Decision Science : theory and applications

Decision science is the discipline that is concerned with the development and applications of quantitative methods and techniques to support decision making processes. This extensively revised edition of two former versions of the book discusses the general principles and often used optimisation techniques such as linear programming, integer programming, dynamic programming, non-linear programming, network theory, simulation and stochastic programming. This book aims to fill in the gap between theory and practice. It discusses the theoretical background of important quantitative methods and techniques as well as how they can be applied to practical decision making problems. Therefore, the modeling process is illustrated with examples of firms, consumers, governments and other non-profit organisations in agriculture related sectors. The authors have used their vast didactical experience to find a proper balance between mathematical exactness, knowledge and readability on the one hand and offer understanding, insights and applicability of the subjects on the other hand. The book is therefore an essential asset in introductory courses on decision science in undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes.