Operations Research and its Prospects in Pakistan
Prof. Dr. Shoaib ud Din
Mathematics Department
Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan
Operations Research has had an increasingly great impact on the management of organizations in the recent years. In fact, with the exception of advent of electronic computer, the extent of this impact seems to be unrivalled by that of any other recent development. However, all the development in this field has gone almost unnoticed in most developing countries including Pakistan. This article is an effort to introduce Mathematics community in the country to the subject and its achievements.
A brief history
In order to appreciate the importance of OR in the world today it is important that we know something of its history and evolution. Although roots of Operations Research can be traced back many decades, it is generally agreed that this discipline began during World War II. During the War team of British scientists with diverse background were called upon to study the strategic and tactical problems associated with air and land defense of the country. The establishment of this scientific team marked the first formal Operations Research activity. Their efforts were allegedly instrumental in winning the Air Battle of Britain, The Island Campaign in the Pacific, the Battle of the North Atlantic, and so on. The name Operations Research-Operational Research in the United Kingdom – was apparently coined because the problems assigned to this team were in the nature of military operations.
After the War many of the scientists who had been active in the military OR teams turned their attention to the possibilities of applying a similar approach to civilian problems. The first civilian organization to adopt OR methodology were large corporations. It was apparent that the problems caused by the increasing complexity and specialization in