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This invaluable book provides an account of Operational Research in Britain, the country of its inception, from the late 1930s to 1970. Originating in response to the country's air defence needs against the Luftwaffe, Operational Research had outstanding achievements as part of the 'secret war' against Nazi Germany. After 1945, the discipline began to be adopted in an increasing range of industries and services. In the 1960s -- by which time it was being incorporated in to university curricula -- the discipline began to penetrate into civil government departments. The history of Operational Research provides unique insights into the conduct of modern warfare, the professionalisation of business management and the modernisation of the civil service. The chronological coverage, from the late 1930s to 1970, coincides with 'golden age' of Operational Research, when the discipline was presented as a means of achieving optimum solutions to complex managerial problems. The book will be of interest to military and business historians, as well as to historians of public administration and higher education.
List of contents
* The Origins of Operational Research: Military and Other Antecedents to 1937 * The Beginnings of Operational Research: British Air Strategy, 1920-1940 * The Wartime Diffusion of Operational Research, 1940-1945 * Operational Research in Bomber Command, 1941-1945 * The Postwar Labour Government and Operational Research 1945-1951 * Operational Research in Iron and Steel * Operational Research in Coalmining * The Diffusion of Operational Research After 1960: The Corporate Sector * Operational Research in the Public Sector * The Institutional Development of Operational Research
Summary
This is the first of two projected volumes on the history of operational research (OR) in Britain commissioned by the UK Operational Research Society. Based upon a vast array of published and unpublished sources, the book provides an original account of the discipline's pre-war and wartime origins.
