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Image Theory: Decision Making in Personal and Organizational Contexts
264
European Journal of Operational Research 47 (1990) 264-265 North-Holland
Short Book Reviews Gow, H.B.F. and Otway, H. (eds.) Communicating with the Public about Major Accident Hazards Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, 1990, xii + 623pages. The EEC directive on the major accident hazards of certain industrial activities, commonly known as the Seveso Directive, specifies that members of the public liable to be affected by a major accident be informed of safety measures and how they should behave in the event of an accident. The second amendment to the Directive has extended the public information requirements. The implementation of this major innovation in industrial risk management raises many theoretical and practical issues. This book contains papers presented at the European Conference on Communicating with the Public about Major Accident Hazards, organised by the Commission of the European Communities, Directorate-General Environment, Consumer Protection and Nuclear Safety (DG XI) in collaboration with the Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra Establishment, and held at the Palace Hotel, Varese, Italy, 30 May - ! June 1989. The Conference objective was to integrate and analyse the uneven and fragmented experience of major hazard communication to date and to draw conclusions specific to European cultural tradition and legislative structures. It brought together experts from various fields, e.g. political representatives and regulatory authorities at the national, regional and local levels ; industry leaders, plant managers and public information officers; environmental and citizen groups; the media: labofir unions and researchers. Papers analyse the role, information needs, capabilities and constraints of these various groups and their perceptions of others active in this area. Andersen, N.E., Kensing, F., Lundin, J., Mathiassen, L., Munk-Madsen, A., Rasbech, M. and Sorgaard, P. Professional Systems Development - Experience, ideas and action Prentice Hall International, 1990, £15.95, viii + 284 pages.
Professional Systems Development presents a coherent framework for evaluating and planning systems development projects. The book addresses
and suggests solution.c to *.he practical problems and situations arising in systems development work. Part one clearly presents the concepts and ideas applied throughout the book. It contain.~ fundamental principles for systems development, based on the author's research conclusions. Part two contains advice and suggestions for various aspects of project work. Systems development techniques are described and illustrated with practical examples. Part three discusses strategies for change in working practices and contains concrete suggestions on how change can be organised on an individual, group and company level. This book presents both the theory and practice of computer systems development and is written for systems developers, project managers and programmers. It will also appeal to students of computer and information systems development at undergraduate and postgraduate level. The authors are a group of Danish practitioners and theoreticians working with the development of computer-based systems. Beach, L.R. Image Theory: Decision Making in Personal and Organizational Contexts John 14~ley & Sons Limited, 1990, £35, xv + 254 pages.
Image theory is a decriptive psychological theory of decision making in personal and organizational contexts. It assumes decision makers adopt and implement plans in an attempt to achieve goals and in so doing satisfy their own principles, or the principles of the organizations of which they are members. As such the theory provides an alternative to the use of the normative decision theory as a descriptive theory. The book focuses upon the theoretical and empirica! nature of images and their constituent principles, goals and plans, and upon the details of the compatibility and profitability tests. Considerable attention is also paid to the roles of both framing and forecasting in decision making, and to decision implementation as a dynamic process. Finally, the theory is applied to examples o f three quite different kinds of decisions : (1) Business decisions - decisions by an auditing firm about whether to accept a client and subsequent decisions about the accuracy of that
0377-2217/90/$3.50 © 1990 - Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North-Holland)
Short Book Reviews
client's financial statements; (2) Family planning decisions - decisions by married couples about whether to have a (another) child ; and (3) Political decisions - decision by President Kennedy and his advisors about how to deal with the Cuban missile crisis. This will be a controversial book - those who wish to stay within the normative framework will dislike it while those who want a new beginning, or an alternative to the normative theory, will welcome it. Organizational- and management scientists, psychologists, students of judgement and decision making (and any other academic area in which decision making is a major area of study) will f'md this an important and interesting book. Hall, D. Productivity and the EDP centre Elsevier Advanced Technology, 1989, £75, viii + 192 pages. Effective management of the EDP Centre is essential. This book provides a practical guide for all managers with IT responsibilities to achieve this. The service levels of the EDP centre have become the key to business success and must be optimized to enable the right information to be available to the right people at the right time. Douglas Hall's book makes this all possible. Dyson, R.G. Strategic Planning : Models and Analytical Techniques John Wiley and Sons Limited, 1990, £29.95, vi + 313 pages. The strategic planning process is a management process involving consultation, negotiation and analysis which is aimed at ensuring effective strategic decision making. This book focuses on the use of models and analylical techniques. Drawing on classical and recent works, this book brings together a unique collection of readings derived from both the strategic management and the management science literature. It introduces and explains the range of models and analytical techniques available - from simple to complex and soft to hard - to support the process. The topics covered by the readings include product portfolio matrices, PIMS, SWOT analysis, cognitive mapping, scenario development, risk analysis, corporate Operational Researchers wishing to review books and publishers
wishing to have books reviewed please contact Professor L.F. G e l d e r s , Catholic University of L o u v a i n , Division of Industrial Management, Celestijnenlaan 300 A , B - 3030 HEVERLEE - LEUVEN, BELGIUM, Tel : 32 - 16 - 28.66.11, Fax : 32 - 16 - 22.23.45
265
modelling, robustness analysis, plan evaluation matrix, capital investment appraisal and the analytic hierarchy process. Of value to both academics and praetioners involved in strategic planning and business policy, the book will also be of great interest to those working and teaching in the fields of management science and operations research. Abramovici, M., Breuer, M.A. and Friedman, A.D. Digital Systems : Testing and Testable Design Computer Science Press, 1990, £43.95, xxi + 653 pages. The modern successor to Melvin Breuer and Arthur Friedman's widely used DIAGNOSIS AND RELIABLE DESIGN OF DIGITAL SYSTEMS, this volume provides extensive coverage of a discipline that has experienced rapid change. Its thorough and state-of-the-art examination of both testing and testable design reflects today's concerns without sacrificing the successful pedagogy of the previous version. In the new version, Breuer and Friedman are joined by distinguished colleague Miron Abramovici. The authors include comprehensive discussions of test generation, fault modeling for classic and new technologies, simulation, fault simulation, design for testability, built-in self-test, and diagnosis. Numerous problems and examples help make the learning process easier for students. Successfully tested at a number of leading universities, the book is appropriate for graduatelevel courses. Professionals (test engineers, logic designers, and CAD developers) will fred it an invaluable tool to keep current with recent changes in the field.
European Journal of Operational Research 47 (1990) 264-265 North-Holland
Short Book Reviews Gow, H.B.F. and Otway, H. (eds.) Communicating with the Public about Major Accident Hazards Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, 1990, xii + 623pages. The EEC directive on the major accident hazards of certain industrial activities, commonly known as the Seveso Directive, specifies that members of the public liable to be affected by a major accident be informed of safety measures and how they should behave in the event of an accident. The second amendment to the Directive has extended the public information requirements. The implementation of this major innovation in industrial risk management raises many theoretical and practical issues. This book contains papers presented at the European Conference on Communicating with the Public about Major Accident Hazards, organised by the Commission of the European Communities, Directorate-General Environment, Consumer Protection and Nuclear Safety (DG XI) in collaboration with the Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra Establishment, and held at the Palace Hotel, Varese, Italy, 30 May - ! June 1989. The Conference objective was to integrate and analyse the uneven and fragmented experience of major hazard communication to date and to draw conclusions specific to European cultural tradition and legislative structures. It brought together experts from various fields, e.g. political representatives and regulatory authorities at the national, regional and local levels ; industry leaders, plant managers and public information officers; environmental and citizen groups; the media: labofir unions and researchers. Papers analyse the role, information needs, capabilities and constraints of these various groups and their perceptions of others active in this area. Andersen, N.E., Kensing, F., Lundin, J., Mathiassen, L., Munk-Madsen, A., Rasbech, M. and Sorgaard, P. Professional Systems Development - Experience, ideas and action Prentice Hall International, 1990, £15.95, viii + 284 pages.
Professional Systems Development presents a coherent framework for evaluating and planning systems development projects. The book addresses
and suggests solution.c to *.he practical problems and situations arising in systems development work. Part one clearly presents the concepts and ideas applied throughout the book. It contain.~ fundamental principles for systems development, based on the author's research conclusions. Part two contains advice and suggestions for various aspects of project work. Systems development techniques are described and illustrated with practical examples. Part three discusses strategies for change in working practices and contains concrete suggestions on how change can be organised on an individual, group and company level. This book presents both the theory and practice of computer systems development and is written for systems developers, project managers and programmers. It will also appeal to students of computer and information systems development at undergraduate and postgraduate level. The authors are a group of Danish practitioners and theoreticians working with the development of computer-based systems. Beach, L.R. Image Theory: Decision Making in Personal and Organizational Contexts John 14~ley & Sons Limited, 1990, £35, xv + 254 pages.
Image theory is a decriptive psychological theory of decision making in personal and organizational contexts. It assumes decision makers adopt and implement plans in an attempt to achieve goals and in so doing satisfy their own principles, or the principles of the organizations of which they are members. As such the theory provides an alternative to the use of the normative decision theory as a descriptive theory. The book focuses upon the theoretical and empirica! nature of images and their constituent principles, goals and plans, and upon the details of the compatibility and profitability tests. Considerable attention is also paid to the roles of both framing and forecasting in decision making, and to decision implementation as a dynamic process. Finally, the theory is applied to examples o f three quite different kinds of decisions : (1) Business decisions - decisions by an auditing firm about whether to accept a client and subsequent decisions about the accuracy of that
0377-2217/90/$3.50 © 1990 - Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North-Holland)
Short Book Reviews
client's financial statements; (2) Family planning decisions - decisions by married couples about whether to have a (another) child ; and (3) Political decisions - decision by President Kennedy and his advisors about how to deal with the Cuban missile crisis. This will be a controversial book - those who wish to stay within the normative framework will dislike it while those who want a new beginning, or an alternative to the normative theory, will welcome it. Organizational- and management scientists, psychologists, students of judgement and decision making (and any other academic area in which decision making is a major area of study) will f'md this an important and interesting book. Hall, D. Productivity and the EDP centre Elsevier Advanced Technology, 1989, £75, viii + 192 pages. Effective management of the EDP Centre is essential. This book provides a practical guide for all managers with IT responsibilities to achieve this. The service levels of the EDP centre have become the key to business success and must be optimized to enable the right information to be available to the right people at the right time. Douglas Hall's book makes this all possible. Dyson, R.G. Strategic Planning : Models and Analytical Techniques John Wiley and Sons Limited, 1990, £29.95, vi + 313 pages. The strategic planning process is a management process involving consultation, negotiation and analysis which is aimed at ensuring effective strategic decision making. This book focuses on the use of models and analylical techniques. Drawing on classical and recent works, this book brings together a unique collection of readings derived from both the strategic management and the management science literature. It introduces and explains the range of models and analytical techniques available - from simple to complex and soft to hard - to support the process. The topics covered by the readings include product portfolio matrices, PIMS, SWOT analysis, cognitive mapping, scenario development, risk analysis, corporate Operational Researchers wishing to review books and publishers
wishing to have books reviewed please contact Professor L.F. G e l d e r s , Catholic University of L o u v a i n , Division of Industrial Management, Celestijnenlaan 300 A , B - 3030 HEVERLEE - LEUVEN, BELGIUM, Tel : 32 - 16 - 28.66.11, Fax : 32 - 16 - 22.23.45
265
modelling, robustness analysis, plan evaluation matrix, capital investment appraisal and the analytic hierarchy process. Of value to both academics and praetioners involved in strategic planning and business policy, the book will also be of great interest to those working and teaching in the fields of management science and operations research. Abramovici, M., Breuer, M.A. and Friedman, A.D. Digital Systems : Testing and Testable Design Computer Science Press, 1990, £43.95, xxi + 653 pages. The modern successor to Melvin Breuer and Arthur Friedman's widely used DIAGNOSIS AND RELIABLE DESIGN OF DIGITAL SYSTEMS, this volume provides extensive coverage of a discipline that has experienced rapid change. Its thorough and state-of-the-art examination of both testing and testable design reflects today's concerns without sacrificing the successful pedagogy of the previous version. In the new version, Breuer and Friedman are joined by distinguished colleague Miron Abramovici. The authors include comprehensive discussions of test generation, fault modeling for classic and new technologies, simulation, fault simulation, design for testability, built-in self-test, and diagnosis. Numerous problems and examples help make the learning process easier for students. Successfully tested at a number of leading universities, the book is appropriate for graduatelevel courses. Professionals (test engineers, logic designers, and CAD developers) will fred it an invaluable tool to keep current with recent changes in the field.