EDEN G.

ANIVERSARIO MATH 137 (Operational Reseach)

BSED-MATH 4 TTh 5:30-7:00pm

My Reflection in Operational Research

I have learned that Operational Research or Operations Research (OR) is an analytical

method of problem-solving and decision-making that is useful in the management of
organizations. In operations research, problems are broken down into basic components and
then solved in defined steps by mathematical analysis.

Analytical methods used in OR include mathematical logic, simulation, network analysis,

queuing theory, and game theory . The process can be broadly broken down into three steps.

1. A set of potential solutions to a problem is developed. (This set may be large.)

2. The alternatives derived in the first step are analyzed and reduced to a small set of
solutions most likely to prove workable.
3. The alternatives derived in the second step are subjected to simulated implementation
and, if possible, tested out in real-world situations. In this final step, psychology and
management science often play important roles.

Operations Research (OR) applies scientific method to the management of organized

systems in business, industry, government and other enterprises. OR is regularly applied in areas
such as: supply chain management, marketing and revenue management systems, manufacturing
plants, financial engineering, telecommunication networks, healthcare management, transportation
networks, energy and the environment, service systems, web commerce, military defense, etc.

Typically, applications of OR in these and other areas deal with decisions involved in
planning the efficient allocation of scarce resources - such as material, skilled workers, machines,
money and time - to achieve stated goals and objectives under conditions of uncertainty and over a
span of time. Efficient allocation of resources may entail establishing policies, designing processes,
or relocating assets. OR analysts solve such management decision problems with an array of
mathematical methodologies.

Operations Research is known by different names in different organizations: Analytics,

Systems Analysis and Management Science among them. Related fields include Operations
Management, Industrial Engineering, and Systems Engineering (OR tends to have a broader and
more mathematical scope than these fields). Information lies at the core of what OR analysts do:
they collect, synthesize, and work with information, and use information systems as a source of data
and a means of implementing solutions. For this reason, Cornell’s School of OR&IE has changed the
“I” in their name, from “Industrial” to “Information,” to become the School of Operations Research
and Information Engineering.