ABSTRACT
Operations research and quantitative analysis are strange phrases. Upon the initial utterance of these phrases, one may invoke mental images of research laboratories, white coats, test tubes, beakers, and various remnants of experimentation. However, these connotations are not necessarily correct concepts. Instead, operations research and quantitative analysis are concerned with the numerical optimization of resources given the speciŠcations of constraints regarding their uses, probabilities, combinations, or permutations. šrough such optimization, organizations seek to either eliminate or reduce wastefulness among their various and sundry operations while simultaneously furthering both e¤ciency and eœectiveness.
