2016 INFORMS Annual Meeting Program

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INFORMS Nashville – 2016
162
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207D-MCC
Crowd-Commerce Applications in Operations and
Revenue Management
Sponsored: Revenue Management & Pricing
Sponsored Session
Chair: Rene A Caldentey, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL,
United States,
Co-Chair: Yifan Feng, The University of Chicago, 5807 S Woodlawn
Ave, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States,
1 - Learning Customer Preferences Through Crowdvoting
Yifan Feng, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637,
United States, , Rene A Caldentey,
Christopher Ryan
We study a seller introducing a new product with multiple potential product
designs into the marketplace. In order to pick the design that is most likely to be
preferred by customers, the seller uses an online system that allows potential
buyers to vote for their preferred designs. We study how to dynamically
customize each individual voter’s choice set, in order to most efficiently learn
overall customer preferences. We propose an algorithm that balances breadth of
choice and accuracy in determining the best product. We show this algorithm is
asymptotically optimal in speed of learning.
2 - Simultaneous Vs. Sequential Crowdsourcing Contests
Lu Wang, University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management,
105 St George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E6, Canada,
Ming Hu
In a crowdsourcing contest, innovation is outsourced to an open crowd. We
consider two alternative crowdsourcing mechanisms for an innovative product
involving multiple attributes. One is to run a simultaneous contest, where the
best is selected from the single solution simultaneously submitted by each
contestant. The other is to run multiple sequential sub-contests, with each
dedicated to one attribute and a later sub-contest built on the best outcome from
earlier sub-contests. While both mechanisms have their own advantages, either
could win over depending on situations.
3 - Contests And Inequality
Mohamed Mostagir, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI,
United States, , Yesim Orhun,
Hamidreza Tavafoghi
Contests are one of the standard mechanisms that firms employ to extract the
most effort from participants, whether these participants are crowd workers or
the firm’s own personnel. We study contests that are repeatedly played by the
same agents, with a focus on how information revelation about past play impacts
future efforts. We show that such revelation can be detrimental to aggregate
effort, and discuss how regulations (e.g. the SEC Dodd-Frank act) that require
employers to reveal wages in an attempt to curb inequality can lead to
unexpected effects that ultimately result in higher inequality amongst workers in
environments that resemble contests, i.e. where wages follow a rank-based
structure.
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208A-MCC
Applied Decision Analysis
Sponsored: Decision Analysis
Sponsored Session
Chair: Saurabh Bansal, Penn State University, Penn State University,
State College, PA, 16802, United States,
1 - Analyzing Both The Cost And Strategic Value Of Sustainable
Supply Chains
Jason Merrick, Virginia Commonwealth University,
, Paul Brooks, Lance Saunders
The Brazilian government will require the use of additives in all gasoline fuel
starting in 2017. We use optimization modeling to help our industry partner
design their new supply chain network and study the cost of reducing carbon
emissions. However, we then use decision analysis to study the strategic value of
sustainable supply chain designs in obtaining market share. In our case study, the
strategic value outweighs the cost of reducing emissions.
2 - Eliciting Newsvendor Quantile: Direct Or
Decomposed Assessments?
Saurabh Bansal, Penn State,
We consider the newsvendor problem that is commonly used in practice. We
report the results of a laboratory study in which participants provide (i) direct
solution to the problem, (ii) decomposed solution to the problem. Our results
help identify the optimal discretion levels that should be provided to managers.
3 - Supporting The Prioritization Of Emerging Animal Health Threats
For The UK Department Of Agriculture With Decision Analysis
Gilberto Montibeller, Loughborough University, Loughborough,
United Kingdom,
Gilberto Montibeller, Decision Consulting Ltd., Leicester, United
Kingdom, , L. Alberto Franco
Emerging animal health threats pose serious risk to humans and countries, and
represent a serious challenge for both analysts and policy makers. We employed a
decision analytic framework to develop a risk management support system to
help the UK Department of Agriculture (DEFRA) with the prioritisation of such
threats, providing an effective mechanism for ranking them and supporting the
design of policy recommendations. The system is supporting the
recommendations of DEFRA’s Veterinary Risk Management group since 2009.
Benefits for the client include increased rigour in evidence gathering, transparent
assessments, and a traceable and more streamlined decision process.
4 - How Did We Integrate Optimization And Machine Learning In our
Solution Tool at Mckinsey
Halil I Cobuloglu, Sr. Research Analyst, McKinsey & Company,
404 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA, 02451, United States,
, Dimitris Bertsimas,
Nathan Uhlenbrock, Prodipto Ghosh
In this project, we have developed a territory optimization tool for our clients. In
order to reach solution fast, we have integrated various algorithms including
machine learning and optimization techniques in our model. This tool helps
companies efficiently use their limited sources and optimize their territories with
more balanced workload.
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208B-MCC
Panel: Advice from Award Winning Researchers
Sponsored: Decision Analysis
Sponsored Session
Moderator: Andrea Hupman Cadenbach, University of Missouri -
St. Louis, St Louis, MO, United States,
This panel discussion features several distinguished researchers who have won
awards from the Decision Analysis Society. Panelists will discuss the processes
behind their research that contributed to their success and share advice for junior
faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and PhD candidates.
1 - Panelist
L Robin Keller, Professor, University of California - Irvine,
Irvine, CA, United States,
2 - Panelist
James S Dyer, University of Texas - Austin,
3 - Panelist
Robert Clemen, Duke University,
4 - Panelist
Ali E Abbas, Professor and Director of DECIDE, University of
Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, United States,
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