The prestigious 'Stafford Beer Medal' for the best paper published in the European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS) during 2009 has been awarded to Dr Jasser Al-Kassab, a researcher from the Department's Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), along with his co-authors Professor Dr. Frédéric Thiesse (from the University of Würzburg) and Professor Dr. Elgar Fleisch (from the University of St. Gallen).
The team were awarded the Medal from the Operational Research Society for their paper 'Understanding the value of integrated RFID systems: a case study from apparel retail'. The paper deals with assessment of the business value of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology in department stores. Based on a large-scale trial in Germany, the researchers developed a holistic framework for the assessment of costs and benefits of RFID technology in apparel retail stores.
The award is named in memory of Professor Anthony Stafford Beer, a world leader in the development of systems ideas, especially management cybernetics, and President of the Operational Research Society 1970-71. The medal is "awarded in recognition of the most outstanding contribution to the philosophy, theory or practice of Information Systems and / or Knowledge Management published in the European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS) or Knowledge Management Research & Practice (KMRP) within the relevant year."
The photo shows Dr Jasser Al-Kassab (left) and Professor Richard Elgese, President of the Operational Research Society at the Society's annual Awards Ceremony, which was held at the Royal Society in London November 2010, on the occasion of the Annual Blackett Lecture.
