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This is the website of the EURO Working Group OR & Ethics
Ethical concerns have been present since the origins of OR, addressing all dimensions of this discipline in society. The EURO Working Group (EWG) on “Ethics and OR” has been created one year after the inspiring opening lecture of Professor J.P. Brans of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel on “OR, Ethics and Decision”. Meanwhile we have been active in many EURO conferences and see our mission, OR for the common good, becoming widespread in many OR fields.
The working group understands itself as constituting a network gathering scientists, teachers and professionals in the field of Operational Research who are committed to inspire OR researchers, teachers, students and consultants to integrate ethical aspects and considerations in their activities; assuming our Responsibility within the decision-making process. Our EWG aims at a valuable and lively contribution to our EURO conferences, scientifically and socially, in close collaboration within EURO and other EWGs.
Operational Research (OR) is the discipline of applying advanced analytical methods to help make better decisions – in businesses as well as in societies. By using techniques such as problem definition and problem structuring methods as well as mathematical modelling to analyze complex situations, OR allows to make more effective decisions and to build more productive and safer systems.
The OR and Ethics EURO Working group is dealing with ethical dimensions of OR. By ethics we understand moral, (descriptive) normative, political principles, regimes and structures. Therefore, the group is particularly focused on using OR for the “common good”, to “make an impact”, and to address societal challenges.
The working group understands itself as constituting a network gathering scientists, teachers and professionals in the field of Operational Research who are committed to inspire OR researchers, teachers, students and consultants to integrate ethical aspects and considerations in their activities; assuming our Responsibility within the decision-making process. Our EWG aims at a valuable and lively contribution to our EURO conferences, scientifically and socially, especially in close collaboration within EURO and with other EWGs.
Especially in difficult times you need to make moral decisions for a safe future for citizens and societies, whether you work on processes for schools, universities, hospitals, public transportation providers, companies or developing countries. If you are researching in one or more of those fields and see the related societal/moral aspects, then you are welcome to join our sessions of Ethics and OR in the next EURO2024 Conference in Copenhagen, Danmark, June/July 2024). More information will be provided by late 2023.