Guest editorial

Guest editorial
Analytical modeling and applications
The broader availability of data and the increase of computational power is allowing
organizations to find new and valuable insights, giving life to the field of analytics. The field
of analytics encompasses the handling and processing of data, from the acquiring of the 1
data to the driving courses of action. Most of the fuzz today is given to the data component
of analytics. In fact, some call the field data analytics. But data is not the only component nor
the most important one. The other component is the mathematical models used to process
the data. In fact, modeling is a key component of the analytics field. There cannot be
analytics without models, but there can be analytics with small data. With that in mind,
the motivation of this JM2 special issue is to recognize the importance of modeling in the
analytics field.
The structure of this special issue is based on the well-known three dimensions of
analytics, namely, descriptive, predictive and prescriptive. Descriptive analytics describes
current states; predictive analytics looks to what will happen next; and prescriptive
analytics emphasizes in finding new and better courses of action. Next, we present 16
articles covering theoretical and applied analytical modeling that covers the three
dimensions of analytics with applications in multiple sectors, with an international flavor,
and with some contributions to the body theory. The issue starts with five papers in
descriptive analytics, then continues with four articles in prescriptive analytics and finishes
with seven works in predictive analytics.

Descriptive analytics
Descriptive analytics helps organizations to have a better understanding of their current
environment. This section includes a new methodology to manage literature reviews, a
novel data envelopment analysis that handles discrete outputs, a study on innovation
capability enablers, a technique that handles non-discretionary factors and a study on
household shopping behavior in Turkey. Below are the descriptive analytics works: “A
methodology for structured literature network meta-analysis” presents a novel way to
structure literature components as a network. The network can be represented as a graph,
allowing the user to identify important relationships among literature entries, taking
advantage of graphic theory metrics and algorithms. “Data envelopment analysis using the
binary-data” implements an algorithm that is able to handle binary outputs and to creating a
point-to-point frontier that allows to identify benchmarks in a discrete environment. The
authors apply the novel model to a health-care study involving stroke. The model allows
identifying the most influential risk factors that lead to stroke. This application can be used
in multiple fields. “Modelling the continuous innovation capability enablers in Indonesia’s
manufacturing industry” presents a fuzzy Delphi model including 21 continuous innovation
capability enablers for the country’s industrial companies. The model identifies the level of
importance of each enabler, knowing these enablers help manufactures to identify their
strengths and weaknesses of their innovation strategies. “Performance measurement and
resource sharing among business sub-units in the presence of non-discretionary factors,”
Journal of Modelling in
this work introduces a data envelopment analysis model that includes non-discretionary Management
inputs because of output partial interactions. The model helps to identify bottleneck points Vol. 17 No. 1, 2022
pp. 1-3
that can benefit from non-discretionary inputs, and it is illustrated with a real case including © Emerald Publishing Limited
1746-5664
a set of 17 road maintenance crews. “Determinants of Online Shopping Attitudes of DOI 10.1108/JM2-02-2022-324
JM2 Households in Turkey” applies machine learning techniques to determine the main factors
17,1 that affect online shopping tendencies in Turkey. The model results provide valuable
information to understand the shopping behavior of households.

Predictive analytics
Predictive analytics allows organizations to foresee what is going to happen next. This
2 section contains supply chain application focused on bullwhip impact, an improved
electricity demand forecasting, a risk analysis for the Brazilian Navy and ends with an
industrial piracy game theory model. Next is a short description of the predictive analytics
works: “Operations-Based Classification of Bullwhip Effect” models the bullwhip effect
when the variance in production is larger than the variance in demand, using neural
networks. The results of the study identify critical operational variables according to the
respective industrial sector. The model compares favorably against other machine learning
algorithms. The use of the model is illustrated with ten industrial sectors in the county of
India. “Electricity demand forecasting using fuzzy hybrid intelligence-based seasonal
models” presents a novel forecasting extended fuzzy seasonal method. The proposed
method overcomes the limitations of traditional neural networks dealing with uncertainty
and seasonality. The method simultaneously models seasonal and fuzzy patterns and
structures, as well as the regular non-seasonal patterns. “A Fuzzy approach to assess
outsourcing risks in Brazilian Navy Industrial Military Organizations” uses fuzzy analytical
hierarchy process to generate information to decision-making in risk management process.
In particular, the methodology is useful to deal with inaccurate judgment and different
perceptions. Moreover, the model assigns risk levels to each model input. “Analysis of
Piracy Trend in ODM Supply Chain” studies the dilemma occurring in the original design
manufacturing supply chain in which the foundry is inclined to sell pirate versions of the
original product. The analysis is made using a unique five decision model approach. The
model helps to identify the conditions in which the foundry could be “inclined” to breach a
contract because of financial motivations.

Prescriptive analytics
Prescriptive analytics look for the best course of action. The traditional operations research
optimization techniques are part of the prescriptive dimension. This section harbors seven
works: a model to optimize bike-sharing services, a dairy products supply chain
optimization, a reverse logistics model, an expanded cost-benefit analysis, an optimization
model for environmentally friendly energy production and a novel project selection tool and
a game theory-based optimization model for infectious waste. Following is a short summary
of the prescriptive analytics papers: “Simulation analysis of initial inventory in Bike Sharing
Systems” provides a simulation model that optimizes bicycle inventories at multiple parking
docks based on bicycle demand history. The objective of the model is to maintain a
predefined service level while maintaining bicycle inventories at the most efficient levels.
“Production Planning Decision of a Dairy under Supply Disruption” develops a stochastic
mixed-integer linear program that optimizes the product mix of dairy products such that
profits are maximized. The model also provides insights on the factors that has large effects
in the production system. “A robust fuzzy optimization approach for reverse logistics
network design with buyback offers” explore the relationship between buyback policies and
used products. Buy back policies are a function of quality and age of used products at the
time of return among other uncertain characteristics. The problem is modeled using fuzzy
mathematical methods, flexible constraint programming and robust fuzzy optimization. “An
approach to cost-benefit analysis by competitive advantages with stochastic data” focuses
on analyzing the values of alternative’s factors in a stochastic cost-benefit analysis. The Guest editorial
problem is addressed using a data envelopment analysis with competitive advantages that
evaluates multiple alternatives, leading to the selection of the best one. “A mathematical
modeling for energy generation from municipal waste: A case study” presents an
optimization solution for the integrated problem of collecting municipal waste (vehicle
routing problem with time windows) and the energy generation. The model is a multi-
objective problem considering recycling income, energy generation and pollutant emissions.
“A Model to Reduce the Risk of Project Selection utilizing Data envelopment analysis” 3
focuses on the selection of projects accounting risk associated to uncertainty. The emphasis
is in the risk of choosing a set of projects so that can make a balance in investment versus on
collective benefit, taking in account the cost of failures. The problem is modeled as a
generalization of the project selection model with limited resources under uncertainty
involving negative data. “A novel cooperative model in the collection of infectious waste in
COVID-19 pandemic” presents a mathematical programming model with the concept of
collaborative game theory to minimize the cost. The solution approach includes a set
of methods on fair allocation of cost savings. The model results showcase the advantage of
cooperation among contractors. The model is illustrated with a real case in the city
of Tehran.

Juan R. Jaramillo
Department of Decision Science and Marketing,
Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, USA

About the Guest Editor

Juan R. Jaramillo is Associate Professor and Academic Director of the Master in

Business Analytics in the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business at Adelphi
University. He joined Adelphi University in 2018 to lead the design and the
implementation of the MSBA. He has a PhD and MS in Industrial Engineering from
West Virginia University. He has been involved in the Informs Innovative
Applications in Analytics Award since its inception in 2012. He has been a Judge,
Chair (2017–2019) and Cochair (2020–2022) of IAAA. He received the inaugural
Michael Gorman Award for his contribution to the Analytics Society of INFORMS in 2020. His areas
of expertise are operations, analytics and artificial intelligence. He has multiple publications in these
areas, and he has been the keynote speaker and panelist at some conferences in the USA and Latin
America.