Research Reports from the Department of Operations
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
3-5-1969
Abstract
If there is any characteristic that can be singled out as the distinctive phenomenon of our twentieth century it must be the rapid growth in the complexity of organizations and their decision processes. Errors in making decisions can be extremely costly in both human and material resources. Indeed, the long life of many capital investments means that the results of some errors may be, for all intents and purposes, irreversible. Certainly the decision problems involved in urban transportation and land-use planning are among the most difficult and complicated decisions we can make. We face the question, "What will be the impact of a certain transportation system on the way of life in a community?" Even to define what is meant by the phrases "transportation system" and "community" is extremely difficult. How do we establish limits on such a question? How do we choose between those factors we wish to consider and those we feel irrelevant? How do we validate or even test our assumptions about what is relevant and what is not?
Keywords
Operations research, Statistical decision, Decision making--Social aspects, Urban transportation--Planning, Transportation--Social aspects, Communities--Research, City planning--Decision making, System analysis
Publication Title
Technical Memorandums from the Department of Operations, School of Management, Case Western Reserve University
Issue
Technical memorandum no. 148
Rights
This work is in the public domain and may be freely downloaded for personal or academic use
Recommended Citation
Mantel, Jr., Samuel J. and Dean, Burton V., "Community Values and Operations Research" (1969). Research Reports from the Department of Operations. 77.
https://commons.case.edu/wsom-ops-reports/77