View/Open - Naval Postgraduate School

Preface and Acknowledgements
Those familiar with the Naval Postgraduate School’s Acquisition Research Program
know that, since its inception in 2003, we have promoted the idea of “big A Acquisition” as a
core theme. This term is intended to highlight Acquisition’s inherent complexity as an
endeavor that entails a variety of challenges, including political, managerial, technological
and—in the case of defense Acquisition—military challenges. It also highlights the need for
research from a variety of disciplines to be brought to bear in order to meet these
challenges.
The NPS Acquisition Research Program’s purposeful pursuit of “big A Acquisition”
research is evident in these Proceedings. Disciplines and fields of study which are
represented include contract management, project management, logistics and supply chain
management, systems engineering, economics, public management and policy, financial
management, information systems, and organizational behavior. While research in a few
other disciplines (e.g., personnel management) has yet to be tapped, the engagement of
such a wide range of approaches represents, in our view, significant progress.
The past year marked “the coming of age” of the Acquisition Research Program. By
every measure, the program grew and matured. The number of projects and products more
than doubled over 2004 and faculty participation was up 50%. Of special significance was
the increased involvement of tenured track faculty, from eight to twenty-one, in acquisition
research. Much of this progress can be attributed to the increased stability of the program.
Funds were readily identifiable and available to allow faculty to count on them when
formulating their work plans for the coming year. A formalized research proposal and
solicitation process was established by the Associate Dean of Research in the Graduate
School of Business and Public Policy (GSBPP) which greatly enhanced communication
about the program and encouraged participation. It was apparent that interest in the
program had spread throughout the faculty, and future program growth would be
constrained only by financial resources. Similar remarks could be made about student
involvement and participation.
The program has also made a major contribution to maintaining the relevancy of
faculty and instructional materials. Significant benefits to researchers include: (1) provision
of funding which saves researchers “marketing“ time; (2) ties with sponsor POCs, thus
assuring DoD-relevant research; (3) assistance with final formatting, editing and publishing,
thus relieving researchers from the “non-intellectual” aspects of their research. Each of
these is a substantial benefit, but the growing connectivity between researchers and
sponsors is paying large dividends to all concerned. New, relevant instructional materials
emerge out of almost all research products, and this has a positive impact on all students.
Sponsors receive substantial help and insight with the business issues of the day. Faculty
are “refreshed” in DoD-relevant subject matter, and students are better prepared to enter the
acquisition work force.
In summary, through the combined efforts of our sponsors, research partners,
faculty, students and the Acquisition Chair, the NPS Acquisition Research Program has
made excellent progress toward achieving its stated goals:
=
=
==================^Åèìáëáíáçå=oÉëÉ~êÅÜW=`ob^qfkd=pvkbodv=clo=fkclojba=`e^kdb=====- i -
=
=