Author: Jonathan Rosenhead
Publisher: Wiley
ISBN: 9780471922858
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 386
Book Description
An up-to-date overview of a range of methods for structuring decisions and problems, useful for strategic thinking and management. Presents six problem-structuring methodologies in a way that makes it easy to determine if that method is appropriate for a given situation. Covers strategic options development and analysis, soft systems methodology, robustness analysis, metagame analysis, hypergame analysis, and strategic choice, including the analysis of interconnected decision areas.
Rational Analysis for a Problematic World Revisited
Author: John Mingers
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 388
Book Description
Now, more than ever, planning and managing in the real world is beset by change and uncertainty. Knowledge is incomplete, values are in dispute, decisions of others are often unpredictable. Sheathed in opaque technicalities, inflexible and over-ambitious, the highly mathematical methods of analysing problem situations are no longer considered acceptable. In their place a coherent alternative paradigm has emerged- a range of formal methodologies which aim not to produce 'optimal' solutions but to facilitate an enriched decision-making process. 'Low-tech' transparent and participatory, these methods assist in the formulation and reformulation of problem solving in an uncertain world. This fully revised and updated book brings together contributions from some of the great thinkers on this subject. The authors present the most influential methods (each illustrated with a case study), describe the principles on which the method operates, the step and the stages of analysis, and how these methods relate to the decision making process. The concluding section explores future developments and research issues, as well as links with other relevant domains.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 388
Book Description
Now, more than ever, planning and managing in the real world is beset by change and uncertainty. Knowledge is incomplete, values are in dispute, decisions of others are often unpredictable. Sheathed in opaque technicalities, inflexible and over-ambitious, the highly mathematical methods of analysing problem situations are no longer considered acceptable. In their place a coherent alternative paradigm has emerged- a range of formal methodologies which aim not to produce 'optimal' solutions but to facilitate an enriched decision-making process. 'Low-tech' transparent and participatory, these methods assist in the formulation and reformulation of problem solving in an uncertain world. This fully revised and updated book brings together contributions from some of the great thinkers on this subject. The authors present the most influential methods (each illustrated with a case study), describe the principles on which the method operates, the step and the stages of analysis, and how these methods relate to the decision making process. The concluding section explores future developments and research issues, as well as links with other relevant domains.
The Institutional Dynamics of Culture, Volumes I and II
Author: Perri Six
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351887661
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1134
Book Description
These two volumes present the most important recent developments in the institutional theory of culture and demonstrate their practical applications. Sometimes called 'grid-group analysis' or 'cultural theory', they derive from the work of Durkheim in the 1880s and 1900s and develop the insights of the anthropologist Mary Douglas and her followers from the 1960s on. First redefined within social and cultural anthropology, the theory's influence is shown in recent years to have permeated all the main disciplines of social science with substantial implications for politics, history, business, work and organizations, the environment, technology and risk, and crime and consumption. Today, the institutional theory of culture now rivals the rational choice, Weberian and postmodern outlooks in influence across the social sciences.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351887661
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1134
Book Description
These two volumes present the most important recent developments in the institutional theory of culture and demonstrate their practical applications. Sometimes called 'grid-group analysis' or 'cultural theory', they derive from the work of Durkheim in the 1880s and 1900s and develop the insights of the anthropologist Mary Douglas and her followers from the 1960s on. First redefined within social and cultural anthropology, the theory's influence is shown in recent years to have permeated all the main disciplines of social science with substantial implications for politics, history, business, work and organizations, the environment, technology and risk, and crime and consumption. Today, the institutional theory of culture now rivals the rational choice, Weberian and postmodern outlooks in influence across the social sciences.
Social-Behavioral Modeling for Complex Systems
Author: Paul K. Davis
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119484960
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 992
Book Description
This volume describes frontiers in social-behavioral modeling for contexts as diverse as national security, health, and on-line social gaming. Recent scientific and technological advances have created exciting opportunities for such improvements. However, the book also identifies crucial scientific, ethical, and cultural challenges to be met if social-behavioral modeling is to achieve its potential. Doing so will require new methods, data sources, and technology. The volume discusses these, including those needed to achieve and maintain high standards of ethics and privacy. The result should be a new generation of modeling that will advance science and, separately, aid decision-making on major social and security-related subjects despite the myriad uncertainties and complexities of social phenomena. Intended to be relatively comprehensive in scope, the volume balances theory-driven, data-driven, and hybrid approaches. The latter may be rapidly iterative, as when artificial-intelligence methods are coupled with theory-driven insights to build models that are sound, comprehensible and usable in new situations. With the intent of being a milestone document that sketches a research agenda for the next decade, the volume draws on the wisdom, ideas and suggestions of many noted researchers who draw in turn from anthropology, communications, complexity science, computer science, defense planning, economics, engineering, health systems, medicine, neuroscience, physics, political science, psychology, public policy and sociology. In brief, the volume discusses: Cutting-edge challenges and opportunities in modeling for social and behavioral science Special requirements for achieving high standards of privacy and ethics New approaches for developing theory while exploiting both empirical and computational data Issues of reproducibility, communication, explanation, and validation Special requirements for models intended to inform decision making about complex social systems
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119484960
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 992
Book Description
This volume describes frontiers in social-behavioral modeling for contexts as diverse as national security, health, and on-line social gaming. Recent scientific and technological advances have created exciting opportunities for such improvements. However, the book also identifies crucial scientific, ethical, and cultural challenges to be met if social-behavioral modeling is to achieve its potential. Doing so will require new methods, data sources, and technology. The volume discusses these, including those needed to achieve and maintain high standards of ethics and privacy. The result should be a new generation of modeling that will advance science and, separately, aid decision-making on major social and security-related subjects despite the myriad uncertainties and complexities of social phenomena. Intended to be relatively comprehensive in scope, the volume balances theory-driven, data-driven, and hybrid approaches. The latter may be rapidly iterative, as when artificial-intelligence methods are coupled with theory-driven insights to build models that are sound, comprehensible and usable in new situations. With the intent of being a milestone document that sketches a research agenda for the next decade, the volume draws on the wisdom, ideas and suggestions of many noted researchers who draw in turn from anthropology, communications, complexity science, computer science, defense planning, economics, engineering, health systems, medicine, neuroscience, physics, political science, psychology, public policy and sociology. In brief, the volume discusses: Cutting-edge challenges and opportunities in modeling for social and behavioral science Special requirements for achieving high standards of privacy and ethics New approaches for developing theory while exploiting both empirical and computational data Issues of reproducibility, communication, explanation, and validation Special requirements for models intended to inform decision making about complex social systems
Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis: State of the Art Surveys
Author: Salvatore Greco
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387230815
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 1063
Book Description
Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis: State of the Art Surveys provides survey articles and references of the seminal or state-of-the-art research on MCDA. The material covered ranges from the foundations of MCDA, over various MCDA methodologies (outranking methods, multiattribute utility and value theories, non-classical approaches) to multiobjective mathematical programming, MCDA applications, and software. This vast amount of material is organized in 8 parts, with a total of 25 chapters. More than 2000 references are listed.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387230815
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 1063
Book Description
Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis: State of the Art Surveys provides survey articles and references of the seminal or state-of-the-art research on MCDA. The material covered ranges from the foundations of MCDA, over various MCDA methodologies (outranking methods, multiattribute utility and value theories, non-classical approaches) to multiobjective mathematical programming, MCDA applications, and software. This vast amount of material is organized in 8 parts, with a total of 25 chapters. More than 2000 references are listed.
Operations Research and Health Care
Author: Margaret L. Brandeau
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402080662
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 870
Book Description
In both rich and poor nations, public resources for health care are inadequate to meet demand. Policy makers and health care providers must determine how to provide the most effective health care to citizens using the limited resources that are available. This chapter describes current and future challenges in the delivery of health care, and outlines the role that operations research (OR) models can play in helping to solve those problems. The chapter concludes with an overview of this book – its intended audience, the areas covered, and a description of the subsequent chapters. KEY WORDS Health care delivery, Health care planning HEALTH CARE DELIVERY: PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES 3 1.1 WORLDWIDE HEALTH: THE PAST 50 YEARS Human health has improved significantly in the last 50 years. In 1950, global life expectancy was 46 years [1]. That figure rose to 61 years by 1980 and to 67 years by 1998 [2]. Much of these gains occurred in low- and middle-income countries, and were due in large part to improved nutrition and sanitation, medical innovations, and improvements in public health infrastructure.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402080662
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 870
Book Description
In both rich and poor nations, public resources for health care are inadequate to meet demand. Policy makers and health care providers must determine how to provide the most effective health care to citizens using the limited resources that are available. This chapter describes current and future challenges in the delivery of health care, and outlines the role that operations research (OR) models can play in helping to solve those problems. The chapter concludes with an overview of this book – its intended audience, the areas covered, and a description of the subsequent chapters. KEY WORDS Health care delivery, Health care planning HEALTH CARE DELIVERY: PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES 3 1.1 WORLDWIDE HEALTH: THE PAST 50 YEARS Human health has improved significantly in the last 50 years. In 1950, global life expectancy was 46 years [1]. That figure rose to 61 years by 1980 and to 67 years by 1998 [2]. Much of these gains occurred in low- and middle-income countries, and were due in large part to improved nutrition and sanitation, medical innovations, and improvements in public health infrastructure.
Business Continuity Planning
Author: Ken Doughty
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0849390338
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 422
Book Description
Once considered a luxury, a business continuity plan has become a necessity. Many companies are required to have one by law. Others have implemented them to protect themselves from liability, and some have adopted them after a disaster or after a near miss. Whatever your reason, the right continuity plan is essential to your organization. Business
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0849390338
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 422
Book Description
Once considered a luxury, a business continuity plan has become a necessity. Many companies are required to have one by law. Others have implemented them to protect themselves from liability, and some have adopted them after a disaster or after a near miss. Whatever your reason, the right continuity plan is essential to your organization. Business
Mechanism Design for Total Quality Management
Author: Petter Ogland
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1387359967
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 348
Book Description
'Mechanism Design for Total Quality Management' is clearly written in a logical manner and points are supported by real life case studies. Dr. Ogland demonstrates how a Total Quality Management strategy articulated through the use of bootstrap algorithms can be used to achieve world-class performance in challenging environments such as complex organisations saturated with power struggles and internal politics. The book features insights on critical systems thinking, game theory, quality management systems, the EFQM Business Excellence Model, self-assessment, and the implementation of TQM. Case studies provide practical insights from twenty years of empirical research on how to bootstrap TQM and Business Excellence in complex environments. The ideas developed in the book have been acknowledged as a major contribution to the theory of TQM, and the book itself is an indispensable resource for practitioners trying to implement TQM in environments where traditional implementation methods are bound to fail.
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1387359967
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 348
Book Description
'Mechanism Design for Total Quality Management' is clearly written in a logical manner and points are supported by real life case studies. Dr. Ogland demonstrates how a Total Quality Management strategy articulated through the use of bootstrap algorithms can be used to achieve world-class performance in challenging environments such as complex organisations saturated with power struggles and internal politics. The book features insights on critical systems thinking, game theory, quality management systems, the EFQM Business Excellence Model, self-assessment, and the implementation of TQM. Case studies provide practical insights from twenty years of empirical research on how to bootstrap TQM and Business Excellence in complex environments. The ideas developed in the book have been acknowledged as a major contribution to the theory of TQM, and the book itself is an indispensable resource for practitioners trying to implement TQM in environments where traditional implementation methods are bound to fail.
Community-Based Operations Research
Author: Michael P. Johnson
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461408067
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
This edited volume is an introduction to diverse methods and applications in operations research focused on local populations and community-based organizations that have the potential to improve the lives of individuals and communities in tangible ways. The book's themes include: space, place and community; disadvantaged, underrepresented or underserved populations; international and transnational applications; multimethod, cross-disciplinary and comparative approaches and appropriate technology; and analytics. The book is comprised of eleven original submissions, a re-print of a 2007 article by Johnson and Smilowitz that introduces CBOR, and an introductory chapter that provides policy motivation, antecedents to CBOR in OR/MS, a theory of CBOR and a comprehensive review of the chapters. It is hoped that this book will provide a resource to academics and practitioners who seek to develop methods and applications that bridge the divide between traditional OR/MS rooted in mathematical models and newer streams in 'soft OR' that emphasize problem structuring methods, critical approaches to OR/MS and community engagement and capacity-building.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461408067
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
This edited volume is an introduction to diverse methods and applications in operations research focused on local populations and community-based organizations that have the potential to improve the lives of individuals and communities in tangible ways. The book's themes include: space, place and community; disadvantaged, underrepresented or underserved populations; international and transnational applications; multimethod, cross-disciplinary and comparative approaches and appropriate technology; and analytics. The book is comprised of eleven original submissions, a re-print of a 2007 article by Johnson and Smilowitz that introduces CBOR, and an introductory chapter that provides policy motivation, antecedents to CBOR in OR/MS, a theory of CBOR and a comprehensive review of the chapters. It is hoped that this book will provide a resource to academics and practitioners who seek to develop methods and applications that bridge the divide between traditional OR/MS rooted in mathematical models and newer streams in 'soft OR' that emphasize problem structuring methods, critical approaches to OR/MS and community engagement and capacity-building.