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Profiles in Operations Research pp 775–792Cite as

Ronald A. Howard

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

Abstract

Ron Howard is recognizedas a pioneer in the fields of Markov decision processes and the general field of decision analysis (DA), a term that he introduced. In a series of papers published in the 1960s, Ron laid out the principles of applied decision theory and brought the techniques of practical DA to various audiences, especially operations research (OR) and engineering. He furthered the application of DA by combining his academic teaching objectives with the founding of the first DA management consulting organization.

Keywords

  • Operation Research
  • Decision Analysis
  • Markov Decision Process
  • Policy Iteration
  • Influence Diagram

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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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SmartOrg Inc., Menlo Park, CA, USA

    James E. Matheson

Authors
  1. James E. Matheson
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Editor information

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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Matheson, J.E. (2011). Ronald A. Howard. 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_43

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