Omega-international Journal of Management Science最新文献

{"title":"Integrating machine learning models to learn potentially non-monotonic preferences for multi-criteria sorting from large-scale assignment examples","authors":"Zhuolin Li ,&nbsp;Zhen Zhang ,&nbsp;Witold Pedrycz","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103219","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103219","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Learning preferences from assignment examples has attracted considerable attention in the field of multi-criteria sorting (MCS). However, traditional MCS methods, designed to infer decision makers’ preferences from small-scale assignment examples, encounter limitations when confronted with large-scale data sets. Additionally, the presence of decision makers’ non-monotonic preferences for certain criteria in MCS problems necessitates accounting for potential non-monotonicity when devising preference learning methods. To address this, this paper proposes some new models to learn potentially non-monotonic preferences for MCS problems from large-scale assignment examples by leveraging machine learning models. Specifically, we first introduce the <strong>P</strong>iecewise-<strong>L</strong>inear <strong>N</strong>eural <strong>N</strong>etwork (PLNN) model, which leverages the threshold-based value-driven sorting procedure as the underlying sorting model and integrates a perceptron-based model to establish piecewise-linear marginal value functions to approximate real ones. On this basis, we address MCS problems with criteria interactions and extend the PLNN model to develop the <strong>P</strong>iecewise-<strong>L</strong>inear <strong>F</strong>actorization <strong>M</strong>achine-based <strong>N</strong>eural <strong>N</strong>etwork (PLFMNN) model by incorporating the factorization machine to factorize interaction coefficients. Training these models allows us to learn potentially non-monotonic preferences of decision makers. To illustrate the proposed models, we apply them to a red wine quality classification problem. Furthermore, we assess the performance of the proposed models through computational experiments on both artificial and real-world data sets. Additionally, we conduct statistical tests to ascertain the significance of the performance differences. Experimental results reveal that the proposed models are comparable to the multilayer perceptron model and outperform other baseline models on most data sets, thus affirming their efficacy. Finally, we conduct some sensitivity analysis to assess the impact of certain parameters on the performance of the proposed models and compare them with existing studies from a theoretical perspective, further demonstrating their effectiveness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"131 ","pages":"Article 103219"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142552348","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":"Dynamic allocation of display advertising impressions in dual sales channels","authors":"Yuxuan Zhao,&nbsp;Xiangyong Li,&nbsp;Lan Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103213","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103213","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We study a multi-period ad allocation problem faced by an online publisher who sells ad impressions on websites through two sales channels. In the guaranteed sales channel, advertisers submit heterogeneous offers for contracts under which the publisher guarantees delivery of a certain number of ad impressions over a certain period; in the real-time bidding (RTB) sales channel, the publisher runs an RTB auction to sell ad impressions. In each period, the publisher decides whether to accept or reject contract proposals; how to allocate ad impressions across existing contracts; and how many impressions to sell via RTB. The publisher faces uncertain demand from advertisers and an uncertain supply of impressions, which are generated by viewers visiting the publisher’s websites. We formulate the problem as a finite-horizon stochastic dynamic program, which poses significant methodological challenges. We first present structural properties of optimal policies under certain cases. To avoid the curse of dimensionality in dynamic programming, we develop an approach involving Lagrangian relaxations. We decompose the problem into a series of solvable subproblems and derive optimal policies. We further develop Lagrangian policies with performance guarantees. We show that when Lagrange multipliers depend on more signal history, the linear term’s weight of the number of contract types in the performance upper bound decreases. Furthermore, if the Lagrange multipliers depend on the full signal history, the corresponding Lagrangian policies will be asymptotically optimal to the number of contract types. We also explore a more suitable case for large-scale real-time ad allocation and create Lagrangian policies that yield comparable performance guarantees. Finally, we extend our main results to four new scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"131 ","pages":"Article 103213"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142539543","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":"Effect of counterfeits and fake reviews in markets for credence goods","authors":"Yongqin Lei ,&nbsp;Fredrik Ødegaard ,&nbsp;Hubert Pun","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103218","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103218","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Counterfeits are a persistent problem in online marketplaces, in particular regarding credence goods (e.g., nutritional supplements), as their qualities are difficult or impossible to evaluate even after consumption. Concerned about product quality, customers frequently rely on external signals, such as product badges based on ratings. However, even product ratings are not foolproof as unethical sellers may acquire fake positive reviews to exploit product ratings and badge systems. To analyze the impact fake reviews have on credence goods, we consider a two-stage competition between an authentic seller and a deceptive counterfeiter. The market consists of two types of consumers: savvy customers, who understand that endorsement badges are product-dependent and not seller-dependent, and novice customers, who mistakenly believe product badges testify to a seller's authenticity. In the first stage, both sellers simultaneously decide on whether to acquire fake reviews, which partially influences if the product receives an endorsement badge. In the second stage, both sellers simultaneously set their prices and customers make purchasing decisions. Our results indicate that, in equilibrium, the authentic seller does not acquire fake reviews, while the counterfeiter may do so to mislead customers. Moreover, the amount of fake reviews is decreasing in the fraction of savvy consumers, suggesting that online platforms can combat fake reviews by, for instance, clearly highlighting that badges are product-dependent. We also find that having the option to acquire fake reviews may benefit both sellers but always hurts consumers, emphasizing the need for regulation to protect consumers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"131 ","pages":"Article 103218"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142658622","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":"Multi-stage resource leveling problem with self-operation and outsourcing cooperation in sharing logistics","authors":"Xiaofeng Xu ,&nbsp;Yangyang He ,&nbsp;Min Liu ,&nbsp;Peng Qi ,&nbsp;Lean Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103221","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103221","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Self-operation and outsourcing cooperation have emerged as the prevailing operating mode for logistics companies in the realm of sharing logistics. This mode facilitates the rational and effective coordination of multiple resources for task assignment. However, the competition and cooperation relationship between self-operation and outsourcing remain largely unexplored, leaving logistics companies grappling with the trade-off between cost-effectiveness and risk. To address this gap, we propose a multi-stage resource leveling model that accounts for the fuzzy outsourcing resources, the efficacy of intra-stage resources, and the stability of inter-stage resources. We employ an improved gravitational search algorithm to solve this model efficiently. Inspired by Markowitz's portfolio theory, we propose a resource portfolio strategy under the self-operation and outsourcing cooperation mode based on the mean-variance model to better weigh up the “cost-effectiveness” and “risk” exhibited by logistics resources. The strategy uses expected returns and variance to evaluate the benefits and risks, thereby categorizing allocation schemes according to risk levels. Finally, through experiment analysis, we discuss the optimal scale of self-operation and outsourcing resources for logistics subtasks at different risk levels. This analysis equips logistics companies with the insights needed to make informed decisions aligned with their risk preferences and overall benefits, offering crucial managerial implications for business and strategic decisions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"131 ","pages":"Article 103221"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142587382","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":"Decomposition of quality changes: Focusing on subjective quality of life","authors":"Zhui-Liang Huang ,&nbsp;Shiuh-Nan Hwang","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103216","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103216","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Data envelopment analysis is a data-driven tool for building a composite index. Fare et al. (1995) proposed an attribute-incorporated data envelopment analysis where a Malmquist productivity index including attributes was formulated. The attribute-incorporated Malmquist productivity index was decomposed into quality change, efficiency change, and technical change. However, this attribute-incorporated Malmquist productivity index may yield incorrect results due to the fact that its separable multiplier only considers the reference technology and ignores the corresponding period data. This current paper proposes a revised decomposition version of the attribute-incorporated Malmquist productivity index. In addition, we propose an aggregate quality change model which is extended from Färe et al. (1995), where subjective quality and objective quality are considered at the same time. The aggregate quality change model is useful for measuring changes in the quality of life. An application in this paper shows that, within quality attributes, subjective quality of life has a more significant impact on the overall urban quality of life than objective quality of life.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"131 ","pages":"Article 103216"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142706661","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":"Routing and charging scheduling for the electric carsharing system with mobile charging vehicles","authors":"Li Zhang ,&nbsp;Tingting Chen ,&nbsp;Baozhen Yao ,&nbsp;Bin Yu ,&nbsp;Yunpeng Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103211","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103211","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Electric carsharing systems are expected to be an optional alternative to private vehicles for decreasing the urban traffic congestion and emissions. However, the temporal and spatial imbalance of the charging demand of shared electric vehicles adds to the managerial complexity of electric carsharing systems. This paper integrates mobile charging vehicles into the electric carsharing system to address this imbalance. Mobile charging vehicles can dwell at stations to provide elastic charging capacity, and thereby decrease both the waiting time of shared electric vehicles at busy stations and the investments in fixed charging piles at suburban stations. In this paper, a mixed integer linear programming formulation is proposed based on a time-space network, in which the routes of shared electric vehicles, charging schedules of shared electric vehicles, and routes of mobile charging vehicles are optimized simultaneously. Then, an algorithm based on Lagrangian relaxation is proposed. Specifically, the proposed formulation is decomposed into three independent subproblems. We propose three exact algorithms for these subproblems, and a tailored multistep repair algorithm is designed to generate feasible solutions. A case study in Hefei, China demonstrates the performance of the proposed algorithm and the effects of the number of SEVs, the number of MCVs, the number of fixed charging piles, trip component, battery capacity, and revenue on the operation of the electric carsharing system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"131 ","pages":"Article 103211"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142552347","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":"Accurate preference-based method to obtain the deterministically optimal and satisfactory fairness-efficiency trade-off","authors":"Liming Yao ,&nbsp;Zerui Su ,&nbsp;Hao-Chun Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103214","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103214","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The resource allocation problem is a classic multi-objective challenge, particularly when balancing the fairness-efficiency trade-off. To achieve a deterministically optimal and satisfactory solution, researchers frequently employ preference-based methods, including selecting among Pareto solutions based on the decision-maker's a posteriori preference and using deterministic models incorporating a priori preferences. In this study, we address two main challenges—specifically, (1) the limitations in measuring the abstract concepts of fairness and efficiency and (2) finding a deterministically optimal and satisfactory balance between fairness and efficiency. We apply a Gini impurity index derived from the classification and regression tree to calculate fairness, ensuring the Gini index function's differentiability. Additionally, we unify the scales of fairness and efficiency to facilitate calculation. Using accurate preference information, we employ the extended interval goal programming method to solve the model and achieve a deterministically optimal and satisfactory solution. The comparative analysis results demonstrate that our model (1) efficiently addresses the real-world water resource allocation problem concerning the fairness-efficiency trade-off; and (2) generates fewer penalties, with an average improvement ratio of 8% in the case study, using more refined penalty functions that align closer to the decision-maker's real and nonlinear preferences.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"131 ","pages":"Article 103214"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142533334","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":"Deliberate shortage in live-streaming commerce","authors":"Kaili Li ,&nbsp;Song Yao ,&nbsp;Yongjian Li ,&nbsp;Fangcheng Tang ,&nbsp;Zhongbin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103201","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103201","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Live-streaming commerce has gained significant traction in recent years as an additional channel employed by online retailers to engage consumers in real-time interactions. However, it is essential to highlight the growing prevalence of limited sales as a popular marketing strategy within these live-streaming channels, resulting in an inability to fulfill all consumer demands. Surprisingly, this phenomenon has gone largely unnoticed in previous literature. This paper aims to bridge this gap by delving into the impact of product shortages within the realm of live-streaming commerce. To accomplish this objective, we introduce a stylized model that captures the strategic interactions between online retailers and consumers within live-streaming channels featuring rationed product availability. Our findings reveal that the online retailer’s profit exhibits a unimodal trend concerning the quantity of products offered in the live-streaming channel when the product value falls within a non-extreme range. In simpler terms, deliberately limiting product availability in live-streaming commerce can lead to significantly higher profits, incentivizing retailers to implement rationing strategies. Moreover, contrary to conventional expectations that consumers anticipate a greater supply of products than the retailer intends to provide, we uncover that consumers expect a lower quantity when the potential product value is relatively small. Finally, our research highlights that while live-streaming channels attract consumers with high patience, encouraging their engagement, impatient consumers who favor traditional online channels may face long-term adverse effects due to the retailer’s strategic pricing response. We validate the robustness of our main findings by exploring various extensions, such as the influence of strategic waiting behavior, advertising effects and enhanced perceived product value.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"131 ","pages":"Article 103201"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142533335","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":"From investigation of expressiveness and robustness to a comprehensive value-based framework for multiple criteria sorting problems","authors":"Miłosz Kadziński ,&nbsp;Michał Wójcik ,&nbsp;Mohammad Ghaderi","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103203","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103203","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We adopt an experiment-oriented perspective to investigate two essential characteristics – expressiveness and robustness – of multiple criteria sorting methods. We focus on the approaches from the family of UTADIS, learning the parameters of a value-driven threshold-based model from the Decision Maker’s assignment examples. Even if the considered properties are crucial for the methods’ reliability and usefulness in real-world scenarios, their verification through explicit numerical tests has been so far neglected. On the one hand, expressiveness captures the models’ flexibility to reproduce different preferences, including simple and complex ones, meaningfully and accurately. On the other hand, robustness reflects the ability to deliver valid recommendations and ensure proper conclusiveness given the multiplicity of compatible preference model instances. We consider different variants of UTADIS, from assuming monotonic and preferentially independent criteria to more advanced settings that relax the monotonicity constraints or represent interactions. The experimental results capture the trade-off between the considered quality dimensions, indicating that richer models are characterized by greater expressiveness and lesser robustness. We also formulate a comprehensive framework indicating when some variant should be used, given the nature of supplied preferences or problem characteristics. These findings aid decision analysts in making robust recommendations in different contexts and help refine preference modeling assumptions. The framework’s practical use is illustrated in a case study involving sorting mobile phone models into pre-defined preference-ordered classes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"131 ","pages":"Article 103203"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142533332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Brand extension strategy in the presence of carbon tax regulation policy and social influence","authors":"Pin Zhou ,&nbsp;He Xu ,&nbsp;Xu Liu ,&nbsp;Dan Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103210","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.omega.2024.103210","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Brand extension is a common marketing strategy used to capture a competitive advantage in the fashion industry and often causes social influence between the parent and sub-brands. On the one hand, sub-brand consumers are more willing to buy products when the parent brand sells well. On the other hand, the parent brand consumers’ purchase intention decreases when the sub-brand product sells too much. The fashion industry also contributes considerably to global carbon emissions. To reach sustainable development goals, governments impose carbon taxes. This paper analyzes how social influence and carbon tax regulations can affect a monopolistic firm’s brand extension strategy. The analytical results show that the firm extends from the parent brand to the sub-brand when the magnitude of social influence is not strong in the absence of a carbon tax, as the market expansion effect dominates the cannibalization effect. When the regulator imposes a carbon emissions tax, the range is further narrowed of the social influence that allows the firm to benefit from brand extension strategy because of the cost effect. Counterintuitively, the brand extension strategy can force the regulator to lower the tax price. Moreover, our findings reveal that social influence exerts an inverse impact on the regulator’s tax pricing decisions, contingent upon the extent of the parent brand’s brand power advantage. Carbon tax regulation hurts the firm and consumer surplus, but benefits the environment and social welfare. Additionally, we reaffirm the robustness of our findings under conditions of asymmetry in the intensity of social influence and different pollution damage functions. Intriguingly, we find that the firm can mitigate the negative cannibalization effect by selling its sub-brand products through a downstream retailer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"131 ","pages":"Article 103210"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142441808","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}