Purpose -This paper sets out to present a reappraisal on advanced planning and scheduling (APS) systems in industrial settings and propose an effective approach for APS implementation. Design/methodology/approach -A case study approach is adopted, and a research framework comprising human-, technological-, and organizational-dimensions is developed to analyze the evidence database which includes business flows, system design documents, archival records, post-system assessment, participant-observation and semi-structured interviews. Findings -The findings indicate that real-world production planning problems are ill-defined, complex and dynamic. A post-implementation evaluation reveals major pitfalls in the technology-dominant approach, whose negative ramifications are usually overlooked. Besides, these APS implementation pitfalls are found to be attributable to the real-world context, human factors and organizational aspects. Research limitations/implications -Despite advances in information technology (IT) and computer modeling techniques, humans still play critical roles in the production-planning processesespecially in a complex and dynamic manufacturing environment where incomplete, ambiguous, inconsistent and untimely data make automatic planning unrealistic. A rational human-computer collaboration scheme under an effective organizational structure would be in a better position to take advantage of the IT. Originality/value -This paper presents a humans-technology-organization-framework of real planning systems, which is employed to analyze a case of APS implementation. Practical insights are extracted as a result of this field research, and a realist approach is proposed to cope with the problems and pitfalls of APS implementation in industrial settings.

Six attributes of creative problem-solving ability were investigated as predictors of creative problem solving ability in math. A total of 409 Taiwanese fifth and sixth graders were administered the recently developed Creative Problem Solving Attributes Inventory and other corresponding established instruments that measure similar attributes. The Creative Problem Solving Attributes Inventory yielded valid and reliable data on creative problem solving attributes. Results also demonstrated that divergent thinking and domain specific knowledge and skills directly predicted math problemsolving ability, whereas divergent thinking, convergent thinking, motivation, general knowledge and skills, and environment indirectly predicted math problem solving ability. Implications for nurturing creative problem solving ability and limitations of the study are discussed.

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This study aimed to help determine what the typology of math creative problem-solving is. Different from studies that have discussed the threshold effect between creativity and intelligence, this research investigated the threshold effect between creativity and other attributes. The typology of the math creative problem-solving abilities of 409 fifth-and sixth-grade Taiwanese students was identified and compared in this study. A Creative Problem-Solving Attribute Instrument was devised for this study, with the aim of measuring students' perceptions on their motivation, knowledge, and skills, both in general and in specific domains. Divergent and convergent thinking were also measured. Cluster analyses yielded three creative problem-solving typologies: High, Medium, and Low. The High Attribute group scored significantly higher in the Math Creative Problem-Solving Ability Test than did the Medium Attribute and Low Attribute groups. The results suggest a threshold effect from several attributes-divergent thinking, convergent thinking, motivation, general knowledge and skills, domain-specific knowledge and skills, and environment-on students' creative problem-solving abilities. Balanced development of attributes may be an important consideration in nurturing creativity in children.