Is Operational Research Attractive Enough at Higher Education Institutions in Croatia?

In an age where information technology, the Internet, smart phones, mobile applications, interdisciplinarity, big data, business analytics, artificial intelligence, and the fourth industrial revolution have become prevalent, Operational Research (OR) as a scientific and academic discipline is also subject to a specific transformation and evolution. This paper covers the current situation with OR based, on the mentioned trends by analysing OR-related programmes and courses offered at university level, specifically, at higher education institutions (HEIs) in Croatia. Also, aspects of collaboration between HEIs and the business community relating to OR will be studied, as well as the role of the Croatian Operational Research Society (CRORS) as a community that gathers OR researchers and promotes OR as a scientific discipline (Croatian Operational Research Society 2017). Some suggestions to improve the current OR situation at Croatian HEIs, and its impact on economy are also given. The analysis was based on a survey sent to HEIs in Croatia, and subsequently organising a round table discussion and consultations with Croatian employers. The survey questions related to the courses and programmes offered at Croatian HEIs, the number of students attending the courses, recent innovations, collaboration with the business community and plans to make OR even more appealing. The results reveal that the number of OR-related courses is significant, though most are electives, and the lack of OR majors across all higher-education levels in Croatia. In general, OR courses are required to follow terminology trends and utilize more appealing terms such as data analytics and business analytics. Recent and more intensive collaboration with the business community which seeks experts in optimization, analytics, and other OR areas is becoming promising.