Richard A. Riley

FORESIGHT: A Business Approach to Improving Forensic Science Services

Abstract Managers of scientific laboratories see themselves as scientists first and managers second; consequently, they tend to devalue the managerial aspects of their jobs. Forensic laboratory managers are no different, but the stakes may be much higher given the importance of quality science to the criminal justice system. The need for training and support in forensic laboratory management has been recognized for many years, but little has been done to transition the tools of business to the forensic laboratory environment. FORESIGHT is a business-guided self-evaluation of forensic science laboratories across North America. The participating laboratories represent local, regional, state, and national agencies. Economics, accounting, finance, and forensic faculty provide assistance, guidance, and analysis. The process involves standardizing definitions for metrics to evaluate work processes, linking financial information to work tasks, and functions. Laboratory managers can then assess resource allocations, efficiencies, and value of services—the mission is to measure, preserve what works, and change what does not. A project of this magnitude for forensic laboratories has not been carried out anywhere.

The balanced scorecard: Sustainable performance assessment for forensic laboratories

The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept of the balanced scorecard into the laboratory management environment. The balanced scorecard is a performance measurement matrix designed to capture financial and non-financial metrics that provide insight into the critical success factors for an organization, effectively aligning organization strategy to key performance objectives. The scorecard helps organizational leaders by providing balance from two perspectives. First, it ensures an appropriate mix of performance metrics from across the organization to achieve operational excellence; thereby the balanced scorecard ensures that no single or limited group of metrics dominates the assessment process, possibly leading to long-term inferior performance. Second, the balanced scorecard helps leaders offset short term performance pressures by giving recognition and weight to long-term laboratory needs that, if not properly addressed, might jeopardize future laboratory performance.

Managing Performance in the Forensic Sciences: Expectations in Light of Limited Budgets

Abstract For forensic service providers worldwide, the demand for high-quality services greatly outpaces available resources to meet those requests. The gap between the demand for services and the resource-restricted supply of those services has implications for managing performance: the effectiveness and efficiency of forensic science. The effectiveness of forensic science is directly related to the quality of the scientific analysis and the timeliness with which that analysis is provided, while efficiency is associated with attempts to minimize costs without negatively impacting quality. An inevitable result of the demand and supply gap is a backlog that results in downstream effects on timeliness, service, and quality. One important strategy to respond to the demand-supply imbalance is continual process improvement. Collaborative benchmarking as a basis for process improvement is another approach. This paper discusses the disjunction between perceived and actual value for forensic services and the rationale for providers to evaluate, improve, and re-tool their processes toward continual improvement given limited resources.

The biometric technologies business case: a systematic approach

Purpose – This paper aims to assist readers to develop a compelling business case, including quantifiable and non‐quantifiable costs and benefits, for the deployment of biometric technologies in information systems to enhance corporate security for access control, identification and verification applications.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the strengths and weaknesses of leading biometric technologies, while commenting on their practical applicability in real world implementations. In addition, the paper develops a process for ensuring that the best biometric applications are chosen, considering both the technology and related business issues.Findings – The paper suggests that biometrics must be carefully selected to achieve a good fit to the security problem, giving examples of how a good fit might be evaluated by the user. The one‐time and recurring charges associated with the typical biometric implementation are evaluated, arguing that these costs must be offset by a formal risk evaluat...

A Multifirm Analysis of Slotting Fees

The authors examine Securities and Exchange Commission filings from retailers and consumer and durable goods manufacturers to shed light on slotting practices. They find that slotting fees are used in both the consumer and the durable goods manufacturing industries, though different norms regarding slotting fees exist between product categories. Logit results find no support for an economic efficiency hypothesis but are more consistent with a power school perspective on slotting fees. The data imply that slotting fees are not likely to be a traditional antitrust issue, because the data reveal no evidence of unreasonable increases in profits resulting from slotting fee use.