Newsgroups: comp.ai
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!uhog.mit.edu!news.mtholyoke.edu!world!nproco
From: nproco@world.std.com (Daniel Burnstein)
Subject: Re: Is There A TRUE Industry LEADER in AI?
Message-ID: <D2Mtpy.GC9@world.std.com>
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
References: <thomas-1801951023400001@obc.is.net>
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 03:01:10 GMT
Lines: 424

Thomas Bergen (thomas@obc.is.net) wrote:
: Yes, I'm an AI ignoramus. I'm trying to change that. I'm a commercial
: writer in the early stages of learning about this subject.

: Would those of you who are clearly expert in the field mind sharing your
: insights into this very basic question - what is/are the firm/firms that
: will one day be the Ford/GMs of AI? And what (in a nutshell) leads you to
: that conclusion?

At the risk of overstating our case the following companies and their 
technology (available by request) are growing rapidly and marketing 
shrink-wrapped PC products that are being written up in March by no less 
than Inc. and Fortune.  I am hopeful that as a group we will move from 
annual sales of approximately $30 million to $300 million after a few 
more stories/good marketing/good strategic alliances.

Dan Burnstein

THE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE ASSOCIATION 
MEMBERS AND PRODUCTS 
 
 
 
Applied Decision Analysis						
Contact: Julia Langel 
2710 Sand Hill Road						              
Phone: (415) 926-9251 
Menlo Park, CA  94025							
Fax:  (415) 854-6233 

Products:  

DPL  is a decision analysis software program that combines decision
trees and influence diagrams to create a complete modelling environment.  DPL 
uses the logical framework of decision analysis to make decisions based on 
what the user knows, what the user can do and what the user prefers.  
Features include:  spreadsheet links, automated sensitivity analysis, policy 
summaries, and more.  DPL 3.1, features Monte Carlo simulation and 
support for Excel 4.0 spreadsheets.		[Windows] 
 
 
 
Avantos Performance Systems
President: Norman Wu 
5900 Hollis Street							
Phone: (510) 654-4600 
Emeryville, CA  94608							
Fax: (510) 654-1276 
Product:	
ManagePro is a software tool that helps managers with their central 
responsibilities: meeting goals, managing people, and solving problems 
successfully.  To do this, managers enter their business objectives and 
supporting sub-goals into a spreadsheet-style planner.  ManagePro then 
creates color-coded goal and people status boards, timelines, action lists, 
calendars, and reports, which prompt users through proven management 
practices.  ManagePro helps organize and manage goals and people, 
improves internal communications, and facilitates the achievement of critical 
business objectives.  			[Windows, Macintosh, Unix] 
 
 
 
Business Forecast Systems*							
Contact: Kathleen Heming 
68 Leonard Street							
Phone: (617) 484-5050 
Belmont, MA  02178							
Fax: (617) 484-9219 

Product:	

ForecastPro uses artificial intelligence and powerful methodology to 
provide unsurpassed business forecasting accuracy.  The program does not 
require any background in statistics or forecasting.  Instead, an expert 
system examines the data and then the program guides the user to 
exponential smoothing, Box-Jenkins, or regression, whichever method suits 
the data best.  A standardized set of diagnostic screens help the user 
compare and evaluate models.  ForecastPro provides optimum forecasting 
models with a single keystroke, thereby offering the user the best 
methodology without sacrificing simplicity or ease of use.   
						[DOS, Windows, OS/2, Unix] 


Business Resource Software*							
President: Kent Ochel 
2013 Wells Branch Parkway, Suite #304				
Phone: (512) 251-7541 
Austin, TX  78728							
Fax: (512) 251-4401 

Products:	
Business Insight helps the user analyze business and marketing strategies by 
asking a series of questions and then providing analyses of the answers.  For 
each analysis, the user is given the ability to "trace" the logic of how the 
conclusion was reached.  In this way, the user can see the complex 
relationship of hundreds of factors that are the foundation of the analyses.  
By analyzing the questions, and inter-relating them with a set of "rules," the 
user can spot inconsistencies in the strategy, rate key functions, present 
constructive criticisms, and compare different strategies, including the 
competition's.	[DOS, Windows] 

Plan Write is a comprehensive business planning tool that guides the planner 
through the process of developing a detailed business plan.  The rationale 
behind each aspect of the business plan is explained to the user and illustrated 
with examples.  Plan Write includes a full-featured word processor, an 
integrated spreadsheet complete with templates for Profit and Loss, Cash 
Flow, and Balance Sheets, and a chart generator.        [Windows] 
 
 
Decisioneering									
President: Eric Weissmann 
1600 Stout Street, Suite 700
Denver, CO 80202
Phone:  (303) 449-5177							
Fax:  (303) 449-1442 

Product:  

Crystal Ball is a general purpose forecasting and risk analysis 
software package designed to help professionals make decisions involving risk 
and uncertainty.  Crystal Ball illustrates forecasts numerically and 
graphically, displaying the entire range of possible outcomes.  Users can 
apply either a range of values or a probability distribution to each 
spreadsheet cell containing an uncertain number.  Random values for each of 
these cells are generated according to the specified range or probability 
distribution.  The product can graphically display the distribution of the 
results.  		                   [Windows, Macintosh] 
 

 
Experience in Software*								
President: Roy Nierenberg 
2000 Hearst Avenue, Suite 202						
Phone: (510) 644-0694 
Berkeley, CA  94709-2176						
Fax: (510) 644-3823 

Product: 

Project KickStart is a project planning tool designed to help users 
conceptualize an entire project from scratch and quickly create a list of tasks 
and resource assignments needed to achieve the goals of the project.  It also 
helps the user create up-front strategies, anticipate obstacles, and clarify 
project goals.	[DOS, Windows in development] 
	
The Art of Negotiating is an interactive software tool that offers a structured 
way to prepare for all sorts of negotiations.  The program provides a set of 
negotiating tactics, from basic negotiating philosophy to general strategies to 
discussion tactics.  The program also walks the user through a set of 
modules that define both side's probable approaches and countering moves.	
					[DOS, Windows in development] 

The Idea Generator Plus is an easy to use program that helps the user come 
up with new ideas about a variety of problems.  The program begins by 
defining the problem and goals, and then leads the user through seven 
different problem-solving techniques to generate possible solutions.  Finally, 
these solutions are rated according to such considerations as cost, benefits, 
and future consequences.		[DOS, Windows in development] 
 

 
High Performance Systems*						
President: Barry Richmond 
45 Lyme Road, Suite 300							
Phone: (603) 643-9636 
Hanover, NH  03755							
Fax: (603) 643-9502 

Product:	

ithink is a software package for accelerating both individual and 
organizational learning.  It enables the user to map, model and simulate 
business and organizational processes varying from the strategic to the 
tactical.  As the map is created, ithink automatically generates the equation 
framework needed for simulation.  Once the relationships are specified, 
ithink enables the user to bring the map to life via animation, graphs, and 
traditional spreadsheet-like tables.  With sensitivity analysis, users can vary 
parameter values and explore scenarios to discover  the highest leverage 
opportunities for improving performance.   
		                             [Macintosh, Windows] 
 
 
Imagine That, Inc.			
Contact: Kathi Hunt 
6830 Via del Oro, Suite 230						
Phone:  (408) 365-0305 
San Jose, CA  95119	
Fax:  (408) 629-1251 

Products:	

Extend empowers users with the ability to simulate and validate ideas before 
actual implementation.  "What if..." analyses  can be carried out on models of 
any system or process.  Models consist of graphical, iconic blocks with 
equations already built in.  Simple parameter changes to a block's dialog box 
represent adjustments to the actual system.  Results of running the simulation 
assists in the decision-making process by providing precise answers to 
difficult problems.		[Macintosh, Windows in development] 

Extend+BPR supports systems analysis techniques for reengineering business 
processes.  It helps managers make informed decisions about the way they do 
business and facilitates TQM and process improvement efforts.  Extend+BPR 
is used to model organizational change, analyze new processes for 
technology insertion, and provide metrics for strategic planning.  
				[Macintosh, Windows in development] 

Extend+Manufacturing gives users the tools to make significant changes in 
their industrial operations.  It is used to model discrete operations research, 
industrial engineering, and manufacturing systems.  By simulating a process 
in Extend+Manufacturing, users can react to process changes more rapidly, 
adjust their throughput, design equipment, and support decisions.  		
                 		[Macintosh, Windows in development] 


 
KnowledgePoint*
President: Michael Troy 
1129 Industrial Avenue							
Phone: (707) 762-0333 
Petaluma, CA  94952-1141						
Fax: (707) 762-0802 

Product:	
Performance Now! is an interactive software program that uses 
KnowledgePoint's exclusive IntelliText technology to simplify the task of 
writing employee performance reviews.  Performance Now! incorporates an 
Employee Log for tracking employee's performance between appraisals; a 
Human Resources (HR) Advice feature that provides comprehensive, broad-
based HR expertise; and a Language Checker to warn of inappropriate 
wording.				[Windows] 

Policies Now!  is a powerful knowledgebase application that actually writes 
customized personnel policies.  It combines the reasoning and judgement of 
experienced professionals with direct user input to develop a solid, well-
written employee handbook that reflects the specific requirements of the 
user's organization.  Using a unique question and answer process, Policies 
Now! guides the user through the key issues that need to be considered and 
literally custom writes the policies.  			[DOS, Windows] 

Descriptions Now! is a powerful knowledgebase program that guides the user 
through each step in writing effective job descriptions.  It combines the 
information the user provides with the experience and knowledge of human 
resource professionals to create job descriptions that accurately describe the 
jobs in the user's organization.  DescriptionsNow! can custom write the 
qualifications, physical demands, and work environment sections of the job 
description with a minimum of effort.	[DOS, Windows] 
 
 
 
Lord Publishing*							
President: Rebecca Lord 
14 Los Monteros Drive							
Phone: (714) 240-7090 
Dana Pointe, CA  92629								
Fax: (714) 240-7399 

Product:	
Ronstadt's Financials is a planning and budgeting program designed to 
help users become more effective entrepreneurs through venture planning.  
Venture planning encompasses a broad range of planning activities that 
covers the life of a business, not just the "back end" or financial portion of 
the business.  Utilizing a patented spreadsheet row technology that makes 
analyzing and manipulating data faster and easier, Ronstadt's Financials 
helps users create income statements, balance sheets, cash flows, revenue 
forecasts, breakeven analyses, key ratios and measures, and more. 
                         		[DOS] 
 
 


Lumina Decision Systems, Inc.							
President: Max Henrion 
4984 El Camino Real, Suite 105							
Phone: (415) 254-0189 
Los Altos, CA  94022							
Fax: (415) 254-0292 

Product:	

Demos is a graphical decision support system for creating, analyzing, and 
communicating probabilistic models for risk and policy analysis.  
Hierarchical influence diagrams are created by the user to represent 
interactions between system variables.  Uncertainties in expert judgement can 
be expressed by using either user-defined distributions or a standard 
probability distribution.  Since modeling is almost always a group activity, 
Demos is designed to support communication among the group members, 
helping people to develop a shared understanding of the problem.	
		        	[Macintosh, Windows in development] 
 
 
 
 
Negotiator Pro Company*								
President: Daniel Burnstein 
35 Gardner Road								
Phone: (617) 738-9300 
Brookline, MA  02146							
Fax: (617) 734-3308 

Product:	

Negotiator Pro provides an innovative solution to managing negotiation 
projects and improves influence skills.  Negotiator Pro assists the
user with structured planning, 50 tactical options, plus ten additional 
tactics for overcoming difficult negotiators, and a summary of current 
negotiation theory in over 400 hypertext entries.  For negotiations in the 
global marketplace, Negotiator Pro profiles the negotiating styles of 14 
countries.  Modules are currently available for negotiations Purchasing, 
Financial Turnaround. 			
						[DOS, Windows, Macintosh] 
 
   
Palisade Corporation							
Contact:  Vera Trimarchi 
31 Decker Road		
Phone: (607) 277-8000 
Newfield, NY  14867							
Fax: (607) 8001 
Product:	
@RISK 3.0 is a spreadsheet add-in for risk analysis that lets the user see the 
full range of possible outcomes for any spreadsheet model.  @RISK utilizes 
probability distributions and Monte Carlo simulation to automatically 
provide risk analysis results from hundreds or thousands of what-if 
scenarios.  High resolution graphics enable the user to visualize and 
understand the range of possible outcomes and the likelihood of each 
outcome occurring.  							
                                        [Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft Excel] 
 


Planet Corporation			
President:  David Davidson
100 Pleasant Street							
Phone:  (800) 366-5111 
Worcester, MA  01609
Fax:  (508) 757-2426 

Product:	


Destiny: Business Information and Planning System, provides all the tools to 
create a comprehensive business plan and guides the user through its 
writing, indicating where to incorporate financial data, text, reports, ratios, 
and graphs.  Destiny also helps the user with day-to-day business 
management by analyzing and evaluating key business trends which inform 
decisions about markets, pricing, hiring, and other critical factors.  
Destiny creates critical business reports and ratios in seconds and offers 
quick forecasting, modeling, and "what-if" analysis.   	[Windows] 
 
 
 
Safety Software, Inc.					
President: Harry Smith 
2030 Spottswood Road, Suite 200						
Phone: (804) 296-8789 
P.O. Box 5225								
Fax: (804) 296-1660 
Charlottesville, VA  22905-5225 

Product:	

OSHALOG.200 Series are relational databases designed for all businesses 
that need to control worker compensation costs, maintain OSHA required 
injury and illness records, or require a standardized corporate-wide data 
collection and analysis system.  OSHALOG.200 Plus  provides accident factor 
analysis using ad hoc reports and graphics of all incidents, injuries, and 
illnesses while distinguishing between cases.  A fault tree analysis filter can 
be used to test accurately for recordability factors with simple "yes/no" 
questions.					[DOS] 
 
 
 
Search Technology				
CEO:  William Rouse 
4898 South Old Peachtree Road						
Phone:  (404) 441-1457 
Atlanta, GA  30071-4707
Fax:  (404) 263-0802 

Products:	

The Product Planning Advisor is a new Windows-based software tool for 
product design teams who seek to be more responsive to market needs.  
Based on William Rouse's book, Design for Success, this tool helps users apply 
design concepts, principles, and methods for developing products and 
services that will delight the marketplace.  By identifying product and 
service goals, developing measures of success, defining product functions, 
The Product Planning Advisor provides a structured and efficient product 
planning process for products and services.		[Windows] 

The Business Planning Advisor provides an integrated methodology for 
starting, growing, and maturing enterprises whose missions involve creating 
innovative products, systems, and services.  Based on William Rouse's book, 
Strategies for Innovation, this strategic planning methodology focuses on 
identifying core products or services, developing a long-range business plan, 
assessing and enhancing product strategies, and developing action plans 
and financial forecasts.  The Business Planning Advisor provides a structured 
and efficient planning environment for managers at all levels. 		
							[Windows]


Smart Software, Inc.*					
President: Charles N. Smart 
4 Hill Road	
Phone: (617) 489-2743 
Belmont, MA  02178
Fax: (617) 489-2748 

Product:	

SmartForecasts is a stand-alone forecasting program that combines 
statistical and judgmental forecasting to give the user superior accuracy.  
Previous experience in statistics or forecasting is not necessary  the 
program automatically determines the best time-series forecasting method 
for the available data.  It makes the forecast and shows the range of 
reliability.  SmartForecasts also allows the user to adjust statistical 
forecasts directly on-screen.  SmartForecasts is also available in a Batch 
Edition. 			
				[DOS, Windows in development]


* Charter Member	THE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE ASSOCIATION     
 


