CONCLUSION ON DEFINITIONS OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH

We read various definitions or opinions about OR,  we arrive at the conclusion that whatever else ' OR ' may be, it is certainly  concerned with optimization problems.    ---- " A decision, which taking  into account all the present circumstances can be considered the best one, is called an optimal decision."

There are three main reasons for why most of the definitions of operation Research are not satisfactory.-------------

1) First of all, Operations research is not a science like any well -defined physical,biological,social phenomena  , while chemists know about atoms and molecules and have theories about their interactions, and biologists know about living organisms and have theories about vital process, operation researchers do not claim to know or have theories about operations.
Operation Research is not a scientific  research into the control of operations. It is essentially a  collection of mathematical techniques and tools which is conjuction with a system approach are applied to solve practical dicision problems of an economic or engineering nature.
Thus it  is very difficult to define operations research precisely.

2) Operation Research is inherently inter-disciplinary in nature with application not only in miitary and business but also in medicine, engineering, physics and so on.  OR make use of experience and expertise of people from different disciplines for developing new methods and procedures.
              Thus inter-disciplinary approach is an important characteristic of OR, which is not included in most of its definitions.
Hence most of definitions are  not satisfactory.

3) Most of the definitions of OR have been offered at different times of  development of OR and hence are bound to emphasise its only one or the other aspect.
For example---- some definitions is only  concerned with war alone.
Many more definitions have been given by various authors must of them fail to consider all basic characteristic of OR ..

However, with further development of operation research perhaps more precise definitions should be forthcoming.