Retailer's rationale to refuse consumer returns in supply chains

While accepting consumer returns has long been proposed as a solution to resolve the consumer valuation uncertainty problem, there are still a sizable portion of retailers who insist on a “no return” policy. In this article, we offer an economic rationale for these seemingly unreasonable strategies in a supply chain context. We demonstrate when and why the retailer may benefit from refusing consumer returns, even though offering consumer returns allows the supply chain to implement the expostmarket segmentation. Granting the retailer the right to refuse consumer returns may sometimes improve supply chain efficiency: it eliminates the manufacturer's attempt to induce inefficient consumer returns and bring the equilibrium back to that in the vertically integrated benchmark. We also find that the refund and the retail price can move in the opposite directions when product reliability varies, and consumer returns have a nontrivial impact on the quality choice. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 62: 686–701, 2015     

Environmental regulation in project‐based industries

We study the environmental regulation of industrial activities that are organized as projects. Applications arise in construction, ship and aircraft building, and film making, among other industries. Relative to manufacturing, environmental regulation is different in project‐based industries, due to the uniqueness and geographical diversity of projects, and a lack of product takeback programs. Because the amount of waste and pollution generated by project companies can be large, regulators need environmental policies to ensure reduction of waste and pollution. We consider a regulator who attempts to maximize social welfare. We model this problem as a bilevel nonlinear program. The upper level regulator specifies waste reduction targets, which the lower level project companies meet using waste stream reduction and remediation of pollution, while attempting to control their project costs. We find that high waste diversion targets lead to outcomes with little pollution, but excessive project costs and only modest waste stream reduction. Projects that have lower task precedence density, or that have pollutants with different environmental impacts, show larger increases in project cost and time resulting from regulation. We describe a subsidy for waste stream reduction that coordinates the system, and we estimate the value of coordination. We also describe a bonus that encourages truthful reporting by project companies, and evaluate the relative cost and effectiveness of the subsidy and the bonus. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 62: 228–247, 2015     

Pricing and inventory management during new product introduction when shortage creates hype

In this study, we analyze the joint pricing and inventory management during new product introduction when product shortage creates additional demand due to hype. We develop a two‐period model in which a firm launches its product at the beginning of the first period, before it observes sales in the two periods. The product is successful with an exogenous probability, or unsuccessful with the complementary probability. The hype in the second period is observed only when the product is successful. The firm learns the actual status of the product only after observing the first‐period demand. The firm must decide the stocking level and price of the product jointly at the beginning of each of the two periods. In this article, we derive some structural properties of the optimal prices and inventory levels, and show that (i) firms do not always exploit hype, (ii) firms do not always increase the price of a successful product in the second period, (iii) firms may price out an unsuccessful product in the first period if the success probability is above a threshold, and (iv) such a threshold probability is decreasing in the first‐period market potential of the successful product. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 62: 304–320, 2015     

Smart Power and Military Force: An Introduction

Abstract

Smart power is comprised of two elements: the quest for building society among states and between states and non-state actors; as well as the desire for cleaner forms of power projection. This special issue explores how states continue to fumble over achieving the optimum mix of hard and soft power across several country cases and themed articles. This set of contributions suggests that smart power is not unlike a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ analogy: multifunctional and challenging to choose the right combination of ideational and material tools.     

火控系统故障预测与健康管理技术

故障预测和健康管理(PHM)技术具有故障诊断、故障预测以及健康管理的功能,对降低火控装备维修成本、增强火控系统的完备性以及提高火控系统管理效率具有重要意义。根据通用火控系统发展现状及应用需求,将PHM技术引入到火控系统中。首先介绍了PHM技术原理和国内外发展现状,重点讨论了PHM关键技术和通用火控系统PHM体系结构。最后展望了火控系统PHM技术的发展趋势。     

基于品质度量的移动Ad Hoc网络分层密钥管理优化技术

提出了一个分布式的基于品质度量的分层密钥优化管理机制。该机制通过动态选择高品质的节点作为PKG来增强移动Ad Hoc网络的安全性,并将网络生存时间最大化。节点的选择可以归结为随机(restless bandit)问题,并且将密钥更新过程分为在线和离线两个部分,从而降低了计算复杂性。仿真结果表明,该机制可增强网络的安全性和将网络生存时间最大化,非常适合移动自组网的应用要求。     

基于领域本体的舰船装备维修保障知识表示研究

针对舰船装备维修保障领域维修保障知识缺乏有效统一管理、共享和重用程度低等问题,将领域本体理论引入维修保障知识管理中,提出了基于全寿命周期的舰船装备维修保障知识本体建模方法。分析舰船装备维修保障领域知识的来源、分类和构成,构建了装备维修保障领域的顶层本体及其概念关系。重点介绍了维修保障知识中故障案例知识的本体建模表示,并提出了基于预检索的全局故障案例知识检索算法,建立了原型系统并应用验证。结果表明:该方法能够解决目前维修保障知识管理中存在的问题,提高了知识检索效率。     

混合动力装甲车辆能量管理策略实时仿真

为解决混合动力装甲车辆多动力源输出优化匹配难题,针对一种具有3个动力源的混合动力系统中各动力源的输出特性和驱动电机功率需求特点,制定了具有双层结构的能量管理策略:顶层的系统功率分配策略完成负载功率估计及其在各动力源间的分配;底层的部件级控制策略实现发动机-发电机组和动力电池的优化控制。通过构建一种分布式硬件在环仿真平台对能量管理策略进行仿真验证。结果表明:混合动力系统能够很好地满足负载功率需求,实现了对多个目标的优化控制。     

反导作战多传感器任务规划技术

多传感器任务规划技术是反导作战中的重要研究内容之一,即解决如何发挥多维传感器资源的互补优势,构建"传感器-目标-任务"序列,以实现整体执行效果最优。基于JDL信息融合模型深入剖析了反导作战多传感器任务规划体系结构及其信息交互。在此基础上,结合反导作战特点,从应用和理论研究两个方面分别对多传感器任务规划技术进行了叙述。     

“小机构”的“大智慧”——美国高能激光技术联合办公室

美国国防部在世纪伊始成立的高能激光技术联合办公室专职人员不到10人,却能高效调动创新体系中所有创新单元,长期保持战略先导地位。本文全面介绍联合办公室的使命职能、编制组成、运行方式、科研项目、代表性成果以及重要决策,旨在为技术创新和管理创新提供参考和借鉴。