The allocation of a specific amount of a given resource among competitive alternatives can often be modelled as a knapsack problem. This model formulation is extremely efficient because it allows convex cost representation with bounded variables to be solved without great computational efforts....

Connors et al. [Connors, M. M., C. Coray, C. J. Cuccaro, W. K. Green, D. W. Low, H. M. Markowitz. 1972. The distribution system simulator. Management Sci. 18 (8, April).], have developed a Distribution System Simulator (DSS) that produces a customized simulation model for large scale, physical...

Strategy is the most central issue in management. It has to do with defining the purpose of an organization, understanding the market in which it operates and the capabilities the firm possesses, and putting together a winning plan. There are many influential frameworks to help managers...

The Need for Reinventing Strategy -- The Delta Model: Creating New Sources of Growth and Profitability in a Networked Economy -- Customer Segmentation and Customer Value Proposition: The First Critical Task of Strategy -- The Firm as a Bundle of Competencies: Understanding the Depth and the...

This paper reports on a diagnostic study completed by a large firm in the consumer goods sector. This study is aimed at evaluating the production and distribution planning system, the quality of the forecasting system, and the existing levels of inventory. Aggregate models are presented to...

The structure of an organization is no longer viewed as a rigid definition of hierarchical levels and interrelationships among different groups. Managers use the organizational design process as a fundamental tool for implementing and communicating the strategic direction selected for the firm.

We asked MIT professor Arnoldo Hax to go back to the fundamentals and offer us some basic definitions of strategic management. To find out how your organization measures up as a strategy formulator, take his diagnostic tests.