Strategy + evaluation = OR?

In this paper it is argued that OR has and will continue to have a role in the development of strategy, not least because of the need to evaluate options which collectively feed into the eventual strategy of an organisation. The key role of evaluation is illustrated in terms of an example of its embedded function – the evaluation of Foreign Direct Investment proposals; and at a meta-level, where there is a need to assess the effectiveness of the associated strategic planning systems. The work involved in these varieties of evaluation is found to be of a quintessentially OR character. Working in this way may also provide OR experts with further entrees to the world of the strategist.