IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/oropre/v55y2007i5p828-842.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Risk Aversion in Inventory Management

Author

Listed:
  • Xin Chen

    (Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana--Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801)

  • Melvyn Sim

    (Singapore-MIT Alliance and NUS Business School, National University of Singapore, Singapore)

  • David Simchi-Levi

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering System Division, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139)

  • Peng Sun

    (Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708)

Abstract

Traditional inventory models focus on risk-neutral decision makers, i.e., characterizing replenishment strategies that maximize expected total profit, or equivalently, minimize expected total cost over a planning horizon. In this paper, we propose a framework for incorporating risk aversion in multiperiod inventory models as well as multiperiod models that coordinate inventory and pricing strategies. We show that the structure of the optimal policy for a decision maker with exponential utility functions is almost identical to the structure of the optimal risk-neutral inventory (and pricing) policies. These structural results are extended to models in which the decision maker has access to a (partially) complete financial market and can hedge its operational risk through trading financial securities. Computational results demonstrate that the optimal policy is relatively insensitive to small changes in the decision-maker's level of risk aversion.

Suggested Citation

  • Xin Chen & Melvyn Sim & David Simchi-Levi & Peng Sun, 2007. "Risk Aversion in Inventory Management," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 55(5), pages 828-842, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:oropre:v:55:y:2007:i:5:p:828-842
    DOI: 10.1287/opre.1070.0429
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/opre.1070.0429
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/opre.1070.0429?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mokrane Bouakiz & Matthew J. Sobel, 1992. "Inventory Control with an Exponential Utility Criterion," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 40(3), pages 603-608, June.
    2. Matthew Rabin, 1998. "Psychology and Economics," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 36(1), pages 11-46, March.
    3. Jing-Sheng Song & Paul Zipkin, 1993. "Inventory Control in a Fluctuating Demand Environment," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 41(2), pages 351-370, April.
    4. Fishburn, Peter C, 1989. "Retrospective on the Utility Theory of von Neumann and Morgenstern," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 2(2), pages 127-157, June.
    5. Louis Eeckhoudt & Christian Gollier & Harris Schlesinger, 1995. "The Risk-Averse (and Prudent) Newsboy," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 41(5), pages 786-794, May.
    6. Ronald A. Howard, 1988. "Decision Analysis: Practice and Promise," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 34(6), pages 679-695, June.
    7. René Caldentey & Martin Haugh, 2006. "Optimal Control and Hedging of Operations in the Presence of Financial Markets," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 31(2), pages 285-304, May.
    8. James E. Smith, 1998. "Evaluating Income Streams: A Decision Analysis Approach," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 44(12-Part-1), pages 1690-1708, December.
    9. Craig W. Kirkwood, 2004. "Approximating Risk Aversion in Decision Analysis Applications," Decision Analysis, INFORMS, vol. 1(1), pages 51-67, March.
    10. Xin Chen & David Simchi-Levi (Advisor), 2003. "Coordinating Inventory Control and Pricing Strategies with Random Demand and Fixed Ordering Cost," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 5(1), pages 59-62.
    11. Awi Federgruen & Aliza Heching, 1999. "Combined Pricing and Inventory Control Under Uncertainty," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 47(3), pages 454-475, June.
    12. Suresh P. Sethi & Feng Cheng, 1997. "Optimality of ( s , S ) Policies in Inventory Models with Markovian Demand," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 45(6), pages 931-939, December.
    13. James E. Smith & Robert F. Nau, 1995. "Valuing Risky Projects: Option Pricing Theory and Decision Analysis," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 41(5), pages 795-816, May.
    14. Maurice E. Schweitzer & Gérard P. Cachon, 2000. "Decision Bias in the Newsvendor Problem with a Known Demand Distribution: Experimental Evidence," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(3), pages 404-420, March.
    15. Vishal Gaur & Sridhar Seshadri, 2005. "Hedging Inventory Risk Through Market Instruments," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 7(2), pages 103-120, April.
    16. Vipul Agrawal & Sridhar Seshadri, 2000. "Impact of Uncertainty and Risk Aversion on Price and Order Quantity in the Newsvendor Problem," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 2(4), pages 410-423, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lijian Lu & Xiaoming Yan, 2016. "Capacity investment decisions under risk aversion," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 63(3), pages 218-235, April.
    2. Sayın, F. & Karaesmen, F. & Özekici, S., 2014. "Newsvendor model with random supply and financial hedging: Utility-based approach," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 178-189.
    3. Jan A. Van Mieghem, 2007. "Risk Mitigation in Newsvendor Networks: Resource Diversification, Flexibility, Sharing, and Hedging," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(8), pages 1269-1288, August.
    4. Sungyong Choi & Andrzej Ruszczyński & Yao Zhao, 2011. "A Multiproduct Risk-Averse Newsvendor with Law-Invariant Coherent Measures of Risk," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 59(2), pages 346-364, April.
    5. Ni, Jian & Chu, Lap-Keung & Yen, Benjamin P.C., 2016. "Coordinating operational policy with financial hedging for risk-averse firms," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 59(PB), pages 279-289.
    6. Jiri Chod & Nils Rudi & Jan A. Van Mieghem, 2010. "Operational Flexibility and Financial Hedging: Complements or Substitutes?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(6), pages 1030-1045, June.
    7. Qing Ding & Lingxiu Dong & Panos Kouvelis, 2007. "On the Integration of Production and Financial Hedging Decisions in Global Markets," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 55(3), pages 470-489, June.
    8. Qin, Yan & Wang, Ruoxuan & Vakharia, Asoo J. & Chen, Yuwen & Seref, Michelle M.H., 2011. "The newsvendor problem: Review and directions for future research," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 213(2), pages 361-374, September.
    9. Jiao Wang & Lima Zhao & Arnd Huchzermeier, 2021. "Operations‐Finance Interface in Risk Management: Research Evolution and Opportunities," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 30(2), pages 355-389, February.
    10. Xinsheng, Xu & Zhiqing, Meng & Rui, Shen & Min, Jiang & Ping, Ji, 2015. "Optimal decisions for the loss-averse newsvendor problem under CVaR," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 146-159.
    11. Kim, Kyoung-Kuk & Park, Kun Soo, 2014. "Transferring and sharing exchange-rate risk in a risk-averse supply chain of a multinational firm," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 237(2), pages 634-648.
    12. H Xiong & J Xie & X Deng, 2011. "Risk-averse decision making in overbooking problem," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 62(9), pages 1655-1665, September.
    13. C. Barz & K. Waldmann, 2007. "Risk-sensitive capacity control in revenue management," Mathematical Methods of Operations Research, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research (GOR);Nederlands Genootschap voor Besliskunde (NGB), vol. 65(3), pages 565-579, June.
    14. Sripad K. Devalkar & Ravi Anupindi & Amitabh Sinha, 2018. "Dynamic Risk Management of Commodity Operations: Model and Analysis," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 20(2), pages 317-332, May.
    15. Rubio-Herrero, Javier & Baykal-Gürsoy, Melike, 2020. "Mean-variance analysis of the newsvendor problem with price-dependent, isoelastic demand," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 283(3), pages 942-953.
    16. Wang, Charles X. & Webster, Scott, 2009. "The loss-averse newsvendor problem," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 93-105, February.
    17. Juzhi Zhang & Suresh P. Sethi & Tsan‐Ming Choi & T.C.E. Cheng, 2022. "Pareto optimality and contract dependence in supply chain coordination with risk‐averse agents," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 31(6), pages 2557-2570, June.
    18. Gérard P. Cachon & A. Gürhan Kök, 2007. "Implementation of the Newsvendor Model with Clearance Pricing: How to (and How Not to) Estimate a Salvage Value," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 9(3), pages 276-290, October.
    19. Wang, Ruopeng & Wang, Jinting, 2018. "Procurement strategies with quantity-oriented reference point and loss aversion," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1-11.
    20. Brian Tomlin, 2006. "On the Value of Mitigation and Contingency Strategies for Managing Supply Chain Disruption Risks," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(5), pages 639-657, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:oropre:v:55:y:2007:i:5:p:828-842. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.