A Guide To Operational Research

What operatinal research is and does. Measuring uncertainty. Queuing problems. Business forecastting. Simulation and Monte Carlo Methods. Stock and production control models. Resource allocation. Planning projects; Analysing decisions. Operational gaming. Other operational research techniques. Conclusions. Index.

Operations Research: A Practical Introduction is just that: a hands-on approach to the field of operations research (OR) and a useful guide for using OR techniques in scientific decision making, design, analysis and management. The text accomplishes two goals. First, it provides readers with an introduction to standard mathematical models and algorithms. Second, it is a thorough examination of practical issues relevant to the development and use of computational methods for problem solving. Highlights: All chapters contain up-to-date topics and summaries A succinct presentation to fit a one-term course Each chapter has references, readings, and list of key terms Includes illustrative and current applications New exercises are added throughout the text Software tools have been updated with the newest and most popular software Many students of various disciplines such as mathematics, economics, industrial engineering and computer science often take one course in operations research. This book is written to provide a succinct and efficient introduction to the subject for these students, while offering a sound and fundamental preparation for more advanced courses in linear and nonlinear optimization, and many stochastic models and analyses. It provides relevant analytical tools for this varied audience and will also serve professionals, corporate managers, and technical consultants.

There is nothing more difficult to take in hand. more perilous to conduct. or more uncertain in its success. than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions. and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. Machiavelli. The Prince When this book was first written in 1959 I was myself a practising operational research worker in charge of a small group at the Glacier Metal Company, concerned with using Operational Research philosophy and techniques to help solve some of the managerial problems inside the company. About that time Operational Research was beginning to attract attention in industrial circles. Many quite large research groups were being founded. The advertisement columns of the Sunday press and certain daily newspapers were full of advertisements for Operational Research practitioners, at then quite attractive salaries.

A single source guide to operations research (OR) techniques, this book covers emerging OR methodologies in a clear, concise, and unified manner. Building a bridge between theory and practice, it begins with coverage of fundamental models and methods such as linear, nonlinear, integer, and dynamic programming, networks, simulation, queuing, invento