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The Devolution of OR/MS: Implications from a Statistical Content Analysis of Papers in Flagship Journals

Author

Listed:
  • Arnold Reisman

    (Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio)

  • Frank Kirschnick

    (The Siemens Co., Munich, Germany)

Abstract

Ackoff has decried the “devolution” of OR/MS, Corbett and Van Wassenhove have spoken of its “natural drift,” and a sociologist has described its “regression” as typifying that of other learned professions. To shed light on these views, we undertook a detailed survey of a segment of the OR/MS literature, with particular focus on the space in flagship journals devoted to theory on the one hand and applications on the other. While the literature of OR/MS contains many articles and texts with the word application in the title and the word data in the text, the definitions and uses of these terms are not precise. The claimed applications differ in degree and the actual data differ in kind. To encompass these different meanings we used a five-point scale to classify articles in the 1962 and 1992 volumes of Operations Research and Management Science and the 1972 and 1992 volumes of Interfaces . The resulting statistical analyses shed considerable light on the direction that OR/MS is taking and raise questions about its appropriateness. Finally, the paper raises fundamental questions about the direction that OR/MS should take and the roles that its journals should play in pursuing this direction.

Suggested Citation

  • Arnold Reisman & Frank Kirschnick, 1994. "The Devolution of OR/MS: Implications from a Statistical Content Analysis of Papers in Flagship Journals," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 42(4), pages 577-588, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:oropre:v:42:y:1994:i:4:p:577-588
    DOI: 10.1287/opre.42.4.577
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    Cited by:

    1. Iszan Hana Kaharudin & Mohammad Syuhaimi Ab-Rahman & Roslan Abd-Shukor & Azamin Zaharim & Mohd Jailani Mohd Nor & Ahmad Kamal Ariffin Mohd Ihsan & Shahrom Md Zain & Afiq Hipni & Kamisah Osman & Ruszym, 2022. "How Does Supervision Technique Affect Research? Towards Sustainable Performance: Publications and Students from Pure and Social Sciences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, May.
    2. Sigifredo Laengle & José M. Merigó & Nikunja Mohan Modak & Jian-Bo Yang, 2020. "Bibliometrics in operations research and management science: a university analysis," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 294(1), pages 769-813, November.
    3. ManMohan S. Sodhi & Christopher S. Tang, 2008. "The OR/MS Ecosystem: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 56(2), pages 267-277, April.
    4. Romero-Silva, Rodrigo & de Leeuw, Sander, 2021. "Learning from the past to shape the future: A comprehensive text mining analysis of OR/MS reviews," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    5. Maurice W. Kirby, 2007. "Paradigm Change in Operations Research: Thirty Years of Debate," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 55(1), pages 1-13, February.
    6. R J Ormerod, 2010. "Research contribution: Citation and content analysis," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 61(4), pages 705-707, April.
    7. Chiang Kao, 2009. "The authorship and country spread of Operation Research journals," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 78(3), pages 397-407, March.
    8. Hajime Eto, 2000. "Authorship and Citation Patterns in Operational Research Journals in Relation to Competition and Reform," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 47(1), pages 25-42, January.
    9. S J E Taylor & T Eldabi & G Riley & R J Paul & M Pidd, 2009. "Simulation modelling is 50! Do we need a reality check?," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 60(1), pages 69-82, May.
    10. Merigó, José M. & Yang, Jian-Bo, 2017. "A bibliometric analysis of operations research and management science," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 37-48.
    11. Majdi Argoubi & Emna Ammari & Hatem Masri, 2021. "A scientometric analysis of Operations Research and Management Science research in Africa," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 1827-1843, September.
    12. Hajime Eto, 2002. "Authorship and citation patterns in Management Science in comparison with operational research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 53(3), pages 337-349, March.
    13. Arnold Reisman & Muhittin Oral, 2005. "Soft Systems Methodology: A Context Within a 50-Year Retrospective of OR/MS," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 35(2), pages 164-178, April.
    14. S Gattoufi & M Oral & A Kumar & A Reisman, 2004. "Content analysis of data envelopment analysis literature and its comparison with that of other OR/MS fields," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 55(9), pages 911-935, September.
    15. Meltem Denizel & Behlul Usdiken & Deniz Tuncalp, 2003. "Drift or Shift? Continuity, Change, and International Variation in Knowledge Production in OR/MS," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 51(5), pages 711-720, October.
    16. Richard Ormerod & Panagiota Delibassi & Clare Morris, 2000. "Research Strategies Used by OR/MS Workers: Extension of the Analysis of U.S. Flagship Journals to the United Kingdom," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 48(4), pages 527-534, August.

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