Operations Research

Hakimi, S. L.; Maheshwari, S. N.

doi: 10.1287/opre.20.5.967pmid: N/A

This paper presents a generalization of results of Hakimi and Goldman on optimum locations of centers (warehouses) in a network. This generalization is achieved by a conceptual simplification of the previous results leading to a proof of a stronger version of Goldman's conjecture.

McCormick, William T.; Schweitzer, Paul J.; White, Thomas W.

doi: 10.1287/opre.20.5.993pmid: N/A

A new cluster-analysis method, the bond energy algorithm, has been developed recently; it operates upon a raw input object-object or object-attribute data array by permuting its rows and columns in order to find informative variable groups and their interrelations. This paper describes the algorithm and illustrates by several examples its use for both problem decomposition and data reorganization.

Bhat, U. Narayan; Rao, S. Subba

doi: 10.1287/opre.20.5.955pmid: N/A

This paper presents a statistical technique for the control of the traffic intensity in single-server queuing systems with (i) Poisson arrivals and general service times and (ii) recurrent arrivals and exponential service times. The procedure is such that the system is readjusted only if the number of customers in the system either falls and stays beyond the upper control limit longer than a preassigned number of consecutive transitions or falls and stays below the lower control limit longer than a preassigned number of consecutive transitions. Methods are given to derive these two pairs of control limits using available transition probability tables, and tables of control limits have been provided for a selected number of parameter values in the queue with Poisson arrivals and general service times.

Halpern, Jonathan

doi: 10.1287/opre.20.5.974pmid: N/A

This paper formulates and solves a budgeting problem that originates from the use of ratios of two variables as performance criteria for an organization. There are two main features to the problem: the presence of two conflicting groups or subsystems that disagree on a desirable trend for the ratio over a planning horizon, and a lag factor, which means that if one group is in a relatively unfavorable position in a given period, then an extra weight is given to its demands, with respect to changes in the ratio, in the next period. The lag factor takes the form of constraints in the model. The two conflicting objectives in the system are translated into minimization and maximization of a real-valued function. The solution produces lower and upper bonds for the value of a decision variable; an actual budget allocation has to be within these bounds. An application of the model to the use of student-to-library-seat ratios is presented.

Bodin, Lawrence D.; Carroll, T. Owen; Lee, Allen; Stout, Sally

doi: 10.1287/opre.20.5.942pmid: N/A

Mental-health care is a major public-sector problem in the State of New York. We were asked by the Ways and Means Committee of the New York State Assembly to recommend a new fiscal structure with shared funding between the state and the counties to better achieve the objective of the state's mental-health-care program. We developed a simulation model for the problem and used it to design new funding plans; the results of our analysis have been written into legislation introduced into the New York State Assembly.

Barr, Donald R.; Piper, Larry D.

doi: 10.1287/opre.20.5.1033pmid: N/A

This paper develops a model that extends and generalizes the methods of the bio-assay analysis by incorporating differing stopping rules, samples per level, and level magnitudes, and applies it to the problem of artillery registration in a decision-theoretic setting. It finds that significant improvements in the procedure currently used by the US Army and Marine Corps field artillery units (in terms of accuracy, timeliness, and ammunition expenditures) may well be possible. The method of analysis is applicable in a wide range of contexts involving “calibration” problems where the variance of the population being tested is known.

Barkan, Joel D.; Bruno, James E.

doi: 10.1287/opre.20.5.925pmid: N/A

Costs of running political campaigns have increased enormously over the last decade and methods have been sought to make campaigns, especially for national office, more efficient in their utilization of resources. This paper reports the results of applying operations-research techniques to the 1970 John V. Tunney Senatorial campaign. The principal task for the operations-research specialist was to develop a method to target precincts in the state for registration drives and for the get-out-the-vote effort in the campaign. In addition, “swing” precincts were identified for media and candidate attention.

Jaeschke, Gerhard

doi: 10.1287/opre.20.5.984pmid: N/A

This paper describes a special class of sequencing problems called vicinal problems. They are solved by a combination of the methods of graph theory and combinatorial programming. We analyze decomposition possibilities of complete, antisymmetric graphs in order to achieve the partition of the problems into several subproblems that can be solved by combinatorial programming procedures such as back-tracking and branch-and-bound. We conclude by treating a numerical example and commenting on a program written for that purpose.

doi: 10.1287/opre.20.5.1066pmid: N/A

Book ReviewsMichael D. Intriligator, Mathematical Optimization and Economic Theory, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 1971, 400 pages, 26.25reviewed by Nancy Schwartz;T. Takayama and G. G. Judge, Spatial and Temporal Price and Allocation Models, North Holland Publishing Co., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1971, 528 pages, 24.50reviewed by J. Joseph Bowman;Ronald E. Frank and William F. Massy, An Econometric Approach to a Marketing Decision Model, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1971, 224 pages, 12.95reviewed by Robert T. Riley;G. M. Luck, J. Luckman, B. W. Smith and J. Stringer, Patients, Hospitals, and Operational Research, Tavistock, London, England, (Distributed in U.S.A. by Barnes and Noble, New York, N.Y.), 1972, 210 pages, 12.00reviewed by Robert M. Eastman;D. V. Lindley, Making Decisions, Wiley-Interscience, New York, N.Y., 1971, 195 pages, 5.50reviewed by Hamilton Emmons.

doi: 10.1287/opre.20.5.1072pmid: N/A