Topics and features:

Introduces the key modeling methods and tools, including heuristic and mathematical programming-based models, and queueing theory and simulation techniques;

Demonstrates the use of heuristic methods to not only solve complex decision-making problems, but also to derive a simpler solution technique;

Presents case studies on a broad range of applications that make use of techniques from genetic algorithms and fuzzy logic, tabu search, and queueing theory;

Reviews examples incorporating system dynamics modeling, cellular automata and agent-based simulations, and the use of big data;

Supplies expanded descriptions and examples in the appendices.