Blog 11: Which Treatment Plan Should Cancer Patients Choose?

As more research and technology is advancing in the medical field today, there are many more choices in the treatment of cancer. The decision on the type of treatment is very important because it is someone's life on the line. So how does a cancer patient decide the right route to take?

What may help a cancer patient is a decision support system. A decision support system can help inform the user of other treatments and medications that the patient may have been unaware about. In an article, $2 million is dedicated for the combination of research initiatives and a national website that is aimed to match breast cancer patients with clinical trials nationwide and even provide decision support tools.

How the DSS will help the patient is by allowing the user to come out the DSS fully informed and confident with his/her decision. The data base will have the the different types of breast cancer, stages of cancer, cancer information, treatment types and information, medication, support group information, prosthesis retailers, and doctors that specialize in cancer treatment and related fields.

The user will be prompted to choose why they are visiting the site and go straight to the needed decision support tool or go through a formalized system of questions. Information and links will be tied to certain questions such as if a patient has a mascetomy, links to reconstruction and prothesis will be provided by the side. Also, the patient can view side effects of certain medications and treatments while using the DSS. If the patient is unfamiliar with what steps to take, the DSS will guide her linearly through the menu and questions. If a professional is using the DSS such as a doctor, the doctor can input certain conditions so that the database can match those conditions to the right treatment.

References
De Gier, Vanessa. Safeway Foundation Gives $2 million to UCSF for Breast Cancer Support. University of California, San Francisco. 30 April 2008.
http://pub.ucsf.edu/newsservices/releases/200804301/

Blog 10: Should Companies "Go Green" by Recycling?

The recent trend is building to recycle. Many companies may still think that implementing "earth-saving techniques and methods" may cost them more, but maybe that is just an misconception.

In fact, manufacturing plants in particular can save costs by recycling scraps. Costs that would have incurred if plants did not recycle are - disposal fees, additional material purchases, labor to rid the piles of waste, and an overall less friendly environment.

To analyze the problem, a decision support system can be designed by allowing the user to design a plant layout with the ability to reproduce production processes through historical data and forecasts. Historical data can also represent the average amount of scraps from each part produced and packaged. In addition, potential savings are instant if items are easily recyclable. However, what can't be modeled are employees' attitudes towards the recycling program. Perhaps a survey can be used to know the majority of employee's attitudes towards the recycling implementation. Incentives such as a $25 gift certificate or half day off if a certain recycling quota is met (i.e. 800 lbs of recycled paper within 1 week is the projected goal) will be given to employees for motivation and cooperation for the implementation of the program.

If companies start utilizing decision support systems in deciding implementation for recycling, then maybe more companies might realize that recycling may even reduce costs.

References
Manufacturers achieve scrap recycle targets. Environmental Transport Association (ETA). 21 April, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2008 from http://www.eta.co.uk/node/10487.

Blog 9: Earthquake Prediction and the Effect on Decision Makers

Natural disasters can greatly impact a supply chain by sending it to a halt. When earthquakes occur, supply chain specialists need to know how to respond and be proactive prior to the earthquake. But if an earthquake is a natural disaster, how is it accurately predicted? To predict an earthquake, a scientific-detailed model is used to forecast the natural disaster.

First, the model needs the most current, up-to-date geological and seismological data. In addition, historical patterns must be examined as well as major fault lines. From here, these results include the degree of earthquake magnitudes and its effect on the land. These results can greatly impact supply chain decisions such as where to locate a facility (obviously-not on a major fault line!), and if products are expensive-don't locate a warehouse in a high-risk earthquake area. Although, many may think a computerized earthquake model is irrelevant, it can greatly affect any business decision. As a result, a simulation model should include forecast models for earthquakes so that businesses can maintain a resilient supply chain.

References
Bowles, Jennifer. California Earthquake Probability Study Rejiggers Inland Causes for Concerns. 15 April, 2008. ARN. Retrieved April 15, 2008 from http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=3961439252729962199&postID=4748261664757262560.

Blog 8: Where do you want to live?

As a Saint Louis born native, I haven't always been satisfied living here. The article, "Best Places to Live:2007" at CNNmoney.com lists the best places to live based on "economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a sense of community." Although the article has a miniature interactive tool that lets the user choose the best place to live regarding their needs, the program is too broad. If I ever wanted to relocate to another state, I would first examine locations through research based on what I wanted and what was most important to me.

To model the best place to live, there would be a database of top 150 cities based on population and attractions (150 is just a recommended cut-off). These cities are then divide into three categories such as large cities, medium cities, and small cities with a population range for each category, in which CNN did not take city size into consideration. The database will then have standard characteristics that are assigned to each city such as types of attractions: trout fishing, surfing, American battleground, Indian reservation, and attractions as such. In addition, other city characteristics such as climate, unemployment level, affordable housing, architectural styles, proximity to certain landmarks, and number of businesses' corporate headquarters are taken into consideration. The user will choose what factors are important to them, and the places with the most matches will show up as the best places to live. Also, the user can choose points on a map, where the decision support system can calculate the center of gravity and match the closest top-city as the best place to live. This DSS should also have current or real-time data since cities are constantly growing and changing.

This DSS can help individuals each time they want to relocate. Relocation is due to many reasons: college graduation, divorce, career change, or other reason.

References
Money Magazine's Best Places to Live. CNNmoney.com. Retrieved April 9, 2008 from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2007/top100/

Blog 7: Opening a Shopping Center

The grand opening is finally announced for the Orchad Town Shopping Center! This shopper center is an outdoor center with nearly one million square feet of stores, restaurants, and attractions. Although there are malls are being erected regularly in developing areas, there usually is a little more to it.

When opening a new shopping mall, many efforts and analyses are considered before actual implementation. To forecast the success of the mall, a decision maker may hire a consultant to create a simulation model.

The simulation model can predict demand for the shopping mall based on attractiveness, such as square footage, how much demand it can grab from other potential competitors, and the distance from consumers.

However, other qualitative factors may affect the shopping center's success as well. The attractiveness may not be the size of the shopping center, but rather the actual stores and specialties that the new place offers. In addition, the decision making team must look at demographics within the area such as age, gender, and household income. The amount of traffic passing through the location may also be an important factor. Nevertheless, the cost of land may be too high and business may not be successful.

The simulation model can predict the demand and find a center of gravity to help decision makers pick a feasible location with potential positive profit margins. Although the center of gravity is a heuristic and can not find the optimal location, the center of gravity helps decision makers by centering itself based on weighted customer demand. From here, decision makers can find a location close to the center of gravity.

Although the simulation results may find high demand and a great location for the shopping center, other factors (as mentioned before) such as demographics, traffic amount, and cost of land are things to also think about before implementation.

References
Grand opening set for Orchard Town Center. Denver Business Journal. 2 April, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2008 from http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2008/03/31/daily48.html