About this issue

BY SHEER COINCIDENCE, two of the three technical papers in this issue report on simulation “experiments” conducted with students and professional engineers or managers. The subject matter of the two exercises spans the stages of the overall R&D/Innovation process from early product development decisions to problem-solving with respect to plant operating problems. This kind of simulation has merit from several points of view. First, it can contribute significantly to the training of engineers and managers. Secondly, it can provide some interesting insights into potential differences in approach to decision-making and problem-solving that might result from amounts of experience in actual engineering or management situations.