Technical note: Worst‐case performance of power‐of‐two policies for serial inventory systems with incremental quantity discounts

This study presents power‐of‐two policies for a serial inventory system with constant demand rate and incremental quantity discounts at the most upstream stage. It is shown that an optimal solution is nested and follows a zero‐inventory ordering policy. To prove the effectiveness of power‐of‐two policies, a lower bound on the optimal cost is obtained. A policy that has a cost within 6% of the lower bound is developed for a fixed base planning period. For a variable base planning period, a 98% effective policy is provided. An extension is included for a system with price dependent holding costs. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007     

Volume discount decisions: Wealth maximization or EOQ approach?

A recent paper finds that when volume discounts are available, in some cases, reliance on the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) model can induce purchasers to make wealth reducing decisions, and the Present Value (PV) approach should be preferred. While this finding is theoretically correct, the magnitudes of wealth reductions suggested by the paper's numerical examples seem to be questionable. Furthermore, the paper also finds that, in some other cases, a purchaser using the EOQ approach realizes a net increase in current wealth compared to a purchaser using the PV approach. Logic suggests that such a finding cannot be correct, since by its very definition, it is the PV approach that seeks to maximize the current wealth. We offer an alternative frame of comparison and a modified model to show that, under the paper's assumptions, the EOQ approach can never realize a net increase in current wealth compared to the current wealth generated by the PV approach. On the other hand, we also show that when typical values of the relevant parameters prevail, the additional costs imposed by the EOQ approach are not significant. Finally, we suggest that insofar as the PV approach requires greater administrative costs to implement, it may even be counterproductive to the goal of wealth maximization. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 45: 377–389, 1998     

Determination of suppliers' optimal quantity discount schedules with heterogeneous buyers

Although the quantity discount problem has been extensively studied in the realm of a single supplier and a single buyer, it is not well understood when a supplier has many different buyers. This paper presents an analysis of a supplier's quantity discount decision when there are many buyers with different demand and cost structures. A common discrete all‐unit quantity discount schedule with many break points is used. After formulating the model, we first analyze buyers' responses to a general discrete quantity discount schedule. This analysis establishes a framework for a supplier to formulate his quantity discount decision. Under this framework, the supplier's optimal quantity discount schedule can be formulated and solved by a simple non‐linear programming model. The applicability of the model is discussed with an application for a large U.S. distribution network. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 49: 46–59, 2002; DOI 10.1002/nav.1052     

机场跑道可见弹坑工程量快速确定模型

机场跑道遭敌破坏后,可见弹坑的修复是战时抢修的一项主要工作,直接影响抢修进程。快速确定单个可见弹坑的抢修工程量,可为准确判别工程量最小、抢修时间最短的应急抢修方案提供支撑。针对原有方法存在的计算粗略、参数过多、工作量大等问题,通过幂函数图形与函数关系拟合,建立了新的可见弹坑工程量快速确定数学模型,并验证了其可行性。在保证精确性的前提下减少了实测参数,简化了工作程序,实现了对原有方法的优化。     

自润滑弹带挤进过程中渗出油量的对比计算

从弹带的作用及特性出发, 通过数值计算和统计计算 2种方法计算了自润滑弹带挤进过程中的渗出油量,初步得出了渗出油量和行程之间的关系。这一问题的解决为自润滑弹带材料的选择提供了理论依据。通过对 2种算法的比较可知, 数值计算误差更小一些, 而统计计算对数学条件要求不太苛刻。     

利用排队模型优化保障设备数量

就如何将排队论法应用于确定保障设备数量的方法进行了分析和研究,得出一种可行的确定保障设备数量的方法,对研制过程中科学地规划保障设备的数量提供了借鉴,对提高装备的保障力和战斗力以及降低全寿命周期费用具有重要意义.     

和谐本位社会中公共政策的价值冲突及其均衡

以利益原则为基础的功利主义倾向是当前政府实践决策的主要选择,这种决策模式不能解决建构和谐社会中公共政策的价值冲突问题。如何更好地坚持和谐本位原则,寻求公共政策价值冲突的均衡,构造和谐的公共政策价值结构,是建构和谐社会的一个重要课题。试图通过寻求公共政策价值冲突的均衡,探求建构和谐社会中公共政策价值冲突的解决办法。     

Bayes假设检验及样本数量问题研究

针对Bayes方法在工程实践中未能得到广泛应用的实际情况分析了Bayes方法存在的问题,以正态总体期望为背景研究并改进了Bayes方法,进一步推导了Bayes假设检验样本数量确定方法。     

Resale price maintenance contracts with retailer sales effort: Effect of flexibility and competition

In Resale Price Maintenance (RPM) contracts, the manufacturer specifies the resale price that retailers must charge to consumers. We study the role of using a RPM contract in a market where demand is influenced by retailer sales effort. First, it is well known that RPM alone does not provide incentive for the retailer to use adequate sales effort and some form of quantity fixing may be needed to achieve channel coordination. However, when the market potential of the product is uncertain, RPM with quantity fixing is a rigid contract form. We propose and study a variety of RPM contracts with quantity fixing that offer different forms of flexibility including pricing flexibility and quantity flexibility. Second, we address a long‐time debate in both academia and practice on whether RPM is anti‐competitive in a market when two retailers compete on both price and sales effort. We show that depending on the relative intensity of price competition and sales effort competition, RPM may lead to higher or lower retail prices compared to a two‐part tariff contract, which specifies a wholesale price and a fixed fee. Further, the impact of RPM on price competition and sales effort competition is always opposite to each other. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2006     

The effect of a temporary product distribution channel on supply chain performance

We analyze a supply chain of a manufacturer and two retailers, a permanent retailer who always stocks the manufacturer's product and an intermittent deal‐of‐the day retailer who sells the manufacturer's product online for a short time. We find that without a deal‐of‐the‐day (DOTD) retailer, it is suboptimal for the manufacturer to offer a quantity discount while it is optimal for the retailer to offer periodic price discounts to consumers. With the addition of a DOTD retailer, it is likely to be optimal for the manufacturer to offer a quantity discount. We show that even without market expansion, i.e., no exclusive DOTD retailer consumers, opening the intermittent channel can leave the permanent retailer no worse‐off while increasing the manufacturer's profit. We identify the regular and discounted wholesale prices and the threshold quantity at which the manufacturer should give the discount. We also identify the optimal retail prices. We find that opening the intermittent channel increases the profit of the manufacturer, is likely to decrease the average retail price and to increase sales, and may increase the permanent retailer's profit. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 63: 505–528, 2016