Name of Student: Janelle Tumampos

Title of the Scientific Paper: Community-Based Operations Research:

Introduction, Theory and Applications

Statement of the Paper’s Research Problem

This paper introduces a theory of CBOR, surveys recent literature within
CBOR and assesses the presence of CBOR in OR/MS literature, education and
practice. This chapter provides a framework for understanding CBOR through key
themes such as the importance of place and space, community, disadvantaged
populations and multiple methods. It seeks to discuss the theories and application
in Community Based Research.
Goals, Purpose, and Significance of the Paper
The paper attempts to define the range of scholarly inquiry in this field
(CBOR), and to lay the groundwork for further research, teaching and practice.
One should immediately acknowledge the large literature in related fields of
OR/MS, principally that of community operational research (Midgley and Ochoa-
Arias 2004a). The paper explores the similarities and differences between UK-
style community OR and this novel 4 rubric that reflects the social, political and
economic characteristics of the US that has provided much of the theoretical and
practice base of OR/MS.
Framework Used in the Paper

The Historical Context

of CBOR and Its Role
within OR/MS

Community Operational Research: An

Antecedent to CBOR

Community Based
Operations Research Theory in CBOR
(CBOR)

Recent Research within CBOR

Analysis of Data

Identification of Assumption(s), if applicable

No Assumptions can be determined in this paper, it discusses to define:
Community-Based Operations Research it’s theories and application.
Data Collection Methods and Analysis Used in the Paper

The data gathered in this paper is from various books and research, discussed and
republished. This paper draws its inspiration from a recent paper (Johnson and
Smilowitz 2007), reprinted in this volume, that was an initial effort to define
CBOR; later in this chapter we update many key findings from that paper.
Summary of the Results
 Community-based operations research is a sub-discipline of OR/MS that is
rooted in diverse research traditions, that may serve as a middle-ground‘
between hard-OR‘ and soft-OR‘, thus appealing to US-style adherents of OR/MS,
and which derives its research rigor from theory-building and testing, novel
methods of data gathering and analysis and an emphasis on demonstrable,
tangible social impacts and creative development of appropriate decision
technologies. This chapter has demonstrated that CBOR has matured significantly
since the 2007 introduction to the field. CBOR is gaining increased prominence in
the research literature and in professional practice; it is hoped that its presence in
top-tier journals and educational programs will improve similarly in the coming
years. The theory 31 of CBOR, though quite preliminary at this time, provides a
framework for innovative research that crosses disciplinary boundaries and places
increased emphasis on the role of stakeholders, analysts and decision-makers to
develop decision models that are rooted in expansive notions of community and
decision-making.
In summary, community OR seeks to make change within communities
through diverse methodologies, processes, methods and techniques. There are
substantial opportunities for research in the decision sciences that is community-
engaged and action-oriented, that leverages a current interest in analytics to
draw stronger links with work in social sciences, public management and
community and urban planning, and which addresses comparative and
transnational approaches to explore impacts across sectors, communities, regions
and countries
Three (3) Major Points of Agreement
a. An important aspect of community OR is the importance placed on
understanding the social context within which analysis is done.
b. Institutions and organizations, both formal and informal, often serve as
conduits by which problems can be identified and solved, and platforms
from which solutions may be implemented. Especially in community-based
analysis, researchers must pay attention to the crucial role played by the
not-for-profit sector, including government, non-profit organizations such
as community development corporations, and other informal, ‗civic-sector‘
organizations whose financing, structure, social role and understanding of
problems and social values may be very different than those understood by
analysts trained in the OR/MS tradition.
 c. Problem formulation for community-based operations research should
explicitly address issues of equity, fairness and ethics. As discussed earlier
in this chapter, various measures of social inequity and economic
disparities in the United States have increased in the first decade of the
new millennium; any reasonable social intervention intended to improve
the lives of individuals and communities should aspire, at least, to provide
stakeholders with information about changes in the distribution of benefits
to various stakeholders in the form of alternative measures of equity and
fairness.
Three (3) Major Points of Disagreement
I have no disagreements in this paper, since it is much more of a discussion than
an argument most statements are based on historical data with reference to
whom the statements were from.

Conclusions

Community-based operations research” is defined as the collection of analytical

methods applied to problem domains in which interests of underrepresented,
underserved or vulnerable populations in localized jurisdictions, formal or
informal, receive special emphasis, and for which solutions to problems of core
concern for daily living must be identified and implemented so as to jointly
optimize economic efficiency, social equity and administrative burdens. As such, it
represents a specific domain within public-sector operations research.
Community-based OR problems tend to be “messy” and highly dependent on
political and social considerations. Nevertheless, solution of these problems is
essential to the continued health and well-being of individuals, families,
communities and entire regions. This tutorial emphasizes current research in a
variety of application areas. We identify a tension between problems that reflect
unique characteristics of local communities and those that represent more
general characteristics that bridge diverse communities. We propose principles
for bridging the gap between quantitative model- and methods-based approaches
typically associated with private-sector problems, and qualitative policy and
process-oriented approaches typically associated with public-sector problems. We
examine two research applications in detail: food security and affordable housing,
and in so doing emphasize the commonality of problem attributes and the
diversity of modeling and solution methods.
Title of the Scientific Paper: Operations Research And Operations Management:
From Selective Optimization To System Optimization

Statement of the Paper’s Research Problem

Operations management had its origins in the early factory system, and was more
associated with physical production in a factory environment and it too was
strongly influenced by the scientific method. (Chase, Aquilano and Jacobs, 2001).
This paper seek to discuss Decision support models of Operations Research and
Operations Management are frequently utilized on an ad hoc basis.
Goals, Purpose, and Significance of the Paper

This paper seeks to understand Operations Research And Operations

Management: From Selective Optimization To System Optimization. Discuss the
scientific methods used in Operations Management and its relationship with
systems optimization.
Framework Used in the Paper

Operations Research

Operations Management

Linear Decision
Programming Game Theory Other Models
Analysis
Identification of Assumption(s), if applicable
No assumption can be drawn in this paper as it only seeks to discuss Operations
Research and Operations Management.

Data Collection Methods and Analysis Used in the Paper

The data gathered in this paper is from the following references:

 Anderson, D., Sweeney, D., and Williams, T. (2002). An Introduction to

Management Science: Quantitative Approaches to Decision Making, tenth
edition, South-Western Publishing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. 2. Banks, R.L.
and Wheelwright, S.C. (1979).
 Operations vs. Strategy: Trading Tomorrow for Today, Harvard Business
Review, May/June. 3. Carlisle, H. (1973).
 Situational Management: A Contingency Approach to Leadership, AMACOM
4. Chase, R., Aquilano, N., and Jacobs, R. (2001).
 Operations Management For Competitive Advantage, ninth edition,
McGraw-Hill, New York. 5. Goetsch, D. L. (2000).
 The Safety and health Handbook, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey. 6. Hamermesh,
R.G. (1986).
 Making Strategy Work, Wiley, New York. 7. Korman, A. K. (1971).
 Industrial and organizational psychology, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey. 8.
Lorange, P. and Rockart, J. F. (1977).
 A Framework for the use of Computer-based Models in the Planning
Process, Strategic Planning Systems, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey. 9.
McCormick, E. J. (1976).
 Human Factors in Engineering and Design, 4 th edition, McGraw-Hill, New
York. 10. Moore, F.G. and Jablonski, R. (1969).
 Production Control, 3 rd edition, McGraw-Hill, New York. 11. Watson, H.
(1981). Computer Simulation in Business, John Wiley, New York.
The statements in their texts has been analyzed and discussed in this paper which led
the researcher to the conclusion.

Summary of the Results

Operations research concerns the application of quantitative methods to solve

operations problems. In particular, the cluster performs research on the
development of new methods and on the application of methods in the following
areas Combinatorial optimization
 Discrete-event simulation
 Dynamic control
 Dynamic programming, including Markov decision processes
 Game theory and dynamic games
 Optimization and linear programming
 Stochastic modelling, e.g., stochastic processes and Markov chains
 Risk analysis
Operations management concerns the creation, production, and delivery of
products and services. The concept comprises areas such as :

 Supply chain management & logistics

 Energy markets and operations
 Manufacturing and quality management
 New product development and technology management
 Project management
 Purchasing and procurement management
 Service system design

The tools and techniques listed in the area of operations research do not
directly mesh with the functional structuring of management problems. However,
operations management techniques appear to be more functionally oriented.
Neither operations research nor operations management techniques are
designed to replace managerial decision-making. The application of the
techniques and concepts in both areas are designed to be used as a "decision
support system", and in the case of operations management, are sometimes an
integral part of the organizations' strategy (i.e., forecasting new product sales
potential). In addition, the application of these models is not limited to technical
decisions at the operational level within the management hierarchy. As previously
stated, there are direct implications for the use of these models in the long-term
planning of the organization (strategic level) for many firms.

Three (3) Major Points of Agreement

a. Next-generation software might include artificial intelligence to interpret

quantitative results under different states of nature.
b. Many of the tools of the two fields are similar. However, OR tends to be
strictly quantitative in character whereas OM exhibits psychosocial and
sociotechnical topics as well.
c. need more association with managers who are working out in the field to
see how many of them can do their job in the absence of OSHA training and
compliance or how many are dealing with employees with low back pain
and/or carpel tunnel syndrome.
Three (3) Major Points of Disagreement
- No disagreement in the paper can be drawn, since it is more of a discussion.

Conclusions

Although many of the tools of these two fields are similar, operations
research tends to be strictly quantitative in character whereas operations
management exhibits psychosocial and socio-technical considerations. By means
of an interactive integrated database, common data elements, work package
identification, and module-to module communication, the tools and techniques of
operations management and operations research would seem to mesh and
become interwoven computer-based functional applications. The use of these
tools then changes the emphasis from structural to functional, from the use of
individual tools and techniques to the use of combinations, and from selective
optimization to system optimization. Both operations management and
operations research, but especially operations management, give evidence of
moving in the direction of placing greater emphasis on the "management"
aspects of problems and a de-emphasis of the "techniques" aspects. If as
suggested in this paper the fields of operations research and operations
management are distinct in philosophy, if not totally separate in your tools and
techniques, the question is how to integrate these fields into an organization's
structure. It is proposed that the integrating ingredient could be an integrated
information system/decision support system for the organization. In addition,
through the identification of appropriate techniques from both fields, the
organization’s strategy and the attainment of strategic objectives could be
supported or rejected based on the output of fully integrated OR/OM models .