Operations Research in Practice: A Longitudinal Study

Three pairs of questionnaires were sent to Operations Research Society of America (ORSA) members at five-year intervals. According to the findings of the six questionnaires, operations research (OR) educators and practitioners see certain quantitative techniques as needed for a proper foundation in OR. Three stand out as consistently believed most important: statistics, linear programming, and simulation. Practitioners use and recommend a more diverse set of techniques than do educators.