Omega-international Journal of Management Science最新文献

{"title":"Talent scheduling with daily working capacity and scene changeover times","authors":"Zhaoqi Yang ,&nbsp;Shunji Tanaka ,&nbsp;Bertrand M.T. Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103439","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103439","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper investigates a talent scheduling problem that incorporates daily work capacity constraints and the changeover times between consecutive scenes filmed on the same day. The problem inherently integrates three key optimization challenges: talent scheduling, the traveling salesperson problem, and bin packing. To obtain an optimal solution, we develop two integer linear programming models and a dynamic programming algorithm. Additionally, we introduce a polynomial-time dynamic programming algorithm for the special case where the filming order of all scenes is predetermined. This polynomial-time algorithm is incorporated into a tabu search framework to generate high-quality approximate solutions. Finally, we conduct a computational study to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of all proposed solution approaches. The approach of simplifying the problem structures significantly outperforms other algorithms in solution quality and execution time for large-scale instances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 103439"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145324668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Multi-Level Cards method: Weights elicitation, consistency checking and restoration for hierarchical criteria","authors":"River Huang ,&nbsp;Salvatore Corrente ,&nbsp;Eleftherios Siskos ,&nbsp;Peter Burgherr","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103438","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103438","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Simos method is an intuitive and interactive technique in Multiple Criteria Decision Aiding (MCDA) for determining the weights of the evaluation criteria, based on the Decision Maker’s preferences. While the original method offers simplicity, it has several limitations, such as rigidity in weight calculation, insufficient flexibility in accurately capturing the true preferences of the Decision Maker (DM), and issues with the robustness of the results. Extensions, such as the Simos-Roy-Figueira (SRF) method, also known as the “Revised Simos method”, have introduced greater control over weight distribution. However, when criteria are organized in a hierarchical structure, additional information is necessary, while grouping of the criteria can lead to inconsistencies. Furthermore, as the complexity of a decision problem grows, along with the number and intricacy of the criteria, it becomes increasingly challenging for DMs to provide accurate and consistent input. This paper proposes a new SRF extension called the Multi-Level Cards (MLC) method to accommodate hierarchical criteria. The Deck-of-Cards game is designed to compare criteria within and across groups in a structured manner. A consistency checking and restoration process is also developed using an iterative model to ensure reliable and coherent weight elicitation. The proposed MLC method enhances flexibility and precision by enabling cross-group comparisons and addressing inconsistencies. A didactic example involving multi-dimensional criteria illustrates the method’s effectiveness in complex decision-making contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 103438"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145324670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strategic pricing and advertising decisions under competition with long-term advertising effects","authors":"Yuhong He ,&nbsp;Jianghua Wu ,&nbsp;Xiao Xiao","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103360","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103360","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines how negative long-term advertising effects influence startups’ strategic choices between myopic and far-sighted approaches in competitive markets. Using a two-period game model, it analyzes how firms balance the short-term benefits of advertising with its potential long-term drawbacks when making pricing and promotional decisions. The analysis shows that when advertising has positive long-term effects, far-sighted strategies are theoretically optimal regardless of the timing of advertising decisions. In practice, however, startups may struggle to sustain such approaches, as early-stage losses can create financial pressure that pushes them toward short-term survival strategies. When long-term advertising effects are negative, the optimal strategy becomes more sensitive to market conditions. The model shows that in markets with low product substitutability, far-sighted strategies continue to deliver better outcomes. As products become more similar, myopic strategies become more attractive—especially when the negative long-term effects are relatively mild. Furthermore, when the short-term impact of advertising is particularly strong, a myopic strategy can outperform a far-sighted one, even if long-term consequences are unfavorable. Under certain conditions, both firms choosing far-sighted strategies may also lead to a Prisoner’s Dilemma, where mutual restraint results in lower overall profits. These findings highlight the complex trade-offs startups face between short-term gains and long-term viability. Startups must weigh immediate advertising returns against potential long-term costs and develop pricing and advertising strategies that reflect both market dynamics and sustainable growth objectives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 103360"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rational versus presumptive decisions in a decentralized co-production system: Solutions and applications","authors":"Zhixuan Cai ,&nbsp;Tianhu Deng ,&nbsp;Christopher S. Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103412","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103412","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent research has examined the decentralized decisions of two independent parties when the system output is co-produced, i.e., the output depends on the efforts exerted by both parties. In this paper, we present a general modeling framework to reexamine the robustness of the results obtained from this stream of research. To model the decision-making process in a decentralized co-production system, we use the <em>Constant Elasticity of Substitution</em> (CES) function to model the output co-produced from the two parties and consider both simultaneous-move and sequential-move games. We also compare the equilibrium efforts exerted by <em>rational</em> firms and the optimal efforts exerted by <em>presumptive</em> firms. Here, each <em>rational</em> firm makes decisions by anticipating the other firm’s rational decision, whereas each <em>presumptive</em> firm makes decisions based on a prior belief about the other firm’s decision. We show that both simultaneous-move and sequential-move games yield similar structural results. First, the effort exerted by each <em>rational (or presumptive)</em> firm increases with the firm’s “returns on effort investment”. Second, while the efforts exerted by <em>presumptive</em> firms are not in equilibrium, we find that these off-equilibrium efforts can result in higher payoffs than the efforts exerted by <em>rational</em> firms when the prior beliefs are sufficiently high and effort cost factors are sufficiently low. We also apply these results to reexamine some key findings obtained in the recent literature whose co-production model can be viewed as special cases of the CES output function. We find that the existing results based on the special case may not hold under the general CES functions. Hence, our general model and results provide new insights. Finally, we demonstrate how our general model can be applied to examine other settings arising from product development and capacity planning decisions involving two independent parties with self-interests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 103412"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel hybrid optimization approach for cost-efficient pump scheduling in water supply systems","authors":"Marlene Brás ,&nbsp;Ana Moura ,&nbsp;António Andrade-Campos","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103378","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103378","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Optimizing pump scheduling in water supply systems (WSS) is crucial for reducing energy costs and improving operational efficiency. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the duty-cycles formulation, a mathematical model of the Pump Scheduling Problem (PSP) that enables a flexible pump operation over the total time horizon. Combined with the Sequential Least Squares Quadratic Programming (SLSQP) gradient-based method, this approach has shown superior computational efficiency and cost savings in previous studies. However, problems, such as a multiplicity of optimal solutions, local minima, and size scalability, were encountered. In addition, this paper introduces a new hybrid method, the Smart Dynamic Local Search (Smart-DLS), designed to overcome the identified challenges. This new approach integrates a deterministic local search with an intelligent shaking process to explore the solution space and avoid local optima efficiently. The framework’s performance is demonstrated through three case studies, including a real-world WSS, achieving significant cost reductions and showing strong generalizability across diverse scenarios. For the AnyTown network, it reaches more than 5%, and for the real network, 3% of cost reduction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 103378"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144337923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A predict-and-prescribe framework for dynamic course scheduling toward strategic university scaling","authors":"Özge Aygül ,&nbsp;Teodor Hellgren ,&nbsp;Shima Azizi ,&nbsp;Andrew C. Trapp","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103406","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103406","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Universities play vital roles in educating current and future generations. Universities that intend to survive in competitive academic markets where there are evolving enrollment trends must responsibly manage resources. Planning processes for instructional spaces can benefit from optimization and lead to more effective resource utilization, yet the use of trends in major and course demands to inform long-term planning remains largely unexplored. We propose a novel mathematical optimization framework that appears to be the first to use trend predictions to guide long-term dynamic course scheduling decisions and effective resource allocation. We begin with a baseline formulation that assigns course sections to time patterns and classroom spaces while considering instructor preferences, as well as constraints related to conflicts and capacity. We then extend this to a dynamic formulation that addresses bottleneck courses while prioritizing classroom utilization and honoring instructor preferences. Our dynamic formulation optimizes instructional space allocation for an academic period over the entire university, and solving for sequential independent academic periods reveals valuable insights into the efficiency of physical resource utilization on the horizon. Our framework is flexible, accommodating the objectives of faculty, schedulers, and administrators through a hierarchical multi-objective approach that integrates these diverse priorities. Our formulation addresses 76% and 81% of bottleneck sections for back-to-back semesters, with a substantial number of unutilized locations that could potentially be repurposed to accommodate the remaining bottleneck sections or other purposes. Through extensive experiments with varying university enrollment scenarios, we examine the resulting tradeoffs among objectives and highlight a variety of implications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 103406"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144828149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Order quantity optimization model for perishable products under continuous review (Q, r) inventory policy with stochastic demand and positive lead time","authors":"Pavee Siriruk,&nbsp;Apicha Kotekangpoo","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103392","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103392","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Expired perishable products impose costs on businesses, making effective inventory control essential for reducing wastage and enhancing profitability. This research proposes a mathematical model for determining the optimal order quantity of perishable products under a continuous review <span><math><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><mi>Q</mi><mo>,</mo><mspace></mspace><mi>r</mi></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></math></span> inventory policy, with a fixed lifetime, stochastic demand, and a positive lead time. Unlike conventional models, the proposed approach incorporates outdating costs into the total expected cost calculation. Due to the model’s computational complexity, the evolution strategy (<em>μ</em> + <em>λ</em>) optimization algorithm is employed to optimize the order quantity (<span><math><msup><mrow><mi>Q</mi></mrow><mo>*</mo></msup></math></span>) with minimum total expected cost. Numerical experiments are carried out using a case study of a hospital blood bank in Thailand. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to examine the effect of parameter variations on <span><math><msup><mrow><mi>Q</mi></mrow><mo>*</mo></msup></math></span>. The originality of this research lies in the application of the ES (<em>μ</em> + <em>λ</em>) algorithm to efficiently optimize order quantities of perishable products under a continuous review (<em>Q, r</em>) inventory policy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 103392"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144557083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimal self-scheduling and market involvement with electricity price uncertainty","authors":"Mengling Zhang ,&nbsp;Lun Ran ,&nbsp;Jianzhi Leng","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103372","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103372","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With increasing electricity market complexity and electricity price volatility, self-scheduling and market involvement problem has become a significant challenge for power producers. Instead of previous studies focusing solely on single-market optimization problem, we propose a self-scheduling and market involvement problem that integrates both the forward market and the spot market under price uncertainty. In our approach, the forward market determines unit commitment and electricity transaction decisions for future periods, while the spot market dictates generation scheduling and real-time electricity transaction. The objective is to maximize profit from both markets, while managing the risks associated with price uncertainty using the mean conditional value-at-risk (mean-CVaR). This risk measure captures the potential losses in profit over all spot price distributions, enabling a balance between profit maximization and risk aversion. To address electricity price uncertainty, we introduce two distributionally robust optimization (DRO) models. The first, M-DRO, utilizes the mean, support, and mean absolute deviation to define the ambiguity set, ensuring tractable and efficient optimization. The second, W-DRO, employs the 1-Wasserstein distance to capture more complex and data-driven uncertainties. A decomposition-based algorithm is proposed to solve the reformulated max–min problems. Extensive numerical experiments compare the performance of the proposed DRO models against traditional stochastic programming methods, providing key managerial insights for power producers in multi-market involvement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 103372"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144713566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Opaque pricing strategy with social network effects","authors":"Tengfei Nie ,&nbsp;Hengjia Bao ,&nbsp;Rongji Huang ,&nbsp;Shaofu Du","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103362","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103362","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Several payment platforms have recently implemented new forms of opaque discount policies, however, merchants do not have a clear dominant strategy. This paper first studies the impact of a social network on the opaque pricing strategies of a monopolistic merchant in an e-commerce market. We present a two-stage pricing-consumption game in which the merchant and consumers interact on a social network. In this setting, the monopolistic merchant chooses an optimal opaque discount strategy with full knowledge of consumer characteristics and the social network structure. The consumers, facing this opaque pricing policy, purchase optimal amounts of goods based on maximizing utility. Additionally, this paper introduces a series of bounded opaque discount disclosure strategies and determines the optimal strategy for merchants when consumers have different beliefs. Specifically, when consumers have strong beliefs about bounded opaque discounts, merchants should disclose the upper bound of the discount, and when consumer beliefs are weaker, the lower bound should be disclosed. Furthermore, we also explore individual consumer behavioral biases, such as overconfidence and fairness concerns, and their interactions with social networks on merchants’ opaque discount strategies. The findings indicate that merchants can leverage an understanding of consumer social network structures to implement strategic price discrimination targeting consumers with bounded rationality. However, the presence of these behavioral biases does not necessarily lead to an increase in profits gained by merchants through social networks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 103362"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144270379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A bilevel approach to integrated surgeon scheduling and surgery planning solved via branch-and-price","authors":"Broos Maenhout ,&nbsp;Přemysl Šůcha ,&nbsp;Viktorie Valdmanova ,&nbsp;Ondřej Tkadlec ,&nbsp;Jana Thao Rozlivkova","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103424","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103424","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this paper, we study a multi-agent scheduling problem for organising the operations within the operating room department. The head of the surgeon group and individual surgeons are together responsible for the surgeon schedule and surgical case planning. The surgeon head allocates time blocks to individual surgeons, whereas individual surgeons determine the planning of surgical cases independently, which might degrade the schedule quality envisaged by the surgeon head. The bilevel optimisation under study seeks an optimal Nash equilibrium solution – a surgeon schedule and surgical case plan that optimise the objectives of the surgeon head, while ensuring that no individual surgeon can improve their own objective within the allocated time blocks. We propose a dedicated branch-and-price that adds lazy constraints to the formulation of surgeon-specific pricing problems to ensure an optimal bilevel feasible solution is retrieved. In this way, the surgeon head respects the objective requirements of the individual surgeons and the solution space can be searched efficiently. In the computational experiments, we validate the performance of the proposed algorithm and its dedicated components and provide insights into the benefits of attaining an equilibrium solution under different scenarios by calculating the price of stability and the price of decentralisation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 103424"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}