Operations Research and Systems Engineering: Growth and Transformation Commentaries on the Profession

127 Pages·2022·2.139 MB·English

by  Howard Eisner

CRC FOCUS
OPERATIONS RESEARCH
AND SYSTEMS
ENGINEERING
Growth and Transformation Commentaries on
the Profession
Howard Eisner
Operations Research and
Systems Engineering
This book presents an overview of operations research and systems engineering
and takes a look into both fields on content, histories, contributions, and future
directions so a sound career choice can be made for those who might be deciding
on a career path. The book also offers how these two fields can be integrated and
used in current times and into the future.
Operations Research and Systems Engineering: Growth and Transformation
traces the history of both fields of research as well as offers comments on the
importance of both areas of study. By taking a look back with a historical
perspective and also looking forward with the presentation of applications
currently being used, someone looking to make a sound career choice will be
able to decide which area they want to move towards. The book also offers how
to integrate both operations research methods with systems engineering concepts
and tools and provides a comparison between the two, along with how they can
work together in the future.
The goal of this book is to provide the reader with enough information so they
can move forward with their career goals. It is also an ideal book that provides
engineers, scientists, and mathematicians with a way to broaden their
knowledge and areas of study.

Operations Research and
Systems Engineering
Growth and Transformation
Commentaries on the Profession
Howard Eisner
First edition published 2023
by CRC Press
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
and by CRC Press
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
© 2023 Howard Eisner
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Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
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explanation without intent to infringe.
ISBN: 978-1-032-30749-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-30781-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-30661-0 (ebk)
DOI: 10.1201/9781003306610
Typeset in Times
by MPS Limited, Dehradun
This book is dedicated to my grandchildren: Rebecca, Gabriel, Jacob
Benjamin and Zachary and my wife, June Linowitz

Contents
Preface ix
About the Author xi
1 Introduction 1
2 Overview of Operations Research 3
3 Overview of Systems Engineering 13
4 Academic Representations 25
5 Systems Engineering: Revisited 35
6 Operations Research: Revisited 43
7 Common Elements – Operations Research and
Systems Engineering 51
8 Growth in Systems Engineering and Operations
Research 63
9 Key Contributions – Operations Research 73
10 Key Contributions – Systems Engineering 79
11 A Personal Journey 89
12 Transformations 99
13 Summary 111
Index 113
vii

Preface
This book provides an overview of both operations research and systems
engineering. As such it contains guidance for the student who is trying to
decide which of these two fields to declare as a major in an academic
program. Or, one may be a major and the other a minor. There are pluses and
minuses that relate to the generic interests of the student. So the reader is
urged to read each chapter carefully and with due regard for content and
interests. Also, there are common topics in these two fields that need to be
taken into account.
ix