GDSS research: An overview and historical analysis

Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) is a relatively new area of Information Systems research, but some patterns have begun to emerge in the focus of this research and in the approaches to conducting it. This article represents a substantial review of a large body of GDSS literature and an analysis of that literature according to a specific classification scheme. The dimensions of the classification scheme include the age of the research publication, the general research approach, the philosophy underlying the data collection, the type of GDSS support, whether the research is longitudinal, and the primary focus of the research, as well as a few demographic variables such as author and source. The results of the literature analysis lead to recommendations to GDSS researchers by the authors of a need for greater use of the available research approaches and other data analysis philosophies, a greater emphasis on field work, more longitudinal research, and some changes in the focus of the research.     

The Market and Efficient Resource Allocation

Graham Dawson, a very experienced teacher of economics at Bedford High School, gives the second in the series of Model Answers for 'A' Level economics.     

Rational expectations for large CGE models: A practical algorithm and a policy application

We describe a simple iterative method for solving large dynamic CGE models under rational expectations. Details are given for Australia's MONASH model but the approach applies to a wide range of CGE models. The method is automated in the RunMONASH Windows software, putting CGE modelling under rational expectations within the reach of non-specialist modellers. We provide an illustrative application in which MONASH results under rational expectations are compared with results under static expectations. The application and supporting software can be downloaded. Results from the application are interpreted in terms of elementary economic mechanisms.     

ω‐Homothetic Preferences: Theory and Applications

This paper develops a new class of homothetic preferences which generate Marshallian demand curves for individual goods which can be concave, convex or linear in own price under the assumption that agents treat aggregate price indices as given (as in Dixit‐Stiglitz, 1977). The preferences are represented by a cost function which has two parameters: one determining the curvature of the Marshallian demand; the other determining the elasticity of demand when all prices are equal. The elasticity of demand varies with relative prices. Illustrative examples are given of Cournot duopoly and exchange rate pass‐through.     

Reviews

POLICIES FOR TRAINING AND THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED.

Corney, M. 1990: The Black Hole in Britain's Training System; Training for People in Employment: Robinson, P. 1989: Stagflation; Lessons from Other Places; and Meacher, M. 1990: Adopting the Employment Principle: A Green Paper. All published by the Campaign for Work. The price of the first is £4.00, the second £5.00 and the third £3.50.

US LESSONS IN EVALUATION.

Bingham, R. D., Hill, E. W. and White, S. B. (eds) 1990: Financing Economic Development: An Institutional Response. Newbury Park, California and London: Sage Publications, £33.25 cloth, £16.75 paper.

LESSONS FROM THE USA.

Hambleton, R. 1990: Urban Government in the 1990s: Lessons from the USA,

Occasional Paper No. 35, Bristol: School for Advanced Urban Studies. No price stated.

SKILLS TRAINING.

CBI, 1989: Managing the Skills Gap. London: CBI, £10.00 paper; Report of the Vocational Education and Training Task Force, 1989: Towards a Skills Revolution. London: CBI, £20.00 paper; Association of London Authorities, 1990: Training for London. London: ALA.     

In search of a moving target — skills surveys and skills audits

CAG Consultants, 1988: Economic Development for the People of Norwich. Norwich: City of Norwich, no price stated.

Cooper. H. 1989: The West Midlands Labour Market. London: HMSO, £12.50.

Galt, V. et al, 1988: Skills and Training Needs — Report of a Survey of Task Force Area Residents. Nottingham: DTI Task Force, no price stated.

Gait, V. et al, 1990: The Government's Nottingham Task Force Area Skills Audit — a Follow-up Study, 1990. Nottingham: DTI Task Force, no price stated.

Institute for Employment Research, 1989: People and Skills in Coventry. Coventry: City of Coventry, £14.95 paper.

London Research Centre, 1989: The Eating Skills Survey Report. Ealing: London Borough of Ealing, Planning and Economic Development, no price stated.

P-E Inbucon, 1989: Realising the Potential. Final Report. Rochdale: Rochdale Task Force, no price stated.

Policy Research Unit, 1989: The Wakefield Employment Skills Survey. Wakefield: Wakefield MDC, Economic Development Department, £25.00 for all three volumes.

Policy Research Unit, 1990: The Leeds Labour Force: People and their Skills. Leeds: PRU, Leeds Polytechnic, no price stated.

Policy Research Unit, 1990: Skills in the Community: a Study of Harehills and Belle Isle/Middleton. Leeds: PRU, Leeds Polytechnic, no price stated.

Tinsley Community, 1988: Skills and Unemployment Survey in Tinsley, no price stated, attached to Council minutes.

Training Agency, Wales, 1990/91: Valley Skills. Five volumes, first free, the remaining four add up to £16.50. Cardiff: Intelligence Unit, Department of Employment.