Mar/Apr 2012

The benefits of analytical models and sound model management practices are well-documented: improved decision-making ability and speed, more efficient business operations, better top- and bottom-line revenues and greater control over risk. Making smarter decisions and driving more efficiency and profitability has never been of more value to business, and the economic recession and the constant push from C-suites everywhere to “do more with less” have made getting the maximum results from models even more critical.

• Andrew Jennings

It is more important than ever to join customer relationship management and revenue management so staff in hotels and casinos is proactive rather than reactive. Working together, these teams can form the deep and lasting relationships with customers while improving corporate performance.

• Kelly McGuire

It has been an eventful off-season for many Major League Baseball (MLB) teams as they frantically examine opportunities to improve their rosters, including many that require significant financial investments. In particular, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim lured free agent Albert Pujols away from the St. Louis Cardinals with a 10-year deal worth over $240 million, while the Detroit Tigers won the bidding for Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder with a nine-year contract valued at $214 million.

• Vijay Mehrotra
• Benjamin Alamar

Analytics is a key function undergoing rapid growth in businesses across the globe [1], as the readers of this magazine are well aware. Mirroring the trend in business, government agencies are also incorporating analytics into more and more of their decision-making, such as evaluating outcomes in education and healthcare treatments. However, the growth of analytics in the public sector faces different challenges than in the private sector.

• Evan Levine

With more than 10,000 analytics practitioners solving a wide range of complex business problems, India has evolved into a major hub of worldwide analytics. In the September/October 2011 issue of Analytics magazine, we provided an overview of the analytics journey in India (click here). Indeed, analytics has evolved as the differentiator between companies to make better and faster decisions in the marketplace. Thousands of analytics practitioners across India are helping businesses around the globe in analyzing structured and unstructured data, mine the data to spot hidden trends, predict outcomes and eventually drive profitable interactions with customers, suppliers and partners.

• Rohit Tandon
• Arnab Chakraborty
• Manav Shroff

The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) is planning to establish the first certification program for analytics professionals. In an interview with OR/MS Today Editor Peter Horner in the December 2011 issue, INFORMS President Terry Harrison discussed analytics, one of INFORMS’ strategic directions in general and the related certification thrust more specifically [1]. Following is a brief summary of what he shared regarding the development of what will be known as the “certified analytics professional” (CAP) program:

• Scott Nestler, CAP-X
• Jack Levis
• Bill Klimack
• Michael Rappa