Standard Container Size Discounts and the Single-Period Inventory Problem*

This paper analyzes the problem of choosing the optimal order quantity and its associated number of standard containers making up the order for single-period inventory models under standard container size discounts. A range is determined that contains the optimal order quantity. Two algorithms are presented. The first algorithm solves the general case in which there is no restriction on the types of containers included in an order. The second algorithm solves a more restricted policy that requires the buyer to accept the order with successively smaller container sizes.     

The Individually Responsible and Rational Decision Approach to Economic Lot Sizes for One Vendor and Many Purchasers

Banerjee's [2] joint economic lot size (JELS) model, along with related works by Monahan [12] and Lal and Staelin [10], represents one approach to minimizing the total inventory carrying and ordering costs of a vendor and his purchaser(s). Noting that JELS philosophy requires a coordinated system and that its practical implementation is problematic, we present an alternative approach to the same problem: the individually responsible and rational decision (IRRD) approach. The IRRD approach is consistent with a free enterprise system and easy to implement. In order to show that the IRRD approach is also more economical than the JELS approach, we first build a more refined JELS model for the case of one vendor and many identical purchasers. Drawing on earlier criticisms of specific JELS models, our refinement relaxes the lot-for-lot assumption commonly used by JELS scholars. To be comparable with earlier works, we retain the assumption of deterministic conditions and demonstrate the economic advantages of IRRD over JELS through a numerical example. An algebraic proof of IRRD's superiority over JELS is offered in the more general and realistic case of a vendor dealing with K nonidentical purchasers with reasonably predictable annual demand but uncertain order quantities and timings.     

Multi-Item Grouping Algorithm Yielding Near-Optimal Logistics Cost

This article describes an algorithm used to formulate an inbound consolidation strategy when multi-items are replenished in groups and when total logistics cost is to be minimized. The importance of this algorithm is threefold (1) no optimal procedure exists for grouping multi-items when minimizing total logistics cost, (2) a complete enumeration of all possible groups (from which the optimal grouping set can be identified) is impractical due to the combinatorial nature of the grouping problem, and (3) no other heuristics have been developed that adequately reflect shipping cost in the analysis like this one does. We report the experience of using this algorithm to group and reorder 75 selected ensembles containing a total of 517 inventory items of a retail merchandising firm.     

Does the β-measure make empirical sense? A vignette experiment on humans’ judgment of social dominance

Dominance hierarchies play an important role in governing the social interactions of humans and other species of social animals. In a social group, dominance relations can be inferred from the directed network of matchups between actors. Methodologists have proposed different ways to measure social dominance in directed networks. One such measure, the “β-measure” (van den Brink and Gilles, 2000), emphasizes the quality of defeated opponents in a way that an actor is seen as being more dominant when s/he defeats opponents who are more rarely defeated. While insightful in theory, the validity of the measure in people’s perception remains questionable, considering the cognitive complexity imposed by this measure, compared to a simpler measure that merely counts the number of defeated opponents. We conducted a vignette experiment with human subjects (professional athletes) to test their judgments of the dominance relation in a hypothetical tournament. Fitting our parametric model to peoples’ evaluations in the experiment, we found strong evidence in support of the β-measure: Although, in general, contestants who win more in the tournament are regarded as being more dominant, the contents of the winning records matter, such that those who beat more victorious opponents are further regarded as more dominant than those who defeat less victorious opponents. We also found a gender difference, in that men have a stronger propensity than women to adopt the β-measure when judging social dominance.     

What does Brunei teach us about using Human Development Index rankings as a policy tool?

The Bruneian Government has set an ambitious target to achieve a top 10 ranking on the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI) by 2035. To achieve its objective (described in a national strategy document called the Wawasan 2035), Brunei's economy needs to grow by 6% to 7%. Is setting an HDI target a good way to govern Brunei's policy‐making? Is it a good way to govern any country's policy‐making? In this article, we look at the role of HDI‐rank targets in economic and fiscal policy. We show that such a headline target (much like a profit target in a private company) automatically sets targets for growth in various economic sectors and fiscal policy targets. As such, HDI‐rank targeting may provide a useful mechanism for co‐ordinating development policies and for monitoring progress against a wide range of development goals using only one number.     

震后伤员救援车辆两阶段规划模型及算法研究

不确定情景下的应急物资配送和车辆路径优化问题是目前国内研究的一大热点,其中 震后伤员运送车辆调度及路径优化问题随着近几年地震等自然灾害的频繁发生也逐渐引起人 们的重视． 本文采用聚合优化算法对灾区进行应急救援区域划分,建立了以总救援时间最短和 相对综合救援权重值最大为目标的救援车辆两阶段数学规划模型,设计了带三角函数变异的 离散型萤火虫优化算法进行求解,并与常规算法求解结果做了对比分析． 通过算例进行模拟实 验表明,所提出的模型和算法可以有效解决地震情景下的伤员救援车辆调度问题,且改进算法 的全局搜索性能更优．     

民族院校人才培养理念的重构与教学管理制度的优化

长期以来,民族院校为民族地区的民主改革、经济建设、改革开放、社会稳定,为维护我国的民族团结和国家统一,为繁荣和弘扬各民族优秀文化做出了重要贡献.民族院校已经完成了自身的第一次跨越,即"正规化"--从非正规化的高等教育模式向普通高等教育模式转变,实现了由以干部培训为主向正规大学的跨越.目前,民族院校在新的形势下,如何实现第二次跨越,建设新型的现代化民族大学,显得尤为紧迫.本文重点论述了民族院校人才培养理念的重构与教学管理制度的优化两个关键问题.     

上海城市人口总量控制与结构优化研究

上海的人口总量和结构一直与其独特的工业化、城镇化进程密不可分。工业化带动人口发展,人口发展推动城市发展。改革开放以来,上海正处于第四波工业化时期,人口增长较快。在人口结构上,户籍人口老龄化,而外来人口具有就近流动、城城流动、定居化特点,且教育水平逐年提高。从承载力上看,上海人口总量合理,但人口分布的不合理影响了人口结构的发展、城市社会的融合,带来了核心区人口过密、产城融合不畅的问题,以及偏好"人脑"、排斥"人手"的问题。面对人口老龄化和可能的人口逆流,上海应稳定人口总量,建设整体推进的多中心发展人口分布格局,完善户籍制度改革,破解"新二元结构",推动社会保障和公共服务均等化,同时结合政府改革,完善相关配套改革措施。     

LC滤波器设计的优化解析公式

给出了改进的Chebyshev和Butterworth低通原型LC滤波器的解析设计公式.此公式充分利用阶数取整带来的余量,在不改变滤波器阶数的前提下减小了通带波动,极大地方便了集成滤波器的实现.给出了集成有源高通滤波器设计实例,验证了改进的Chebyshev和Butterworth低通原型LC滤波器解析设计公式的有效性.