Product Description
This volume brings out recent developments and current activity in different areas of operational research. Of considerable value and interest to operational researchers, both theoreticians and practitioners as well as a reference source for research workers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Making Good Decisions

Managing with Operational Research is a book dedicated to presenting the ideas of analytical decision making in a non-technical manner.Its contributors include a number of managers and lecturers who have presenteda variety of topics in the Operations Research/Management Science (OR/MS)field.It is intended to be a primer for managers and students of thefield who seek an effective introduction to OR/MS.It is the hope of theauthors that such exposure would lead its readers to seek a deeperunderstanding of the subject.It is also hoped that this book would serveas more than a means to an end.The authors have also expressed a wish todevelop a methodological framework for solving problems in management on aregular basis.

The authors mainly discuss those techniques thatare widely used and have a great appeal in industry and business.Otherrelated topics are discussed, but are treated in a perfunctory manner dueto the breadth of the subject matter.However, the book seizes upon animportant aspect of OR/MS, that is, it stresses the importance of modelingthe human, or real-world, aspects to the decision-maker.As such, itpresents fifteen distinct OR/MS techniques in the three sections of thebook.

The first section discusses the process of OR/MS.It beginswith a review of the subject and continues with a discussion of itsmethodology.Included in this section is a discussion of the socialperceptions and accomplishments of the field of problem solving.The bookcontinues on with a discussion of the difficulties and needs associatedwith statistical modeling. Chapter Four is a comprehensive piece written byJohn Edmunds that introduces the various models and approaches of OR/MS. He divides those models into broad groups using the deterministic orstochastic methods and using "what -ifs" analyses.The chapteralso includes a review of the applicability of those models to certainproblems by the researchers.

The second section expands the firstsection's discussion of modeling.Among the items that the chapterpresents are short reviews of modeling techniques.These reviews includereferences to case studies and textbooks and outlines the uses andusefulness, assumptions, requirements, outputs, and advantages anddisadvantages of each technique.The deterministic models that areexplored include Linear Programming, Assignment, Transportation, IntegerProgramming, Goal Programming, Dynamic Programming, and Project Network. The stochastic models in the chapter include Decision Analysis, Replacementand Reliability Theory, Game Theory, Search Theory, Search Theory, QueuingTheory, and Analysis Simulation.To assist the potential operationsresearcher, the book outlines the discussions with in-depth case studies. This section also expands the idea of the ever-increasing use of computersoftware and simulations to solve operations problems.

The thirdand final section draws upon all of the previously presented techniques andcase studies to instill a methodological process to OR/MS by the authors. It reviews the start of the operations research process and what can beachieved by it.It discusses the role of the OR/MS, his or her interactionwith management, and the implementation of the researcher's results.

Overall, this book is very interesting, but not overwhelming look at theworld of OR/MS.The concepts were easy to grasp, and in conjunction withthe case studies included, easy to relate to real-world applications.Ofparticular interest was Chapter Four, especially the model reviews thatwere included at the end of the chapter.In closing, this will be a goodaddition to MBA students taking courses in Applied Operations Research andManagement Science. ... Read more

Product Description
The papers in this volume bring together the expertise of practitioners and researchers in various methodological and implementation issues on Just-in-Time Manufacturing Systems (JITMS). New strategic and tactical tools of manufacturing management are reviewed. These tools are proving to be of vital importance for the viability and advancement of manufacturing enterprises in a continually changing and increasingly competitive business environment. The proceedings will provide a useful reference on the implications of new technologies in the planning and shaping of work, as well as helping to promote productivity and competitiveness in business enterprises. ... Read more

Product Description
IFORS (International Federation of Operational Research Societies) is the confederation of OR societies from around the world. Its major activities are its triennial conferences. The proceedings provide an invaluable record of the state of operations research worldwide. This volume contains 67 selected papers from the conference held by IFORS in Athens in 1990. These include plenary papers, national contributions, and outstanding papers that were refereed. The papers present a wide variety of applications of OR methodology as well as the latest developments in fundamental theory. The theme of the conference was "OR: Wisdom for the Problems of Today". Among the topics covered are OR around the world; decision systems; public services; energy and natural resources; transportation and location; manufacturing; maintenance and replacement; and modelling foundations. Both French and English abstracts are provided. ... Read more

Product Description
This book presents the principal concepts of operations research (OR) as tools for the planning, support, and management of various types of networks, including both physical and logical networks. It analyzes real problems, and offers a collection of models for many application areas, together with the corresponding solution techniques. Following this, important application areas are addressed, such as project scheduling, distribution networks, telecommunication networks, and planning of satellite imaging. Anyone involved in the theory or practice in this field will find this a vital resource. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Make a better choice
This book is pretentious, and fails to provide any practical solution to the topics discussed. Its maths are poorly rigorous. It looks like an ordinary PhD thesis: Apparently rigurous but leading nowhere. Please save your money, there are hundreds of better books on this topics, like Sagan (1989), Parlett (1998), Patton (1997). ... Read more