President's Letter

Looking Forward in 2011

by G. Keong Leong, DSI President

leong photo This has been an unusual year by any measures. First, the January deep freeze on the East Coast caused the cancellation and postponement of the Institute's executive and board meeting for the first time ever. Then in March we had the shocking news of the 9.0 earthquake that hit Japan and the tsunami that followed, wreaking destruction of immense proportion and creating a nuclear crisis. Even far way places such as the coast of California suffered scattered damage from the effects of the tsunami. Production at many manufacturers was disrupted due to the shut-down of many parts suppliers in Japan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Institute members and the people of Japan affected by this catastrophe.

In addition, the events in the Middle East and North Africa will forever change the political landscape in this region. Again, many human lives were lost and we can only hope for a quick and peaceful solution to these political issues. We experienced a sharp rise in gas prices due to the political instability and uncertainty in these oil-producing countries including possible civil war in Libya. The events in Japan, Middle East, and North Africa have major implications on how organizations manage risk and make the right decisions to reduce the impact of supply chain disruptions.

President John F. Kennedy once said, "Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." We must be willing to try new things because, as stated by Albert Einstein, insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." To that end the Institute is recognizing the need to introduce changes that will improve value to our members. For example, the online Member Zone project was unveiled at the annual meeting in San Diego by Paul Rubin who has led its preliminary implementation. The Institute is indebted to Paul for offering his expertise and time to ensure the successful completion of the Member Zone website. A webmaster will be hired soon to manage the Member Zone. In addition, Kenneth Boyer, 2011 program chair in Boston, will introduce for the first time social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as a communications strategy for the annual meeting.

Over the past year, I have enjoyed very much the visits to the Institute's regional annual meetings such as Asia Pacific, European, Indian Subcontinent, Southeast, Southwest, and Western. The European DSI meeting in Barcelona was particularly satisfying because it was the region's inaugural meeting. A proposal by the European subdivision for a tiered membership structure that is based on the per capita GDP of the country of employment of a member of the Institute was adopted by the Board. We anticipate that this will increase membership from developing countries, where faculty wages are relatively lower. It is gratifying to see the increasing global presence of the Institute.

The Institute's journals are in excellent hands. We witnessed a smooth transition of the Decision Sciences journal (DS) editorship from Vicki Smith-Daniels to Asoo Vakharia. A competitive analysis of the journal's impact factor indicates that DS has greatly improved its level of ranking over the past few years and now ranks among the best operations management and information systems journals. The Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education is also doing very well under the editorship of Chetan Sankar. Submissions have increased significantly such that the journal will now have three issues per year with the objective of going to four issues per year in the future. The Institute has solicited and received proposals from three publishers for these journals to go into effect in 2013 for the next five years. These proposals will be discussed at the upcoming April Board meeting. The new contract will ensure the continued publication and success of our journals.

At the start of my term, President-Elect Krishna Dhir and I agreed to coordinate the strategic planning process of the Institute over a two-year period. This has enabled us to undertake a comprehensive study of our options, and charge the Development Committee, chaired by Thomas Jones, to examine the key forces in our general and specific environment influencing the evolution of the Institute. This includes analyzing the Institute's competitive environment in terms of Michael Porter's Five-Forces Model. The report will be the basis for continued discussion and action by the incoming Board. Continuity in board goals is important to the success of the Institute.

Best wishes for a safe and peaceful world.