Science in Management

Originally published in 1970. Management consultants in the United Kingdom are often accused of cloaking their activities in secrecy. The confidential nature of consulting work often precludes the publication of case examples and it is only occasionally that press reports appear summarizing particular studies. Consulting firms, however, are in the unique position of gaining experience over the whole range of industry, commerce and government, and consequently have a full opportunity for spear-heading new developments and gathering technical know-how of wide value to managers. Science in Management outlines the methods used by a consulting firm specializing in operational research and computer science and describes numerous case examples taken from a wide range of industries and from the public sector. These examples cover tactical problems, problems which overlap functional boundaries within a company and a few major projects of a strategic nature. The aim of the twenty contributors has been to explain in relatively simple terms, some of the more important techniques and to illustrate by practical examples, the wide scope of the management science approach at all problem levels. The book will be helpful to all those seeking to apply science in management. It is written primarily for managers and those studying modern management methods, but parts of the book will be of interest to specialists as well.

Preface; Acknowledgements; Foreword; General Scheme of the Book; List of Contributors; Part One: Ideas and Means; 1. The Development of Science in Management 2. The Concept of Model-Building 3. The Computer and Management Science; Part Two: Methods and Models; 1. Statistical Methods 2. Queuing and Congestion 3. Simulation 4. Linear Programming 5. Forecasting 6. Stock Control 7. Network Analysis 8. Replacement; Part Three: First-Level Applications: Tactical Projects; 1. Production and Stocking of Items in Infrequent Demand 2.A Study of Post Office Queues 3. Central Control of Stocks in a Supermarket 4. A Product-Bending Problem 5. Controlling Yields in Paper and Glass Manufacture 6. Maintenance of Refrigeration Equipment 7. Substation Planning for Electricity Distribution 8. Planning the Construction of Municipal Flats; Part Four: Second-Level Applications: Integrating Activities; 9. The Application of Information Theory to a Sorting Problem 10. Planning a Depot System for a Consumer Product 11. Distribution and Retailing of High-Fashion Footwear 12. Production Planning in the Canning Industry 13. Scheduling Production of a Board-Making Plant 14. Location and Control of Stocks by Computer in a Nationalized Industry 15. PSF Control: Complex Instrument Assemblies; Part Five: Third-Level Applications: Strategic Studies; 16. A Medium-Sized Company 17. An International Company 18. At Government Level; Index