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Automatic data processing handbook
Book reviews next three chapters a number of progressively more complicated examples is treated beginning with a single plant and single period model and ending with two-plant two-period models. So the most important ingredients for the more realistic, multi-plant and multi-period budgeting models for a firm have been indicated. Chapter 5 turns to the variance analysis. The last two chapters present the treatment of conflicting goals and an introduction to the use of optimization models in the area of strategic planning. At the end of each chapter the reader finds some exercises. It is assumed that the reader uses a commercially availabJe l.p. program to solve these problems. So the required familiarity with data processing is minimal. As an introduction to budgeting models this book can be recommended for accountants, and because of its careful step by step development of the theme, its good and clear examples, and the possibility ef making use of a computer, for students of economics as well. J. ROEMEN
Tilburg University Netherlands
P.L. HAMMER, E.L. JOHNSON, B.H. KORTE and G.L. NEMHAUSER (Eds.), Studies in Integer Programming, Annals of Discrete Mathematics Vol. l, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1977, xiii + 562 pages, Dr. 120.00. This book is a collection of 37 papers, which are results of a workshop on Integer Programming. The workshop was organized by the Institute of Operations Research (sonderforschungsbereieh 21), University of Bonn, F.R.G., and was held in Bonn, September 8 - 1 2 , 1975. All papers are written in English. The volume includes contributions from 11 different countries, unfortunately from only one country in East-Europe. More than half of the contributions originate in the U.S.A. The articles are concerned with very different problems: General considerations on duality, sensir;vity analysis, parametric programming, multiple criteria problems and relationships between integer and non-integer methods, are followed by a number of papers on algorithmic aspects like decomposition, reduction, aggregation of inequalities, cuRing-plane methods, vertex generation methods and implicit
305
enumeration. Also covered are problems with special structures like set partitioning., linear and nonlinear knapsack., scheduling-, symmetric and asymmetric travelling salesman-, and plant location problems. A number of authors are concerned with rather special problems of graph and network theory such as coloring problems, determination of the chromatic num. ber and analysis of network relability. There are no state-of-the-art articles. Rather each paper centers around specific problems ha the author's field of interest. The contributions are short (around 20 pages) and are similar to articles in scientific journals in this subject area. Due to the large variety of topics, this book offers an excellent survey of ongoing research in integer programming ha 1975. R. PLI3SCHKE Technical University of A achen FederalRepublic of Germany DIEBOLD GROUP (Eds.), Automatic Data Processing Handbook, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1977,967 pages, $ 29.50. This book presents in several articles a variety of aspects of automatic data processing, the associated management implications and possible development:~ in computer and communication teclmology. As stated in the handbook itself, it is designed for several classes of readers, e.g. for management generatists who want to understand the meaning of this techno]o ogy for their own organizations, f(~r professional data processing managers who seek to increase the efficiency of their departments, for several specialists to broaden their horizons, for educators and graduate students in Business Administration who seek a cor2prehensive text on the broad field of automatic data processing and related fields, and for innovaters and marketers who look for opportunities in the computer industry. Naturally: it is not caw/to design a book which fulf'dls the needs of aU categories mentioned. One category may judge certain articles as too general, while the other is classifying these as too special ised. However, all articles are written in an understandable way for each category and those people who wish to know more about specific subjects are referred to the bibliography at the end of most articleso The book is divided into eight sections each of which is reserved for a certain theme.
306
Book reviews
Section I presentsbasi~ concepts in which items are discussed such as organizational a~ects for effective computer utilization, problems with management information systems, ADP in corporate planning and global description of computers. Section 2 presents an overview of computer technology and related fields. Here several aspects of computers are discussed in more detail such as auxiliary memories, time-sharing, mini-computers, input devices, optimal scanning, remote terminals, micro-fihn, programming languages and techniques, operating systems, etc. ALsosome ~ttention is paid to more general items such as office mechanisation, informatk~n storage and retrieval by ~echniques other than computers, and communication technology (among others facsimile communications and communications networks). Sections 3 contains articles about how to design systems and the approp~ate hardware decision. Here a variety of items is discussed e.g. concepts of management information systems, the decision process for the overall systems configuration, detailed system design, implementation aspects and several practical cases.
Section 4 elucidates several application areas of automatic data processing such as using the computer as a design tool, the computer for information and retrieval, systems for physical distribution and personnel management and last but not least applications in the marketing area. Section 5 contains artiele~; about managerial problems within ADP-departments. Personnel management for ADP-people is discussed in detail among which selection, traLuing and motivation cf the various specialists. A very interesting item is the article about ADP management ha v multinational company. Section 6 is reserved for remarks about outside computer services such as the existence of software houses, service centers, time sharing facilities, and interactive teleproeessing network services. Section 7 discusses special applications in the ADP-world. The following applications are described: actual and future outlook for the way of paying debts, retailing, banking, manufacturing in the process and other sorts of industry, and reservation systems for the travelling and hotel branches. The last section presents abe interrelation between computer and society. Articles in this section deal with computer-aided education., the impact of ADP en public administration, the compme~ and privacy, the computer and the way c,f life, the coml~llter ~r~d .~n~io~fv
Overviewing all subjects discussed and the way in which this is done, we agree with John Diebolds' introduction in which he states that this book is: "a comprehensive and readily access~le reference source on modem data and information processing ..." With regard to the number of pages and the quality presented, the price of this book may not be any obstruction to obtain it. Theo BEMELMANS Eindhoven University o f Technology Eindhoven, Netherla~uls
G.M. BIRTWISTLE, Od. DAHL, B. MYHRHAUG and K. NYGAARD, Simula Begin, Petrocelli/Charter, New York, 1975, 391 pages. Simula Begin is an introduction to system descrip. tion in the programming language $imula. It is not intended as an introductory textbook to learn all the ins and outs of the programming language or how to make simulation programs. However, during the last few years it has been quite often used as such by lack of other books. Recently, some books have been pub. fished stressing the development of simulation models on the one hand, and on the other hand stressing the capabilities of Simula from a purely computer science point ef view. The first chapter of the book presents the most important features of Simula in an informal style by using the built-in tools for system decomposition and component classification. Although the approach is quite natural and appealing it is difficult for readers who are not very familiar with programming, whereas a section on the computer representation of programs is too elementary. One might make the criticism that a formal methodology for system deseriptionis lacking, but this is perhaps outside the scope of the book. The next five chapters of the book gradually build up complete pictures of the basic units of Simula: blocks, procedures, classes and objects - and explain text handling and input-output. The penny-ilipping problem as an example of a procedure is very nasty. The examples used to explain the class concept are too mathematically oriented. There exist examples which are much more attractive for introductory as well as advanced courses on Simula. In the presentation of input-output fac~ties no reference is made to the handling of direct access files and terminal input-output which is becoming
Tilburg University Netherlands
P.L. HAMMER, E.L. JOHNSON, B.H. KORTE and G.L. NEMHAUSER (Eds.), Studies in Integer Programming, Annals of Discrete Mathematics Vol. l, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1977, xiii + 562 pages, Dr. 120.00. This book is a collection of 37 papers, which are results of a workshop on Integer Programming. The workshop was organized by the Institute of Operations Research (sonderforschungsbereieh 21), University of Bonn, F.R.G., and was held in Bonn, September 8 - 1 2 , 1975. All papers are written in English. The volume includes contributions from 11 different countries, unfortunately from only one country in East-Europe. More than half of the contributions originate in the U.S.A. The articles are concerned with very different problems: General considerations on duality, sensir;vity analysis, parametric programming, multiple criteria problems and relationships between integer and non-integer methods, are followed by a number of papers on algorithmic aspects like decomposition, reduction, aggregation of inequalities, cuRing-plane methods, vertex generation methods and implicit
305
enumeration. Also covered are problems with special structures like set partitioning., linear and nonlinear knapsack., scheduling-, symmetric and asymmetric travelling salesman-, and plant location problems. A number of authors are concerned with rather special problems of graph and network theory such as coloring problems, determination of the chromatic num. ber and analysis of network relability. There are no state-of-the-art articles. Rather each paper centers around specific problems ha the author's field of interest. The contributions are short (around 20 pages) and are similar to articles in scientific journals in this subject area. Due to the large variety of topics, this book offers an excellent survey of ongoing research in integer programming ha 1975. R. PLI3SCHKE Technical University of A achen FederalRepublic of Germany DIEBOLD GROUP (Eds.), Automatic Data Processing Handbook, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1977,967 pages, $ 29.50. This book presents in several articles a variety of aspects of automatic data processing, the associated management implications and possible development:~ in computer and communication teclmology. As stated in the handbook itself, it is designed for several classes of readers, e.g. for management generatists who want to understand the meaning of this techno]o ogy for their own organizations, f(~r professional data processing managers who seek to increase the efficiency of their departments, for several specialists to broaden their horizons, for educators and graduate students in Business Administration who seek a cor2prehensive text on the broad field of automatic data processing and related fields, and for innovaters and marketers who look for opportunities in the computer industry. Naturally: it is not caw/to design a book which fulf'dls the needs of aU categories mentioned. One category may judge certain articles as too general, while the other is classifying these as too special ised. However, all articles are written in an understandable way for each category and those people who wish to know more about specific subjects are referred to the bibliography at the end of most articleso The book is divided into eight sections each of which is reserved for a certain theme.
306
Book reviews
Section I presentsbasi~ concepts in which items are discussed such as organizational a~ects for effective computer utilization, problems with management information systems, ADP in corporate planning and global description of computers. Section 2 presents an overview of computer technology and related fields. Here several aspects of computers are discussed in more detail such as auxiliary memories, time-sharing, mini-computers, input devices, optimal scanning, remote terminals, micro-fihn, programming languages and techniques, operating systems, etc. ALsosome ~ttention is paid to more general items such as office mechanisation, informatk~n storage and retrieval by ~echniques other than computers, and communication technology (among others facsimile communications and communications networks). Sections 3 contains articles about how to design systems and the approp~ate hardware decision. Here a variety of items is discussed e.g. concepts of management information systems, the decision process for the overall systems configuration, detailed system design, implementation aspects and several practical cases.
Section 4 elucidates several application areas of automatic data processing such as using the computer as a design tool, the computer for information and retrieval, systems for physical distribution and personnel management and last but not least applications in the marketing area. Section 5 contains artiele~; about managerial problems within ADP-departments. Personnel management for ADP-people is discussed in detail among which selection, traLuing and motivation cf the various specialists. A very interesting item is the article about ADP management ha v multinational company. Section 6 is reserved for remarks about outside computer services such as the existence of software houses, service centers, time sharing facilities, and interactive teleproeessing network services. Section 7 discusses special applications in the ADP-world. The following applications are described: actual and future outlook for the way of paying debts, retailing, banking, manufacturing in the process and other sorts of industry, and reservation systems for the travelling and hotel branches. The last section presents abe interrelation between computer and society. Articles in this section deal with computer-aided education., the impact of ADP en public administration, the compme~ and privacy, the computer and the way c,f life, the coml~llter ~r~d .~n~io~fv
Overviewing all subjects discussed and the way in which this is done, we agree with John Diebolds' introduction in which he states that this book is: "a comprehensive and readily access~le reference source on modem data and information processing ..." With regard to the number of pages and the quality presented, the price of this book may not be any obstruction to obtain it. Theo BEMELMANS Eindhoven University o f Technology Eindhoven, Netherla~uls
G.M. BIRTWISTLE, Od. DAHL, B. MYHRHAUG and K. NYGAARD, Simula Begin, Petrocelli/Charter, New York, 1975, 391 pages. Simula Begin is an introduction to system descrip. tion in the programming language $imula. It is not intended as an introductory textbook to learn all the ins and outs of the programming language or how to make simulation programs. However, during the last few years it has been quite often used as such by lack of other books. Recently, some books have been pub. fished stressing the development of simulation models on the one hand, and on the other hand stressing the capabilities of Simula from a purely computer science point ef view. The first chapter of the book presents the most important features of Simula in an informal style by using the built-in tools for system decomposition and component classification. Although the approach is quite natural and appealing it is difficult for readers who are not very familiar with programming, whereas a section on the computer representation of programs is too elementary. One might make the criticism that a formal methodology for system deseriptionis lacking, but this is perhaps outside the scope of the book. The next five chapters of the book gradually build up complete pictures of the basic units of Simula: blocks, procedures, classes and objects - and explain text handling and input-output. The penny-ilipping problem as an example of a procedure is very nasty. The examples used to explain the class concept are too mathematically oriented. There exist examples which are much more attractive for introductory as well as advanced courses on Simula. In the presentation of input-output fac~ties no reference is made to the handling of direct access files and terminal input-output which is becoming