Stanley Zionts

Use of Data Envelopment Analysis in assessing Information Technology impact on firm performance

The purpose of this paper is to consider the effect of Information Technology on the performance of a firm. We use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to study this problem. In the paper, we outline DEA and address its advantages over parametric approaches. We then develop a methodology to identify the efficiency of IT utilization and the importance of IT-related activities and their effect on firm performance, within the DEA framework. Our methodology also evaluates the marginal benefits of IT. We provide an application of our methodology through an illustration.

Multiple Criteria Decision Making:From Early History to the 21st Century

Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) is all about making choices in the presence of multiple conflicting criteria. MCDM has become one of the most important and fastest growing subfields of Operations Research/Management Science. As modern MCDM started to emerge about 50 years ago, it is now a good time to take stock of developments. This book aims to present an informal, nontechnical history of MCDM, supplemented with many pictures. It covers the major developments in MCDM, from early history until now. It also covers fascinating discoveries by Nobel Laureates and other prominent scholars. The book begins with the early history of MCDM, which covers the roots of MCDM through the 1960s. It proceeds to give a decade-by-decade account of major developments in the field starting from the 1970s until now. Written in a simple and accessible manner, this book will be of interest to students, academics, and professionals in the field of decision sciences.

An aspiration-level interactive model for multiple criteria decision making

Abstract A simple, eclectic approach for solving discrete alternative multiple criteria decision problems is presented. It is based on the concept of the level of aspiration, and draws on ideas of various researchers. It assumes that the user has a set of alternatives with each alternative having a score on each of a number of objectives or measures of performance. The user determines his levels of aspiration for different objectives. He is then provided with considerable feedback as to the degree of feasibility of each level of aspiration as well as the degree of feasibility with respect to all levels of aspiration as a whole. The closest nondominated solution to the solution specified by the levels of aspiration is provided. The proposed method is easy to use and easy to understand and has been implemented on a personal computer (an IBM PC or compatible with 512K RAM). We describe an experimental application in which 49 students in an MBA program used the method to solve two discrete alternative multiple criteria decision problems.

A multiple criteria method for choosing among discrete alternatives

Abstract An interactive method is presented for solving a discrete alternative multiple criteria problem under certainty. The method is based on the approach of Zionts and Wallenius A computer program embodying the method has been written, and the results to date have been favorable. Extensions to the case in which some of the criteria are not readily quantifiable are also considered.

Identifying Efficient Vectors: Some Theory and Computational Results

Five problems of finding efficient vectors as a subset of a finite set of vectors are shown to be related and a common methodology based on the simplex method of linear programming is developed for solving all of them. Randomly generated problems for one of the five types are solved using the method, and the implications regarding computational requirements are discussed.

An Introduction to Group Decision and Negotiation Support

Group decision making and negotiation are important managerial activities, yet difficult to understand and support. The associated complexity is due to the multi-person, dynamic, and ill- structured environment in which these activities take place. Recent advances in information technology create new opportunities for supporting group decision and negotiation processes.

Capacitated lot-sizing and scheduling by Lagrangean relaxation

Abstract Development of new models and solution procedures for production planning has been of research interest for several decades. Implementation of these models has resulted in lower production costs by reducing inventories, number of setups and labor costs. In this paper, we develop several optimal/near-optimal procedures for the Capacitated Lot-Sizing and Scheduling Problem (CLSP) with setup times, limited regular time and limited overtime. We formulate a mixed-integer linear programming model of the problem and solve it by Lagrangean relaxation. We experiment with alternative Lagrangean relaxations and develop new procedures to solve these relaxations. Overall, the capacity constraints relaxation seems to be superior to the demand constraints relaxation. Our results show that large problems can be solved in reasonable computer times and within one-percent accuracy of the optimal solutions. We solved 99 × 8 (i.e., 99 items and 8 periods), 50 × 12 and 50 × 8 problems in 30.61, 36.25 and 12.65 seconds of CDC Cyber 730 computer time, respectively. Our procedures are general enough to be applied directly or with slight modifications in real-life production settings.

Multiple criteria mathematical programming: an updated overview and several approaches

Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) refers to making decisions in the presence of multiple, usually conflicting, objectives. Multiple criteria decision problems pervade all that we do and include such public policy tasks as determining a country’s policy developing a national energy plan, as well as planning national defense expenditures, in addition to such private enterprise tasks as new product development, pricing decisions, and research project selection. For an individual, the purchase of an automobile or a home exemplifies a multiple criteria problem. Even such routine decisions as the choice of a lunch from a menu, or the assignment of job crews to jobs constitute multiple criteria problems. All have a common thread--multiple conflicting objectives.

Integer Linear Programming with Multiple Objectives

Although it may seem counterintuitive, a method for solving multiple criteria integer linear programming problems is not an obvious extension of methods that solve multiple criteria linear programming problems. The main difficulty is illustrated by means of an example. Then a way of extending the Zionts-Wallenius algorithm [6] for solving integer problems is given, and two types of algorithms for extending it are briefly presented. An example is presented for one of the two types. Computational considerations are also discussed.

A Survey of Multiple Criteria Integer Programming Methods

Several methods have been proposed for solving multiple criteria problems involving integer programming. This paper contains a brief survey as well as a typology of several such methods. Although computational date is scanty to date, an attempt is made to evaluate the methods from a user orientation as well as from the perspective of a researcher trying to develop a workable user-oriented method.