Prospects for operations research in the e-business era

The digital economy is creating abundant opportunities for operations research (OR) applications. Several factions of the profession are beginning to respond aggressively, leading to notable successes in such areas as financial services, electronic markets, network infrastructure, packaged OR-software tools, supply-chain management, and travel-related services. Because OR is well matched to the needs of the digital economy in certain ways and because certain enabling conditions are coming to pass, prospects are good for OR to team with related analytic technologies and join information technology as a vital engine of further development for the digital economy. OR professionals should prepare for a future in which most businesses will be e-businesses.