The editors of the third edition of Encyclopedia of Operations Research and Management Science, the late Saul I. Gass (Professor Emeritus of Decision, Operations and Information Technologies at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business), and his colleague co-editor Michael C. Fu have been significant contributors to the operations research and management science (OR/MS) fields. Dr Gass’ research interests included linear programming and game theory and the history and application of operations research. Dr Fu is the Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Management Science at the University of Maryland, and his research interests include simulation modeling and analysis, Markov decision processes and other areas with application to both supply chain management and financial engineering. The many contributors they (and their advisory board) have brought together are leaders in their fields, and are affiliated with diverse international institutions that include military and corporate organizations, academic institutions and standards bodies. With nearly 50 new entries (some of which enlarge on the previous edition’s shorter versions), as well as updates to existing entries, this is a significant and timely expansion.
The entries fall into two main categories: those that are essentially glossary entries, where a term is defined or an acronym is spelled out; and those that cover a particular concept, organization, method or technique in detail. The in-depth entries share essentially the same structure, starting with an introduction that offers background or historical information, then the application of the technique or method, followed by how this method is being used currently (and may be used in the future), and concluding with a list of references. While some glossary entries also list references, authors are not specified. All of the in-depth entries have the authors and their affiliations listed directly following the entry titles.
Many of those entries encompass complex concepts; however, the language used by most authors is accessible and clear. This accessible language reinforces the editors’ intent for the audience to be wide and diverse, including, as they note in the introduction, “anyone concerned with the science, techniques, and ideas of how one makes decisions”. Additional support for readers who may be new to this field is provided in some entries by additional explanatory figures or tables. These are primarily reproduced in black and white, though a few include color.
Entries that have connections to other entries have see references that point to those other entries by title, another bridge for researchers less familiar with what concepts or methods might be connected. Positioning these references at the point of need is a useful approach, though in this case they appear to replace a more traditional index. Unfortunately, one of the things these see references don’t do that an index does is to provide the relevant page number for direct and rapid access to the related entry or entries. One example is the entry for the Impossibility Theorem, whose sole see reference points to the entry for Group Decision-Making, which doesn’t mention Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem until close to its conclusion. The structure of the see entries would be more useful in the electronic version of this title, not available to this reviewer, where they could link to the related entry directly (even down to the term’s location in the text).
Another benefit of an index, the grouping of related entries by subject, would be beneficial here. As one example, the entry for RAND Corporation, a key player in the development of OR/MS, is a concise historical overview that includes RAND’s notable contributions to the field. It would be helpful to see which other organizations have entries in this edition, if any, and the see section for RAND does not point to any others.
While a two-volume set of some heft (> 1,600 pages total), this resource is still compact enough to be practically portable, and is an excellent orientation to key OR/MS concepts, terms and methods. This encyclopedia adeptly fills the editors’ desired function, stated in the preface, to have this collection of entries “designed to serve as initial sources of information”, particularly for students in these fields. By supplying clear overviews of critical conversations from the diverse disciplines that participate in OR/MS, and by integrating lists of references to support additional exploration, the editors and their contributors provide an accessible gateway to the larger realm of scholarly work in this field. Recommended not only for institutions with OR/MS programs or practitioners but also for those with an interest in exploring the intersections of OR/MS with its many related fields.
