Operational Research (called "Operations Research" in some parts of the world) has been briefly described as the "scientific analysis of decisions". It is concerned with assisting and advising decision-makers in a wide variety of settings - in business and commerce, national and local government, the Health Service, and so on. Correspondingly, it offers a wide range of career prospects. OR staff help to find new approaches to problems faced by managers, and carry out analysis to clarify objectives and priorities, define alternative courses of action, and explore costs and benefits. The OR approach often involves constructing and using mathematical models. Successful practitioners thus need a sound grounding in mathematics and statistics, and must certainly be at home with quantitative thinking. However, OR also offers non-quantitative ways of structuring and modelling issues. Whatever methods are brought to bear, it is essential that the Operational Researcher should be able to take a fresh, creative view of situations, to exercise initiative, and to communicate effectively.
Most large organisations, and many smaller ones, have well-established OR groups.The formal titles of people working in OR vary considerably (including, among others, Management Scientist, Business Analyst, Corporate Planner, and Management Consultant). Depending on their position within the organisational structure, some groups specialise in particular types of work, for example project planning, stock control, market research or information technology. Others are called on by a wide range of different functions.
- The United Kingdom Operational Research Society
- International Federation Of Operational Research Societies
- The Association of European Operational
Research Societies
management science DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE Graham Hills BUILDING 40 GEORGE STREET G1 1QE
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contact-mansci@strath.ac.uk
