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Reflections on fifty years of operational research

Author

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  • J Rosenhead

    (London School of Economics and Political Science)

Abstract

This paper provides a particular perspective on developments in operational research (OR) over the past 50 years and attempts to pick out significant milestones in that trajectory. Emphasis is placed on the UK experience (rather than taking a supposed perspective independent of interactions with any specific social context); on the significance of techniques and where they came from; and on the role of social, political, intellectual, and economic factors in what has been happening to and within OR.

Suggested Citation

  • J Rosenhead, 2009. "Reflections on fifty years of operational research," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 60(1), pages 5-15, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:jorsoc:v:60:y:2009:i:1:d:10.1057_jors.2009.13
    DOI: 10.1057/jors.2009.13
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. M W Kirby, 2000. "Spreading the gospel of management science: operational research in Iron and Steel, 1950–1970," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 51(9), pages 1020-1028, September.
    2. Maurice W. Kirby, 2007. "Paradigm Change in Operations Research: Thirty Years of Debate," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 55(1), pages 1-13, February.
    3. Taylor, Frederick Winslow, 1911. "The Principles of Scientific Management," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number taylor1911.
    4. Charles J. Corbett & Luk N. Van Wassenhove, 1993. "The Natural Drift: What Happened to Operations Research?," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 41(4), pages 625-640, August.
    5. Shiv K. Gupta & Jonathan Rosenhead, 1968. "Robustness in Sequential Investment Decisions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(2), pages 18-29, October.
    6. ManMohan S. Sodhi & Christopher S. Tang, 2008. "The OR/MS Ecosystem: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 56(2), pages 267-277, April.
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