This volume contains contributions from the 11th International Conference on Management Science (CMS 2014), held at Lisbon, Portugal, on May 29-31, 2014. Its contents reflect the wide scope of Management Science, covering different theoretical aspects for a quite diverse set of applications. Computational Management Science provides a unique perspective in relevant decision-making processes by focusing on all its computational aspects. These include computational economics, finance and statistics; energy; scheduling; supply chains; design, analysis and applications of optimization algorithms; deterministic, dynamic, stochastic, robust and combinatorial optimization models; solution algorithms, learning and forecasting such as neural networks and genetic algorithms; models and tools of knowledge acquisition, such as data mining; and all other topics in management science with the emphasis on computational paradigms.

This book offers a timely review of cutting-edge applications of computational intelligence to business management and financial analysis. It covers a wide range of intelligent and optimization techniques, reporting in detail on their application to real-world problems relating to portfolio management and demand forecasting, decision making, knowledge acquisition, and supply chain scheduling and management.

Portfolio Management with Heuristic Optimization consist of two parts. The first part (Foundations) deals with the foundations of portfolio optimization, its assumptions, approaches and the limitations when "traditional" optimization techniques are to be applied. In addition, the basic concepts of several heuristic optimization techniques are presented along with examples of how to implement them for financial optimization problems. The second part (Applications and Contributions) consists of five chapters, covering different problems in financial optimization: the effects of (linear, proportional and combined) transaction costs together with integer constraints and limitations on the initital endowment to be invested; the diversification in small portfolios; the effect of cardinality constraints on the Markowitz efficient line; the effects (and hidden risks) of Value-at-Risk when used the relevant risk constraint; the problem factor selection for the Arbitrage Pricing Theory.

Computational Techniques of the Simplex Method is a systematic treatment focused on the computational issues of the simplex method. It provides a comprehensive coverage of the most important and successful algorithmic and implementation techniques of the simplex method. It is a unique source of essential, never discussed details of algorithmic elements and their implementation. On the basis of the book the reader will be able to create a highly advanced implementation of the simplex method which, in turn, can be used directly or as a building block in other solution algorithms.

This book deals with complex problems in the fields of logistics and supply chain management and discusses advanced methods, especially from the field of computational intelligence (CI), for solving them. The first two chapters provide general introductions to logistics and supply chain management on the one hand, and to computational intelligence on the other hand. The subsequent chapters cover specific fields in logistics and supply chain management, work out the most relevant problems found in those fields, and discuss approaches for solving them. Chapter 3 discusses problems in the field of production and inventory management. Chapter 4 considers planning activities on a finer level of granularity which is usually denoted as scheduling. In chapter 5 problems in transportation planning such as different types of vehicle routing problems are considered. While chapters 3 to 5 rather discuss planning problems which appear on an operative level, chapter 6 discusses the strategic problem of designing a supply chain or network. The final chapter provides an overview of academic and commercial software and information systems for the discussed applications. There appears to be a gap between general textbooks on logistics and supply chain management and more specialized literature dealing with methods for computational intelligence, operations research, etc., for solving the complex operational problems in these fields. For readers, it is often difficult to proceed from introductory texts on logistics and supply chain management to the sophisticated literature which deals with the usage of advanced methods. This book fills this gap by providing state-of-the-art descriptions of the corresponding problems and suitable methods for solving them.

The cultural, social, and economic history of mankind is characterized by a succession of needs and problems that have stimulated the invention of operational and conceptual tools to facilitate their solution. The continuous presentation of new needs, an attempt to improve partial solutions to old problems, curiosity, and the disinterested search for knowledge then constituted the fundamental push for scientific, cultural, economic, and social progress. In an increasingly digital society, where software technological tools permeate daily life and, consequently, change the management of reality, mastering of transversal skills is crucial for success. Computational thinking is a set of transversal skills related to the foundations of computer science as a scientific discipline and means a mastering to the process of solving problems. The goal of computational thinking is to acquire interpretative perspectives of reality, which allows one to read the digital experience competently and responsibly. Computational Thinking for Problem Solving and Managerial Mindset Training explores how individuals can be trained into managerial mindsets through computational thinking and computer science. It explores how computer science can be used as a valid guideline to develop skills such as effective soft skills, communication skills, and collaboration. Further, the chapters explore the adoption of computational thinking for individuals to gain managerial mindsets and successfully solve questions and problems in their domain of interest. This will include artificial intelligence applications, strategic thinking, management training, ethics, emergency managerial mindsets, and more. This book is valuable for managers, professionals, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students interested in how computational thinking can be applied for the training of managerial mindsets.

During the last two decades, computer and information technologies have forced great changes in the ways businesses manage operations in meeting the desired quality of products and services, customer demands, competition, and other challenges. The Handbook of Computational Intelligence in Manufacturing and Production Management focuses on new developments in computational intelligence in areas such as forecasting, scheduling, production planning, inventory control, and aggregate planning, among others. This comprehensive collection of research provides cutting-edge knowledge on information technology developments for both researchers and professionals in fields such as operations and production management, Web engineering, artificial intelligence, and information resources management.