A specially-structured integer programming model, called the multiple-choice nested knapsack model, is developed in this paper. The model is characterized by variables which are partitioned into multiple-choice sets and resource constraints which are nested across the multiple-choice sets. The...

This paper addresses the time management problem confronted by sales representatives. The sales representative planning his itinerary must decide the best way to ration time among the accounts comprising his territory. The time management problem is formulated as an integer program whereby each...

The sales territory alignment problem may be viewed as the problem of grouping small geographic sales coverage units into larger geographic clusters called sales territories in a way that the sales territories are acceptable according to managerially relevant alignment criteria. This paper first...

Deciding which items to include in a sales catalog and how much space should be allocated to each item is a major planning problem facing many large retailers and catalog firms. The steps in the catalog planning process include compiling a list of candidate items, developing one or several ad...

A practical conceptual framework for sales resource allocation modeling is presented in this paper. A literature review of sales resource allocation models is described in terms of this framework. The conceptual framework also lends itself to several integer programming models which may be used...

This paper presents the application of a modified mixed-integer programming algorithm to plan menus in which the portion size of the menu items can vary over a specified positive range. Previous mathematical programming formulations of menu planning problems have either required the variables...

Some easy postoptimality analysis for zero-one programming is developed. First, a procedure is presented for obtaining a set K of 0-1 solutions whose objective function values are within a specified tolerance of the optimum. Then sufficiency conditions for K to contain the optimum of a revised...

Distribution channel design is a complex decision involving (a) the strategic choice of the appropriate channel structure, and (b) the tactical selection of the appropriate intermediaries. This paper presents a decision framework and a model to aid management in the tactical selection of the...

A sales territory design procedure should solve the dual problems of boundary definition and call frequency. Furthermore, it should be possible to base the design on several workload and potential criteria. A procedure is presented which meets this specification. It employs recent developments...

This paper defines the components and characteristics of an important class of models called weighted assignment models and identifies these elements in a number of existing and potential applications. The weighted assignment model represents problems with the following characteristics: A set of...