Optimal pricing and order quantity for the newsvendor problem with free shipping

To attract and keep customers, companies, especially those in e-business, are increasingly offering free shipping to buyers whose order sizes exceed the free shipping quantity. In this paper, given the supplier offers free shipping and the retailer faces stochastic demand, we determine the retailer's (i.e., the newsvendor's) optimal order quantity and the optimal selling price simultaneously. We consider two different ways in which price affects the demand distribution, namely price only affects the location or scale of the demand distribution. We explicitly incorporate the supplier's quantity discount and transportation cost into the models. The transportation cost function is very general, which includes those most commonly used in the literature. We numerically examine the impacts of free shipping, quantity discount, transportation cost, and demand variance on the retailer's optimal order quantity and pricing decisions. We find that even though the retailer faces uncertain demand, free shipping can effectively encourage the retailer to order more of the good and can benefit the supplier, the retailer, and the end customers. An increase in transportation cost or a decrease in purchase price will induce the retailer to order more of the good and decrease the retail price. With increasing demand variance, the retailer should order more of the good. We also find that the newsvendor can cope with demand variance by taking advantage of free shipping.     

A continuous model for supply planning of assembly systems with stochastic component procurement times

This paper studies a customized product assembly scenario where some components cannot be stocked due to high component cost and risk. We consider the case where these key components are ordered after a demand has been registered with a promised delivery date. Component lead-times are stochastic and associated distribution function is known in advance. The objective is to determine the ordering time for each component such as to minimize the sum of expected holding and backlogging costs. An approach to solve this problem is proposed and the algorithm is tested on a randomly generated data set.     

石油钻井作业实施HSE管理体系工作存在的问题及对策

从石油钻井施工现场作业的实际情况出发,指出了在钻井工程施工过程中实施ＨＳＥ管理体系存在的普遍问题,并结合现状进行了比较深入的分析,找出了存在上述问题的主要原因。同时,从实施ＨＳＥ管理体系的培训教育、完善和落实作业现场ＨＳＥ管理制度、完善职业健康管理制度、依靠科技进步,加强作业现场健康管理和建立完善的考核奖惩制度等五个方面提出了切实可行的建议和措施。     

A unified solution approach for the due date assignment problem with tardy jobs

We analyze a number of due date assignment problems with the weighted number of tardy jobs objective and show that these problems can be solved in O(n²) time by dynamic programming. We show that the effects of learning or the effects of past-sequence-dependent setup times can be incorporated into the problem formulation at no additional computational cost. We also show that some single-machine due date assignment problems can be extended to an identical parallel machine setting. Finally, we improve the complexity of the solution algorithms for two other due date assignment problems.     

The environment and its impact on satisfaction with supplier performance: An investigation of the mediating effects of control mechanisms from the perspective of the manufacturer in the U.S.A.

An important question for manufacturers relates to how to conduct exchanges with suppliers when the interaction is done in an uncertain environment. Existing literature suggests the use of unilateral control (i.e., vertical control over the supplier) to reduce the negative effects of environmental uncertainty, whereas recent research on relational norms suggests bilateral control mechanisms (i.e., the norm of information sharing) as an alternative. We propose that in order to secure satisfactory performance from suppliers, manufacturers rely on different control mechanisms depending upon the level of environmental uncertainty on one hand, and the nature of interdependence in the manufacturer-supplier relationship on the other. Our empirical results based on 162 manufacturers indicate the following: 1) manufacturers' reliance on vertical control increases as environmental uncertainty and power asymmetry increase; 2) by contrast, reliance on the bilateral information sharing increases as interdependence magnitude increases and as environmental uncertainty decreases; 3) suppliers' performance, as perceived by manufacturers, increases with the use of bilateral information sharing.     

Active-set sequential quadratic programming method with compact neighbourhood algorithm for the multi-polygon mass production cutting-stock problem with rotatable polygons

The cutting-stock problem, which considers how to arrange the component profiles on the material without overlaps, can increase the utility rate of the sheet stock, and is thus a standard constrained optimisation problem. In some applications the components should be placed with specific orientations, but in others the components may be placed with any orientation. This study presents an overlap index and it is much more suitable for the active-set SQP method which can reduce the time spend for constraint consideration. Using this method, various object orientations can be considered easily and the number of object on the sheet stock can be improved by up to eight percent.     

An integrated production–distribution model for the dynamic location and allocation problem with safety stock optimization

The design and management of a multi-stage production–distribution system is one of the most critical problems in logistics and in facility management. Companies need to be able to evaluate and design different configurations for their logistic networks as quickly as possible. This means coordinating the entire supply chain effectively in order to minimize costs and simultaneously optimize facilities location, the allocation of customer demand to production/distribution centers, the inbound and outbound transportation activities, the product flows between production and/or warehousing facilities, the reverse logistics activities, etc.Full optimization of supply chain is achieved by integrating strategic, tactical, and operational decision-making in terms of the design, management, and control of activities. The cost-based and mixed-integer programming model presented in this study has been developed to support management in making the following decisions: the number of facilities (e.g. warehousing systems, distribution centers), the choice of their locations and the assignment of customer demand to them, and also incorporate tactical decisions regarding inventory control, production rates, and service-level determination in a stochastic environment. This paper presents an original model for the dynamic location–allocation problem with control of customer service level and safety stock optimization. An experimental analysis identifies the most critical factors affecting the logistics cost, and to finish, an industrial application is illustrated demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed optimization approach.     

C2空间中广义解析函数的一个带位移的边值问题

阐述了一个以AT89C52单片机为核心的智能数字扭矩仪的硬件电路结构及软件设计。该仪器能对被测扭轴的扭矩值进行测量、存储和显示,并可判断扭矩正反方向,能够自动报警。     

The EU State aid policy for broadband: An evaluation of the Italian experience with first generation networks

State aid (SA) measures for broadband have been flourishing in the EU, but our knowledge about the effectiveness and efficiency of this policy remains extremely scarce. We investigate the SA experience with the first generation of broadband services (FGB) in Italy, whose market was long plagued by extensive market failures, largely due to market power. By exploiting original open Government data and sources, we analyse the main domains of the EU SA policy, and assess whether its ex ante goals have been met in Italy. Four main results stand out. First, the plan extended the FGB coverage of rural areas, although with a substantial delay and incompletely, with respect to the ambitious targets of the Digital Agenda for Europe. Second, public consultations have significantly increased the transparency of the market and of the SA intervention, promoting investment and a gradual increase in the efficiency of public procurement. Third, the direct effects of SA on competitive entry appear less pronounced, at least in the static sense. Fourth, the final matching between allocative and dynamic efficiency of SA policy, and its coherence with industrial and innovation policies remain critical, based on the Italian experience: in fact, the persisting digital divide affecting the business-rich areas depicts another relevant instance of partial Government failure.