This is a presentation of the basic ideas of optimization methods that are applicable to strategic planning and operations management, particularly in the field of transportation. The material of the book covers almost all parts of optimization, and the author describes the ideas behind the methods (with which the study of the methods usually starts) and facilitates further study of the methods using original scientific articles rather than just textbooks. The book is also designed to be a manual for those specialists who work in the field of management and who recognize optimization as a powerful tool for numerical analysis of the potential and of the competitiveness of enterprises. A special chapter contains the basic mathematical notation and concepts useful for understanding the book and covers all the necessary mathematical information.