A set of models and procedures is described for finding the optimal distribution of empty freight cars owned by the railroads participating in a pooling agreement. A distinction is drawn between a system focus, in which the emphasis is on minimizing total cost, and a company focus, in which the...

In this paper, we present a novel quantitative analysis for the strategic planning decision problem of allocating certain available prevention and protection resources to, respectively, reduce the failure probabilities of system safety measures and the total expected loss from a sequence of...

The methodology presented here solves an R&D program portfolio selection problem that arises in critical infrastructure protection and similar security risk reduction problems. It requires priorities to be assigned to the risks, existing risk levels to be assessed, and the effectiveness of...

Models are formulated and computed to assess the risks of hazardous materials releases in train derailments in terms of: the probability of any number of fatalities in an accident, the probability of any total number of fatalities from all the accidents in a year, and the frequency of accidents...

When products are sold by multiple vendors in various locations, the purchaser must decide what to order from each vendor and where to send it. To solve this decision problem, a novel optimization model is developed and applied to a situation involving the nationwide wholesale distribution of...