INTRODUCTION
Operations Research is a unique discipline, one of its kinds, best of breeds, employing several highly developed and advanced analytical techniques which in turn aids in effective decision making. It is often regarded as a sub-field of mathematics. Operations research (OR) are not only deeply involved with making and taking effective decisions. It is also concerned with minimizing losses, optimization, simulations, forecasting and predicting within an organization.
According to Morse and Kimball, Operations Research is a scientific method of providing executive departments with quantitative basis for decisions regarding the operations under their control.
HISTORY
Operations Research, took birth as a new field of study in Britain in 1939 -40 at the start of World War II in the efforts of military planners, and it has developed and expanded execeedingly in the last five to six decades. After the war, the techniques were used in areas such as business, industry and society. Since then, operational research has extended into a field widely used in industries ranging from petrochemicals to airlines, finance, logistics, and government, moving to a focus on the development of mathematical models that can be used to analyze and optimize complex systems, and has become an area of active academic and industrial research.1
Historical Origin
Prior to the war, the British army was performing exercises and experiments on the radar system for detecting the aircrafts. In July 1938, the Superintendent of Bawdsey Research Station, revealed that even though the exercise/experiment had confirmed the technical viability of the radar system for detecting aircraft, he was not happy with its operational achievements as it was not up to the mark. Because of this, he suggested that a program which focuses more on the operational activities as opposed to the technical aspects of the system should be encouraged. The term "Operational Research" was