Editorial

We are pleased to present yet another issue of OR Insight, with articles describing exciting applications of Operational Research (OR). Jie-Shie Lin and co-authors apply systems dynamics to model the development of taekwondo in Taiwan, not only obtaining enhanced understanding by probing the interactions between causal feedback loops, but also simulating the impact of government-backed development incentives via awards and medals. Geoffrey Pond presents a case study that looks at the consequences of two different potential weapons systems on the ammunition consumption and combat availability of the Canadian Army's Light Armoured Vehicle III. Simple statistical modelling, Monte Carlo simulation and virtual environment simulation are compared as three alternative methods of analysis. Maguire and co-authors describe a conceptual methodology to support the development of systems within complex organisations, with a focus on social imperatives. The development of the methodology is based on the authors’ findings from studies conducted within five National Health Service hospitals located in the North East of England.

As editors of the journal, we regularly consult with one another to identify ways in which the journal can be improved. Regular readers will have noticed that we do not publish an editorial in every issue of OR Insight, but only when we wish to update our readers on editorial decisions or new directions we decide to take. At a recent editorial meeting, with valuable input from our Palgrave colleagues, we identified and are pleased to introduce a number of new features into OR Insight:

• 1 As the OR in Action strap line of the journal indicates, OR Insight seeks to publish articles describing applications of OR in Practice. While we primarily receive, and are glad to receive, submissions from academia, we are also actively seeking submissions from OR practitioners from around the globe. We appreciate that not all such practitioners have the time to write up their OR applications as a ‘full paper’, that is, in a way that is commonly accepted as standard in the academic community. Instead, they may prefer to produce shorter reports that appeal to a wider audience rather than just an academic one. It is for this reason that we are now welcoming Short Case Study submissions to the journal. These pieces will be in the form of short notes (4–5 pages) describing interesting and open problems that practitioners might be facing, which require the use of effective OR techniques. Alternatively, these notes might take the form of short expositions of OR interventions (successful or otherwise) and deliver key messages along with lessons learnt. Short case studies will aim to rapidly disseminate knowledge and insights gained from OR applications and help contribute towards bridging the gap between the theory and practice of OR.

• 2 We also aim to initiate a Practitioner Viewpoints section to allow OR Insight readers to express and exchange views with others on articles published in the journal. We welcome, under this section, any perspectives or insights that readers – and in particular practitioners – might like to bring to the application of OR. We encourage interested readers to submit any such correspondence to the editors of OR Insight.

• 3 We also intend to include book and software reviews from an OR-practitioner perspective.

• 4 OR Insight relies substantially on its reviewers to maintain the quality of the published articles. As a practitioner-oriented journal, we strive to ensure a quick turnaround time for arriving at editorial decisions on the submitted manuscripts, perhaps faster than many academic-oriented journals. We are currently working towards an average turnaround time, from submission to editorial decision of 2 months. Prospective authors will, however, appreciate that the length of the reviewing process is heavily dependent on receiving reviewers’ feedback in a timely manner, as with any other journal. Although OR Insight has its own editorial board and a pool of reviewers, we invite interested individuals who can provide their reviews in relatively short time frames to contact the editors to join the pool. In return for their services and in appreciation of their contribution to OR Insight, we will offer such individuals a fixed-duration online gratis subscription to a journal of their choice from Knowledge Management Research & Practice, Journal of Simulation or OR Insight, courtesy of Palgrave.

• 5 OR Insight will soon be switching to an online submission system. The advantage of this is that not only will it reduce paper-handling times, but also facilitate manuscript submissions for authors.

• 6 We are pleased to inform our readers that OR Insight is now included in the 2010 edition of the UK Association of Business Schools’ Academic Journal Quality Guide. We view this as an indication of the increasing quality of the journal. Our endeavours in this direction will continue well into the future with the help of regular contributions from prospective authors, timely feedback from our reviewers, and last but not least the support of the journal's committed readers.

We take the opportunity here to thank our colleagues at Palgrave, in particular Rosalind Pyne, Di Owen, Jane Torr and Emma Ross for their continuing support to OR Insight.