Select three of the applications of operations research listed in Table 1.1. For each one, read the article that is referenced in the application vignette presented in the section shown in the third column. (A link to all these articles is provided on our website, www.mhhe.com/hillier.) For each one, write a one-page summary of the application and the benefits (including nonfinancial benefits) it provided.

 

TABLE 1.1 Applications of operations research to be described in application vignettes Organization Area of Application Section 1.4 2.2 Federal Express Continental Airlines Swift & Company Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Welch's INDEVAL Samsung Electronics Pacific Lumber Company Procter & Gamble Canadian Pacific Railway Hewlett-Packard Norwegian companies United Airlines U.S. Military MISO Netherlands Railways Taco Bell Waste Management Bank Hapoalim Group DHL Sears Logistical planning of shipments Reassign crews to flights when schedule disruptions occur Improve sales and manufacturing performance Design of radiation therapy Optimize use and movement of raw materials Settle all securities transactions in Mexico Reduce manufacturing times and inventory levels Long-term forest ecosystem management Redesign the production and distribution system Plan routing of rail freight Product portfolio management Maximize flow of natural gas through offshore pipeline network Reassign airplanes to flights when disruptions occur Logistical planning of Operations Desert Storm Administer the transmission of electricity in 13 states Optimize operation of a railway network Plan employee work schedules at restaurants Develop a route-management system for trash collection and disposal Develop a decision-support system for investment advisors Optimize the use of marketing resources Vehicle routing and scheduling for home services and deliveries 3.1 3.4 3.5 3.6 4.3 7.2 9.1 10.3 10.5 10.5 10.6 11.3 12.2 12.2 12.5 12.7 13.1 13.10 14.2 Annual Savings Not estimated $40 million $12 million $459 million $150,000 $150 million $200 million more revenue $398 million NPV $200 million $100 million $180 million $140 million Not estimated Not estimated $700 million $105 million $13 million $100 million $31 million more revenue $22 million $42 million