Operations research
From DDL Wiki
According to the web site of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), "Operations research is the application of advanced analytical methods to help make better decisions." It is generally concerned with optimizing operations in areas such as manufacturing, logistics, health care, military operations, and many other domains. Operations research is often called 'operational research' in the United Kingdom.
The origins of operations research as a formal discipline are the efforts made by mathematicians and other scientists during World War II to optimize the effectiveness of military operations such as protecting convoys and searching for submarines. However, the field of scientific management (especially the development of mathematical models for inventory management) is also an important forerunner. (For references to the history of the field, see the Wikipedia entry on operations research.)
