This paper is concerned with long-run average cost minimization of a stochastic inventory problem with Markovian demand, fixed ordering cost, convex surplus cost, and lost sales. The states of the Markov chain represent different possible states of the environment. Using a vanishing discount...

We consider a newsvendor problem with partially observed Markovian demand. Demand is observed if it is less than the inventory. Otherwise, only the event that it is larger than or equal to the inventory is observed. These observations are used to update the demand distribution from one period to...

The newsvendor problem is relatively easy to solve when the distribution of demand for newspapers is known. When the demand is unknown, the newsvendor faces a dual problem in the sense of Feldbaum (1960): to choose a decision variable that maximizes profit in the present period, and choose a...

In many inventory control contexts, inventory levels are only partially (i.e., not fully) observed. This may be due to non-observation of demand, spoilage, misplacement, or theft of inventory. We study a periodic review inventory system where the unmet demand is backordered. When inventory level...

Flexible robotic cells combine the capabilities of robotic flow shops with those of flexible manufacturing systems. In an m-machine flexible cell, each part visits each machine in the same order. However, the m operations can be performed in any order, and each machine can be configured to...

This paper develops efficient forward algorithms and planning horizon results for several machine replacement models under an improving technological environment over time. The models are that of cost minimization, profit maximization, and cost minimization with probabilistic breakdowns. The...

Managing customer satisfaction in a cost effective way has always been a major challenge faced by inventory managers. This paper studies long-term service performance of a two-stage newsvendor selling a perishable product with short-term demand patterns. We characterize the optimal inventory...

This paper investigates the dynamic inventory model for the case when production in a period is restricted to a finite set of specified values. The model allows the production rate to be any value in the set {0, P, 2P, ..., mP}, where m is a nonnegative integer. It is assumed that the setup cost...

This paper presents an asymptotic analysis of a stochastic manufacturing system consisting of parallel machines subject to breakdown and repair and facing a constant demand, as the rates of change of the machine states approach infinity. This situation gives rise to a limiting problem in which...

Problem definition: We study a problem of a retailer who orders from two competing strategic suppliers subject to independent or correlated disruptions and responds by setting the retail price upon delivery, which we call responsive pricing. The suppliers compete by setting their wholesale...