We consider a firm that procures a commodity through a combination of options and spot contracts to process it and then distribute it to the downstream retailers to satisfy random demand. This commodity is traded on an organized exchange where evolution of prices offers no risk-free arbitrage....

Sequential innovation, where a new product is developed to replace an existing product, creates several logistical challenges for innovating firms. We consider a firm that has to make the end-of-life inventory decision (or final build) for an existing product before identifying key performance...

The commodity futures price information conveyed by organized exchanges can be used by commodity processors to improve their procurement process. A practical obstacle in the utilization of this information is that the maturity dates of the traded contracts on the exchange and the decision cycle...

In this research we characterize optimal procurement and distribution policies of a commodity in a multiechelon supply chain. We consider a firm that procures and distributes a commodity from spot and forward markets under random fluctuating prices; the commodity is distributed downstream to a...

Throughout the current COVID-19 pandemic, governments have implemented a variety of containment measures, ranging from hoping for herd immunity (which is essentially no containment) to mandating complete lockdown. On one hand, containment measures limit the spread of the disease, controlling the...

Clean technology startups face multiple sources of uncertainty, and require specialized know-how and longer periods for revenue growth than their counterparts in other industries. These start-ups require large investments and have been hit hard during the current credit squeeze. On the other...

We study a supply chain where a retailer buys from a supplier who cannot fully finance her production. Informational problems about the supplier's demand prospects and production capabilities restrict her access to capital. By committing to a minimum purchase quantity, the retailer can mitigate...

Recently, designing and clearing day-ahead electricity markets have received significant attention from both academia and practice alike. Together with the increasing penetration of intermittent renewables to the electricity supply mix, efficiently designing and clearing day-ahead electricity...

We present a mathematical model for integration, analysis, and optimization of operational and financial processes within a supply chain. Specifically, we consider commercial transactions of a large corporate customer with a small or medium-sized supplier. We show how application of reverse...