This is a blind refereed serial publication published on an annual basis. The objective of the research annual is to present state-of-the-art studies in the application of management science to the solution of significant managerial decision-making problems. It is hoped that the research annual will aid in the dissemination of the actual applications of management science. This series emphasizes the application of a specific management science technique area (that is, networks, multi-criteria decision making, nonlinear programming, or simulation) to applications in both the private and public sectors.