In this paper, we use a Markov decision process (MDP) to model the joint inventory-promotion decision problem. The state variable of the MDP represents the demand state brought about by changing environmental factors as well as promotion decisions. The demand state in a period determines the...

This study is motivated by a process-reengineering problem in personal computer (PC) manufacturing, i.e., to move from a build-to-stock operation that is centered around end-product inventory towards a configure-to-order (CTO) operation that eliminates endproduct inventory. In fact, CTO has made...

In this paper, we use pattern clustering and multivariate analysis of variance methods to analyze the daily load patterns in Ontario, Canada, in order to determine the impact of the time of use (TOU) rate implementation. Our findings show that in the first year after the implementation, there...