For courses in Management Science or Decision Modeling
A solid foundation in quantitative methods and management science
This popular text gives students a genuine foundation in business analytics, quantitative methods, and management science—and how to apply the concepts and techniques in the real world—through a strong emphasis on model building, computer applications, and examples. The authors’ approach presents mathematical models, with all of the necessary assumptions, in clear, plain English, and then applies the ensuing solution procedures to example problems along with step-by-step, how-to instructions. In instances in which the mathematical computations are intricate, the details are presented in a manner that ensures flexibility, allowing instructors to omit these sections without interrupting the flow of the material. The use of computer software enables the instructor to focus on the managerial problem and spend less time on the details of the algorithms. Computer output is provided for many examples throughout the text.
Teaching and Learning Experience
This text provides a solid foundation in quantitative methods and management science. Here’s how:
- Students see clearly how concepts and techniques are used in real organizations.
- Outstanding in-text features provide reinforcement and ensure understanding.
- The text’s use of software allows instructors to focus on the managerial problem, while spending less time on the mathematical details of the algorithms.
Barry Render is Professor Emeritus, the Charles Harwood Distinguished Professor of Operations Management, Crummer Graduate School of Business, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida. He received his BS in Mathematics and Physics at Roosevelt University and his MS in Operations Research and his PhD in Quantitative Analysis at the University of Cincinnati. He previously taught at George Washington University, the University of New Orleans, Boston University, and George Mason University, where he held the Mason Foundation Professorship in Decision Sciences and was Chair of the Decision Science Department. Render has also worked in the aerospace industry for General Electric, McDonnell Douglas, and NASA.
Render has coauthored 10 textbooks published by Pearson, including Managerial Decision Modeling with Spreadsheets, Operations Management, Principles of Operations Management, Service Management, Introduction to Management Science, and Cases and Readings in Management Science. More than 100 articles of Dr. Render on a variety of management topics have appeared in Decision Sciences, Production and Operations Management, Interfaces, Information and Management, Journal of Management Information Systems, Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, IIE Solutions, and Operations Management Review, among others.
Render has been honored as an AACSB Fellow and was named twice as a Senior Fulbright Scholar. He was Vice President of the Decision Science Institute Southeast Region and served as software review editor for Decision Line for six years and as Editor of the New York Times Operations Management special issues for five years. From 1984 to 1993, Render was President of Management Service Associates of Virginia, Inc., whose technology clients included the FBI, the US Navy, Fairfax County, Virginia, and C&P Telephone. He is currently Consulting Editor to Financial Times Press.
Render has taught operations management courses at Rollins College for MBA and Executive MBA programs. He has received that school’s Welsh Award as leading professor and was selected by Roosevelt University as the 1996 recipient of the St. Claire Drake Award for Outstanding Scholarship. In 2005, Render received the Rollins College MBA Student Award for Best Overall Course, and in 2009 was named Professor of the Year by full-time MBA students.
Ralph Stair is Professor Emeritus at Florida State University. He earned a BS in chemical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Tulane University. Under the guidance of Ken Ramsing and Alan Eliason, he received a PhD in operations management from the University of Oregon. He has taught at the University of Oregon, the University of Washington, the University of New Orleans, and Florida State University.
He has taught twice in Florida State University’s Study Abroad Program in London. Over the years, his teaching has been concentrated in the areas of information systems, operations research, and operations management.
Stair is a member of several academic organizations, including the Decision Sciences Institute and INFORMS, and he regularly participates in national meetings. He has published numerous articles and books, including Managerial Decision Modeling with Spreadsheets, Introduction to Management Science, Cases and Readings in Management Science, Production and Operations Management: A Self-Correction Approach, Fundamentals of Information Systems, Principles of Information Systems, Introduction to Information Systems, Computers in Today’s World, Principles of Data Processing, Learning to Live with Computers, Programming in BASIC, Essentials of BASIC Programming, Essentials of FORTRAN Programming, and Essentials of COBOL Programming. Stair divides his time between Florida and Colorado. He enjoys skiing, biking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities.
Michael E. Hanna is Professor of Decision Sciences at the University of Houston–Clear Lake (UHCL). He holds a BA in Economics, an MS in Mathematics, and a PhD in Operations Research from Texas Tech University. For more than 25 years, he has been teaching courses in statistics, management science, forecasting, and other quantitative methods. His dedication to teaching has been recognized with the Beta Alpha Psi teaching award in 1995 and the Outstanding Educator Award in 2006 from the Southwest Decision Sciences Institute (SWDSI).
Hanna has authored textbooks in management science and quantitative methods, has published numerous articles and professional papers, and has served on the Editorial Advisory Board of Computers and Operations Research. In 1996, the UHCL Chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma presented him with the Outstanding Scholar Award.
Hanna is very active in the Decision Sciences Institute, having served on the Innovative Education Committee, the Regional Advisory Committee, and the Nominating Committee. He has served on the board of directors of the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) for two terms and also as regionally elected vice president of DSI. For SWDSI, he has held several positions, including president, and he received the SWDSI Distinguished Service Award in 1997. For overall service to the profession and to the university, he received the UHCL President’s Distinguished Service Award in 2001.
Trevor S. Hale is Associate Professor of Management Science at the University of Houston–Downtown (UHD). He received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Penn State University, an MS in Engineering Management from Northeastern University, and a PhD in Operations Research from Texas A&M University. He was previously on the faculty of both Ohio University–Athens, and Colorado State University–Pueblo.
Hale was honored three times as an Office of Naval Research Senior Faculty Fellow. He spent the summers of 2009, 2011, and 2013 performing energy security/cyber security research for the US Navy at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, California.
Hale has published dozens of articles in the areas of operations research and quantitative analysis in journals such as the International Journal of Production Research, the European Journal of Operational Research, Annals of Operations Research, the Journal of the Operational Research Society, and the International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, among several others. He teaches quantitative analysis courses in the University of Houston–Downtown MBA program and Masters of Security Management for Executives program. He is a senior member of both the Decision Sciences Institute and INFORMS.
