1: Keynotes

• Understanding the Service Revolution, Prof. Roland T. Rust, University of Maryland
• Services Research In China, Prof. Wei Zhang, NSF of China
• Services: The Other 75% of the Economy! Prof. Richard Larson, Immediate Past President of INFORMS, MIT
• Service Operations & Logistics: Initiatives at the US National Science Foundation, Prof. Stephen Nash, Program Director of NSF, USA
• Using Mathematics to Solve Service Operations, Industrial, and Logistics Problems, Prof. Kathryn E. Stecke, University of Texas at Dallas, USA
• Services-oriented Research and Innovations at Sun Microsystems, Dan Berg, CTO, Sun Microsystems' Services Division
• Gordon B. Davis, University of Minnesota, USA

2.USA NSF delegation, NSFC delegation, IBM special session, and Sun Microsystems industrial session

• USA NSF Delegation (tentative)
  
• “Stochastic Decomposition for Transshipment Modeling” By Suvrajeet Sen, University of Arizona
  Abstract - Transshipment problems deal with situations in which demand at distributed locations can be met by balancing the distribution of supply among network nodes where there is a mismatch betweeen supply and demand. Such mismatch usually results from demand uncertainty at each node of the network. This problem has been traditionally solved using simulation- optimization methods. We will show that stochastic decomposition provides a very powerful apporach for such problems because of the ability to use the network structure of the problem, and to use stopping rules that yield reliable solutions. (Co-author: Lei Zhao, Tsinghua University)
  
  
• “Production Planning Under Supply and Demand Uncertainty: A Stochastic Programming Approach” by Julia Higle, Ohio State University
  Abstract - Motivated by problems that arise in semi-conductor manufacturing, we consider the problem of producing lots to satisfy demand under conditions leading to supply uncertainty (e.g., throughput times and yields) as well as demand uncertainty (e.g., quantities and due dates). Using data inspired by actual operating conditions, we will discuss preliminary computational results and insights obtained. (Tom Prevendoski, Ohio State University, Karl Kempf, Intel Corporation)
  
  
• “Data Mining, Forecasting, and Activity Monitoring” by Kwok-Leung Tsui, Georgia Institute of Technology
  Abstract - This talk discusses strategies and techniques in data mining, forecasting, and activity monitoring. Data Mining refers to non-trivial extraction of knowledge from large volume of data. Activity monitoring refers to detection of interesting events that require actions (e.g., detection of customer churn, credit card or insurance fraud, and computer intrusion). Forecasting refers to predicting future activities based on historical data and other variables (e.g., demand forecasting, sales forecasting, stock price forecasting). We will propose a general strategy for modeling, monitoring, and forecasting of dynamic systems. In particular, we will discuss a statistical process control approach for business activity monitoring. We will also proposal a churn detection procedure for customer profile modeling. Several examples and case studies in telecom and service industries will be used to illustrate the proposed methods. (Co-author, Wei Jiang, Steven Institute of Technology)
  
  
• “Using Nested Partitions for Beam Angle Selection in Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy” by Leyuan Shi, University of Wisconsin – Madison
  Abstract - Modern treatment technologies allow clinicians to develop complex treatment plans for a wide array of illnesses, including many forms of cancer. While expert judgment may lead to good treatment plans in many cases, computer automated decision support tools provide a mechanism by which enormous numbers of alternative plans can be automatically generated and compared, and thus yield treatments that are often significantly better. In this talk, we describe results obtained by applying the Nested Partitions (NP) metaheuristic to the problem of selecting beam angles for radiation delivery in Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy.
  
  
• “Information Technology as a Service” by Robin Qiu, Pennsylvania State University
  Abstract -- In this information era both business and living communities are truly information technology (IT) driven and service-oriented. As the globalization of the world economy gets accelerated with the fast advance of networking and computing technologies, IT plays more and more critical role in assuring the real time collaborations of delivering needs across the world. Nowadays the world-class enterprises are eagerly embracing the service-led business models aimed at creating highly profitable service-oriented businesses. They take advantage of their own unique and years marketing, engineering, and application expertise and shift gears towards creating superior outcomes to best meet their customers’ needs in order to stay competitive. IT has been considered as one of the high value services areas. In this talk, the discussion will focus on IT as a service. We present IT development, research, and outsourcing as a knowledge service; on the other hand, we argue IT as a service helping enterprises align their business operations, workforce, and technologies to maximizing their profits by continuously improving their performances. Numerous research and development aspects of service enterprise engineering from a business perspective will be briefly explored, and then computing methodologies and technologies to enable adaptive enterprise service computing in support of service enterprise engineering will be simply studied and analyzed. Finally, future development and research avenues in this emerging interdisciplinary field will also be highlighted.
  
  
• “Improved Service Through Improved Logistics” by Ann Campbell, University of Iowa
  
  
• “Coordinating Inventory Control and Pricing Strategies” by David Simchi-Levi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  
  
• “Role of Manufacturing as a service operation and Service Engineering Program at Penn State” by Sanjay Joshi , Pennsylvania State University
  
  
• “Resource and Demand Allocation in Multi-Site Service Systems with Inter-Site Customer Flows” by Xiuli Chao, North Carolina State University
  Abstract -- Abstract: Healthcare management is becoming a major problem in both developed and developing countries. As living standard improves, public
  is increasingly demanding high customer service levels. This talk reports on a study of strategic optimal resource allocation in healthcare environment. We formulate the problem as a multi-site service systems with inter-site customer flows, and develop analytical models and from which we obtain explicit closed form optimal allocation policy. We aim at providing insights to and guidelines for resource allocation in these service systems when some service criterion, such as average waiting time, loss rate, or blocking probability, is a major concern. Our results demonstrate that the commonly used proportional allocation rules are not optimal; instead the optimal resource allocation solution exhibits a structure of "a few large and many small''. The analysis involves queueing theory, game theory, convex analysis, and mathematical program with equilibrium constraints (MPEC). (This is a joint work with L. Liu and S. Zheng)
  
  
• “Port Supply Chains as Social Networks” by Peggy Lee, Pennsylvania State University
  Abstract -- This paper demonstrates the use of social network theory in understanding the degree of coordination in port supply chains. Three port supply chains are used to illustrate that port supply chains are, in fact, social networks and that their success is strongly influenced by the level of coordination and cohesion in their networks. Of the three port supply chains in this study, those with higher degrees of cohesion and coordination tend to exhibit higher operational performance. While causation was not demonstrated, this paper provides the foundation and groundwork for further empirical study into the use of social network theory to study supply chain relationships and port supply chain integration.
  
  
• "Fault Injection-based Test Case Generation for SOA-oriented Software" by Jia Zhang, Northern Illinois University
  Abstract - The concept of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) implies a rapid construction of a software system with components as published Web services. How to effectively and efficiently test and assess available Web services with similar functionalities published by different service providers remains a challenge. In this paper, we present a step-by-step fault injection-based automatic test case generation approach. Preliminary test results are also reported.
  
  
• “RFID – The Wireless Internet of Artifacts” by Rajit Gadh, UCLA
  Abstract - The last twenty-five years have marked the coming of the personal computing and communication industry. Result: Individuals now carrying devices that are personal, mobile and always connected to the Internet. It is my belief that in the next twenty-five years, such information carrying and disseminating capability will extend from the "computing/communication devices" to real-world non-computing artifacts that we use in every day life such as clothes, utensils, furniture, packages, etc. These artifacts will collectively form what I refer to as the "Internet of Artifacts", an idea whose time has come. Like with any grand challenge, these artifacts will need to be uniquely identified (using technologies such as RFID), they will need to communicate with each other (wirelessly) and will gradually have the ability to take intelligent decisions first individually and then collectively.

  At UCLA's WINMEC (Wireless Internet for the Mobile Enterprise Consortium), the Wireless "Internet of Artifacts" notion is being explored via a project called WinRFID (http://winmec.ucla.edu/rfid) -- which is the first generation of our implementation of this idea. RFID or Radio Frequency Identification is a technology that can embody the identity and other related information of an artifact within a chip called a tag that has no power source and make such information available to an RFID transceiver when the tag receives the RF transmission and its coupled energy. RFID tags are expected to eventually be embedded into every daily-life artifact. At UCLA, we are developing the WinRFID Middleware that allows efficient, intelligent and optimized networking and management of RFID readers, tags and sensors at the edge of the network. The WinRFID middleware is currently being used for several research and industrial-led projects at UCLA-WINMEC that include securing assets, asset tracking, managing object shipments in supply chains, factory wireless networks, etc.

• “Transforming Healthcare: Challenges and Opportunities” by Francois Sainfort , Georgia Institute of Technology
  Abstract -- Dr. Sainfort will present challenges and opportunities related to applying systems engineering and management sciences approaches to transforming health care delivery systems from a current ineffective, reactive, disease-focused system to a future cost-effective, proactive, health- and wellness-focused system. Dr. Sainfort will provide background on the healthcare industry, present possible solution approaches and describe challenges and opportunities.
  
  
• "After Sales Services and Management" by Morris Cohen, Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania
  
  
• "Trilinear Methods and Multiblock PCA for Improved Data Understanding" by Michael Piovoso, Pennsylvania State University
  Abstract -- Trilinear data occur where data are collected for a system over a fixed time interval. Examples include parts manufacturing and chemical batch processes. These data are three dimensional in nature; there are variables over time over parts or batches. Traditional techniques for analysis include multiway PCA whereby the data are unfolded into a two-dimensional structure and then a standard PCA is applied. Trilinear methods involve a PCA like decomposition of the three-dimensional data. Two different approaches are most common: PARAFAC (Parallel factors) and Tucker-3 decomposition. PARAFAC finds n factors in each of the dimensions and approximates the three dimensional matrix into the sum of the outer products of these factors. Tucker-3 is a decomposition in which different numbers of factors are possible for each dimension. This decomposition also includes a smaller three-dimensional weighting matrix.

  Hierarchical and Consensus PCA are multiblock techniques that are useful when data come from different subunits and the effects of the subunits are of interest. For example, if in the manufacturing of a part there are various stages that must be executed before the product is completed, one may wish to understand the effects of each subunit on the product. Multiblock PCA may prove helpful. Hierarchical and Consensus produce a PCA-like models of the data for each subunit and a supermodel for the combined effects.

  This talk with introduce the trilinear and multiblock concepts and illustrate their application with an example from data on a batch chemical process. The purpose of this study was to determine the utility of trilinear and hierarchical methods for automatic outlier identification of process data.
  

  
  
  
  
• Chinese NSF delegation
  
• "China’s Producer Services: Growth, Structural Changes, and Effects" by Dazhong Cheng, Fudan University
  Abstract - Producer Services, which are used as intermediate inputs for the production of other goods or services, have important economic functions and implications. However, it is difficult to identify producer services from the already existing service sector classification. So, in order to overcome the analytical obstacles, and according to the intrinsic sense of producer services, but not from the perspective of specific service sectors, this paper employs the input-output method to conduct an empirical study of the growth and structural changes of China’s producer services as well as their influences on China’s economy and industries. Some conclusions and policy implications are drawn.
  
  
• "The Effect of Producer Services upon Manufacturing Value Chain" Ming Yu, Tsinghua University
  Abstract - With more and more producer services participating in manufacturing activities, producer services gradually become indispensably value-adding nodes in
  manufacturing value chain. Compared with the traditional manufacturing value chain, the new one including producer services is based on the new business commerce and information technologies (IT), and its constituents are not limited to the interior activities of one firm any more, but come from many different kinds of firms. Due to the development and improvement of the new manufacturing value chain, it will become value net. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the constituent elements of the new manufacturing value chain, which is the basis for further optimizing the manufacturing value chain. In this paper, we focus on analyzing producer services, their relationships with the manufacturing industry, and their effect on the manufacturing value chain. (Co-author: Chunli Yang)
  
  
• "Role of Producer Services in Regional Economic Growth from a Perspective of Industrial Cluster: A Study of Yangtze River Delta" Wei Liu, Shanghai Maritime University
  Abstract - More and more literatures have argued that producer services now show the highest growth rates of all sectors in Western economies, and have increasingly played a crucial role in competitiveness improvement and employment creation, as well as in regional economy as a whole. From a different perspective of industrial cluster, this paper is focused on the role of producer services in regional economic growth in the emerging market economies. Our findings of the paper fit into broader theoretical discussions of the effects of producer services on the manufacturing industry cluster. Through the theoretical framework for the analysis, this paper suggests that producer services generate four important multiplier effects on industrial cluster: economic base effect, innovation effect, productivity effect and investment effect, and thereby play an active and strategic role in regional economic growth. Ultimately, a case about the development of producer services in Yangtze River Delta is analyzed quantitatively and some useful conclusions are made.
  
  
• "Innovation through technological outsourcing services: performance and the determinants" Jingqin Su, Dalian University of Technology
  Abstract - This study presents an empirical study to examine the performance and the determinants of technology outsourcing service in manufacturing firms in the Northeastern China. Using data collected in 94 large or medium-sized firms, we find that there existed a deep gap between the providers and the users of technology outsourcing services. The analysis also says that three factors which influence the outsourcing performance most in the process of innovation should be paid more attention to. (Co-authors: Jing-tao Yu, Zuozhi Li and Hui-ling Cao)
  
  
• "Symbiosis Relationship of Manufacturing and Producer Services: Multi-Cases Comparison Study of Pearl River Delta" by Xuejun Xu, South China University of Technology
  Abstract - During the progress of China’s new emerging industrialization, manufacturing has become the engine of China’s economy, but manufacturing couldn’t be flourishing without the support of the industrial circumstance. Producer services are the glue of national economy. Manufacturing and producer services depend on each other. In this context, the study on relationship between manufacturing and producer services is important. At first, This paper probes the modes and influencing factors of Symbiosis relationship between manufacturing and producer services according to the theory of symbiosis. The symbiosis mode of manufacturing and producer services is influenced by such factors as stratagem, scale, competence, trade and context, and so on. Secondly, this paper studied five cases of manufacturing enterprises, which are chosen according to their location, scale and trade. Then, the paper compares the examples in symbiosis motivation, symbiosis mode, and the width-depth of symbiosis. At last, some conclusions are made.
  
  
  
• IBM Special Sessions
  
• "Services Sciences, Management, and Engineering" Paul P. Maglio, PhD, Senior Manager, Service Systems Research, IBM Almaden Research Cente
  Abstract—This talk will describe the emerging discipline of Services Sciences, Management, and Engineering (SSME), which is the application of scientific, management, and engineering principles to tasks that one organization beneficially performs for and with another ("services"). There are many reasons for focusing on services and interdisciplinary approaches to it. First, the economies of most developed countries are dominated by services (70% of the labor, GDP, etc.). Second, even traditional manufacturing companies such as GE (70% services revenue) and IBM (50% services revenue) need to add high values services to grow their businesses. Third, information services and business services are two of the fastest growing segments of the service economy -- the rise of web services, service oriented architectures, and self-service systems suggest a strong relationship between the emerging disciplines related to service science and the more established discipline of computer science. Finally, improving productivity often required combining technical, social, and business innovations and effective combinations of these often develop naturally together. In the end, our goal is to encourage research aimed at solving unique problems of services business and to encourage development of courses and programs aimed at producing graduates who are ready to work in the service sector, particularly in areas of knowledge-intensive business services.
  
  
• "Workforce Management and Optimization using Stochastic Network Models" Yingdong Lu, Ana Radovanovi´c and Mark S. Squillante
  Abstract—We develop a model based on stochastic loss networks to characterize the dynamics and uncertainty in general workforce management and optimization. We formulate profit maximization problems with serviceability constraints under different assumptions on demand and supply. Though these optimization problems are in general nonlinear programming problems, we are able to observe some intrinsic properties of the functions that facilitate efficient computation of the optimal solution.
  Numerical results demonstrate that our model provides capacity planning decisions that yield better results than available in current practice.
  
  
• "Intelligent Middleware Service Framework" Zongwei Luo, Jenny S. Li , C.J. Tan, F. C.H. Tong, A. Kwok, E. C. Wong, H.B. Wang
  Abstract—In this paper, we present a service oriented intelligent middleware service framework that enables integrated e-logistics infrastructure and networks. Service oriented architecture (SOA) represents a new concept of computing that allows diverse and distributed resources to communicate with each other based upon a set of standards. We will discuss what values the SOA can bring to the middleware service framework, as well as how intelligence could further enhance the service framework to support dynamic interconnections among existing heterogeneous middleware systems today for e-logistics application development and integration.
  
  
• "The Case for the Business Process Engineer" Ying Tat Leung, Nathan Caswell, and Manjunath Kamath
  Abstract—Despite a decade of business process reengineering, we do not find a professional discipline of business process engineering today. We argue for the
  need for such a discipline by comparing a typical practice of designing a manufacturing process and a business process, and discuss why the need for a professional business process engineer is urgent.
  
  
• "A SCOR-Based Framework for Supply Chain Performance Management" Changrui Ren, Jin Dong, Hongwei Ding, and Wei Wang
  Abstract—The importance of performance management in supply chains has long been recognized from a variety of functional disciplines. But much of the work has focused on designing performance measures with less concern for the other stages of the entire performance management process. The supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model, developed by the Supply-Chain Council (SCC), is widely accepted as the only cross-industry standard for supply chain management, which not only provides a standard description of supply chain processes, but standard metrics to measure supply chain performance. Based on the SCOR model, a comprehensive framework for supply chain performance management is presented in this paper, which includes all aspects of performance management from performance measurement to performance improvement. The methods for performance model design and performance analysis are mainly discussed.
  
  
• "A Comparison of Business Process Modeling Methods" Wei Wang, Hongwei Ding, Jin Dong, and Changrui Ren
  Abstract—Business process modeling is the basis of business process management. The target of business process modeling is to get an abstract representation of the actual business processes. Although there are many business modeling methods, no well established modeling standard is available in this area. This paper reviews major business process modeling methods. Important aspects of these methods are discussed, including meta-model, graphical notation, serial representation, and tool support.
  
  
• Sun Microsystems Industrial Session
  
• Peter L. Gratzer, Senior Staff Member - CNS Technology Office, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
  Abstract—In today's IT business automated Services provide the highest value add. Services collecting or consuming system-specific telemetry data play a vital role. In this context data is either processed directly via automated system interfaces or through highly manual processes. Results may trigger actions ranging from providing informative system reports, through automatic patch submissions, and even up to preventive engagements where a site visit would occur.
  
  The fast pace of innovation and the continuously increasing variety of services introduced over time have led to siloed solutions. This presentation provides a snapshot of the challenges an IT organization is faced with and presents the Sun Connection, a portfolio of Service offerings providing a highly cost-effective level of IT automation. An overview of the currently available Service offerings concludes the presentation.
  
  
• John D. Lilly , Senior Staff Member - CNS Technology Office, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
  Abstract—Continuous streams of customer data serve as the lifeblood of automated services in IT. The data streams may include a mix of telemetry data and personal data, and may originate from customers located in other countries or across the globe. In our Information Age, this data has value not only to the customer and to the service provider, but also to those with malicious intent. Service providers therefore have an obligation to create and implement policies and practices that safeguard their customers' data.

Safeguarding customer privacy builds trust and serves as a competitive differentiator. Failing to be a responsible data steward puts a company at risk, both legal risk and reputational risk. This presentation provides an overview of the current legal landscape for data privacy. The discussion includes specific challenges for companies with a global presence and it provides concrete steps service providers can take to bolster their data privacy practices.

• "Using a Service Oriented Architecture for Implementing IT Services" Mike Gionfriddo, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
  Abstract -- According to a newly published IDC Corp. study, the acceptance of Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery models, which includes software on-demand and hosted application management (hosted AM), continued gathering momentum and customer mind share in 2005 and the trend is expected to continue in 2006. In addition, the economics of the computer industry is driving more support and service functionality to be delivered over the Internet. The above factors are driving customers to demand a portfolio of management services, from which they can best tailor a management solution for their business needs.
  
  The systems management space is both mature and evolving. As a result, there are today at least two kinds of customers -- those who want a comprehensive in-the-box management application, and those who want to create a custom-mix of management services based on their unique needs, since they often have a systems management solution of some kind in place covering all but a significant minority of their requirements.
  
  For the former group, the primary virtue is completeness; for the latter, it's flexibility of selection. Traditional system management platforms have been constructed in such a manner that they considered themselves to have the complete management model for a customer. In many ways, these systems and ERP systems have many similarities in complexity and cost to deploy. As customers look to obtain certain management capabilities as a service, a management platform will need to orchestrate discrete services in such a way that it can operate as a comprehensive solution.
  
  In addition, many companies have already began to use managed service organizations to provide system management services.
  
  This paper describes an approach that allows management solutions to be constructed using enterprise middleware and integration technologies and how these solutions can be delivered as services.