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Introduction To OR

Operations research originated during World War II when the British military sought expert advice on optimal resource allocation. It has since been widely applied to business and industry problems and involves applying scientific methods to complex organizational issues. Operations research aims to provide optimal solutions through interdisciplinary teamwork and systems analysis.

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Nhoemi Tano
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30 views13 pages

Introduction To OR

Operations research originated during World War II when the British military sought expert advice on optimal resource allocation. It has since been widely applied to business and industry problems and involves applying scientific methods to complex organizational issues. Operations research aims to provide optimal solutions through interdisciplinary teamwork and systems analysis.

Uploaded by

Nhoemi Tano
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Quantitative

Methods
INTRODUCTION TO
OPERATIONS RESEARCH
The Origins of Operations Research

• Originated during World War II, when the British


military management contacted a group of experts
together to use a scientific approach in the study
of military operations to win the conflict.

• The term Operations Research (OR) was first


coined by MC Closky and Trefthen in 1940 in a
small town, Bowdsey of UK. Their mission was to
formulate specific proposals and to arrive at the
decision on optimal utilization of scarce military
resources and also to implement the decisions
effectively.
The Origins of Operations Research
• When the war ended, the success of OR in
the war effort spurred interest in applying
OR outside the military as well.

• It is now widely used in military, business,


industry, transportation, public health,
crime investigation, etc.
The Nature of Operations Research
What is Operations Research?
• The application of methods of science to complex problems arising in the direction
and management of large number of men, machines, materials, and money, in
industry, business, government, and defense.

• A discipline that deals with the application of


advanced analytical methods to help make better
decisions.

• The application of scientific methods, techniques, and tools to the problems


involving the operations of a system so as to provide those in control of the
system with optimum solution to the problem.
The Nature of Operations Research
The Nature of Operations Research

Characteristics of Operations Research


• It is Inter-disciplinary team approach
• It is a system approach
• It is scientific approach (Defining, Observing, Formulating, Testing, Analyzing
• It increases creative ability of the decision maker
• It is a continuing process
• It frequently attempts optimal solution
The Impact of Operations Research

• It has made a significant contribution to increasing the productivity of the


economies of various countries.
• It has made a significant contribution to improving the efficiency of numerous
organizations around the world.
• OR currently is one of the fastest-growing career areas for U.S. college
graduates.
• The International Federation of Operational Research Societies (IFORS) was
organized with a good number of countries as members.
The Impact of Operations Research
The Impact of Operations Research
Opportunities and Shortcomings
Limitations of OR
• Dependence on an Electronic Computer
• The setFactors
• Non-Quantifiable 𝐷 is called the domain of the function.
• Estimation
• Wrong The number 𝑓(𝑥) is the value of 𝑓 at 𝒙 and is read “𝑓
of 𝑥.”
• Involves Time and Cost
• The
• Operations rangeis of
research 𝑓 is the
a costly affairset of all possible values of 𝑓(𝑥)
as 𝑥 varies throughout the domain.
• Implementation
• An independent variable is that symbol that
represents a number in the domain of 𝑓.
• A dependent variable is that symbol that represents a
number in the range of 𝑓.
Opportunities and Shortcomings

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