Single-period inventory models with uncertain demand are very well known in the business analytics community. Typically, such models are rule-based functions, or sets of functions, of one decision variable (order quantity) and one random variable (demand). In academics, the models are taught selectively and usually not completely. Students are…

Two specific approaches of how to evaluate an information retrieval system are explored. The first is a mathematical model for use in studying how to minimize operating costs. The model provides a method for comparative evaluation between systems. The cost model divides the costs of a retrieval system into two components: system costs and user…

Planning model literature from its earliest use to the present, emphasizing the generalized resource allocation models, is summarized. Several examples of categories of models are cited. An in-depth analysis of six resource allocation models (e.g., CAMPUS Simulation Model, TRADES Financial Planning Model) is presented. (Author/MLW)

The feasibility of using a particular simulation as (1) an aid in management, (2) a management training device, (3) a tool for management research is reported. Corresponding interfaces for the simulation are described and discussed in terms of the way they represent the activity for the user. Estimated costs are reported for alternative…

Drawing on the authors' extensive experience at Stanford University as well as the work of others, this book offers the first systematic approach to fiscal and human resource planning at colleges and universities. It shows how decision models can and should become an integral part of the planning process. The uses and misuses of planning models in…

The development of a mathematical model of the Illinois Library and Information Network (ILLINET) is described. Based on queueing network theory, the model predicts the probability of a request being satisfied, the average time from the initiation of a request to the receipt of the desired resources, the costs, and the processing loads. Using a…