Integer and Combinatorial Optimization


Book Description

Rave reviews for INTEGER AND COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION "This book provides an excellent introduction and survey of traditional fields of combinatorial optimization . . . It is indeed one of the best and most complete texts on combinatorial optimization . . . available. [And] with more than 700 entries, [it] has quite an exhaustive reference list."-Optima "A unifying approach to optimization problems is to formulate them like linear programming problems, while restricting some or all of the variables to the integers. This book is an encyclopedic resource for such formulations, as well as for understanding the structure of and solving the resulting integer programming problems."-Computing Reviews "[This book] can serve as a basis for various graduate courses on discrete optimization as well as a reference book for researchers and practitioners."-Mathematical Reviews "This comprehensive and wide-ranging book will undoubtedly become a standard reference book for all those in the field of combinatorial optimization."-Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society "This text should be required reading for anybody who intends to do research in this area or even just to keep abreast of developments."-Times Higher Education Supplement, London Also of interest . . . INTEGER PROGRAMMING Laurence A. Wolsey Comprehensive and self-contained, this intermediate-level guide to integer programming provides readers with clear, up-to-date explanations on why some problems are difficult to solve, how techniques can be reformulated to give better results, and how mixed integer programming systems can be used more effectively. 1998 (0-471-28366-5) 260 pp.




Science in Management


Book Description

Originally published in 1970. Management consultants in the United Kingdom are often accused of cloaking their activities in secrecy. The confidential nature of consulting work often precludes the publication of case examples and it is only occasionally that press reports appear summarizing particular studies. Consulting firms, however, are in the unique position of gaining experience over the whole range of industry, commerce and government, and consequently have a full opportunity for spear-heading new developments and gathering technical know-how of wide value to managers. Science in Management outlines the methods used by a consulting firm specializing in operational research and computer science and describes numerous case examples taken from a wide range of industries and from the public sector. These examples cover tactical problems, problems which overlap functional boundaries within a company and a few major projects of a strategic nature. The aim of the twenty contributors has been to explain in relatively simple terms, some of the more important techniques and to illustrate by practical examples, the wide scope of the management science approach at all problem levels. The book will be helpful to all those seeking to apply science in management. It is written primarily for managers and those studying modern management methods, but parts of the book will be of interest to specialists as well.




Theory of Linear and Integer Programming


Book Description

Theory of Linear and Integer Programming Alexander Schrijver Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica, Amsterdam, The Netherlands This book describes the theory of linear and integer programming and surveys the algorithms for linear and integer programming problems, focusing on complexity analysis. It aims at complementing the more practically oriented books in this field. A special feature is the author's coverage of important recent developments in linear and integer programming. Applications to combinatorial optimization are given, and the author also includes extensive historical surveys and bibliographies. The book is intended for graduate students and researchers in operations research, mathematics and computer science. It will also be of interest to mathematical historians. Contents 1 Introduction and preliminaries; 2 Problems, algorithms, and complexity; 3 Linear algebra and complexity; 4 Theory of lattices and linear diophantine equations; 5 Algorithms for linear diophantine equations; 6 Diophantine approximation and basis reduction; 7 Fundamental concepts and results on polyhedra, linear inequalities, and linear programming; 8 The structure of polyhedra; 9 Polarity, and blocking and anti-blocking polyhedra; 10 Sizes and the theoretical complexity of linear inequalities and linear programming; 11 The simplex method; 12 Primal-dual, elimination, and relaxation methods; 13 Khachiyan's method for linear programming; 14 The ellipsoid method for polyhedra more generally; 15 Further polynomiality results in linear programming; 16 Introduction to integer linear programming; 17 Estimates in integer linear programming; 18 The complexity of integer linear programming; 19 Totally unimodular matrices: fundamental properties and examples; 20 Recognizing total unimodularity; 21 Further theory related to total unimodularity; 22 Integral polyhedra and total dual integrality; 23 Cutting planes; 24 Further methods in integer linear programming; Historical and further notes on integer linear programming; References; Notation index; Author index; Subject index




Machine Intelligence and Robotics


Book Description




Reflections on Society and Academia


Book Description

This anthology assembles notes that address a wider spectrum of concern within the social sciences, as well as higher education and design and planning issues. The essays, articles and book reviews gathered here allow for an easy, and holistic, assessment of publications that cover various themes and were written during the past two decades. In addition, four chapters specifically written for this volume are included, two dealing with academic productivity, and the remaining two addressing aspects of economics and issues of design.




OPTIMIZATION AND OPERATIONS RESEARCH – Volume III


Book Description

Optimization and Operations Research is a component of Encyclopedia of Mathematical Sciences in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. The Theme on Optimization and Operations Research is organized into six different topics which represent the main scientific areas of the theme: 1. Fundamentals of Operations Research; 2. Advanced Deterministic Operations Research; 3. Optimization in Infinite Dimensions; 4. Game Theory; 5. Stochastic Operations Research; 6. Decision Analysis, which are then expanded into multiple subtopics, each as a chapter. These four volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional Practitioners, Research Personnel and Policy Analysts, Managers, and Decision Makers and NGOs.




Computer Science and Operations Research: New Developments in their Interfaces


Book Description

The interface of Operation Research and Computer Science - although elusive to a precise definition - has been a fertile area of both methodological and applied research. The papers in this book, written by experts in their respective fields, convey the current state-of-the-art in this interface across a broad spectrum of research domains which include optimization techniques, linear programming, interior point algorithms, networks, computer graphics in operations research, parallel algorithms and implementations, planning and scheduling, genetic algorithms, heuristic search techniques and data retrieval.




Operational Research in the Digital Era – ICT Challenges


Book Description

This proceedings volume highlights the role and importance of Operational Research (OR) in the digital era and the underlying ICT challenges. The selected papers cover recent advances in all branches of operational research, mathematical modeling and decision making. It covers a wide range of key areas from digital economy, to supply chain management, and also finance. The book adopts an applied perspective that covers the contributions of OR in the broad field of business and economics linked with the discipline of computer science. The chapters are based on papers presented at the 6th International Symposium & 28th National Conference on Operational Research. Although the conference is organized by the Hellenic Operational Research Society (HELORS), the contributions in this book promotes international co-operation among researchers and practitioners working in the field.




The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics


Book Description

The award-winning The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 2nd edition is now available as a dynamic online resource. Consisting of over 1,900 articles written by leading figures in the field including Nobel prize winners, this is the definitive scholarly reference work for a new generation of economists. Regularly updated! This product is a subscription based product.




Project and Program Management


Book Description

Choosing the right people to carry out a project is essential to its success. When multiple projects are combined into a complex program, the human aspect becomes even more important. This book is the first to truly balance a complete account of the technical aspects of project and program management with a practical approach to understanding and developing the core competencies required to accomplish desired goals. On the technical side, this book is a complete introduction to predicting costs, setting schedules, and assessing risks. On the people side, it sheds new light on how to mold different personality types into a team, how to motivate the team's members, and how to produce extraordinary results. The author details the essential parts of the program management approach, describing the best way to define, organize, and schedule the work to be done, identifying risks and controlling costs during the whole process. This fourth edition has been significantly revised, with every chapter updated. The volume considers the magnitude of recent social, political, and technological changes, and the impact is represented throughout this book. Included are insights from numerous students who bring to the forefront their current real-world practices from their individual businesses, industries, and disciplines.