This book was originally published as a doctoral thesis and was de fended by the author at the Tilburg School of Economics in 1969. It has the characteristics of a work on industrial econometrics. On the one hand relevant economical, statistical and mathematical theory is treated and on the other a model for a very actual situation has been created and utilised to solve a practical problem. The selection from current reference material always has a personal tinge of course, and other theoreticians will find some of the author's departures from the theme a little unnecessary. However, if the theory propounded in this book is tested for its relevance in solving practical problems, the selection may be regarded as a success. Thanks to the way in which the case is developed the book is of great practical use. So often in writings on operations research theory is applied to so-called practical examples, which in fact can only be des cribed as five finger exercises. It is clear from the early chapters that the author has struggled with this problem but that he has found a solution. And in his concluding remarks he indicates briefly how this case can be incbrporated in a context which goes beyond short-term optimisation. In the description of the preparatory and implementation phases the author shows how a clash between practical implementation and theoretical application can successfully be avoided in this preparatory work.
