December 1996 € Volume 23 € Number 6

A Dose of OR/MS

Pfizer receives INFORMS Prize for its effective, integrated use of management science and operations research

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. was awarded the coveted INFORMS Prize at the Fall INFORMS Meeting in Atlanta.

Pfizer was cited for its "wide range development and application of operations research and management science methodologies in its organizational decision making and in fulfilling its vision of improving quality of life by being the best provider of solutions for health care needs."

The INFORMS Prize, first awarded in 1991 when it was known as the ORSA Prize, recognizes organizations that effectively integrate OR/MS into their decision-making process at all levels of management, and use it in novel, varied and lasting ways. The Prize Committee, which makes on-site visits during a year-long selection process, looks for depth and breadth of all OR/MS applications as well as their qualitative and economic impact on a company.

Committee Chair Linda V. Green, in presenting the award to Pfizer's Russ Baris, said Pfizer's "pervasive integration of OR/MS into the (company's) corporate culture at all levels of management makes it a role model exemplifying the value of OR/MS as a strategic and integral part of business practice."

Green added that management science "studies and models are highly visible and used extensively in diverse applications (at Pfizer). They have been responsible for major changes in the company's business and have been credited with increasing profits by hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years."

Green noted that Prizer uses management science in decisions affecting clinical trials, production, inventory distribution, marketing strategies, sales force sizing and strategic planning, as well as in the company's managed care business for evaluating new customer service strategies.

"These management science activities at Pfizer are conducted almost exclusively by a staff of less than 10 people," Green said. "These people interact with other Pfizer employees on a daily basis regarding all these issues."

Baris, the director of new marketing analysis and management science at Pfizer, said, "It is a great feeling to be recognized by our peers in the management science community. What is especially gratifying is that it's a team award recognizing contributions made by our entire management science staff as well as our clients and senior management who have worked with us.

"Pfizer is an excellent organization in which to practice management science. There is a lot of support for in-depth analysis and a lot of receptiveness to creative ideas."

Previous winners of the INFORMS Prize include American Airlines, AT&T, Federal Express, New York City's Office of Management and Budget, San Miguel Corp., United Airlines, U S West Technologies and Bellcore.

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