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The distribution-free newsboy problem under the worst-case and best-case scenarios

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  • Kamburowski, Jerzy

Abstract

New theoretical foundations for analyzing the newsboy problem under incomplete information about the probability distribution of random demand are presented. Firstly, we reveal that the distribution-free newsboy problem under the worst-case and best-case demand scenarios actually reduces to the standard newsboy problem with demand distributions that bound the allowable distributions in the sense of increasing concave order. Secondly, we provide a theoretical tool for seeking the best-case and worst-case order quantities when merely the support and the first k moments of the demand are known. Using this tool we derive closed form formulas for such quantities in the case of known support, mean and variance, i.e. k=2. Consequently, we generalize all results presented so far in literature for the worst-case and best-case scenarios, and present some new ones. Extensions of our findings to the cases of the known mode of a unimodal demand distribution, the known median, and to other stochastic inventory problems are indicated.

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  • Kamburowski, Jerzy, 2014. "The distribution-free newsboy problem under the worst-case and best-case scenarios," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 237(1), pages 106-112.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:237:y:2014:i:1:p:106-112
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2014.01.066
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    7. Bai, Qingguo & Xu, Jianteng & Gong, Yeming & Chauhan, Satyaveer S., 2022. "Robust decisions for regulated sustainable manufacturing with partial demand information: Mandatory emission capacity versus emission tax," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 298(3), pages 874-893.

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