We study fixed-dimensional stochastic dynamic programs in a discrete setting over a finite horizon. Under the primary assumption that the cost-to-go functions are discrete L♮-convex, we propose a pseudo-polynomial time approximation scheme that solves this problem to within an arbitrary...

We study several dynamic, stochastic inventory control models with integer demands: the newsvendor model, its multi-period extension and a single-product, multi-echelon assembly model. Equivalent linear programs are formulated for the corresponding stochastic dynamic programs, and integrality...

Consider the following "structured" procurement problem: A buyer wishes to procure a set of items (e.g., edges of a graph) from multiple suppliers, such that the procured items collectively form a basis of a matroid (e.g., a spanning tree of the graph). Each supplier is capable of supplying one...

In the mobile advertising ecosystem, the role of ad-exchanges to match advertisers and publishers has grown significantly over the past few years. At a mobile ad-exchange, impressions (i.e., opportunities to display ads) are sold to advertisers in real time through an auction mechanism. The...

Users who have an ad-blocker installed present a genuine predicament for a website (a.k.a. publisher): On the one hand, these users do not generate revenue for the website; on the other hand, denying them access can shrink the user base and adversely affect the popularity of the website,...

Descending mechanisms for procurement (or, ascending mechanisms for selling) have been well‐recognized for their simplicity from the viewpoint of bidders — they require less bidder sophistication as compared to sealed‐bid mechanisms. In this study, we consider procurement under each of two...