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Profiles in Operations Research pp 171–200Cite as

C. West Churchman

Part of the International Series in Operations Research & Management Science book series (ISOR,volume 147)

Abstract

C. WestChurchman made pioneering and important contributions to operations research (OR), management science (MS), and systems theory. Over the course of six decades, he investigated and contributed to a wide range of topics—statistics, accounting, city planning, space exploration, education, mental health, and peace and conflict studies. Influenced by his practical work on statistical quality control during World War II (WWII), West came to OR after a successful career in philosophy. As a pioneer, he helped define OR and its relation to systems thinking in the early 1950s. With his friend and colleague, Russell Ackoff, he established the path-breaking Operations Research Group at Case Institute of Technology. Along with E. Leonard Arnoff, they coauthored the first integrated text in OR, Introduction to Operations Research, published in 1957.

Keywords

  • System Approach
  • Operation Research
  • Operation Research
  • Management Science
  • Wicked Problem

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Professor Neeraj Verma of the University at Buffalo, SUNY, for reading and commenting on an earlier version of this profile.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Arjang A. Assad

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  1. Arjang A. Assad
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Correspondence to Arjang A. Assad .

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  1. , School of Management, University at Buffalo, State University, Jacobs Management Center 160, Buffalo, 14260-4000, New York, USA

    Arjang A. Assad

  2. Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, Van Munching Hall, College Park, 20742-1915, Maryland, USA

    Saul I. Gass

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Assad, A.A. (2011). C. West Churchman. In: Assad, A., Gass, S. (eds) Profiles in Operations Research. International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, vol 147. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6281-2_11

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