Microcomputers and Management Science

This column will be a forum for publishing contributions about management scientists' use of microcomputers for problem solving. What have been the successes? What have been the difficulties? What are the advantages of microcomputers? What are their disadvantages?

In this issue I will try to convince skeptics why those who practice or teach management science must look into the possibilities of microcomputers. Microcomputers are not just very small computers. The personal microcomputer, in particular, offers a new way of implementing computer models so that their use becomes second nature to decision makers. The wide distribution of these machines offers an unparalleled opportunity for the distribution of OR models.