network Routing." Burke's application,
which is embedded in a C program, is designed to produce a list of
optimum routes between two locations. It helps ensure that routes
are consistent between circuit controllers and reduces training time
for new controllers.
Suzanne G. W. Dunn, U.S. Army Materials Technology Laboratory,
Watertown, MA. "Intelligent Robotics for Immersion Studies."
Dunn's scheduling application is designed to simplify and improve the
accuracy of measuring the rate of water absorption by a resin/fiber
composite material.
Grant Fletcher, Technical and Further Education Commission, New South
Wales. "Greens and Landscaping Diagnostic Tutor." Fletcher's
application teaches how to diagnose and fix problems (diseases) with
greens and landscaping.
Douglas Kindt, Bethlehem Steel, Bethlehem, PA. "Slab Disposition
System for Continuous Casting." Kindt's application helps reduce
inventory and reduce slab handing by monitoring processing and
planning slab cuts.
Gene Maillet, New Brunswich Power & Electric, NB, Canada. "Work
Planner's Assistant." Maillet's application is a knowledge-based
scheduling system that helps district work planners do more efficient
scheduling of work assignments, crews, and equipment.
Jorge Sampaio, Petrobras, Brazil. "Deep Water Oil Drilling (Fishing)
Diagnostics." Sampaio's application diagnoses why drills get stuck
in deep water, off-shore wells. It determines probable causes, points
to remedies, and looks for key factors that will help avoid the
problem in the future.
Shinichi Sasagawa, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Japan. "Processed Oil Packing
Scheduling System." Sasagawa's application helps users schedule a
packing process under complex conditions.
# # #
For more information, contact Peter Sass,
SELECT::SASS, DTN 296-6649.
====================================================================
IEEE Call for Papers: AI for Customer Service and Support
Monterey, CA, Mar 2-6, 1992
By Anil Rewari
This full day workshop will focus on the use of AI techniques in
developing intelligent tools and applications for customer service
and support. These include knowledge-based troubleshooting systems
(includes diagnostic systems, advisory systems for service and
support, voice response expert systems, knowledge acquisition tools
and shells to build such systems); intelligent information management
systems; force planning and dispatch systems; maintenance planning
applications; help desk applications; analysis/use of field
feedback data.
Participants should emphasize work that is focused towards short-
term technology transfer rather than long term research issues.
Prospective participants should send abstracts that are not
more than eight pages long. Deadline for submissions is January 10.
Notification of invitation or rejection will be mailed by
January 24, 1992.
Anil Rewari (chair) and Mike Register from the Advanced Technology
Research and Development (ATRAD) group are two of the organizers of
this workshop.
# # #
For more information, contact Anil Rewari at
AIAG::REWARI, 296-5568.
====================================================================
Digital Internal Use Only
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| 26.200 | FWD: JAN/FEB WTD | MR4DEC::ROACH | TANSTAAFL ! | Tue Feb 11 1992 00:15 | 417 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Doc. No: 007821
Date: 10-Feb-1992 04:56pm EST
From: BEANE
BEANE@SHLSAM@SELECT@MRGATE@NRGATE@NRO
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: PATRICK ROACH@LMO
Subject: FWD: JAN/FEB WTD
From: HSOMAI::TENAYA::HAYES "Mary Hayes Volunteer Today DTN 543-3423
04-Feb-1992 1551" 3-FEB-1993 18:29:22.98
To: @WTD
CC: HAYES
Subj: JAN/FEB WTD
********************************************************************************
***** WORLD TECHNOLOGY DIGEST *****
**** VOLUME 1 NUMBER 1 ****
*** JAN/FEB 1992 ***
** Mary Hayes Editor **
********************************************************************************
WORLD 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, 1992.
*******************************************************************************
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 TENAYA::HAYES
If you wish to receive copies of the articles mentioned in WTD, please send
all requests to TENAYA::HAYES. Please include your MailStop 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. Low Power CMOS Digital Design - Anantha Chandrakasan, Samuel Sheng &
Robert Brodersen
II. IMKA Technology Report - Carnegie Group, Inc., Digital Equipment Corp.,
Ford Motor Company, Texas Instruments & US WEST, Inc.
III. Digital Fourth Line of Business: Information Architecture and its
Emerging Role in Systems-Integration Delivery - Bill Brown &
Glen Gillette
IV. A New Nonlinear Driver Model For Interconnect Analysis -
Vivek Raghavan & Ronald Rohrer
V. Concepts for the Reuse of Communication Software - P. Domel,
O. Drobnik, M. Feldhoffer, A. Fleischmann, B. Fronhlich,
E. Kirchner & M. Zimmermann
VI. Using Dual Approximation Algorithms for Scheduling Problems:
Theoretical and Practical Results - Dorit Hochbaum & David Shmoys
VII. An Empirical Analysis of Software and Hardware Spending -
Haim Mendelson & Vijay Gurbaxani
Software and Hardware in Data Processing budgets - Haim Mendelson,
Vijay Gurbaxani
VIII. Multimedia Home Health Care Project - Sara Little Turnbull
IX. Out of Touch with Customers Needs? Spare Parts and After
Sales Service - Hau Lee & Morris Cohen
Supply Chain Inventory Management: Pitfalls and Opportunities -
Hau Lee & Corey Billington
X. How Networks Reshape Organizations - For Results - Ram Charan
XI. Managing AIDS at Work - Psychology's Role - Thomas Backer
XII. Upcoming Seminars
XIII. Automated Paper Request Form
*****************************************************************************
Low Power CMOS Digital Design
Anatha Chandrakasan, Samuel Sheng, Robert Brodersen
EECS Dept. - U.C. Berkeley
Motivated by emerging battery operated applications that demand
intensive computation in portable environments, techniques are investigated
to reduce power consumption in CMOS digital circuits while maintaining
computational throughput. Circuit styles, topologies and technology are
discussed in relation to how they affect low power operation. An architectural
based scaling strategy for voltage is presented which indicates that the
optimum voltage for low power consumption is in the range of 1-1.5 volts for
a wide variety of situations. This optimum is achieved by trading off silicon
area for reduced power operation.
********************************************************************************
* For more information, contact Chuck Marshall
at DTN 296-5108 or through email at GUESS::MARSHALL
IMKA Technology Report
Carnegie Group, Inc., Digital Equipment Corporation,
Ford Motor Company, Texas Instruments & US WEST, Inc.
The above companies formed the Initiative for Managing of Knowledge
As sets (IMKA) in order to develop a software technology which will meet
their needs for capturing and managing complex corporate-wide knowledge.
After evaluating available technology, the IMKA members determined that
existing technology would not meet their business demands in the nineties.
The technical and market requirements of the technology were in-dependently
validated by Carnegie Mellon University and by a focus group study designed
and implemented by Decision Research Corporation.
IMKA technology is being designed to allow users to capture and
to codify corporate knowledge, such as organizational policies, resources,
expertise, design, procedures, relationships with customers and vendors, and
to manage this knowledge as a tangible asset.
********************************************************************************
Digital's Fourth Line of Business: Information Architecture and its
Emerging Role in Systems-Integration Delivery
Bill Brown & Glenn Gillette
Digital Equipment Corporation
Successful systems integration means more than delivering on time,
under budget, and fully satisfying a functional specification. For system
solutions that not only meet the minimal requirements but delight our
customers more is required. Despite what one might be lead to believe by
some of the labels, there is a critical element missing. The missing
piece is critical to the success of any system implementation, regardless
of size. What's missing is the focus on design.
********************************************************************************
A New Nonlinear Driver Model For Interconnect Analysis
Vivek Raghavan & Ronald Rohrer
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University
Switching transient estimation of interconnect is becoming over more
important with increasing signal speeds and smaller device sizes. Asymptotic
Waveform Evaluation (AWE) is a technique which can efficiently and accurately
evaluate the response of linear interconnect. A novel modeling technique has
been developed to incorporate the effects of nonlinear drivers on that
transient response. This technique, based on matching the current wave-form
of the driving gate, is load independent. The method yields efficient and
accurate results.
*******************************************************************************
* For more information, contact Frank Severin
at DTN 865-4555 or email at RTOIC::FSEVERIN
Concepts For The Reuse Of Communication Software
P. Domel, O. Drobnik, M. Feldhoffer, A. Fleischmann,
B. Frohlich, E. Kirchner & M. Zimmermann
University of Frankfurt &Digital Equipment Corporation - (EERP)
The main goal of the project was the development of general concepts
and methods for supporting the reusability of communication software. The
starting point in reaching this goal was the definition of specification
techniques for distributed applications and communication services. Based
on these specifications an object-oriented design of distributed applications
and protocol entities was derived.
In order to verify the results of their research and development work,
they have implemented a prototype of the P7-Protocol which coordinates the
interaction between a user agent and a message store in a Message Handling
System. The implementation is written in the object-oriented programming
language C++[Strou87] and is based on the Digital Equipment Corporation
products VOTS and OSAK, which provide the services for the transport and
session layer of the OSI BRM respectively. To sum up, they developed a
structure for a system of building blocks, which supports a flexible
configuration of communication services and distributed applications.
********************************************************************************
Using Dual Approximation Algorithms for Scheduling
Problems: Theoretical and Practical Results
Dorit Hochbaum & David Shmoys
U.C. Berkeley & MIT
The problem of scheduling a set of n jobs on m identical machines so
as to minimize the makespan time is perhaps the most well-studied problem in
the theory of approximation algorithms for NP-hard optimization problems. The
scheme is based on a new approach to constructing approximation algorithms,
which is called dual approximation algorithms, where the aim is to find
superoptimal, but infusible, solutions, and the performance is measured
by the degree of infeadibility allowed. This notion should find wide
applicability in its own right and should be considered for any optimization
problems where traditional approximation algorithms have been particulary
elusive.
********************************************************************************
An Empirical Analysis Of Software And Hardware Spending
Haim Mendelson & Vijay Gurbaxani
Graduate School of Business - Stanford University &
Graduate School of Management - U.C. Irvine
The growth in information systems budgets and in their primary
components, hardware and software effort, are analyzed empirically. It
is demonstrated that while large component of the growth is due to
technology related factors, these expenditures, and in particular, hardware
spending, are sensitive to the growth rate of the economy and fluctuate
around the technology-driven growth path due to general business conditions.
The validity of the popular belief that software effort (including both
software-development and maintenance) represents a growing proportion of
information systems expenditures is tested versus the competing view that
software effort and hardware expenditures consume relatively constant budget
shares. It is shown that after controlling for macroeconomic effects, hardware
and software expenditures grow exponentially at the same rate. The analysis
also suggests that in the aggregate, it is primarily the hardware outlays
that adjust in response to unexpected business conditions.
Software and Hardware in Data Processing Budgets
Haim Mendelson & Vijay Gurbaxani
Graduate School of Business - Stanford University
Graduate School of Management - U.C. Irvine
This paper develops a macroeconomic framework for the
determination of data-processing budgets over time, and, in particular,
the allocation of these budgets between software and hardware. The
model dynamically balances the value and cost of information services,
given the prevailing cost trends. It regards software and hardware
as inputs to the process of producing information services, and identifies
the complementarity and substitution between them as major determinants
of the efficient budget allocation. The theory provides a basis for
understanding the budgeting process and for predicting future trends,
and is applied to actual budget data.
********************************************************************************
Progress Report: Multimedia Home Health Care Project
Sara Little Turnbull
Graduate School of Business
Stanford University
This project is an effort to create technology that will aid students
in discovering the taxonomy of change. They are developing and educational
tool for students in interdisciplinary study between the MBA, Mechanical
Engineering and Product Design programs.
Home Health Care was chosen as the particular topic because it is
a societal concern that requires productive changes in our economy and our
culture. It combines studies of behavior, technique, and human need. It is
fertile ground for linking design, innovation, implementation, and management.
It's an area where they can take advantage of multimedia technology to
articulate professional technique as taught to care givers, the study of
relevant behaviors, and the concern for safety. With the help of expert
consultants, they have begun the development of a prototype program.
********************************************************************************
*
Out of Touch With Customer Needs? Spare Parts And After Sales Service
Hau Lee & Morris Cohen
Stanford University & The Wharton School
Providing adequate after sales service is a key ingredient of product
quality and thus of competitive success. This article considers the role of
and develops a framework for spare parts inventory management in after sales
service delivery. It includes two case studies, one on a computer firm, the
other on an automobile manufacture.
Supply Chain Inventory Management: Pitfalls And Opportunities
Hau Lee & Corey Billington
Stanford University & Hewlett-Packard Company
Most manufacturing enterprises are organized as networks of
manufacturing and distribution sites that procure raw materials, transform
the materials to intermediate and finished products, and distribute the
finished products to the customers. Such networks are referred to as supply
chains. Due to the complexity of the supply chain, and the interconnectivity
of the various components of the supply chain, efficient and effective
management of inventory in supply chains is often a major challenge to managers
of such chains. The trend towards worldwide procurement and globalization of
manufacturing and distribution activities increases the complexity of this
problem. Moreover, pressures to reduce working capital requirements has also
increased the importance of efficient supply chain management. In this paper,
they describe the many pitfalls that are commonly found in the management of
inventories in supply chains, and suggest the opportunities that exist for
improved management and control. Throughout the discussion, they draw upon
their knowledge and experience of supply chain management at a number of
corporations in different industries.
*******************************************************************************
How Networks Reshape Organizations - For Results
Ram Charan
Harvard Business Review
A network Reshape how and by whom essential business decisions get
made. It integrates decisions horizontally at the lowest managerial levels
and with superior speed. In effect, a network identifies the "small company
inside the larger company" and empowers it to make the four-dimensional
trade-offs among functions, business units, geography, and global customers -
that determine success in the marketplace. It enables the right people in the
organization to converge faster and in a more focused way than the competition
on operating priorities determined by the imperatives of meeting customer needs
and building concrete advantage.
********************************************************************************
***
Managing AIDS At Work - Psychology's Role
Thomas E. Backer
Human Interaction Research Institute
Programs and policies for dealing with the AIDS health crisis in
American workplaces are being developed by many employers, with assistance from
labor unions and other organizations. Psychologists can help with these
activities in a number of ways, such as providing expertise for creating
programs content and helping workers and employers cope with the many changes
AIDS requires. A number of successful worksite programs already have been
implemented, both in the public and private sectors. Challenges to effective
program development include the stigma of AIDS, financial considerations, and
increasing legal liabilities.
***************************************************************************
*Upcoming Seminar
"1/2 TIME: The Way Towards A LEAN ENTERPRISE"
Dr. Ulf Hoeglund, Sven Ohde & Boerje Jarl
Columbia University in the City of New York
The seminar will be held on the Columbia University campus on Thursday,
March 19, 1992.
LEAN ENTERPRISES have, compared to traditional companies, a striking
advantage in performance, by two-to-one. There is a coherent, holistic system
with its own principles and logic for LEAN ENTERPRISES. This seminar will
describe this logic and the method HALF TIME that will help your organization
to become a LEAN ENTERPRISE.
HALF TIME is a method that drastically improves flows in the
organization in terms of quality, flexibility and productivity.
This seminar will also present a study of the influence of time in
3,500 business units. The method to become a fast company will then cover:
Throughput time, delivery time, development time & time to market. The
results of their study shows that your organization can increase by 10 times
its return on capital if it reduces the time by half.
Registration Deadline is February 27, 1992.
For more information or to register contact:
Ms. Judith Dumas
Columbia University
Center of Operations
311 Uris Hall
New York, NY 10027
Phone (212) 854-5049/3470
FAX (212) 864-4857
* Upcoming Seminar
"Global Management of Interest Rate and Currency Risk"
Berkeley Program in Finance
U.C. Berkeley
The seminar will be held at Squaw Valley in California, April 5-7 1992.
The seminar will address the problems of equity and fixed income
management in a international, multi-currency world, it will provide a
synthesis of current management practices and new research findings.
For more information or to register, contact:
Mical Ellen Visher
Phone (510) 642-0114.
FAX (510) 643-8460
********************************************************************************
*
IX. Automated Paper Request Form
Below are the papers that are available from the JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1992
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
[ ] I. Low Power CMOS Digital Design
[ ] II. IMKA Technology Report
[ ] III. Digital's Fourth Line of Business: Information Architecture and
its Emerging Role in Systems-Integration Delivery
[ ] IV. A New Nonlinear Driver Model for Interconnect Analysis
[ ] V. Concepts for the Reuse of Communication Software
[ ] VI. Using Dual Approximation Algorithms for Scheduling Problems:
Theoretical and Practical Results
[ ] VII. An Empirical Analysis of Software and Hardware Spending
[ ] VIII. Software and Hardware in Data Processing Budgets
[ ] IX. Multimedia Home Health Care Project
[ ] X. Out of Touch with Customer Needs? Spare Parts and
After Sales Service
[ ] XI. Supply Chain Inventory Management: Pitfalls and
Opportunities
[ ] XII. How Networks Reshape Organizations - For Results
[ ] XIII. Managing AIDS at Work
********************************************************************************
|