The field of operations research provides a scientific approach to managerial decision making. In a contemporary, hypercompetitive ever-changing business world, a manager needs quantitative and factual ways of solving problems related to optimal allocation of resources, profit/loss, maximization/minimization etc. In this endeavor, the subject of doing research on how to manage and make operations efficient is termed as Operations Research. The reference text provides conceptual and analytical knowledge for various operations research techniques. Readers, especially students of this subject, are skeptic in dealing with the subject because of its emphasis on mathematics. However, this book has tried to remove such doubts by focusing on the application part of OR techniques with minimal usage of mathematics. The attempt was to make students comfortable with some complicated topics of the subject. It covers important concepts including sensitivity analysis, duality theory, transportation solution method, Hungarian algorithm, program evaluation and review technique and periodic review system. Aimed at senior undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of mechanical engineering, civil engineering, industrial engineering and production engineering, this book: • Discusses extensive use of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and formulas in solving operations research problems • Provides case studies and unsolved exercises at the end of each chapter • Covers industrial applications of various operations research techniques in a comprehensive manner • Discusses creating spreadsheets and using different Excel formulas in an easy-to-understand manner • Covers problem-solving procedures for techniques including linear programming, transportation model and game theory

The field of operations research provides a scientific approach to managerial decision making. In a contemporary, hypercompetitive ever-changing business world, a manager needs quantitative and factual ways of solving problems related to optimal allocation of resources, profit/loss, maximization/minimization etc. In this endeavor, the subject of doing research on how to manage and make operations efficient is termed as Operations Research. The reference text provides conceptual and analytical knowledge for various operations research techniques. Readers, especially students of this subject, are skeptic in dealing with the subject because of its emphasis on mathematics. However, this book has tried to remove such doubts by focusing on the application part of OR techniques with minimal usage of mathematics. The attempt was to make students comfortable with some complicated topics of the subject. It covers important concepts including sensitivity analysis, duality theory, transportation solution method, Hungarian algorithm, program evaluation and review technique and periodic review system. Aimed at senior undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of mechanical engineering, civil engineering, industrial engineering and production engineering, this book: • Discusses extensive use of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and formulas in solving operations research problems • Provides case studies and unsolved exercises at the end of each chapter • Covers industrial applications of various operations research techniques in a comprehensive manner • Discusses creating spreadsheets and using different Excel formulas in an easy-to-understand manner • Covers problem-solving procedures for techniques including linear programming, transportation model and game theory

Market_Desc: · Business Studies, Accounting, Finance, and Operations Management courses that offer practical computing skills as an integral part of the course syllabus· Managers and Analysts who want to develop their model-building skills Special Features: · The use of spreadsheet models in finance, business and management decision-making is on the increase· Other books on spreadsheet modeling tend to focus on applied management science and complex financial models, which restricts the market· This new edition will follow the active learning approach which focuses on the practical aspect of how to build computer models while summarizing the mathematical logic as to why the model is so constructed· A website will accompany the text, containing hands on development models to enable the reader to put theory into practice.· A new chapter entitled Investment Analysis Models will be added to widen the appeal to students in finance and accounting.· All references to Excel (including the Excel refresher notes in the appendix) have been upgraded to reflect the latest version of Microsoft Office (e. g. Excel 2003 and Windows XP)· Job sequencing including a VBA routine for Johnson s Rule· Multiplicative Holt-Winter s model About The Book: This text adopts an active learning approach with the emphasis being placed on the utilization of software tools to help build models. The learn by example approach used throughout the book guides the user through the complexities of model building. Every day examples from business and operations management form the basis of the book s hands on development models that help the reader to appreciate Excel s power and flexibility.

Reflects the latest applied research and features state-of-the-art software for building and solving spreadsheet optimization models Thoroughly updated to reflect the latest topical and technical advances in the field, Optimization Modeling with Spreadsheets, Second Edition continues to focus on solving real-world optimization problems through the creation of mathematical models and the use of spreadsheets to represent and analyze those models. Developed and extensively classroom-tested by the author, the book features a systematic approach that equips readers with the skills to apply optimization tools effectively without the need to rely on specialized algorithms. This new edition uses the powerful software package Risk Solver Platform (RSP) for optimization, including its Evolutionary Solver, which employs many recently developed ideas for heuristic programming. The author provides expanded coverage of integer programming and discusses linear and nonlinear programming using a systematic approach that emphasizes the use of spreadsheet-based optimization tools. The Second Edition also features: Classifications for the various problem types, providing the reader with a broad framework for building and recognizing optimization models Network models that allow for a more general form of mass balance A systematic introduction to Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) The identification of qualitative patterns in order to meaningfully interpret linear programming solutions An introduction to stochastic programming and the use of RSP to solve problems of this type Additional examples, exercises, and cases have been included throughout, allowing readers to test their comprehension of the material. In addition, a related website features Microsoft Office® Excel files to accompany the figures and data sets in the book. With its accessible and comprehensive presentation, Optimization Modeling with Spreadsheets, Second Edition is an excellent book for courses on deterministic models, optimization, and spreadsheet modeling at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. The book can also serve as a reference for researchers, practitioners, and consultants working in business, engineering, operations research, and management science.

Provides the reader with a perspective on the efficient operation of complicated systems. * Spreadsheets are used to employ and teach techniques. * Includes the facets of probability that relate to decision making.

Operations Research in Space and Air is a selection of papers reflecting the experience and expertise of international OR consulting companies and academic groups. The global market and competition play a crucial part in the decision making processes within the Space and Air industries and this book gives practical examples of how advanced applications can be used by Space and Air industry management. The material within the book provides both the basic background for the novice modeler and a useful reference for experienced modelers. Students, researchers and OR practitioners will appreciate the details of the modeling techniques, the processes that have been implemented and the computational results that demonstrate the benefits in applying OR in the Space and Airline industries. Advances in PC and Workstations technology, in optimiza tion engines and in modeling techniques now enable solving problems, never before attained by Operations Research. In recent years the Ital ian OR Society (AfRO, www. airo. org) has organized annual forums for researchers and practitioners to meet together to present and dis cuss the various scientific and technical OR achievements. The OR in Space 8 Air session of AfR02001 and AfR02002 Conferences, together with optimization tools' applications, presented recent results achieved by Alenia Spazio S. p. A. (Turin), Alitalia, Milan Polytechnic and Turin Polytechinc. With additional contributions from academia and indus try they have enabled us to capture, in print, today's 'state-of-the-art' optimization and data mining solutions.