We study lot-size policies in a serial, multi-stage, manufacturing/inventory system with two key generalizations, namely (1) random yields at each production stage and (2) an autoregressive demand process. Previous research shows that the optimal policies in models with random yields (even in...

Manufacturers who outsource components incur risks as well as benefits. If the supplied product has a major quality defect, the adverse effect on the manufacturer's reputation reduces its market share. This paper presents a discrete-time model of a buyer who collaborates with a sole supplier to...

We show that an easily computed and simply structured policy for making workorder decisions is optimal in the Clark-Scarf inventory model. That is a model of a make-to-stock multistage serial manufacturing process with convex costs of finished goods inventory, a set-up cost for purchasing,...

Problem definition: Profit maximization is the default criterion in operations management and normative economics of industrial organizations, but its pursuit achieves a firm's financial value only under stringent conditions. Otherwise: (A) Profit optimization is sub-optimal, (B) the appropriate...

Although uncertainty is rife in many project management contexts, little is known about adaptively optimizing project schedules. We formulate the problem of adaptively optimizing the expected present value of a project's cash flow, and we show that it is practical to perform the optimization....