Joyendu Bhadury

Budget constrained location problem with opening and closing of facilities

In this paper, we study a budget constrained location problem in which we simultaneously consider opening some new facilities and closing some existing facilities. Motivations for this problem stem from applications where, due to a change in the distribution of customer demand, the existing facility system no longer provides adequate service. The objective is to minimize the total weighted travel distance for customers subject to a constraint on the budget for opening and/or closing facilities and a constraint on the total number of open facilities desired. For this problem, we develop a mathematical programming model and examine its theoretical properties. We then develop three heuristic algorithms (greedy interchange, tabu search and Lagrangian relaxation approximation) for this NP-hard problem. Computational testing of these algorithms includes an analysis of the sensitivity of the solution to the budget and the desired number of facilities. The intended application in this testing is that of locating/relocating bank branches in a large-size town such as in our data set from Amherst, New York. We also discuss the situation where operating costs are part of the objective function.

Joint Economic Selection of Target Mean and Variance

This paper considers the problem of selecting the most economical target mean and variance for a continuous production process. In earlier studies, many authors considered the problem of finding an optimal target mean assuming that the variance is known. The problem with this assumption is the difficulty or impossibility of setting a target variance. Taguchi suggested a two-step procedure: first, set the target mean; then, find the smallest variance through redesign or experiment (resetting the level of factors). In this study, three new approaches are suggested for the economic selection of a target variance integrated with a target mean. In the first approach, an expected profit maximization criterion is used to obtain the target mean and variance simultaneously. The example used to illustrate this approach is a filling process where the quality characteristic is assumed to be normally distributed. The containers that are underfilled can be sold in a secondary market at a price of

Stock cutting to minimize cutting length

PL per can, those within specification can be sold at a price of

Supply facility and input/output point locations in the presence of barriers

P 0 per can, and those over the upper specification limit can be sold at a price of

Reachability of locational Nash equilibria

PL per can. In the second approach, a minimum cost criterion based on the Taguchi loss function is used: first, the processes optimized for the variance; then, an optimal process mean is obtained. In the third approach, an economic model for the selection of the target variance is developed, using both customer and producer costs to minimize societal loss independent of the product quality characteristic distribution.

Business Analytics and Organizational Value Chains: A Relational Mapping

In this paper we investigate the following problem: Given two convex P in and P out , where P in is completely contained in P out , we wish to find a sequence of ‘guillotine cuts’ to cut out P in , from P out such that the total length of the cutting sequence is minimized. This problem has applications in stock cutting where a particular shape or design (in this case the polygon P in ) needs to be cut out of a given piece of parent material (the polygon Pout) using only guillotine cuts and where it is desired to minimize the cutting sequence length to improve the cutting time required per piece. We first prove some properties of the optimal solution to the problem and then give an approximation scheme for the problem that, given an error range δ , produces a cutting sequence whose total length is at most δ more than that of the optimal cutting sequence. Then it is shown that this problem has optimal solutions that lie in the algebraic extension of the field that the input data belongs to — hence due to this algebraic nature of the problem, an approximation scheme is the best that can be achieved. Extensions of these results are also studied in the case where the polygons P in and P out are non-convex.

Panama Canal expansion and its impact on East and Gulf coast ports of U.S.A.

This paper studies a facility location model in which two-dimensional Euclidean space represents the layout of a shop floor. The demand is generated by fixed rectangular-shaped user sites and served by a single supply facility. It is assumed that (i) communication between the supply point and a demand facility occurs at an input/output (I/O) point on the demand facility itself, (ii) the facilities themselves pose barriers to travel and (iii) distance measurement is as per the L1-metric. The objective is to determine optimal locations of the supply facility as well as I/O points on the demand facilities, in order to minimize total transportation costs. Several, increasingly more complex, versions of the model are formulated and polynomial time algorithms are developed to find the optimal locations in each case.

The Emergent Vinifera Wine Industry in North Carolina: A Descriptive Overview

This paper examines the location of duopolists on a tree. Given parametric prices, we first delineate necessary and sufficient conditions for locational Nash equilibria on trees. Given these conditions, we then show that Nash equilibria, provided they exist, can be reached in a repeated sequential relocation process in which both facilities follow short-term profit maximization objectives.ZusammenfassungIn der Arbeit werden die Standorte von Duopolisten in einem Baum untersucht. Unter der Annahme festgesetzter Preise werden notwendige und hinreichende Bedingungen für Nash Gleichgewichte für Standorte auf Bäumen hergeleitet. Unter Verwendung dieser Bedingungen wird dann gezeigt, daß — angenommen Nash Gleichgewichte existieren — diese in einem wiederholt angewandten sequentiellen Standortfindungsprozeß, in dem beide Duopolisten als Zielfunktion kurzfristige Gewinnmaximierung haben, auch erreicht werden.

In Pursuit of the ‘Third Mission’: Strategic Focus on Regional Economic Development by a Business School in the USA

ABSTRACT Given the increased interest and investment in business analytics (BA) applications, it is important to have an understanding of what analytics capabilities firms use to enhance value through their value chain activities. We illustrate exemplar uses of BA applications, tools, and technologies by presenting a mapping of the (BA) capabilities of a firm from a value chain perspective espoused in Porter’s [52] internet capabilities framework. The mapping of BA capabilities was carried out based on the generally accepted classification of analytics – descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive. The study uses both secondary and primary data sets. Results suggest that organizations currently focus on application of analytics where outcomes are easily measurable in terms of direct value creation/addition.

Stock Cutting Of Complicated Designs by Computing Minimal Nested Polygons

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the Panama Canal expansion and its impact on American port infrastructure for the attention of academic researchers in maritime transportation and supply chain management (SCM). First, it provides a comprehensive background based on a review of pertinent practitioner as well as academic publications. This is followed by a summarization of the impact of this expansion on the infrastructure of the major East and Gulf Coast (EGC) ports, since these stand to be the most affected. Then it presents a categorization scheme for these EGC ports that capture their likelihood of attracting the expected increase in cargo traffic engendered by the expansion; this is preliminarily supported by the latest data on growth in container traffic. The policy implications of this categorization are then discussed and the paper ends by identifying key SCM research problems exposed by the above.