Operations Research Handbook

Operations Research (OR) began as an interdisciplinary activity to solve complex military problems during World War II. Utilizing principles from mathematics, engineering, business, computer science, economics, and statistics, OR has developed into a full fledged academic discipline with practical application in business, industry, government and m

Here is the first systematic handbook treatment of quantitative modeling natural resource problems, their allocated efficient use, and societal and economic impact. Andrés Weintraub is the very top person in Natural Resource research. He has selected co-editors who are at the top of the sub-fields in natural resources: agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and mining. The book covers these areas with contributions from researchers on, among others, modeling natural research problems, quantifying data, and developing algorithms.

This handbook covers various areas of Higher Education (HE) in which operations research/management science (OR/MS) techniques are used. Key examples include: international comparisons, university rankings, and rating academic efficiency with Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA); formulating academic strategy with balanced scorecard; budgeting and planning with linear and quadratic models; student forecasting; E-learning evaluation; faculty evaluation with questionnaires and multivariate statistics; marketing for HE; analytic and educational simulation; academic information systems; technology transfer with systems analysis; and examination timetabling. Overviews, case studies and findings on advanced OR/MS applications in various functional areas of HE are included.

This book contains eleven chapters describing some of the most recent methodological operations research developments in transportation. It is structured around the main transportation modes, and each chapter is written by a group of well-recognized researchers. Because of the major impact of operations research methods in the field of air transportation over the past forty years, it is befitting to open the book with a chapter on airline operations management. This book will prove useful to researchers, students, and practitioners in transportation and will stimulate further research in this rich and fascinating area. Volume 14 examines transport and its relationship with operations and management science 11 chapters cover the most recent research developments in transportation Focuses on main transportation modes-air travel, automobile, public transit, maritime transport, and more

The remarkable growth of financial markets over the past decades has been accompanied by an equally remarkable explosion in financial engineering, the interdisciplinary field focusing on applications of mathematical and statistical modeling and computational technology to problems in the financial services industry. The goals of financial engineering research are to develop empirically realistic stochastic models describing dynamics of financial risk variables, such as asset prices, foreign exchange rates, and interest rates, and to develop analytical, computational and statistical methods and tools to implement the models and employ them to design and evaluate financial products and processes to manage risk and to meet financial goals. This handbook describes the latest developments in this rapidly evolving field in the areas of modeling and pricing financial derivatives, building models of interest rates and credit risk, pricing and hedging in incomplete markets, risk management, and portfolio optimization. Leading researchers in each of these areas provide their perspective on the state of the art in terms of analysis, computation, and practical relevance. The authors describe essential results to date, fundamental methods and tools, as well as new views of the existing literature, opportunities, and challenges for future research.

A handbook in the truest sense of the word, the first edition of the Operations Research Calculations Handbook quickly became an indispensible resource. While other books available tend to give detailed information about specific topics, this one contains comprehensive information and results useful for real-world problem solving. Reflecting the breadth and depth of growth in the field, the scope of the second edition has been expanded to cover several additional topics. And as with the first edition, it focuses on presenting analytical results and formulas that allow quick calculations and provide understanding of system models. See what�s in the Second Edition: New chapters include Order Statistics, Traffic Flow and Delay, and Heuristic Search Methods New sections include Distance Norms, Hyper-Exponential and Hypo-Exponential Distributions Newly derived formulas and an expanded reference list Like its predecessor, the new edition of this handbook presents the analytical results and formulas needed in the scientific applications of operations research and management. It continues to provide quick calculations and insight into system performance. Presenting practical results and formulas without derivations, the material is organized by topic and offered in a concise format that allows ready-access to a wide range of results in a single volume. The field of operations research encompasses a growing number of technical areas, and uses analyses and techniques from a variety of branches of mathematics, statistics, and other scientific disciplines. And as the field continues to grow, there is an even greater need for key results to be summarized and easily accessible in one reference volume. Yet many of the important results and formulas are widely scattered among different textbooks and journals and are often hard to find in t

In both rich and poor nations, public resources for health care are inadequate to meet demand. Policy makers and health care providers must determine how to provide the most effective health care to citizens using the limited resources that are available. This chapter describes current and future challenges in the delivery of health care, and outlines the role that operations research (OR) models can play in helping to solve those problems. The chapter concludes with an overview of this book – its intended audience, the areas covered, and a description of the subsequent chapters. KEY WORDS Health care delivery, Health care planning HEALTH CARE DELIVERY: PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES 3 1.1 WORLDWIDE HEALTH: THE PAST 50 YEARS Human health has improved significantly in the last 50 years. In 1950, global life expectancy was 46 years [1]. That figure rose to 61 years by 1980 and to 67 years by 1998 [2]. Much of these gains occurred in low- and middle-income countries, and were due in large part to improved nutrition and sanitation, medical innovations, and improvements in public health infrastructure.

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.