Objectives and competences

• Relate the Operations Research methodology to the concrete reality
• Identify and relate relevant information and/or develop processes to obtain additional information
• Model/project rationally the problems in order to obtain efficient and effective answers
• Develop the ability to analyse critically the environment where decision-making occurs, through the selection of relevant information, its coordination, and adaptation of model parameters to reality, efficiently adjusting their applicability conditions and rationalizing the expected results.
• Develop research, investigation, and knowledge structuring skills in order to face decision processes of increasing complexity.
• Develop management skills and competences, which support a concrete decision-making process

Teaching Methodologies

In the theoretical classes are presented the relevant concepts and methodologies of the various subjects, highlighting their importance in the future professional activity of Food Engineering, using illustrative examples and case studies. Appeal to the understanding of the concepts, their application and inter-relationship.
In theoretical-practical classes, the student is guided to the resolution of concrete problems, in which he/she applies the studied methodologies.
The group work is intended to develop in students a set of skills and competences that support a concrete decision-making process: research, information gathering, systematization and organization of reasoning, coordination, argumentation, and reasoned presentation of opinions. This work aims to establish a direct connection between the methodology and rational structuring of decisions developed in the Operations Research course and the concrete reality, on a very topical and interesting subject within the environment that surrounds us in general, and in the Food Engineering field, in particular. It appeals not only to the body of knowledge acquired in various curricular units ́s of the respective courses, but also to the ability to reason and critically assess events, requiring a strategic, global and integrated view of the surrounding reality.

Syllabus

THEORETICAL CLASSES

NATURE AND METHODOLOGY OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH
LINEAR PROGRAMMING

Definition and characteristics; Formulation and graphical, algebraic and matrix resolution of Linear Programming problems; Simplex Method; Simplex Method - 2 Phases; Duality: characteristics, properties, and theorems; Transport problems: formulation and resolution; Problems convertible in transport problems; Assignment problems; Hungarian Method.

NETWORKS AND FLOWS

Methodology and application of optimization methods in networks; Minimum link tree, shortest path between two points, and maximum flow problems.
Project planning and control; Project networks: Critical Path Method (CPM) and Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT); Critical path

GAME THEORY
DECISION THEORY
SIMULATION

THEORETICAL-PRACTICAL CLASSES

Formulation and resolution of linear programming problems; graphical, algebraic and matrix resolution of Linear Programming problems; application of simplex, simplex - 2 phase methods; application of excel solver.
Application of the transportation algorithm; Application of the Hungarian Method.
Application of network and network algorithms and of the CPM and PERT algorithms.
Problem solving of game theory, decision theory and simulation.