The essence of management is to make choices that make optimal use of scarce resources. This course covers how to apply linear programming to complex systems to make better decisions – decisions that increase revenue, decrease costs, or improve efficiency of operations. Students will explore the role of mathematical models in decision-making and how to formulate basic linear programming models where multiple decisions need to be made while simultaneously satisfying multiple conditions or constraints.
Dr. Cliff Ragsdale
Cliff T. Ragsdale is Bank of America Professor of Business Information Technology at Virginia Tech. His primary research interests involve applications of quantitative modeling techniques to managerial decision making problems using microcomputers. Dr. Ragsdale has served as a consultant for a variety of organizations including General Mills, The World Bank, Frontline Systems, and Dominion Energy. His research has been published in Decision Sciences, Naval Research Logistics, Operations Research Letters, Computers and Operations Research, OMEGA, Personal Financial Planning, Financial Services Review, Decision Support Systems, and a number of other scholarly journals. He is a Fellow of Dec...