I. Rubric for OptimizationII. Questions to PonderIII. Cost Improvement ScenarioA. SituationB. ObjectiveC. ActionD. ResultsE. AftermathIV. Operations Research ApproachesA. Evolution of Operations Research in AcademicsB. Origin, History, and DevelopmentsC. Operational Research ActivitiesD. The Operations Research ApproachE. Significance of Operations ResearchF. Operations Research in ManufacturingG. The Operations Research Experience in the U.S.H. Growth of Operations Research in Different SectorsI. Challenges in Operations ResearchJ. Future TrendsK. ConclusionV. Genetic AlgorithmsVI. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)VII. Ant Path OptimizationVIII. SimulationsIX. Exercises