Operations
research is an interdisciplinary field that emerged during
World War II when scientists, engineers, and mathematicians were asked
to develop ways to make the most effective use of limited military
resources. Since then,
operations research has been widely applied by industry and government
in making decisions about the use of scarce resources and in solving
problems involving complex design, allocation, planning, or logistics.
Today, operations
research is considered an essential tool to help improve efficiency of
business
and management.