Foreign Currency Inventory Management in a Branch Bank

A branch bank may decide to stock one or more foreign currencies to meet demands from its customers and may also accumulate foreign currency as a result of customer transactions. This paper presents the branch bank's foreign currency problem as an inventory management problem and derives good (and in many cases, optimal) decision rules for this type of cash management problem.While the model presented is similar to models which have been proposed for cash management, the foreign currency problem has a number of features which lead to distinct differences. The model was developed for the Canadian situation but is generalizable to any branch having a significant volume of foreign currency transactions.     

The optimal order and payment policies for deteriorating items in discount cash flows analysis under the alternatives of conditionally permissible delay in payments and cash discount

This study investigates a deteriorating inventory problem in which the supplier simultaneously offers the retailer either a conditionally permissible delay in payments or a cash discount. In the case of a conditionally permissible delay, if the retailer orders more than a predetermined quantity, then he/she has a grace period to make the full payment. Otherwise, he/she must pay the payment for goods of certain proportion first while receiving the goods and has a grace period to pay off the rest. As to a cash discount, if the retailer pays for the entire amount of the order within a certain short period, then he/she will receive a cash discount from the supplier. In additions, from a financial standpoint, all cash outflows related to the inventory control that occur at different points of time have different values. Hence, it is necessary to take account of the factor of time value of monetary when drafting the replenishment policy. In a word, this paper uses an alternate approach-discount cash flow (DCF) analysis to establish an inventory problem for deteriorating items in which the supplier provides the retailer either a conditionally permissible delay or a cash discount. We then study the necessary and sufficient conditions for finding the optimal solution. Furthermore, we establish several theoretical results to obtain the solution that provides the smallest present value of all future cash flows. Finally, several numerical examples are given to illustrate the results and obtain some managerial insights.     

Analysis of the stochastic cash balance problem using a level crossing technique

The simple cash management problem includes the following considerations: the opportunity cost of holding too much cash versus the penalty cost of not having enough cash to meet current needs; the cost incurred (or profit generated) when making changes to cash levels by increasing or decreasing them when necessary; the uncertainty in timing and magnitude of cash receipts and cash disbursements; and the type of control policy that should be used to minimize the required level of cash balances and related costs. In this paper, we study a version of this problem in which cash receipts and cash disbursements occur according to two independent compound Poisson processes. The cash balance is monitored continuously and an order-point, order-up-to-level, and keep-level \( \left( {s, S, M} \right) \) policy is used to monitor the content, where \( s \le S \le M \). That is, (a) if, at any time, the cash level is below s, an order is immediately placed to raise the level to S; (b) if the cash level is between s and M, no action is taken; (c) if the cash level is greater than M, the amount in excess of M is placed into an earning asset. We seek to minimize the expected total costs per unit time of running the cash balance. We use a level-crossing approach to develop a solution procedure for finding the optimal policy parameters and costs. Several numerical examples are given to illustrate the tradeoffs.     

Cash flow optimization in delivery scheduling

The paper examines the inventory routing problem from the perspective of the present value of the cash flow associated with the distribution of a commodity such as propane. We analyze this problem for both deterministic and stochastic customer demands and validate our results on data from a real life distribution operation of propane. The analysis based on the present value of the cash flow indicates that optimization of propane deliveries based on efficiency/cost criteria alone will generate inferior solutions and it would be more advantageous for the company to set deliveries for a large percentage of the customers based on the present value of cash flow. In addition, in the case of stochastic demands, deliveries based on the cash flow consideration will tend to reduce the number of stockouts (i.e. improve both profit and service).     

基于随机活动工期的多模式现金流均衡项目调度优化

承包商在项目执行过程中的现金流均衡是保证项目成功的关键因素。本文研究基于随机活动工期的多模式现金流均衡项目调度问题,旨是在项目工期及鲁棒性阈值约束下合理安排活动执行模式与开始时间,实现承包商现金流均衡。本文通过构建整数规划优化模型对研究问题进行刻画,随后设计模拟退火算法进行求解,最后进行案例分析。结果表明:鲁棒性阈值虽然可以保证基准进度的稳定性,但是提高鲁棒性阈值水平反而不利于承包商的现金流均衡,该值过高时甚至得不到可行解。本文研究可为随机活动工期背景下承包商的现金流控制提供定量化决策支持。     

Shipment planning at oil refineries using column generation and valid inequalities

In this paper we suggest an optimization model and a solution method for a shipment planning problem. This problem concerns the simultaneous planning of how to route a fleet of ships and the planning of which products to transport in these ships. The ships are used for moving products from oil refineries to storage depots. There are inventory levels to consider both at the refineries and at the depots. The inventory levels are affected by the process scheduling at the refineries and demand at the depots. The problem is formulated using an optimization model including an aggregated representation of the process scheduling at the refineries. Hence, we integrate the shipment planning and the process scheduling at the refineries. We suggest a solution method based on column generation, valid inequalities, and constraint branching. The solution method is tested on data provided by the Nynas oil refinery company and solutions are obtained within 4 hours, for problem instances of up to 3 refineries, 15 depots, and 4 products when considering a time horizon of 42 days.     

现金押运路线问题——基于多类型的风险

以人民币现金押运为研究背景,考虑了一种基于多类型风险的现金押运路线问题,以在途风险成本、库存现金风险成本以及运输成本为优化目标,建立了混合整数线性规划模型,并提出了一种基于多样化策略和改进邻域搜索的混合遗传算法,其中遗传算法对押运路线进行选择,贪心算法用来求解各类风险指标。数值实验分别对问题特性和算法性能进行了分析。实验结果表明:1)混合遗传算法能求解更大规模的问题,得到较好的解,并很好地平衡了运行时间和求解质量;2)多类型风险影响了行驶路线;3)客户的期望需求影响了库存现金风险。     

Two-stage fuzzy production planning expected value model and its approximation method

This work develops a novel two-stage fuzzy optimization method for solving the multi-product multi-period (MPMP) production planning problem, in which the market demands and some of the inventory costs are assumed to be uncertainty and characterized by fuzzy variables with known possibility distributions. Some basic properties about the MPMP production planning problem are discussed. Since the fuzzy market demands and inventory costs usually have infinite supports, the proposed two-stage fuzzy MPMP production planning problem is an infinite-dimensional optimization problem that cannot be solved directly by conventional numerical solution methods. To overcome this difficulty, this paper adopts an approximation method (AM) to turn the original two-stage fuzzy MPMP production planning problem into a finite-dimensional optimization problem. The convergence about the AM is discussed to ensure the solution quality. After that, we design a heuristic algorithm, which combines the AM and simulated annealing (SA) algorithm, to solve the proposed two-stage fuzzy MPMP production planning problem. Finally, one real case study about a furniture manufacturing company is presented to illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed modeling idea and designed algorithm.     

������Լ������������ɢ����ģ���е����ŷֺ����

For a financial or insurance entity, the problem of finding the optimal dividend distribution strategy and optimal firm value function is a widely discussed topic. In the present paper, it is assumed that the firm faces two types of liquidity risks: a Brownian risk and a Poisson risk. The firm can control the time and amount of dividends paid out to shareholders. By sufficiently taking into account the safety of the company, bankruptcy is said to take place at time $t$ if the cash reserve of the firm runs below the linear barrier b+kt (not zero), see 1. We deal with the problem of maximizing the expected total discounted dividends paid out until bankruptcy. The optimal dividend return (or, firm value) function is identified as the classical solution of the associated Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation where a second-order differential-integro equation is involved. By solving the corresponding HJB equation, the analytical solution of the optimal firm value function is obtained, the optimal dividend strategy is also characterized, which is of linear barrier type: at time t the firm keeps cash inside when the cash reserves level is less than a critical linear barrier and pays cash in excess of this linear barrier as dividends.     

Warehouse location with production,inventory, and distribution decisions: a case study in the lube oil industry

In this paper, a supply chain management problem from a real case study is modeled and solved. A company in Pakistan wanted to outsource part of its warehousing activity to a third party logistics (3PL) provider. Consequently, the company had to decide on where to rent space in the 3PL warehouses. Knowing that such a strategic decision is affected by tactical and operational decisions, the problem is presented as a facility location problem integrating production, inventory, and distribution decisions. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer linear programming model which minimizes the total cost composed of location, distribution, production, and inventory costs. Several constraints specific to the situation and policy of the company were considered. A thorough analysis was done on the results obtained with respect to formulation efficiency, sensitivity analysis, and distribution of costs. In addition to the solution of the company problem, a set of 1215 problem instances was generated by varying five types of relevant costs in a full factorial manner. The solution of the generated problems always suggests to open in the same two locations and the integrality gaps averaged 0.062 % with a maximum of 0.102 %. On average, the major components of the total cost are production cost (96.6 %), transportation costs (2.7 %), and inventory holding costs (0.38 %). The total warehouse opening cost accounted for less than 0.05 % of the total costs.     

电子商务环境下考虑退货的选址库存问题模型与算法

选址库存问题(location inventory problem, LIP)是物流系统集成的经典问题之一,也是企业需要面对的管理决策难题。本文考虑在电子商务环境下无质量缺陷的退货商品可简单再包装后重新进入销售市场这一现实情况,对设施选址和库存控制进行集成优化,构建随机需求下有退货的LIP模型。针对此问题求解的复杂性,设计了改进的自适应混合差分进化算法对模型进行整体求解。最后,通过多组算例验证了模型和算法的实用性和优越性,可为设施选址、库存控制和商品配送回收决策提供重要参考依据。     

An Inventory Model for Deteriorating Items with?Two?Levels of Trade Credit Taking Account of Time Discounting

This paper presents an extended inventory model of Huang (J. Oper. Res. Soc. 54, 1011–1015, 2003), which investigated the retailer’s optimal inventory policy under two levels of trade credit. Herein, we consider the impact of a replenishment policy on the timing of the cash flows associated with payments to suppliers and revenue streams from customers. That is, the same cash amount will possess different money value at different future time. To see this, we adopt the more appropriate net present value (NPV) object instead of the average cost objective. In addition, the deteriorating effects will be incorporated in this inventory model, and the time to deterioration of each item follows an exponential distribution. The discounted cash flow (DCF) approach is used to derive the optimal solution in this study. Furthermore, we first show that the optimal solution not only exists bus also is unique. Then, we provide a theorem to locate the optimal ordering policy. Finally, a numerical example for illustration is provided.     

Going beyond the basics: creating and inspiring problem solvers

This paper offers a general discussion of a complex student project used in a first-semester, first-year mathematics course that goes beyond the basics taught in the class and inspires creative problem solving. The project requires the student to model the transition of vehicles among regions of a vehicle rental company. A penalty cost is introduced when the regional inventory drops below an established threshold. The project allows the company to move vehicles by rail among regions to reduce or alleviate the penalty cost. In this phase of the project, student teams attempt to minimize the total cost to the company (penalty cost plus transportation costs), thus searching for an ‘optimal’ solution. The project allows the students to use technology to numerically develop an approximate solution to a problem that is easily understood, but whose analytical solution goes well beyond the scope of the course.     

Optimal dividend-distribution strategy under ambiguity aversion

This paper considers the optimal dividend policy for an insurance company facing model uncertainty. We provide an explicit solution and show that an increase in ambiguity aversion leads to more conservative dividend policy. Interestingly, we find the ambiguity averse manager exhibits risk loving attitude when the company is close to bankruptcy. Finally, concerns about model misspecification have ambiguous effects on the marginal value of cash, which depends on the cash reserve.     

考虑多仓库的共享单车重新配置问题研究

共享单车是我国大力提倡的低碳交通出行模式,加快共享单车发展是解决最后一公里、城市拥堵和环境污染等问题的重要途径。由于人们停放共享单车的无规律性,使得共享单车系统中各车桩的单车库存量存在不平衡。如何合理的对车桩中的单车进行重新调配,来满足用户的需求,是相关企业亟待解决的问题。共享单车的调配路线优化是优化车桩库存量的重要手段之一。本文研究多仓库条件下的货车调配路线优化问题,建立了一个混合整数非线性规划模型。不同于传统的路径优化问题的研究大多是以成本或时间为目标,本文采用基于车桩库存量的非线性惩罚函数来表示用户需求,从而使得所研究的问题是一个凸函数优化问题。为了简化本文的问题,将目标函数分段线性化。基于车桩网络的特点,设计了变邻域搜索算法,以及构建初始解的贪婪算法。最后,以某共享单车公司为例,进行算例分析,来说明模型和算法的合理性和有效性。     

基于质押贷款下的库存管理问题的研究

库存决策不仅受需求、运输费用、储存费用的影响,而且企业本身的资金状况也会限制企业实施库存管理.以报童模型为原型,讨论了企业存在道德风险的情况下,以仓单质押方式融资的企业的库存管理决策.假设企业是风险中性的并且商品的储存费用不小于商品的处理价格.研究发现,只有质押库存比较小的企业才会用掉所有的贷款限额.并且随着贷款价值比的增加,企业有可能保留部分资金,而使用贷款增加库存.     

Production and payment policies for an imperfect manufacturing system with discount cash flows analysis in fuzzy random environments

ABSTRACT

This paper considers an imperfect manufacturing system with credit policies in fuzzy random environments. The supplier simultaneously offers the retailer either a permissible delay in payments or a cash discount and retailer in turn provides its customer a permissible delay period. We used an alternate approach – discount cash flow analysis to establish an inventory problem. It is assumed that the elapsed time until the machine shifts from ‘in-control’ state to ‘out-of-control’ state is characterized as a fuzzy random variable. As a function of this parameter, the profit function is also a random fuzzy variable. Based on the credibility measure of fuzzy event, the model with fuzzy random elapsed time can be transformed into a crisp model . We establish several theoretical results to obtain the solution that provides the largest present value of all future cash flows. Finally, numerical example is given to illustrate the results and obtain some managerial insights.     

Keep or return? Managing ordering and return policies in start-up companies

Start-up companies are considered an important factor in the success of a nation’s economy. We are interested in the decisions for long-term survival of these firms when they have considerable cash restrictions. In this paper we analyse several inventory control models to manage inventory purchasing and return policies. The Markov decision models are formulated for both established companies that look at maximising average profit and start-up companies that look at maximising their long-term survival probability. We contrast both objectives, and present properties of the policies and the survival probabilities. We find that start-up companies may need to be riskier if the return price is very low, but there is a period where a start-up firm becomes more cautious than an established company and there is a point, as it accumulates capital, where it starts behaving as an established firm. We compare the various models and give conditions under which their policies are equivalent.     

A fuzzy stochastic single-period model for cash management

The major purpose of this paper is to apply a stochastic single-period inventory management approach to analyze optimal cash management policies with fuzzy cash demand based on fuzzy integral method so that total cost is minimized. We will find that, after defuzzification, the cash-raising amounts and the total costs between the fuzzy case and the crisp case are slightly different when the variation of cash demand is small. As a result, we point out that the fuzzy stochastic single-period model is one extension of the crisp models. In any case, one may conclude that a conscientious analysis in fuzzy mathematics like that presented in this paper provides a financial decision maker with a deeper insight into the more real cash management problem.     

确定性需求下的最优保理融资与生产策略

企业为下游买方提供赊销,由于大量的资金被应收账款占用,企业可能因资金不足而无法生产足够的产品。企业可以通过保理(出售应收账款)进行融资,减小需求损失。在离散时间多周期的确定需求下,使用决策变量描述各周期的系统状态及其状态转移方程,将此问题建模为线性规划。通过分析此问题的结构特点,再提出了一种新颖且等价的建模方法,可以有效减少决策变量和约束条件的数量。在连续时间模型和混合模型中,这种建模方法同样适用,将优化问题写为连续线性规划,极大地降低了优化问题的复杂度。此连续线性规划问题可通过适当的区间划分进行离散化,用分片常量函数代替优化模型中的一般函数(无限维)决策变量,通过求解有限维线性规划得到原问题的可行近似解。最后,通过数值例子分析了贴现率对企业利润的影响。