This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Murphy, F. H. Search for Related Content

ASP, The Art and Science of Practice: Elements of a Theory of the Practice of Operations Research: Practice as a Business

Fox School of Business and Management, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122
fmurphy{at}temple.edu

In the previous two articles in this series (Murphy 2005a, b), I looked at practice from the perspective of doing operations research (OR). Because OR practitioners have careers and often found businesses, we need to understand practice as a business. Operations research/management science (OR/MS) businesses face many of the same issues as other technology and consulting businesses. However, the product is intangible, creating marketing problems. The businesses operate in a complex ecology with different levels of competition and cooperation among OR and software firms, depending on their different areas of expertise. Social networks play an important role in the way individuals and companies market and develop new strands of practice.

Key Words: OR/MS implementation; consulting; OR/MS practice