Product Description
Tackling the broad range of allocation problems that actually confront engineers, programmers and analysts in today's business and industrial worlds, this book takes readers step-by-step through all the mathematical programming techniques--including the trailblazing Karmarkar algorithm--needed to excel in any operations research course. It's easy to see why the first edition of this invaluable study guide sole more than 35,000 copies! It cuts down study time while it builds essential skills. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Good as an introduction
This book makes for a very readable, self contained introduction to the subject through clear examples. As the other reviewers have pointed out, it does not go very far. But, given the price you should not be disappointed. I am told that the majority of day to day operations research can be handled with just the contents of this book.

Review
Good short review of the subject.A bit too terse and lacking in a clear thread of examples in places.

Schaum's Outline of Operations Research (Purchased on 09/29/2007)
Very good classical book for operational research. I would like to find informations about value of information using markov chains and linear programing.

not enough
First of all, be careful, this is not a text book. It has a good presentation for problem solution. First, there are a some solved problems, then supplementary problems are coming. The answers of supplementary problems are at the end of the book.

This book might be useful for beginners. For every topic, there are easy problems, not specific problems similar to case studies. If you are over beginner degree, this book will not be useful for you. Especially, integer programming sections are not satisfactory. For instance, there isn't any facility location problem solution.

To sum-up this book may be useful for a beginner as a workbook.

Doubles as inexpensive textbook on operations research
Some of the primary tools used by operations researchers are statistics, optimization, stochastics, queueing theory, game theory, graph theory, and simulation. Because of the computational nature of these fields operations research also has ties to computer science, and thus this outline is useful to people from both fields. OR is concerned with optimization problems in which one seeks to maximize or minimize a specific quantity. The first part of this book is on optimization vialinear, integer, and nonlinear programming. Next, network analysis is covered. Network analysis is the general name given to certain specific techniques which can be used for the planning, management and control of projects. Two different techniques for network analysis were developed independently in the late 1950's -PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) andCPM (Critical Path Management). These techniques are also covered in the outline. The next subject tackled is that of inventory models - allowing shortages, allowing price discounts, risk conditions, etc., and their mathematical modeling. Game theory, decision theory, and dynamic programming are all explained in the context of inventory models and forecasting. Finally, there is coverage of Markov chains and queueing theory. Queuing Theory arises from the use of mathematical analysis to theoretically describe production processes along with statistical/probabilistic techniques to account for varying dynamic patterns within the stages of a productive process. The problem to be met is simply entitled "congestion", what happens when a system does not operate smoothly or efficiently.
I really liked this Schaum's outline, and I used it to teach myself most of the mathematical processes covered without the need for any additional resources. The theory is given in small doses along with very illustrative examples. The mathematics starts with simple algebra and works up to nothing more complex than probability and statistics. I highly recommend it for anybody enrolled in an operations research class as well as computer scientists and mathematics students that are studying any subset of the topics covered in this book. ... Read more

Product Description

For over four decades, Introduction to Operations Research by Frederick Hillier has been the classic text on operations research. While building on the classic strengths of the text, the author continues to find new ways to make the text current and relevant to students. One way is by incorporating a wealth of state-of-the-art, user-friendly software and more coverage of business applications than ever before. The hallmark features of this edition include clear and comprehensive coverage of fundamentals, an extensive set of interesting problems and cases, and state-of-the-practice operations research software used in conjunction with examples from the text.

Customer Reviews (22)

Pre-owned book review
I was pleased with the condition of the book and how quickly it arrived at my doorstep; this book will be very beneficial in my studies as an graduate IE. This review would have been a five star rating had the books interactive CD-Rom accompanied it.

Extremelly good condition.
Congratulations ! Thank you for sending the book in an extremelly good condition (new), even tough the edition was a very old one - 2nd. Edition from 1980. Well done ! Reinaldo (Brasilia, Brazil)

Book Review
For an introductory level text the book is very complex in its approach.Graphics are of poor quality (black and white).One positive is that themath used is college level algebra for the most part.The book is fairly comprehensive in scope.Not a lot of focus on the use, influence and relationship of Statistics in Operations Research.Also would have liked to have seen a chapter or two on decision making...

average seller
The seller mailed the book very fast. However, the book is not in "very good" condition as the seller described. The cover almost teared off from the book. The cd that should be with the book is not there.

This textbook isn't new.
This paperback book isn't new FYI. I ordered one and got it with bent on cover, opened CD, and some of worn pages. ... Read more

Product Description
In recent years there has been an emerging interest in the process by which operational research is carried out in organisations. This has been driven by the rapid developments which have taken place in the discipline throughout the 1980s. During this time Operational Research (OR) has undergone a period of significant reappraisal and as a result a deeper understanding of OR and its use in an organisational setting has been gained. This book provides a broad historical context within which these recent developments can be evaluated and future change can be anticipated. Paul Keys brings together a collection of 19 readings drawn from the 1940s to the 1990s. Arranged in four chronologically ordered sections with introductory essays providing a thematic structure, this material acts as signpost to the major steps in the developments and understanding of OR as it is practiced. The book provides an opportunity for students who are not quantitatively oriented to appreciate the and strengths of the OR approach and will provide undergraduates and graduates with complementary reading to the standard techniques-based OR texts. ... Read more

Product Description
Grounded Theory in Management is the most widely used qualitative method in social science research, and is a particularly popular method amongst management and organization reserachers. However, resources for conducting grounded theory are spread across a number of disciplines, such as sociology, nursing, education and pyschology, making it difficult for organization and management scholars to track them down.

Customer Reviews (1)

A masterful job of explaining grounded theory
Karen Locke manages, in a little over 100 pages, to simultaneously explain grounded theory, document its roots, show the conditions under which it can be used, and still maintain a critical stance toward it!She includes an extensive discussion of Barry Turner's work on disaster; an account of Glaser & Straus's procedure called 'coding,' unpacks the various varieties of grounded theory (there's not just one!), and shows great familiarity with the French influences on American social science in the past several decades.

Although she doesn't say it, her discussion implies that grounded theory is best learned from a mentor, when a novice is in an apprentice's role.My impression from some purported 'grounded theory' papers I've read in the past few years is that some junior scholars invoke it as a way of avoiding the hard work of doing what Glaser & Straus (& their followers) showed is really required to achieve a scholarly product. Some young scholars I've spoken with see it as a short cut, rather than as a serious & rigorous method in its own right. Locke does a great job of indicating how time consuming serious grounded theory work can be.

This is a great book for people just starting to think about doing grounded theory building. ... Read more

Product Description

The book covers the standard models and techniques used in decision making in organizations. The main emphasis of the book is on modeling business-related scenarios and the generation of decision alternatives. Fully solved examples from many areas are used to illustrate the main concepts without getting bogged down in technical details. The book presents an approach to operations research that is heavily based on modeling and makes extensive use of sensitivity analyses. It is a result of many years of combined teaching experience of the authors.

Product Description

Significantly revised, this book provides balanced coverage of the theory, applications, and computations of operations research. The applications and computations in operations research are emphasized. Significantly revised, this text streamlines the coverage of the theory, applications, and computations of operations research. Numerical examples are effectively used to explain complex mathematical concepts.  A separate chapter of fully analyzed applications aptly demonstrates the diverse use of OR. The popular commercial and tutorial software AMPL, Excel, Excel Solver, and Tora are used throughout the book to solve practical problems and to test theoretical concepts.  New materials include Markov chains, TSP heuristics, new LP models, and a totally new simplex-based approach to LP sensitivity analysis.  

Customer Reviews (14)

Cheap, New, and Quick Arrival
Brand new text book for about 70% discount, arrived within days.CD-ROM included.Great shape.Excellent experience.

The Best Book, Period!
I just want to respond to the CS major from Denmark.If he/she is that knowlegeable about what OR should or should not include, what is he/she doing taking an introductory course in the subject?This is not a book about writing computer codes for algorithms to please CS majors.It is a book that offers a comprehensive treatment of all three aspects of operations research (theory, applications, and computations), and it does it admirably.Also, if the CS major has read past the first few chapters, he/she will find all the LP/IP theory he/she desires.I belive that TORA is one of the best tutorial programs I (and my students) have ever used.It is easy to use and it gives instant feedback to actions initiated by the user.Also, as far as I know, TORA always gives the correct answers. I am currently teaching an introductory class from Taha's book, and I am very pleased with it (not to mention that its page count is about half the size of the competition -- without loss of substance, I must add)

An excellent book
I have used this book as a student some 20 years ago and continue to use it today in my line of work.I was surprised to read a CS student complaining that the book does not provide any LP theory.Huh! Apparently the reviewer did not go past the first two chapters because Chapter 7 gives all the necessary mathematical foundation for linear programming.The reviewer also talks about "signedness" difficulty in the book, something I don't understand because "signedness" is not a word in English.As for TORA, true the software is not an "orthodox" Windows development per se particularly for CS majors, but I find it refreshing that it is desigend to eliminate the need for a user manual. And this perhaps is the reason TORA is designed that way.It is very easy to use, and it can be used interactivly (with instant feedback) to help the reader understand the algorithmic details of the different OR techniques.I might also add that I used TORA's LP and IP modules many many times and have compared the results with those from AMPL and Excel Solver.Contrary to the CS reviewer claim,TORA always gave the correct answers. In summary, this book explains the basics of OR (theory, applications and computations)in a clear, concise, and straightforward manner using multitudes of examples.It is no wonder that it has been a leading textbook worldwide for over 35 years.

Good book for introductory course
This is a good book for an Management Science course book which does not go deep into theory. Primarily its good for business majors, however there are better books for business majors who dont want to be involved with the math using Excel exclusively. Ragsdales book comes to mind.

However, there are plenty problems solved and so if you are one of those people who learn through solving problems this is a decent book.

For theory and math pick Bazraas book on LP and NLP or Model Building by Paul Williams which I think is an excellent book.

Avoid this one...
I'm a student at a CS school in Denmark, doing a course in OR, and this book served as my first introduction to the subject. The book has several flaws making it virtually useless as teaching material. From the very start, he stumbles, as he tries to explain the simplex algorithm, yet he doesn't even give a single mathematical explanation of the process. There are two whole chapsters, devoted to simplex, yet there is no single "algorithmic" presentation in pseudo-code, of the algorithm. Other books (such as Introduction to Algorithms, 2nd ed, managers this fine.)

Many of the more subtle points of OR are badly explained. How duality relates the primal is explained theoretically in virtually a single five centimeter space, far from sufficient to explain the many aspects of duality (a key issue in OR). Further, one of the initially very confusing aspects of LP solving, is the signedness of variables. There are several approaches in the industry, and Taha follows one. This is all good and all, but that he fails to explain, how the algorithms change, depending on what signedness one uses, is totally unforgivable in an introductory text. It makes it very confusing initially (and still) to read other authors text, since it's not clear how procedures vary from one text to another.

The book's single saving grace, is that it has countless examples, but when you're looking for the mathematical reasoning behind a procedure, this book falls far short. A book that proudly proclaims on the backcover: "Complex mathematical concepts are explained by means of carefully designed numerical examples, essentially eliminating the need for [...] mathematical proofs." is not something you want. LP/IP programming IS math heavy, if you do not learn the theory, you will learn a very rigid and inflexible tool.

Further the CD comes with a Visual Basic program, the likes of which I have never seen, except perhaps ten years ago on download.com. It's Windows only, and it has the poorest interface ever (it's so obvious that this used to be a console program, quickly ported to Windows). And what's worse, is that it gives /incorrect/ solutions! Our school has an installation of CPLEX, an industrial strength program for solving LP problems. Of course, one doesn't expect TORA (the name for Tahas LP solver) to handle as big cases as CPLEX can, but it seems only fair to expect it to give the correct results. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Oldies but goodies: One of the best inventory books
Here is another best book of Operations Research (OR) application with theory.Even though this book was published in 1974, it's quite comprehensive.The fundamental with extension are shown with example -as necessary.The title shows "production planning", "scheduling" and "inventory", but the contents are more on "inventory system". The fundamental of inventory system is the basic idea to apply further analysis of quantitative supply chain system. This book is a valuable resource for anyone who's interested in Inventory system, Production planning and OR application.

dyanmic inventory model
i want information about simulation of an inventory model. in this model amount demanded is change form priod of time to another period of time. at any period we have a new setup cost and a new holding cost . we want tofind the optimum amount and cost. ... Read more

Product Description

Designed specifically for SAS users in operational research, this book focuses on the most recent development in SAS/OR optimization, PROC OPTMODEL. It contains a wide range of OR optimization problems that demonstrate how the SAS/OR procedures work. It includes single criterion, project management decision, printed circuit board assembly, and multiple criteria decision making problems. Quite possibly the first book to cover the application of SAS/OR procedures to OR problems, it formulates OR problems as various types of mathematical models, including linear programming, integer linear programming, and global programming models.

Product Description
Mention the phrase "bottom line," and the immediate thought tends to focus on a company's financial performance. Think again! There's an equally important factor that carries tremendous impact on that final total: operational performance measures.Implementation of a performance improvement program can significantly improve a company's bottom line. Operational Performance Measurement: Increasing Total Productivity shows the way-featuring a new integrated theory of performance measurement, with a never-before-published measurement model that's applicable to any business activity.Practical procedures and guidelines directly identify the variables that should be measured; guidelines to develop measurement systems; and how to analyze, interpret, and use performance methods effectively. Numerous diagrams, tables and examples make the principles and procedures easy to understand and implement.While this performance measurement approach is simplicity itself, be prepared for powerful results!Managers can put the theory into action right away-giving them better control, improved performance, increased personal productivity-and an easier day at work! Operations, finance, administration and quality managers alike will find there's so much to gain when they're Operational Performance Measurement: Increasing Total Productivity ... and a better bottom line is just the beginning! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Thorough, Practical Operational Measurements Guide
This book is vastly superior to any other I have read on the subject of measurements. One gets the impression that Will Kaydos definitely knows whereof he speaks. Early in the book, Kaydos provides a measurement model that is applicable to any kind of process and at any level - organisational, process, functional or individual. Several realistic examples permeate the book and two detailed case studies in the appendices add immensely to the value the reader can derive from it.

One of the best in my personal reference library
This is one of a handful of books on performance metrics I recommend to peers and clients. The author starts with one of the most cogent set of reasons for measuring performance that I've read. These reasons are compelling, reinforced with realistic examples, and clearly articulated.He then briefly discusses the art and science of measurement, and associated standards, techniques and methods. I especially liked his "Measuring the Unmeasurable" advice, which knocks down mental barriers and shows how you can, indeed, measure indicators that you may think are unmeasurable.

The approach he sets out is systematic and encompasses performance measurement in not only manufacturing, but in services and sales.In fact, Appendix C, "Implementing a Formal Selling Process", shows just how wide the scope of this book is.I've worked in technical pre-sales support and was thoroughly impressed with his approach.

Among the aspects of this book I especially like are the techniques he explains, the way you are lead through the development of an effective measurement system by identifying what to measure, implementing the system, analysis and interpretation, and actionable use of performance measures.Moreover, the way the author knits together a system based on multiple perspectives, taking into account strategic, customer, departmental and company-wide views is insightful.I also like the chapter on ensuring measures are showing an accurate picture, and the benchmarking information in Appendix A, "What Some Leading Companies are Measuring".

In my opinion this is a "must-have" book for anyone involved in operations, process improvement, or who has P&L responsibilities and wants to manage by fact - the right facts.

Useful guide
The book features procedures for identifying what to measure and specific steps readers can take to determine what to measure. It's a useful guide for figuring out what to measure for a specific organizational need, but requires some knowledge of measurement terminology. While I found it a useful guide as a performance and scorecard consultant, some of my clients found it a bit daunting. Good models and examples throughout.

An excellent approach for those who wish to start OPM
Will Kaydos did actually a very good work. This book addresses to top management officers who wish to change to a more customer orientated approach and implement Performance Measurement in every aspect of their business. Well structured and easy to read with significant information on effective management. There are no equations or weird stuff in this book, because the author wishes to explain the core of this subject: how to implement performance measurementeverywhere. This is a great book for industrial engineers, CEO's, Sales Managers, HR managers, Quality assurance officers and anyone involving with performance.

A "must read" for those committed to business improvement.
A terrific business improvement reference applicable to a wide range of business and their operations.Consultants and managers will especially value Kaydos' insights into the role of metrics in supporting culture change.The case studies are well chosen with clearly presentedimplementation examples and informative detail.

"OperationalPerformance Measurement" is a must read if you are committed toimproving your business or the business of your clients. ... Read more

Product Description
In its Anniversary 10th Edition, authors Cooper and Schindler continue to provide the most timely, richest, and most comprehensive coverage of the research experience in "Business Research Methods". Students and instructors will find thorough coverage of business research topics - including the best coverage of questionnaire design - backed by solid theory. The authors are successful marketing research consultants; their expertise is evident in the realistic Snapshots, Close-Ups, PicProfiles, and case studies found in the text. Managerial decision making is the underlying theme, and topics and applications are presented and organized in a manner that allows students to thoroughly understand business research topics and functions. Consequently, the structure of the text encourages and supports completion of an in-depth business research project during the semester. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Misleading
This book ended up being the International Version. Nowhere in the picture, or product description did it say this. There are differences from the American Edition that makes this edition about useless in the college classroom in the USA. This is deceptive, plain and simple.

Good item + fast shipping
The item was received in new/excellent condition and was shipped out quickly.Thanks for a good sale! ... Read more

Product Description
This best-selling introduction to operations research now features the Windows versions of LINDO and LINGO.(LINDO, GINO, and LINGO software packages are also available with the book in Macintosh or DOS versions).Forward thinking in approach, this book emphasizes model-formulation and model-building skills.Winston includes material for a three-semester course, organized into self-contained units that provide flexibility in selecting material.Requiring a background in calculus, linear algebra, and statistics, OPERATIONS RESEARCH offers comprehensive coverage for applications-oriented courses in linear or mathematical programming and stochastic and probabilistic models and processes at the undergraduate and graduate level. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

THE BEST on Operations Research (Deserves 6 stars)
I think this book is the best up to date reference on Operations Research. The book is very well written, very didactic and addresses mainly the practical use of OR. That is, the book isnt so good for algorithm details but it is superb on modeling, interpretation and examples.

Good writing style
I am in my first semester of an MBA program.The required text for my OR/MS class (An Introduction to Management Science, 10th ed., by Anderson, Sweeney, Williams) left something to be desired.I work with the SAS programming language, and happened to be discussing the SAS/OR product with a SAS technical support rep.He recommended this Winston text.I think it explains concepts much better than my Anderson text and has helped me a lot in my OR/MS class.

From Deterministic to Stochastic
This is one of the excellent industrial engineering books. From deterministic and simple linear programming to stochastic systems such as queueing models or dynamic programming, you may read and "learn" lots of things about OR. However, for stochastic cases you will need extra help for its matematics. But if you want to learn something about industrial engineering or something related with it, that is the book you must buy.

A great book for undergraduate engineering students
I have used this book for five years in my Operation Research classes. Its emphasis is in the mathematical modeling. The explanations are complete and clean. But, the exercises are the best part: a lot of examples and modeling exercises. A very good book for engineering students.

Another great text by Dr. Winston
A wonderful compendium of Ops algorythms.It has everything from linear programming to queing theory. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Good theoretical reference
This text is self-sufficient and from a theoretical point of view, I found it excellent.But beware if you encounter mathematical difficulties in your operations research course : this is not a cookbook. It's rather formal, abstract and requires thorough work for understanding.However it's mind challenging and very rewarding. Careful reading and working of this text will provide you a deep understanding of the mathematical techniques (linear algebra, matrix calculus, calculus on Rn, linear differential equations, difference equations...) used in linear,nonlinear and even discrete optimization.

Note that probability is not covered and will need an additional text. ... Read more

Product Description
Cooper and Schindler's "Business Research Methods, 8e" offers students and instructors thorough coverage of business research topics backed by solid theory. The authors are successful marketing research consultants and that is evident in the rich and realistic case studies found in the text. Managerial decision making is the underlying theme, topics and applications are presented and organized in a manner that allow students to thoroughly understand business research topics and functions. Consequently, the structure of the text encourages and supports completion of an in-depth business research project during the semester. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Moderately Dreadful
'Business Research Methods' is an expensive and unhelpful textbook. Chances are if you are reading this book it will be for a collegiate research class. Do not even think of buying this for use outside of school; there are many more useful and practical research books available at much more reasonable prices.

I used this in a graduate research methods class, and found it devoid of much practical information, instead being filled with a lot of meaningless doubletalk that has (unfortunately) come to dominate a high percentage of social science textbooks in the last twenty years. The advice on research and study design is useful for only extremely narrow types of studies, and may or may not help a student prepare for a thesis or dissertation (I am guessing it will not help more people than will find it helpful.)

To add insult to injury the book is patronizing and tends to talk down to students particularly in the insultingly stupid and simplistic faux case studies it uses. In particular, the 'MindWriter' study with "Myra Wines" reads more like a very poorly written soap opera than legitimate business case study, and insults the intelligence of students. (Particularly galling is the wholly implausible situation in which Myra finds herself solving an expended munition problem in the Army. Clearly from reading this, the authors should know more about their subject matter before creating these vignettes.) Most people who use this book could do entirely without these manufactured, extremely politically correct case studies. They in no way enhance learning.

Another major issue is the actual presentation of the text. McGraw Hill should be ashamed of the way this book looks. There are random text boxes breaking up the chapters all over the place (most often with useless information), pointless and often indecipherable flowcharts abound (an excellent example of this is the questionable flow of lines on Exhibit 3-7, 'Research Proposal Process', or the labyrinthine Exhibit 5-1, 'Ethical Issues and the Research Process', neither of which help make anything clearer), and extremely poor font and color choices. Here I refer to the dubious decision to use red ink to print inset quotations. Evidently McGraw Hill doesn't know that in many studies, red has been found to be one of the most difficult to read colors, and detracts from comprehension. Besides that, what's the point? I can read black ink just as well, it costs less, and it is already inset so I can see it is differentiated at a glance. None of that, however, is as bad as the selection of pink paper for many of the ancillary sections (normally case studies and the like) sprinkled liberally throughout the book at inconvenient places. This is dreadful. Not only is this difficult to read, but it is hard to highlight. Of course all these things make the book vastly more expensive. Textbook publishers would do well to knock off the fancy typesetting tricks and get back to basics while making their books less expensive. I don't mind paying $136.00 for a book, but I do want to get a good value. (Of course this isn't the only textbook that has fallen into this trap.)

All told I gave this book two stars. It really is a sub par book, and I did consider giving it one star, but it occasionally contains a real gem of a thought that makes it more worthwhile than a single star book would be. I believe that this book is in dire need of a good editor. It is 857 pages long, and could easily be reduced to 300 pages by sorting the wheat from the chaff. At 300 pages this would probably be a very good and practical book, at 857, it is obese. If you have a choice of book to use for a given course, I would not select this one. It is of limited utility and it requires vastly too much effort to glean required knowledge. Avoid if possible. ... Read more

Product Description
Operations Research (OR) began as an interdisciplinary activity to solve complex military problems during World War II. Utilizing principles from mathematics, engineering, business, computer science, economics, and statistics, OR has developed into a full fledged academic discipline with practical application in business, industry, government and military. Currently regarded as a body of established mathematical models and methods essential to solving complicated management issues, OR provides quantitative analysis of problems from which managers can make objective decisions. Operations Research and Management Science (OR/MS) methodologies continue to flourish in numerous decision making fields.

Featuring a mix of international authors, Operations Research and Management Science Handbook combines OR/MS models, methods, and applications into one comprehensive, yet concise volume. The first resource to reach for when confronting OR/MS difficulties, this text –

II ends with a chapter on the future of OR/MS applications. ... Read more

Product Description
Cooper and Schindler’s Business Research Methods offers students and instructors thorough coverage of business research topics backed by solid theory. The authors are successful marketing research consultants and that is evident in the rich and realistic case studies found in the text.Managerial decision making is the underlying theme, topics and applications are presented and organized in a manner that allow students to thoroughly understand business research topics and functions.Consequently, the structure of the text encourages and supports completion of an in-depth business research project during the semester. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Seller never sent it.
I never received the product and the seller won't return any contact.Could you please deal with this vendor.I want my money back!!

Business Research Methods with CD (McGraw-Hill/Irwin) (Purchased on 10/26/2008) by Donald
Did not get the CD!
Business Research Methods with CD (McGraw-Hill/Irwin) (Purchased on 10/26/2008) by Donald

business research methods
seller sent me the book the day before my class was over. i did not have much use for the book and the book was in mint condition.

Using science to make decisions for business
Nothing is done in business these days without using research to make decisions. The days of simply using hunches and intuition are just about about gone. It really is a jungle out there, and research is one of your rifles. This book shows you why research is important, how to do it, and how to apply what you've found. Research, if done correctly, can help you minimize the variables which can destroy you, or accentuate the factors which can help you meet your mission objectives. No matter what size your business is, you can apply these principles to increase your chances of success. The book is very expensive, but so is failure. Pardon the cliche', but an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure.

Research Resource Feedback
Cooper's Business Research Methods was easy to read, yet provided a high level of research processes and methodology for use in a PhD program. ... Read more

Product Description

• Excel add-ins - Almost all of the examples in the text are solved with Excel, and solution files are included in the CD. ... Read more

  Customer Reviews (2)

  Great book, so so shipping
  I bought this book last September when I started a new course. Since the shipping information was not given online, I missed the parcel for couple of times. Finally, I got the shipping information and had my book back from USPS. Thanks for god the book is great.

  Review of "Operations Research - Models and Methods"
  Great book with good examples - I'm missing the CD that was supposed to have arrived with the book... ... Read more

Product Description
This multi-volume encyclopedia is organized alphabetically and contains four levels of articles (Introductory, Advanced, Technical, and Case Studies/Historical Interludes) designed to make its content useful and accessible to the widest possible readership.

Introductory articles provide a broad and moderately technical treatment of core topics at a level suitable for advanced undergraduate students as well as scientists without a strong background in the field. Advanced articles, aimed at graduate students and researchers, review key areas of research in a citation-rich format similar to that of leading review journals. Technical articles, written as "breakouts" from the advanced articles, provide more detailed discussions of key concepts addressed in the reviews.

Case studies/biographical sketches/historical interludes provide an opportunity to present successful and/or interesting examples of operations research/management science methodology in practice or in historical contexts. These articles are less technical in nature and aimed primarily at graduate students and practicing researchers. EORMS has also been developed as a dynamic online resource, combining the most useful features of traditional reference works and review journals in a compelling format designed to exploit the full potential of the online medium. Extensive linking to the primary literature and to other online resources such as the Wiley Encyclopedia of Statistical Sciences, Second Edition further enhances the value of EORMS as a gateway to broader scientific literature. The editorial approach and structure of EORMS ensures the longevity of its content.

Product Description
This is an invaluable introduction for all students and researchers of management confronting a new research project. How to frame their research questions? Which questions to ask? How to assess the relevance and value of different research methodologies? How to evaluate the outputs of research?:-all these fundamental choices depend on the underlying philosophical or epistemological assumptions of the researcher. Understanding these epistemological commitments and how they inform our pre-understandings is the first step for researchers if they are to engage effectively with the organizations or managers they are investigating.

Customer Reviews (2)

Best I've seen
For the past five years I have been struggling with the philosophical issues of management. Given my beliefs, am I a "postmodernist", "Critical Theorist", "symbolic/interpretivist", "constructionist"? I know I'm not a positivist anymore. To sort this out, I had read directly in philosophy (difficult going), social theory (less difficult but still not easy), and management theory but I was having trouble getting a handle on it. Then I found Hatch & Cunliffe's book on Organizational Theory and I thought it was great, that is, until I discovered Understanding Management Research by Johnson and Duberley.

Johnson and Duberly not only clearly define and describe the various views but more importantly they clearified two issues that had been bothering me. First, what is the role of ontology?To me that seemed to be a bifurcation point but this wasn't clearly laid out in Hatch & Cunliffe's book or the other readings. Johnson and Duberley make it very explicit in a table in the last chapter and I think they've got it right. Second, I was having trouble placing ethnography and other qualitative types of research. They are often placed in the constructivist/hermeneutical realm but I knew some of it was clearly positivistic. Johnson and Duberley clarified that it can be in either area. As with most things, it is not always black and white but shades of gray. And Johnson and Duberley do a great job of making the shades of gray clearer...

Comprehensive and Highly Relevant
This text should be required reading for every aspiring management or organizational researcher. The bibliography alone is worth the price of the book. Johnson and Duberley provide a cogent overview of the major epistemological commitments. They deftly explore the strengths,weaknesses,applications and implications of each. Critical self-reflection is the perfect companion to this text. I have a renewed appreciation for the benefits, challenges and enduring importance of understanding my own epistemological commitments as well as the epistemological commitments that continue to influence the field of organizational studies. ... Read more

Product Description
Totally revised, this 2nd Edition includes a new chapter on decision analysis, and additional material on computer solutions of linear programming problems, LP applications, the use of sensitivity analysis output, minimal spanning tree, goal programming, network of queues, and more. Throughout, mathematics is kept to an intermediate level. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

SUBSTITUTE FOR A TEACHER
All the concepts and methods are explained very clearly.The examples and solved problems are application oriented and are helpful in reviewing the concepts. ... Read more