Management science generally refers to mathematical or quantitative methods for business decision making. The term "operations research" may be used interchangeably with management science.

History

Frederick Winslow Taylor is credited with the initial development of scientific management techniques in the early 1900s. In addition, several management science techniques were further developed during World War II. Some even consider the World War II period as the beginning of management science.

World War II posed many military, strategic, logistic, and tactical problems. Operations research teams of engineers, mathematicians, and statisticians were developed to use the scientific method to find solutions for many of these problems.

Nonmilitary management science applications developed rapidly after World War II. Based on quantitative methods developed during World War II, several new applications emerged. The development of the simplex method by George Dantzig in 1947 made application of linear programming practical. C. West Churchman, Russell...