Applications of Management Science
Article Type: Books and resources From: Journal of Modelling in Management, Volume 9, Issue 2
Volume 16 of the book series Applications of Management Science (edited by Kenneth D. Lawrence and Gary Kleinman) is the latest in a series of edited books offering pertinent elucidation of typical areas/research in regard to management science. This volume comprises three sections: A – Multiple Criteria, B – Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and C – Managerial Applications. In itself, these three sections offer different tastes of management science, name an often research area (Multiple Criteria), a popular research analysis technique (DEA) and real-world research in action (Managerial Applications).
Section A (Multiple Criteria) comprises five chapters, detailing the use of a diverse range of techniques within multiple criteria research, namely (in chapter order), multiple objective non-linear programming, multi-criteria decision analysis, multi-criteria mathematical programming, linear and non-linear integer programming and simulated annealing. While sometimes brief in technical details, reference to the employed software allows further investigation (some models were explicitly given).
Section B (DEA) comprises three chapters, each employing different numbers and variants on DEA models, including input-oriented, output-oriented and generalised CCR. The three chapters offer interesting results across different applied problems (the problem descriptions may aid potential users of DEA to learn what is appropriate for this techniques employment).
Section C (Managerial Applications) comprises four chapters, with different methodological approaches employed, including scenario-based extrapolation simulation models, expected costs, pricing models and capability analysis through simulation. Again, the problem descriptions may offer insights helpful to readers interested in these approaches to modelling managerial situations.
Malcolm J. Beynon
Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
