Model World: Ethics in the Not So Real MS/OR World

Unlike most professional societies, neither TIMS nor ORSA have a code of ethics! The recently published book, Ethics in Operations Research, edited by William A. Wallace [1994], reports the results of a 1990 workshop (supported by the Sloan Foundation) held at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. As a participant, I found that the workshop reinforced my view that the MS/OR profession has not been willing to recognize or address the ethical problems and situations that its members encounter. More important, many of the workshop participants felt that the future utility of MS/OR will suffer if the profession does not take a proactive position in formalizing an ethical code and professional standards.