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Herbert A. Simon

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Profiles in Operations Research

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

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Abstract

In the early years of operations research (OR), the line between OR and mathematical economics was often blurred. Important and influential contributions to OR were being made by mathematical economists from the University of Chicago’s Cowles Commission for Research in Economics and the RAND Corporation. Herbert A. Simon, a social scientist whose research spanned social and economic systems, was first exposed to OR through the work of the Cowles Commission and RAND, as well as by his research projects at Carnegie Mellon University. Even as he advocated alternative approaches, he considered OR as a normative science of decision making. He received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1978 for his pioneering research into the decision-making process within economic organizations. He was awarded the John von Neumann Theory Prize from the Operations Research Society of America (ORSA) and The Institute of Management Sciences (TIMS) for the renaissance-like character of his research program, and for specific research contributions in bounded rationality, production planning, artificial intelligence, and cognitive psychology. He authored and co-authored 27 books and close to 1,000 publications. Beyond his specific technical contributions, his influence on OR persists due to his lifelong interest in investigating decision making in administrative, social, biological, and computer-based systems.

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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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Editors and Affiliations

  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). Herbert A. Simon. 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_14

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