We propose a set of new algorithms based on stochastic localization methods for large-scale discrete simulation optimization problems with convexity structure. All proposed algorithms, with the general idea of "localizing" potential good solutions to an adaptively shrinking subset, are...

The two roles of a dealer in over-the-counter markets, immediacy provision and matchmaking, create a conflict of interest--the dealer prioritizes inventory turnover for immediacy provision, rather than making matches between customer flows. Compared to a counterfactual scenario without this...

We propose a new framework named DS-WGAN that integrates the doubly stochastic (DS) structure and the Wasserstein generative adversarial networks (WGAN) to model, estimate, and simulate a wide class of arrival processes with general non-stationary and random arrival rates. Regarding statistical...

We develop an analytical framework to appropriately model and adequately analyze A/B tests in presence of nonparametric non-stationarities in the targeted business metrics. A/B tests, also known as online randomized controlled experiments, have been used at scale by data-driven enterprises to...

The problems of online pricing with offline data, or other similar general online decision making with offline data problems, have observed increasing interests especially in operational research. To evaluate pricing policies when offline data are available, the decision maker can either...

This study investigates the machine learning tools that are employed to learn data-to-decision mappings. A data-to-decision mapping, once learnt, adopts relevant operational information as input and effectively outputs a reliable decision variable. The operational data used by the machine...

We consider a single-product dynamic pricing problem under a specific non-stationary setting, where the underlying demand process grows over time in expectation and also possibly in the level of random fluctuation. The decision maker sequentially sets price in each time period and learns the...

Econophysics and econometrics agree that there is a correlation between volume and volatility in a time series. Using empirical data and their distributions, we further investigate this correlation and discover new ways that volatility and volume interact, particularly when the levels of both...

A merchant sells a product over a selling season of T time periods in presence of a limited inventory. The merchant observes new external information at the beginning of each time period and then sets a price for that time period. Initially, the merchant does not know the distribution of the...