News Releases

CATONSVILLE, MD, July 11, 2018 – Anyone who shops online is familiar with those ‘top-rated’ products or services that rise to the top of their search on e-commerce intermediary sites like Amazon or Expedia. So, do those rankings really help those products or services get sold? 

CATONSVILLE, MD, June 21, 2018 – Since the first e-book platform launched in 2007, e-book sales grew to comprise 20 percent of all book sales by 2015. To ensure the increasing popularity of e-books do not undermine the success of their printed counterparts, publishers frequently delay the digital publication date for several weeks after the print edition has been released. However, new research in the INFORMS journal Management Science found that delaying the sale of the e-version of a new book does not lead to increased print sales, and can result in significantly fewer e-book sales once the digital version is made available.

CATONSVILLE, MD, June 1, 2018 – While many may dread campaign season because of pervasiveness of negative political advertising, a new study has found that negative political advertising actually works, but perhaps not in the way that many may assume.

CATONSVILLE, MD, May 22, 2018 – INFORMS, the leading international association for operations research (O.R.) and analytics professionals, is pleased to announce the launch of its new Recognition and Development department, which will promote charitable giving opportunities to support the profession, INFORMS programs, the robust INFORMS awards program as well as a new focus on scholarship opportunities. This new initiative invites INFORMS members to designate donations to support existing INFORMS awards and programs, as well as identify and cultivate new award and scholarship opportunities.

CATONSVILLE, MD, May 10, 2018 – In Washington, opportunities exist to better leverage data and analytics to enable the government to achieve more efficient and effective outcomes for the American people.

The Administration’s recently released Management Agenda noted that, “Government agencies do not consistently apply data-driven decision-making practices. Smarter use of data and evidence is needed to orient decisions and accountability around service and results.” Democrats have echoed similar sentiments, stating, “Government cannot rely on outdated systems to meet today’s rapidly changing needs and critical challenges,” and reforms can be taken to “provide more effective and responsive solutions.” 

CATONSVILLE, MD, May 1, 2018 – Imagine you are choosing between two resorts for your island vacation.  The factors driving your decision will be “quality” and “price,” but “quality” can be more difficult to define.  In the end, this will come to represent all factors beyond price, such as service, amenities, proximity to the ocean and other things that are important to you. So, how will you decide?

Baltimore, MD, April 17, 2018 – Balancing risk to achieve a high performing investment portfolio is a challenge for the most seasoned investment manager. Student teams around the world have shown they are more than ready for the challenge, with a group of students from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel successfully using operations research (O.R.) and analytics to create a competitive equity portfolio to win the second annual O.R. & Analytics Student Team Competition.

CATONSVILLE, MD, April 9, 2018 – For every two mobile apps released, one is a clone of an existing app. However, new research published in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research shows the success of the original app is not always adversely affected by the creation of clone apps. In fact, the study, which was conducted by Carnegie Mellon University researchers, found that whether the copycat app increases or decreases the number of downloads of the original is dependent upon the quality of the copy.

Baltimore, MD, April 6, 2018 – Nearly 1,000 of the world’s leading analytics professionals will arrive in Baltimore for the 2018 INFORMS Conference on Business Analytics and Operations Research on April 15-17 to share groundbreaking applications for analytics and how it is transforming nearly every industry around the world. INFORMS, the largest international association for operations research and analytics professionals, has been based in the Baltimore region for more than two decades, and the analytics applications of organizations from the Baltimore-Washington area will be showcased in myriad ways throughout the Conference. In addition, the economic impact of conference should reach nearly $1 million for the city of Baltimore.

CATONSVILLE, MD, April 2, 2018 – One common assumption in digital marketing is that individuals who are mindful of what’s trending on social media, and propagate these trends, will be responsive to social media advertising and marketing, thus sharing branded messages with their network on a wide scale. As a result, firms increasingly try to mesh their brand or product with an emerging trend to get the attention of those who propagate these trends. A new study conducted by researchers from London Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management, and Cass Business School at City, University of London, may change that assumption.