Implementation of the operations research/management science process

The aim of this article is to point out some basic aspects of the OR/MS implementation problem and to outline a frame of reference for dealing with the OR/MS process. The model proposed includes a decomposition of the OR/MS process. Phases, interest groups, strategies, and variables in the OR/MS process are considered as being important. The first part of the article is a summary of some important recent contributions by others, whereas the second part represents contributions resulting from the author's own research.     

Model validation in operations research

Numerous articles have appeared in the literature expressing different degrees of concern with the methodology of OR in general and with the validation of OR models in particular. Suggestions have been formulated to remove some of the shortcomings of the methodology as currently practised and to introduce modifications in the approach because of the changing nature of the problems tackled. Advances in modeling capabilities and solution techniques have also had considerable impact on the way validation is perceived. Large scale computer-based mathematical models and especially simulation models have brought new dimensions to the notion of validation. Terms like ‘confidence’, ‘credibility and reliability’, ‘model assessment and evaluation’, ‘usefulness and usability of the model’ have become rather common. This paper is an attempt, through an interpretation of the literature, to put model validation and related issues in a framework that may be of use both to model-builders and to decision-makers.     

Reassessing operations research in Finland

At the beginning of 1980 the Finnish Operations Research Society (FORS) established a working group (OTSA) headed by Y. Seppälä. The aim was to analyse R.L. Ackoff's and others' criticism of operations research in order to make improvement proposals for the Finnish operations research. The final report of this working group was completed in December 1981.Within this project an analysis was made of opinions of members of the Finnish Operations Research Society concerning their own work and role. It was found to be a drawback that the Finnish operations research has been too much concerned with well defined problems, neglecting truly challenging ‘wicked’ problems. Accordingly, the main recommendation of the group is that besides operations researchers concerned with well structured problems we should also train systems analysts to deal essentially with poorly defined problems.This article will provide a profile of the Finnish operations researchers as reflected in the survey. An analysis of the crisis in operations research will be given as well as a portrayal of the roles for operations researcher and systems analyst. The paper concludes by presenting various working methods of systems analysts on the basis of the final report by the OTSA group.     

Integrating operations research in constraint programming

This paper presents constraint programming (CP) as a natural formalism for modelling problems, and as a flexible platform for solving them. CP has a range of techniques for handling constraints including several forms of propagation and tailored algorithms for global constraints. It also allows linear programming to be combined with propagation and novel and varied search techniques which can be easily expressed in CP. The paper describes how CP can be used to exploit linear programming within different kinds of hybrid algorithm. In particular it can enhance techniques such as Lagrangian relaxation, Benders decomposition and column generation.     

Improving company operations Operations planning/operations research consultancy in Unilever Germany

After a discussion of the attributes of the operational researcher and the manager required for success, the organisation and philosophy of OPOR are described. This is followed by examples to illustrate how the internal consultancy approach is transposed into every day studies.     

Fisheries management and operations research

Fisheries are subject to a deep-rooted problem of economic inefficiency, often referred to as the fisheries problem. The fisheries problem derives fundamentally from inappropriate social institutions controlling the fishing activity, the foremost of which is the common property arrangement. Fisheries management consists of replacing these institutions with more appropriate ones. Which institutions are most appropriate depends on the social objectives of the fisheries. There are strong economic arguments for the view that there should be only a single objective, namely to maximize the present value of the flow of benefits from the fisheries. In reality, different interest groups often push for several, often conflicting, objectives. In that case a multi-objective programming approach may be appropriate.     

Eleven surveys in operations research: III

This volume collects all eleven survey papers that appeared in volumes 7–10 (2009–2011) of the journal 4OR: A Quarterly Journal of Operations Research. We briefly introduce the collected surveys and those that were included in the first two volumes of this series.     

中国运筹学发展研究报告

运筹学是自20世纪三四十年代发展起来的一门新兴交叉学科,主要研究如何应用数学和计算的理论与方法对社会系统和工程系统做出最优或满意的决策。为了更好地推动中国运筹学及相关领域的研究和应用,学会组织国内运筹学领域的部分专家,并参考了国内外运筹学多个分支代表性人物对运筹学的起源和发展的回忆与评述,共同完成了此报告。报告概述了运筹学的主要特征和方法,简述了运筹学的发展历程,剖析了运筹学研究中的成功经验,综述了运筹学几个主要分支的发展状况,介绍了运筹学中十几个有代表性的难题,展望了运筹学未来发展的方向。希望此报告能引起读者进一步思考运筹学的本质,运筹学是如何成长和将如何发展,并在一定程度上推动中国运筹学更好地发展。     

军事运筹学的过去、现在和未来

军事运筹学是从20世纪初发展起来的一门跨领域交叉学科,主要研究解决军事问题的定量分析和决策优化的理论和方法,以做出最优或满意的决策. 回顾军事运筹学的发展历程和国内军事运筹学的发展状况,简要介绍军事运筹学的主要理论方法和研究内容,展望军事运筹学未来发展趋势.     

OR/MS research in disaster operations management

Disasters are large intractable problems that test the ability of communities and nations to effectively protect their populations and infrastructure, to reduce both human and property loss, and to rapidly recover. The seeming randomness of impacts and problems and uniqueness of incidents demand dynamic, real-time, effective and cost efficient solutions, thus making the topic very suitable for OR/MS research. While social sciences and humanities literatures enjoy an abundance of articles on disaster management, the OR/MS community is yet to produce a critical mass. In this paper, we survey the literature to identify potential research directions in disaster operations, discuss relevant issues, and provide a starting point for interested researchers.