Modelling for Added Value

This book gathers together research from three key application themes of modelling in operational research - modelling to support evaluation and change in organisations; modelling within the development and use of organisational information systems; and the use of modelling approaches to support, enable and enhance decision support in organisational contexts. The issues raised provide valuable insight into the range of ways in which operational research techniques and practices are being successfully applied in today's information-centred business world. Modelling for Added Value provides a window onto current research and practise in modelling techniques and highlights their rising importance across the business, industrial and commercial sectors. The book contains contributions from a mix of academics and practitioners and covers a range of complex and diverse modelling issues, highlighting the broad appeal of this increasingly important subject area.

Theme I: Modelling for Evaluation and Change.- 1 Modelling for Change: An Information Systems Perspective on Change Management Models.- 2 Information Systems as Powerful Forces of Change.- 3 How the Open University Uses Information Technology to Provide Distance Learning in a Competitive Market.- 4 Information Technology as a Tool for Performance Measurement and Auditing.- 5 Coordinating Change Through Effective Communication at England’s Newest University.- 6 The Simulation of Taiwan’s Power Generation System.- 7 Performance Measurement, Goal Setting and Feedback in Engineering Design.- 8 Using Information Technology to Manage the Change Process in Organisations.- Theme II: Modelling for Information Systems.- 9 Issues in Information Systems Development Models.- 10 The Metaphysical Foundations of Soft and Hard Information Systems Methodologies.- 11 Information Systems Intervention: A Total Systems View.- 12 Why Mixed Methods are Necessary to Derive Enterprise-wide Solutions.- 13 Tailorable Information Systems Add Value to Organisations in Changing Environments.- 14 The Retail Industry and Information Technology.- 15 Information Systems at the Superstore Interface.- Theme III: Modelling for Decision Support.- 16 Modelling for Decision Support in Simulation.- 17 The Strategic Role of Expert Systems in UK Organisations.- 18 Workflow Benchmarking for Improved Productivity in a Large Store Group.- 19 Adding Value Through Simulation by Focusing on Process.- 20 The Centre for Applied Simulation Modelling.- 21 Combining Modelling Approaches in Library Systems Analysis.- 22 The Usability of User Interfaces to Simulation Systems.- Author Index.