In this paper, we analyze the contracting issues that arise in collaborative services, such as consulting, financial planning, and information technology outsourcing. In particular, we investigate how the choice of contract type--among fixed-fee, time-and-materials, and performance-based...

AbstractThe following sections are included:SummaryIntroductionFindingsICT adoption and budget trendsInternal organizationOutsourcing and OffshoringForward facing interactionsBackward facing interactionsBusiness resultsGlobalizationFuture WorkAcknowledgmentsBibliographyAbout the Authors

Machine sequencing formulations typically assume that the characteristics of the job set to be processed are given. However, in many applications, jobs can be batched in different ways. Two types of minimum flow-time sequencing problems with lot sizing are formulated. The "item-flow" formulation...

The multilocation inventory problem can be thought of naturally as an extension of the single location "newsboy" problem to multiple locations with transshipment possible between locations. Previous work has established the form of optimal policies; however, computational results have been...

Traditional scheduling models have emphasized sequencing of tasks at machines. At multiple-machine work-centers mean flow times are affected by the allocation of work to machines, as well as the batch-sizes used for processing. An efficient algorithm for computing the optimal solution for the...

We analyze planning and scheduling of multiproduct batch operations in the food-processing industry. Such operations are encountered in many applications including manufacturing of sorbitol, modified starches, and specialty sugars. Unlike discrete manufacturing, batch sizes in these operations...

We consider a competitive version of the traditional aggregate production planning model with capacity constraints. In the general case, multiple products are produced by a few competing producers (oligopoly) with limited capacities. Production quantities, prices and consequently profits depend...

In many manufacturing problems, the total lead time taken to manufacture a product is an important consideration. Long lead times impose costs due to higher work-in-process inventory, increased uncertainty about requirements, larger safety stocks and poorer performance to due dates. Traditional...