Operations Research Management Science - New Books

<BODY bgcolor="#ffffff" link="cc0000" vlink="cc0000" text="#000000"> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=4 border=0><br>   <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=480><tr valign=top> <td width=10><img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 hspace=4 border=0></td> <td width=470> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=2><B><I><A HREF="../../ORMS.shtml" TARGET="_top">OR/MS Today</A> - December 2003</I></B></font><BR> <hr size="1"> <img src="cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=4 border=0><br> <font face="times new roman, times"> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=4 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>Introduction to Optimization</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=2><B>By Pablo Pedregal</B></FONT><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> Part of the Texts in Applied Mathematics Series, "Introduction to Optimization" is an undergraduate textbook that introduces students of science and engineering to the field of optimization. The book brings together the subfields of mathematical programming, variational calculus and optimal control, thus giving students an overall view of all aspects of optimization in a single reference. As a primer on optimization, its main goal is to provide a succinct and accessible introduction to linear programming, nonlinear programming, numerical optimization algorithms, variational problems, dynamic programming and optimal control. Prerequisites have been kept to a minimum, although a basic knowledge of calculus, linear algebra and differential equations is assumed. <P>There are numerous examples, illustrations and exercises throughout the text. <P align=right><I>Published by Springer-Verlag.</I> <P><FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>Innovations in Financial and Economic Networks</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=2><B>Edited by Anna Nagurney</B></FONT><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> Networks provide the foundation for the functioning of our societies and economies. Their study has had a long tradition in such fields as engineering, operations research, management science and computer science. More recently, the disciplines of finance and economics have come to be rich and fascinating sources of network-based problems and applications. <P>This focused and refereed volume of contributions from leading international scholars provides a wealth of innovations in the study of financial and economic networks. The volume presents entirely new results by international leaders from academic institutions in North America and Europe, industry and the World Bank. The results include: the conceptualization of the stock market as a graph, the evolution of financial systems as networks, the incorporation of electronic transactions in international finance (from a network perspective), new formalisms for the study of supply chains (as fluid models and in an network economic framework) and new applications of agent-based computational economics trade networks with intermediaries and worker-employer networks. <P>Financial applications covered include: portfolio optimization with transaction costs, integrated pension and corporate planning, evolutionary financial networks, international finance and electronic transactions as well as hedging instruments for transportation networks. Innovative approaches to economic networks are developed in the context of supply chain and distribution networks, a variety of trade (including Web-based caching) networks and even worker-employer networks. <P align=right><I>Published by Edward Elgar Publishing.</I> <P><FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=3><B>Quantitative Models for Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking: Data Envelopment Analysis with Spreadsheets</B></FONT><BR> <IMG SRC="../barbluehook.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="4"><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=2><B>By Joe Zhu</B></FONT><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> It is difficult to evaluate an organization's performance when there are multiple inputs and multiple outputs to the system. The difficulties are further enhanced when the relationships between the inputs and the outputs are complex and involve unknown tradeoffs. <P>This book introduces DEA as a multiple-measure performance evaluation and benchmarking tool. New DEA models and approaches are presented to deal with performance evaluation problems in a variety of contexts. A context-dependent DEA measures the relative attractiveness of similar operations/processes/products. Sensitivity analysis techniques can be easily applied, and used to identify critical performance measures. Value chain efficiency models and DEA benchmarking models can be utilized to study the impact of information technology (IT) investments. <P>Conventional and new DEA approaches are presented and discussed using spreadsheets. The user can easily develop and customize new DEA models based upon these spreadsheets. This book also provides DEA software  DEA Excel Solver. This DEA Excel Solver is an add-in for Microsoft Excel and provides a custom menu of DEA approaches that include more than 150 different DEA models. The tool assists decision-makers in benchmarking and analyzing complex operational efficiency issues in manufacturing organizations as well as evaluating processes in many other industries. <P align=right><I>Published by Kluwer Academic Publishers.</I> <BR>  <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=5 border=0><br>  <img src="../barblue.gif" width=468 height=1 border=0 alt=" "><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=8 border=0><br> <CENTER><script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script></CENTER><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=8 border=0><br> <FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica" SIZE=1> <LI> <A HREF="tocfr.html" Target="_top"><I>Table of Contents</A><br> <LI> <A HREF="../../ORMS.shtml" TARGET="_top"><I>OR/MS Today</I> Home Page</A><br>  <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=8 border=0><br> <img src="../barblue.gif" width=468 height=1 border=0 alt=" "><br> <b><i>OR/MS Today</i></b> copyright © 2003 by <A HREF="http://www.informs.org/" target="_new">the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences</a>. All rights reserved.<br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=3 border=0><br> <img src="../bargrey.gif" width=468 height=1 border=0 alt=" "><br> <b>Lionheart Publishing, Inc.</b><br> 506 Roswell Rd., Suite 220, Marietta, GA 30060 USA<br> Phone: 770-431-0867 | Fax: 770-432-6969<br> E-mail: <a href="mailto:lpi@lionhrtpub.com">lpi@lionhrtpub.com</a><br> URL: <A HREF="http://www.lionhrtpub.com" target="_top">http://www.lionhrtpub.com</A><br> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=3 border=0><br> <img src="../bargrey.gif" width=468 height=1 border=0 alt=" "><br> Web Site © Copyright 2003 by Lionheart Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. </td></tr></table> <img src="../cleardot.gif" width=1 height=1 vspace=2 border=0><br> </BODY>