Answer:
descriptive approach
Step-by-step explanation:
Normative approaches are prescriptive in nature and provide information about what you should be doing for an optimal outcome.
Descriptive approaches on the other hand are those that help us analyze different scenarios. Clearly simulation models fall under this category.
Optimization and Linear Programming approaches are again oriented towards computing the best case scenario. Simulation can play an enabling role in optimization (e.g, Simulation-based optimization) but simulation cannot be characterized only by optimization related approaches.