The Search for Appropriate O.R.: A Review of Operational Research in Developing Countries

This paper is a review of the literature relating to the application of O.R. in developing countries. The paper attempts to identify the special factors which affect decision problems in developing countries. Some desirable characteristics for O.R. in this context are outlined. The paper then summarises the results of a review of published studies, and some criticisms are made of current O.R. work.     

O.R. Applications in Industry and Problems of Industrialisation of a Developing Economy with Special Reference to India

The paper has two distinct parts. The first part reviews industrial applications of O.R. in developing countries in general and India in particular. Based on the analysis, the paper suggests concrete steps for further use of operational research in industry.The second part of the paper deals critically with the problems of industrialisation leading to a specific industrial structure in the economy of a developing country. Analysing various relevant criteria for industrialisation of developing economies the paper outlines a methodology suitable for modelling the problem. It then attempts to identify the prerequisites for successful use of O.R. in the multicriteria problem of industrialisation. The paper also discusses the role that national and international agencies can play in bringing about more meaningful applications of O.R. in developing economies.     

The Prospect for O.R. in the Nigerian Government Service—An Administrators' Viewpoint

The paper reports the results of interviews with senior government administrators in Nigeria in which they were asked a range of questions about their own work and about the problems that are likely to be encountered in trying to introduce operational research into the government service. It is thus in contrast with most papers on O.R. in developing countries, which are written primarily from the viewpoint of practitioners. The administrators confirmed that there was a wide range of problems recognized as being suitable for the O.R. approach, and identified some of the barriers to the introduction of an effective O.R. service.     

O.R. Education and Developing Economies with Special Reference to India

The paper reviews the current state of application of O.R. in general and in developed economies in particular. It then analyses the causes for unsatisfactory application of O.R. in developing economies. Based on the analysis, the paper proceeds to review the existing O.R. education and training and develops an integrated design of O.R. education and training for developing economies. The paper outlines the role that international agencies should play in implementing the proposed scheme of O.R. education and training for developing economies.     

Corporate Planning and Its Use of O.R. in the N.C.B.: A Personal View

Moving from Operational Research to Corporate Planning within one organisation is a rather modest change, which nevertheless leads to a different perspective. While still an advisory function, Corporate Planning, to be successful, has to maintain itself at the centre of a `messy' system tackling `messy' problems. Holding on to a clear strategy in such circumstances is not only difficult but vital. The success of the strategy depends on its robustness and ability to adapt to new circumstances. Recent debates in the O.R. literature have focused on the importance of robustness and the nature of uncertainty using the paradigms of rational and bureaucratic processes. This is a useful perspective from which to view our activities and the relative roles of Operational Research and Corporate Planning, either separately or together. The term `mature' O.R. is used to differentiate research that has been built up over many years in the N.C.B. from the problem solving activity often used to characterise O.R. The challenge is to prevent maturity developing into old age.     

Experiences with Using Expert Systems in O.R.

Increased awareness of expert systems technology, and the availability of relevant software, has tempted many O.R. groups to investigate the expert systems approach. This paper considers the strategies open to O.R. groups interested in employing expert systems, reviews some of the relevant software, and discusses what those O.R. groups who have already investigated the use of expert systems methods are actually doing.Some of the authors' experience of developing expert systems is discussed. The development of an expert system that helps bankers analyse company accounts is presented. The use of expert system methods as vehicles for decision analysis, and the possibilities for producing systems that act as O.R. consultants are also discussed.     

Lessons for O.R. from the World of Banking

This paper will be of interest to the reader concerned with O.R. in banking and to the more general reader concerned with the successful development of O.R. The paper describes and analyses the complex historical development of the O.R. Group in the National Westminster Bank, which, since 1966, has grown into one of the leading O.R. groups in finance. As well as providing a new and original documentation of the type of problem areas and approaches that have been examined in the relatively short history of O.R. in banking, the paper draws on the experience of O.R. at NatWest and that of other O.R. groups in other European banks in order to identify the factors which determine whether or not an O.R. group will develop successfully.     

Operational Research and Socioeconomic Development

This paper discusses the relationship between the type of operational research current in economically developed countries and that applicable to countries in the developing world and concludes that the direct transfer of O.R. from the former to the latter is not as beneficial as is normally assumed.     

Mathematical programming in subsistence agriculture

This paper examines the use of mathematical programming models in subsistence agriculture as an example of the use of operational research in developing countries. Differences from developed agriculture are described, and five mathematical programming formulations to cater for the major differences are given. Examples of the use of such models in published literature to produce policy oriented conclusions are summarised. This exemplified a more general point that mathematical O.R. formulations are relevant to policy issues in developing countries providing they are modifications of formulations used in developed countries.     

The Effectiveness of Substituting Locally Available Materials in Teaching Chemistry in Nigeria: A Case for Science Education in Developing Countries

This article investigates the effectiveness of improvising locally available materials for teaching chemistry in Nigeria, as a case for a culture of improvisation for teaching the sciences in developing countries. The scarcity and cost of imported materials for teaching science has remained a major challenge to teaching sciences in developing countries, and the fact that many teachers from developing countries tend to wait for these imported materials before they can teach continues to present a set‐back for science education in many non‐Western nations. In this experimental study, second year students in 3 Nigerian Senior Secondary schools in the state of Lagos, Nigeria, were sampled to determine whether there will be a significant difference in their performance when taught using imported materials compared to when taught using local substitutes. The study reveals that whereas their attitudes towards local materials may not be as positive as their attitudes towards imported materials, their performances did not differ when taught with either, as long as they were unaware of which material was local or imported. The result of this study proved that science education will flourish if teachers in Nigeria, and probably other developing countries, can begin to improvise local materials for science instruction.     

The Impact of O.R. on the Design of a Float Glass Line

The float glass process was invented by Pilkington and is steadily taking over from other older methods. Glass is produced in a continuous ribbon and at any one time this will be a certain thickness, width and colour.The Market place requires a variety of sizes, thicknesses and colours. A good float line design is one which achieves customer service at an economic price. Float lines are substantial investments—the latest U.K. line cost over £75m.The O.R. Department at Pilkington has been involved in the design of a number of new lines and several upgrading schemes over the last 10 years.The role adopted has been as part of a multi-disciplinary design team involving Engineering, Production, Marketing, R&D, O.R. and Industrial Engineering representatives.The design team has the difficult task of fitting the best design of line to a particular situation. This process is usually market-dominated, although the site available, cost and layout factors are also important.The first stage involves an analysis of the market to be supplied and its implications for the design. Then the detailed engineering layout and equipment design can take place. In practice, decision-making is usually a cyclic process to obtain a match between the market and the design. Although a variety of conventional O.R. techniques, particularly simulation, have been used, perhaps O.R.'s main involvement has been the provision of numerate and relatively simple model-building skills.     

The Changing Role of O.R.

The authors set out to consider the activities of their own O.R. group at British Airways in the light of Russ Ackoff's papers delivered at the 1978 ORS Conference, but the paper has developed into a discussion of Ackoff's ideas from the viewpoint of an in-house industrial O.R. group that has had considerable success in implementation and has thought a great deal about what it is trying to do. Particularly relevant is the emphasis placed by this O.R. group on highly interactive planning models and systems and on an evolutionary approach to development. Some attempt is made to put Ackoff's ideas into an historical perspective and his main points are discussed one by one. The authors are in sympathy with the direction Ackoff is pressing, but not with the gloom his paper has generated in some quarters.     

Quantitative Forecasting—the State of the Art: Econometric Models

Econometric model building for forecasting has developed substantially over the past 15 years. Nevertheless, operational researchers have neglected these new developments. This paper defines nine stages the forecaster must go through when developing an econometric model. Each stage is discussed with reference to the most recent research. The complexity of econometric model building requires the forecaster to adopt a modelling strategy. Two have been proposed in the literature; one moves from a specific model to a more general version, the second goes from the general to the specific. Five recent O.R. studies using econometric methodology are then evaluated, highlighting the common areas of weakness. They are those areas that econometricians have paid most attention to in their recent research. The paper then surveys the effectiveness of econometric models compared to alternative approaches, concluding with some recommendations to the O.R. worker in forecasting. In particular, it recommends that more attempts are made to develop econometric models for O.R. applications.     

Organisational linkages and O.R. projects

An empirical study of a group of O.R. projects in presented with particular attention being paid to organisational interactions. The results are derived from detailed investigations of O.R. projects in which both the managers(s) and O.R. practitioner(s) were interviewed. This initial exploration has indicated a variety of organisational forms, and revealed the importance of non-formal processes that often take place.     

Systems Analysis for Efficient Allocations,Optimal Use of Resources and Appropriate Technology: Some Applications

A systems analytic approach, in which one tries systematically to examine a variety of considerations together rather than in parts, is essential whenever neglect of the interactions of the parts of the system might lead to erroneous conclusions. The O.R. attitude is even more important for developing countries, where the problems are many and solutions are much more severely constrained than in developed countries owing to resource limitation, scarcity of skills, inadequate technological and managerial infrastructure to support sophisticated solutions, and the variety of traditional and ‘modern’ attitudes prevailing in developing societies. To illustrate this, a number of applications carried out by the author in India, covering efficient resource allocation for economic planning, optimal use of resources, such as water and fertilizer, and the choice of techniques of power systems, as well as organizational problems of identification and introduction of appropriate technology in building construction and community bio-gas plants, are briefly described along with comments on the implementation of the results.     

O.R. and the Systems Movement: Mappings and Conflicts

The ‘crisis’ debate in O.R. expresses concern at the divergence between textbook O.R. and what practitioners actually do. The debate is examined by comparing O.R., systems analysis and systems engineering. They are all wedded to logic in situations in which logic may not be paramount. The science in O.R. applies only to aggregate results, but the practitioner must deal with a specific situation. The tradition of systems thinking which emerged from organismic biology is described. It leads to a way out of the O.R. ‘crisis’, by providing a formal structuring of a paradigm of learning rather than optimization. O.R. can aspire to match natural science, and pass the problems by; or it can close the textbook/practitioner gap by changing its concept of ‘being scientific’.     

How Relevant is Operational Research to Development? The Case of Kenyan Industry

This paper proposes that the debate over O.R.'s role in development can be advanced by looking at a specific industrial environment. The Kenyan example suggests that for O.R. to make a contribution to this developing society it must: first, be defined as broadly as possible so as to include the most basic problem-solving techniques, and second, contribute to the diffusing of these techniques throughout the economy. O.R. should be viewed less as the province of an elite group of specialists— and more as a common resource available to managers at any level of industry. O.R. educators in developing nations can "democratise" quantitative techniques by incorporating them into such traditional business disciplines as accounting, marketing, and production. These courses should stress problem-solving and rely on cases drawn from local experiences. The paper ends by describing a pilot project, the Case Research and Documentation Centre, which is designed to promote more pragmatic management education and research in Kenya.     

The beginnings of the R.L. Moore school of topology

The roots of the R.L. Moore school of point set topology were formed around 1900, with Moore's most direct influences coming from his University of Texas teacher, G.B. Halsted, and from his graduate school teachers at the University of Chicago, mainly O. Veblen and E.H. Moore. It was recognized as a school by the 1930s as Moore and his students achieved recognition for their work and as this group interacted with the Polish school of topology. In addition to the mathematical subject, the other main factor that helped to identify this group as a school was the distinctive method of teaching Moore used to introduce the subject to students.