BUSINESS SCHOOL OF SICHUAN UNIVERSITY

（四川大学商学院）

Course syllabus for International Graduate Students

（留学生研究生课程大纲）

Course Name Operations Research

Class
Teacher Jie Xiang 32
Hours
Academic
2 Semester 2022 Fall
credits
Operational research (OR) encompasses the development and the use of a
wide range of problem-solving techniques and methods applied in the pursuit
of improved decision-making and efficiency, such as simulation, mathematical
optimization, queueing theory and other stochastic-process models, Markov
decision processes, econometric methods, data envelopment analysis, neural
Course
networks, expert systems, decision analysis, and the analytic hierarchy
Descriptions
process. Nearly all of these techniques involve the construction of
mathematical models that attempt to describe the system. Because of the
computational and statistical nature of most of these fields, OR also has strong
ties to computer science and analytics.

Course Materials (Textbooks)

教材名称（含 ISBN 号 主编 主编所在单 出版社 出版时间 境 外

自编讲义） 位 （年、月） 教 材
（是/
否）
Introduction 0072321695 FREDERICK Stanford McGraw-Hill 2001 是
to Operations S. HILLIER University
Research & &
GERALD J. Late of
LIEBERMAN Stanford
University

Grading
Class performance 20 % Homework 40 % Final exam 40%

Notes: 10 points for class performance will be assigned to the attendance of the course and the
other 10 points will be given based on the course participation, including answering/asking
questions, earlier/on-time homework submission, high-quality discussion. Three homework will
be assigned in due course and the points will be distributed as 15, 15, and 10 for the first, second,
and third homework respectively.
Instructor Information (A brief introduction)
Jie Xiang is a lecturer of Department of Industrial Engineering. He received his Ph.D. degree from
Beijing Jiaotong University in logistics management and engineering. His research interests
include medical supply chain management, mechanism design and game theory.

Tentative Contents ＆ Arrangements

No. Topic Contents ＆ Arrangements

➢ The Origins of Operations Research
➢ The Nature of Operations Research
➢ Defining the Problem and Gathering Data
Overview of Operations ➢ Formulating a Mathematical Model
1
Research ➢ Deriving Solutions from the Model
➢ Testing the Model
➢ Preparing to Apply the Model
➢ Implementation
➢ Prototype Example
➢ The Linear Programming Model
➢ Assumptions of Linear Programming
2 Linear Programming ➢ Some Case Studies
➢ Formulating Very Large Linear Programming
Models
➢ Cases
➢ The Essence of the Simplex Method
➢ Setting Up the Simplex Method
➢ The Algebra of the Simplex Method
Solving Linear
➢ The Simplex Method in Tabular Form
Programming
3 ➢ Tie Breaking in the Simplex Method
Problems: The Simplex
➢ Adapting to Other Model Forms
Method
➢ Postoptimality Analysis
➢ Computer Implementation
➢ Cases
➢ The Essence of Duality Theory
➢ Economic Interpretation of Duality
➢ Primal-Dual Relationships
➢ Adapting to Other Primal Forms
Duality Theory and
4 ➢ The Role of Duality Theory in Sensitivity
Sensitivity Analysis
Analysis
➢ The Essence of Sensitivity Analysis
➢ Applying Sensitivity Analysis
➢ Cases
➢ The Transportation Problem
➢ A Streamlined Simplex Method for the
The Transportation and
5 Transportation Problem
Assignment Problems
➢ The Assignment Problem
➢ Cases
 ➢ Prototype Example
➢ The Terminology of Networks
➢ The Shortest-Path Problem
Network Optimization
6 ➢ The Minimum Spanning Tree Problem
Models
➢ The Maximum Flow Problem
➢ The Minimum Cost Flow Problem
➢ The Network Simplex Method
➢ A Prototype Example for Dynamic
Programming
➢ Characteristics of Dynamic Programming
7 Dynamic Programming Problems
➢ Deterministic Dynamic Programming
➢ Probabilistic Dynamic Programming
➢ Cases
➢ Prototype Example
➢ Some BIP Applications
➢ Innovative Uses of Binary Variables in
Model Formulation
8 Integer Programming
➢ Some Formulation Examples
➢ Some Perspectives on Solving Integer
Programming Problems
➢ Cases