Risk Analysis: Foundations, Models and Methods (International Series in Operations Research & Management Science) [Hardcover]

Louis Anthony Cox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0792376153 | ISBN-13: 978-0792376156 | Edition: 1

Risk Analysis: Foundations, Models, and Methods fully addresses the questions of "What is health risk analysis?" and "How can its potentialities be developed to be most valuable to public health decision-makers and other health risk managers?" Risk analysis provides methods and principles for answering these questions. It is divided into methods for assessing, communicating, and managing health risks. Risk assessment quantitatively estimates the health risks to individuals and to groups from hazardous exposures and from the decisions or activities that create them. It applies specialized models and methods to quantify likely exposures and their resulting health risks. Its goal is to produce information to improve decisions. It does this by relating alternative decisions to their probable consequences and by identifying those decisions that make preferred outcomes more likely. Health risk assessment draws on explicit engineering, biomathematical, and statistical consequence models to describe or simulate the causal relations between actions and their probable effects on health. Risk communication characterizes and presents information about health risks and uncertainties to decision-makers and stakeholders. Risk management applies principles for choosing among alternative decision alternatives or actions that affect exposure, health risks, or their consequences.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews: `The book is well structured and based on the latest references to literature and software, including Web-links. [...]distinguishing characteristics of risk analysis and reltions to other disciplines as well as relations between different models and approaches are clearly presented, which aids the choice of an appropriate risk analysis model. [... The presentation of the material is comprehensible, thanks to the numerous didactic examples. [...] In summary, the book can be highly recommended as an overview on latest trends in risk analysis as well as a source of case studies, for teaching health, safety, and environmental risk analysis.' OR News, 19 (2003) "Health risk analysis is considered extensively in this book … many interesting questions (in theory as well as in applications) for operations researchers and management scientists are discussed. … The book contains more than 500 pages and more than 650 references. It is well written and structured, and in particular, the extensive number of examples provided throughout the book give an excellent insight in the topic of health risk analysis." (Stefan Nickel, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1060 (11), 2005)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 568 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792376153
• ISBN-13: 978-0792376156
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,782,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading, June 24, 2003

By 

"anov" (Krasnoyarsk, Russia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Risk Analysis: Foundations, Models and Methods (International Series in Operations Research & Management Science) (Hardcover)

The book covers all essential stages of quantitative risk analysis, from identifying risk sources to calculating rational decisions under risk. Though it announces health risks as its main target, the methods and techniques are equally applicable to other areas, e.g. finance and engineering.

The book is well written using a clear and rigorous style. However, it is not an easy-reading. A reader is supposed to be closely familiar with basic concepts of calculus, linear algebra, probability and statistics, and differential equations. Reading the book with pen and paper would bring much more than just glancing through. The resulting benefits worth these efforts.

The book is best for deep studying of risk analysis, and as a handbook for skilled professionals. I would also recommend it to everyone wishing to gain clear understanding of quantitative decision-making under risk.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Book by Dr. LA Cox, jr., June 19, 2003

By 

Paolo F. Ricci (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Risk Analysis: Foundations, Models and Methods (International Series in Operations Research & Management Science) (Hardcover)

This book is essential to all serious users of risk assessment and management. It is accessible, well written and has many examples that illustrate the issues discussed. Dr. Cox's book spans from cancer model to decision and game theory. Its broad coverage and depth make the book an essential companion to those who must account for uncertainty and variability when assessing the potential outcomes of alternative choices. Because the book consider the single decision makers, as well as situations characterized by several decisionmakers, it is of much importance to current debates having to do with uncertain causation in health and environmental decisionmaking. I now look forward to a text on ecological risk assessment by this Author because this area of risk assessment requires a unifying framework, much like he has done for human health.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unreadable!, May 27, 2003

By 

Taimouraz Koupeev (Vladikavkaz, RNO-Alania Russia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Risk Analysis: Foundations, Models and Methods (International Series in Operations Research & Management Science) (Hardcover)

I note that the first reviewer is Daniel Byrd, a colleague that Dr Cox works with at times.

I cannot agree with Dr Byrd's view. I found this book to be impossible to read. It is highly mathematical, poorly laid out, written in a very heavy, formal style and focuses entirely on human health risk, which is not apparent from the book title.

I also know that some of the analyses that were performed in the book, and models Dr Cox created, have turned out to be extremely dubious, if not simply wrong.

I am afraid that I cannot recommend this book at all.