Feynman's Operational Calculus and Evolution Equations

We give an exposition and an extension of the ideas of Feynman's time-ordered operational calculus for noncommuting operators. Various directions for 'disentangling' functions of such operators are provided by measures on the time intervals in question. We concentrate especially on exponentials of sums of noncommuting operators and prove that the unique solution of a broad class of evolution equations is given by the time-dependent operators arrived at by disentangling such exponential expressions.     

Economists and Operational Research

The academic background of OR scientists is overwhelmingly in science, engineering and mathematics. This paper argues that economics graduates should be recruited into the profession in far greater numbers than at present. The contribution to OR of a scientific training is compared with the value of a background in economics, in terms both of project work undertaken and of research methodology.     

Operational Research and Management

The purpose of this paper is to discuss and if possible to dispel the industrialist's misunderstanding of operational research. The author lists some of the varied ideas held by industrialists of operational research including several which are contradictory, as for example (a) That operational research is new and revolutionary; and (b) That operational research proves nothing new and has always been practised without being so named.A number of suggestions are then made and developed, which should lead to a better understanding. These include, clearer definitions of operational research and a better adaptation of the specialized literature to the needs of industrial management, with particular emphasis on the publication of real rather than synthetic case histories. Headings of sections are:

1. 1
   The attitude of industrialists.
    
2. 2
   The exact nature of operational research.
    
3. 3
   Problems, criteria, models.
    
4. 4
   The practice of operational research in business.
    

     

Operational Research and Decision-Making

This paper was originally presented under the title "Decision" at the Third Operational Research Conference of the Universities of Lancaster and Sussex held at Windermere in April 1968. In it, the question of what is meant by "improved decision-making" is examined and the ways in which operational research can and does contribute to this are discussed. In the course of this the "American School" of Decision Analysis is reviewed. The paper concludes with some suggestions on computational procedures. This paper was written as a vehicle for discussion. In order to stimulate this, the authors have been deliberately provocative and presented an extreme point of view. The paper which follows this is a condensed version of some of the discussion which took place at the Conference. The authors would welcome further contributions.     

Supranational Operational Research

Journal of the Operational Research Society -     

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.     

Corporate Planning and Operational Research

Corporate Planning is a multi-dimensional activity. It can no longer be thought of as a largely analytical process to which OR can make a contribution through its quantitative techniques. This may be a reason why Operational Researchers seem to be losing their pre-eminent position as corporate model builders. So that it can regain that position OR will have to consider constructing models that incorporate political as well as psychological variables and models that allow managers to manage.