PRESIDENT'S LETTER: Our Distinctive Competency

JAMES R. EVANS, President, Decision Sciences Institute,
University of Cincinnati

"People are our most important asset." This phrase has almost become a cliché among many businesses. Yet I hear it over and over from CEOs of companies that receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. It's how work gets done; how success is ultimately achieved. What makes any organization great is its people. In interacting with many individuals in DSI over the years, I remain convinced that you, the members of the Institute, are our distinctive competency. In attending a few sessions and a lot of meetings at the San Diego Annual Meeting, and even in casual conversations, I marveled at the level of professionalism, devotion to teaching and research excellence, and dedication to the Institute that all participants showed. I want to thank everyone who participated in the 1997 Annual Meeting for their efforts in making it a success.

A conference of such magnitude relies on a very large team effort. No other professional conference has such a variety of programs for business scholars and educators, particularly spanning research, teaching, and administration, all with interdisciplinary emphases. As a past program chair, I know all too well the amount of effort it takes to coordinate the program. My sincere thanks go to David L. Olson, Program Chair; Benito E. Flores, Associate Program Chair; E. Powell Robinson, Proceedings Coordinator; all from Texas A&M University; and to Ahmer S. Karim of the University of San Diego, Local Arrangements Coordinator. They put together an outstanding program and I heard many favorable comments both during and after the meeting. The meeting also featured many successful special events, including the Academic Administrator, Undergraduate curriculum, MBA curriculum, and PhD curriculum programs, Doctoral Student Consortium, New Faculty Development Consortium, Case Writer's Workshop, and a Services Management Mini-Conference. I wish to thank everyone who coordinated and participated in these events.

Making the jobs of the program committee and coordinators so much easier was the outstanding support provided by the Home Office staff at Georgia State University. My special thanks go to Carol Latta, Executive Director, Deborah Miller-Boykin, Debbie Murphy, Marci Smith, and Hal Jacobs. These individuals often go unnoticed, but their work in consolidating program information, setting up and running the registration desk, and a myriad of other activities-and maintaining a smile throughout-deserves a heap of gratitude.

It was my great pleasure to present the 1997 Dennis E. Grawoig Distinguished Service Award to John C. Anderson of the University of Minnesota. As part of his citation read, ''John's intense and unselfish devotion to the Institute and his unfailing spirit of collegiality and friendship have characterized his leadership. Through his many Institute activities, his wisdom has guided and encouraged others, both as a role model and mentor, to promote continued excellence within the Institute.'' Two individuals received special recognition by their selection as Fellows of the Institute for their outstanding contributions to the field of decision sciences: Jatinder (Jeet) N.D. Gupta (Ball State University), and F. Robert Jacobs (Indiana University). These people are a few in a long line of outstanding recipients who validate my premise on why this organization continues to be successful and outstanding.

The quality of the program is reflected by the outstanding research and teaching contributions of many individuals, especially those who received special recognition.

Best Application Paper Award

Winners: Edward J. Conlon, Sarvanan Devaraj, and Khalil F. Matta, all of the University of Notre Dame. Joseph N. Khamalah and David M. Dilts from the University of Waterloo received an Honorable Mention.

Best Interdisciplinary Paper Award

Winners: Madeleine E. Pullman, Southern Methodist University, and William L. Moore, University of Utah. Honorable Mentions went to Amelia Carr, The Ohio State University, and John N. Pearson, Arizona State University.

Best Theoretical/Empirical Research Paper Award

Winners: Lee J. Krajewski and Jerry C. Wei of the University of Notre Dame, with Honorable Mentions to Alan E. Ellstrand, California State University - Long Beach, Catherine M. Daily, Indiana University, Jonathan L. Johnson, University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, and Dan R. Dalton, Indiana University; to L. Douglas Smith, Dolly Matthew, and Ya-Jung Wu, University of Missouri - St. Louis; and to Thomas P. Van Dyke, Weber State University.

Best Environmental Issues Paper Award

Winners: Linda C. Angell, The Pennsylvania State University, and Monika Winn, University of Victoria. An Honorable Mention was received by Steven V. Walton, Emory University, Robert B. Handfield and Steven A. Melnyk, Michigan State University.

Instructional Innovation Award

Winners: Peter M. Arnold and Anil Khurana of Boston University received the award, which is one of the DSI meeting's hallmarks that reflects the Institute's mission. The other finalists were Katrina A. Zalatan of Hartwick College; Ronald H. Wright and Salwa Ammar of Le Moyne College; and the team of Beata Lobert Jones (Texas Christian University), Catherine Durnell Cramton (George Mason University), Stephane Gauvin (Universite Laval, Canada), and Don Scott (Southern Cross University, Australia). Having chaired the Award Committee in the past, I know how difficult it is to reach the finals and the high level of excellence reflected in these submissions. I want to point out that this group includes both large and small schools, and spans the globe, supporting our international emphasis.

Case Studies Award

Winner: John S. Haywood-Farmer (University of Western Ontario). Other finalists were Janelle Heineke (Boston University), Vicki LaFarge and Mark Davis (Bentley College), and Susan West Engelkemeyer (Babson College); Ivor P. Morgan, Ashok Rao, and Jay Rao, all of Babson College; and Richard T. Bliss (Babson), Kaushik Sengupta (Bucknell University), and R.M. Unni and James H. Patterson, both of Indiana University.

Elwood S. Buffa Doctoral Dissertation Competition Award

My congratulations go to Elena Katok of the Colorado School of Mines for receiving the award, and those receiving Honorable Mentions: Timothy P. O'Keefe (Mayville State University) and Yong I. Song (SUNY at Buffalo). These individuals, as well as everyone who participated in the Doctoral Student Consortium, represent the future of the Institute.

Finally, many contributors and sponsors helped to support the meeting through many direct and indirect contributions. These include:

• Addison Wesley Longman
• Alpha Iota Delta
• Ball State University, Department of Management
• Baruch College, School of Business and Public Administration
• Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia
• Ernst & Young LLP
• Georgia State University, College of Business Administration and Department of Decision Sciences
• Irwin/McGraw-Hill
• Lucent Technologies, Inc.
• Michigan State University, Eli Broad Graduate School of Management
• San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina
• Texas A&M University, Department of Business Analysis and Research
• UNISYS Corporation - Information Services Group
• University of Denver, Daniels College of Business
• University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management Information and Decision Sciences Department
• University of Notre Dame, College of Business Administration
• University of San Diego, School of Business Administration
• University of Texas of the Permian Basin, School of Business

Their support shows that the Institute is recognized broadly among colleges and universities as well as among leading businesses.

The 1998 Annual Meeting will be held at Bally's in Las Vegas. You won't have to be a high-roller to have a great time. (A personal suggestion: plan on catching Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express at the Las Vegas Hilton.) Please see further information about the conference elsewhere in Decision Line and on the DSI website (http://dsi.gsu.edu). In addition, DSI regional meetings in the spring offer other opportunities to share and to learn. I hope to see many of you at the Western and Northeast meetings; President-Elect Terry Rakes and Past-President Betty Whitten will be representing the Board at the other regional meetings. Also, some minor changes to the Constitution and Bylaws have been recommended by the Board. Please review them on page 54 and be sure to vote! Thanks. I hope that 1998 brings each of you an abundance of joy and success, both personally and professionally.