SIÑO, FERL DIANE S.

BSA31

Briefly explain the history and applications of management science/ operations research based from the
videos you’ve watched.

Operations Research: Science and Technology for Informed Decision Making

First of all, Operations Research and Management Science (O.R.M.S) came into existence and took part
during World War II. The British military confers with a group of scientists and specialists in the field of
physics, biology, mathematics, psychology, etc. to put in a scientific approach in dealing with strategic
and tactical problems of various military operations. It aims to determine the effectiveness of specific
operations which is the investigation of the most effective utilization of radar and to formulate
procedures for improving the use of weapons. This was considered as the birth of O.R.M.S and since
then, it has been a successful aid in developing and applying scientific methods to help decision-makers.
After the drastic success of the British project during the war, the military was encouraged to use
O.R.M.S to improve their operations and to resolve different military and war issues or problems.
Subsequently, as the war ended, O.R.M.S has been recognized as a scientific discipline. It received more
civilian attention as the possibilities of its application to industry, business, non-profit, and government
organizations became noticeable since these organizations began utilizing analytical research as part of
their decision-making process.
O.R.M.S has provided solutions and identified deeper insights into the industries in a lot of different
ways by using analytical data, statistics, and methods to enhance operational and managerial efficiency.
In the field of business, O.R.M.S greatly contributed to increasing productivity while minimizing the costs
incurred by the company, which helps in maximizing profits. Additionally, O.R.M.S have helped to bridge
the gap between the company strategies and customer experience by gathering the latter’s insights and
experiences of the company’s products or services and by employing the so-called “queuing theory”. In
light of this, businesses were able to come up with better strategies to improve customer service
experience such as reducing customers’ waiting time at queue lines which helps to increase the overall
satisfaction level of customers as it has an enormous effect on the success of the business.
Furthermore, O.R.M.S proved its effectiveness when integrated with various activities of the enterprises
and with the factors of production to increase the productivity of the organization. The scientific
methods have helped in organizing the resources for achieving the objectives of the enterprises.
Specifically, O.R.M.S contributed in the development of the scientific scheduling systems for loading jobs
on machines and minimizing production delays in which after some time the formula for inventory
control was made and it was vastly used even until the present day.
Into the bargain, O.R.M.S was used to come up with mathematical models to prevent businesses from
risking the cost of experimenting in real life. Through the help of O.R.M.S, the company can evaluate the
impact of any ideas or decisions before bringing any real change into play which is practically efficient
since it could save the company a lot of time and money.
Moreover, O.R.M.S also played its role in the field of logistics wherein it pitches in to upgrade the freight
routing and transportation. Through the use of dynamic programming, the big problem in the logistics
was broken down into smaller problems to resolve it more easily. They were able to simulate how
logistic operations work and the decision-making process involved in it. That is the reason why key
decision-makers were able to manage the operations well and prioritize things most functionally. They
were also able to anticipate any problems before it arises and come up with the best decisions and
effective strategies to minimize any delays in their operations and make it more efficient to reduce
costs. Besides, O.R.M.S allowed the logistic business to take advantage of the information it has in the
competitive business environment.
On the other note, O.R.M.S was used to find the exact location of the ship called “Central America” that
sunk at the bottom of the ocean a long time ago. Experts utilized the method called “search theory” and
they systematically planned the search through creating a probability map of the ocean floor to find the
ship in a fast way. After that, they have successfully found it together with the golds or treasure that
sunk into the ocean floor. This search theory is still very much applicable as of today whether finding
wrecked ships or crashed planes into the ocean or locating submarines.
We can also see the application of O.R.M.S in the field of aeronautics or the airline industry. O.R.MS
helped to make the scheduling systems for airlines and the time of take-offs and landings. Also, it is used
to determine the types of aircraft that people fly in and ensure that the planes are working efficiently.
Additionally, it aided to guarantee that the crew is selected most efficiently and to determine how fast
will customers be able to get their luggage.
When it comes to politics, O.R.M.S is used and applied particularly in predicting the outcomes of the
presidential elections for example. Moreover, it is used in estimating the impact of change that can
affect the political balance in the world. For instance, in times of emergency, bringing together the
nation’s forces is not that easy due to the massive planning involved in it but with the help of O.R.M.S,
there comes a peaceful end to the conflicts of different countries. This became possible as experts
utilized a flight mission rehearsal system which helped pilots to prepare and train for selective bombing
missions to achieve a cease-fire. That system combines satellite imagery and digital terrain database and
uses O.R.M.S to control those imageries and data efficiently. This new technology is not used only for
the training of pilots but, it was also meaningfully used for convincing presidents of different countries
that continue to fight with each other to settle things up and promote peace thanks to O.R.M.S which
successfully made that happen.
Moreover, O.R.M.S has successfully served its purpose in the medical field. The use of linear
programming methods gives rise to computer-based software which can improve the accuracy of breast
cancer diagnosis and prognosis in the most efficient way. This has been a great help as it provided a
good alternative to costly and invasive surgery. A specialized program that could scrutinize a cellular
image is used as a tool to tell if its malignant or benign. Besides, the program could assess the
probability of disease-free survival of the patient. In light of this, we can say that O.R.M.S is a great help
in establishing procedures that will aid in the early detection of cancer which could enormously save
people’s lives.
In conclusion, after watching the video, I learned that Operations Research and Management Science
has a lot to do with our world today as it greatly contributes to the development of science and
technology and different fields or industries. It helped so much in finding ways and solutions to many
problems that we, humans, encounter. O.R.M.S significantly change our lives as it has a huge influence
on us in making better decisions to be more effective and efficient.