Modeling and solution of practical management problems through netforms

This paper shows some useful schemes to graphically depict netform models of practical inventory problems. We begin with a simple inventory problem and then progress to more comprehensive representations of an inventory system by network and netform model techniques. Some text books mention that very basic inventory problems may be modeled as networks. But they usually offer very little instruction in the actual development of a network inventory model, and invariably conclude that network models can't accommodate the complications of the vast majority of realworld inventory problems. Further, they completely fail to convey the modeling power available to more general netform (network-related formulation) techniques. As text books catch up to the recent innovations now being applied in practical settings, this deficiency will change. Our purpose is to introduce the fundamental ideas and to provide an understanding of the possibilities inherent in these model innovations. We begin from first principles, so that no prior familiarity with network model representations is necessary to follow the exposition. Because of a heavy reliance on pictorial illustrations (another of the unique advantages of networks and netforms), we have also avoided the use of complex mathematical notation, and develop the key concepts by informal discussion.