Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.orl.2026.107415
Meng Li , Wenzhong Li , Genjiu Xu
A generalized highway problem focuses on studying how to reasonably allocate the fixed construction costs among all highway users. Motivated by the insight that weights can capture the heterogeneity among users, we propose a class of weighted sharing methods for this problem and provide two axiomatizations by introducing proportionality and weak balanced contributions. Moreover, we prove that each weighted sharing method is obtained as a weighted Shapley value for the dual game of generalized highway game. Finally, we illustrate the reasonability of the weighted sharing methods by applying them to the AP-9 highway in Spain.
{"title":"A weighted method for sharing costs in highways","authors":"Meng Li , Wenzhong Li , Genjiu Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107415","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107415","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A generalized highway problem focuses on studying how to reasonably allocate the fixed construction costs among all highway users. Motivated by the insight that weights can capture the heterogeneity among users, we propose a class of weighted sharing methods for this problem and provide two axiomatizations by introducing proportionality and weak balanced contributions. Moreover, we prove that each weighted sharing method is obtained as a weighted Shapley value for the dual game of generalized highway game. Finally, we illustrate the reasonability of the weighted sharing methods by applying them to the AP-9 highway in Spain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54682,"journal":{"name":"Operations Research Letters","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 107415"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146147344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.orl.2026.107409
Ludvig Hult, Dave Zachariah, Petre Stoica
Inventory control is subject to service-level requirements, in which sufficient stock levels must be maintained despite unknown demand. We propose a data-driven order policy that certifies any prescribed service level under minimal assumptions on the demand process. The policy achieves this by adding an adjustment to any base policy. We further propose a method for forecasting the policy’s operational costs that is valid in finite samples. Properties and guarantees of the method are illustrated using both synthetic and real-world data.
{"title":"Certified inventory control of critical resources","authors":"Ludvig Hult, Dave Zachariah, Petre Stoica","doi":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107409","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inventory control is subject to service-level requirements, in which sufficient stock levels must be maintained despite unknown demand. We propose a data-driven order policy that certifies any prescribed service level under minimal assumptions on the demand process. The policy achieves this by adding an adjustment to any base policy. We further propose a method for forecasting the policy’s operational costs that is valid in finite samples. Properties and guarantees of the method are illustrated using both synthetic and real-world data.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54682,"journal":{"name":"Operations Research Letters","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 107409"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-21DOI: 10.1016/j.orl.2026.107414
Tao Zhang
In this paper, we establish the equivalence between the (dual-primal) balanced augmented Lagrangian method (ALM) and the Douglas-Rachford splitting (DRS) method. The core methodology relies on a lifting technique that introduces auxiliary variables to reformulate the original problem, thereby facilitating both theoretical analysis and algorithmic interpretation. This approach offers a novel perspective for understanding the structure and behavior of the (dual-primal) balanced ALM.
{"title":"The equivalence between (dual-primal) balanced augmented Lagrangian method and Douglas-Rachford splitting method: A lifting scheme","authors":"Tao Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107414","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107414","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this paper, we establish the equivalence between the (dual-primal) balanced augmented Lagrangian method (ALM) and the Douglas-Rachford splitting (DRS) method. The core methodology relies on a lifting technique that introduces auxiliary variables to reformulate the original problem, thereby facilitating both theoretical analysis and algorithmic interpretation. This approach offers a novel perspective for understanding the structure and behavior of the (dual-primal) balanced ALM.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54682,"journal":{"name":"Operations Research Letters","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 107414"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-17DOI: 10.1016/j.orl.2026.107413
Alex Infanger , Peter W. Glynn , Yuanyuan Liu
In this paper, we study general truncation-augmentation schemes for countable discrete-time Markov chains. In the presence of a Lyapunov condition, we show that such schemes are generally convergent, provided that the truncation is chosen as a sub-level set of the Lyapunov function. For stochastically monotone Markov chains on , we prove that we can always choose the truncation sets to be of the form . Finally, we extend the theory to continuous time Markov jump processes.
{"title":"On convergence of general truncation-augmentation schemes for approximating stationary distributions of Markov chains","authors":"Alex Infanger , Peter W. Glynn , Yuanyuan Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107413","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107413","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this paper, we study general truncation-augmentation schemes for countable discrete-time Markov chains. In the presence of a Lyapunov condition, we show that such schemes are generally convergent, provided that the truncation is chosen as a sub-level set of the Lyapunov function. For stochastically monotone Markov chains on <span><math><msub><mi>Z</mi><mo>+</mo></msub></math></span>, we prove that we can always choose the truncation sets to be of the form <span><math><mrow><mo>{</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>,</mo><mn>1</mn><mo>,</mo><mo>…</mo><mo>,</mo><mi>n</mi><mo>}</mo></mrow></math></span>. Finally, we extend the theory to continuous time Markov jump processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54682,"journal":{"name":"Operations Research Letters","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 107413"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-14DOI: 10.1016/j.orl.2026.107407
Gerold Jäger , Marcel Turkensteen
Optimal solutions of combinatorial optimization problems can be sensitive to changes in the cost of one or more elements of the ground set . Single and set tolerances measure the maximum possible change for which the current solution remains optimal for cost changes in one or more elements. The current definition of single and set tolerances does not consider all elements of or all subsets of . In this work, we broaden the definition to include all elements for single tolerances and all subsets of elements for set tolerances, while proving that key theoretical and computational properties still apply.
{"title":"Extending the definition of single and set tolerances","authors":"Gerold Jäger , Marcel Turkensteen","doi":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107407","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Optimal solutions of combinatorial optimization problems can be sensitive to changes in the cost of one or more elements of the ground set <span><math><mi>E</mi></math></span>. Single and set tolerances measure the maximum possible change for which the current solution remains optimal for cost changes in one or more elements. The current definition of single and set tolerances does not consider all elements of <span><math><mi>E</mi></math></span> or all subsets of <span><math><mi>E</mi></math></span>. In this work, we broaden the definition to include all elements for single tolerances and all subsets of elements for set tolerances, while proving that key theoretical and computational properties still apply.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54682,"journal":{"name":"Operations Research Letters","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 107407"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.orl.2026.107405
Wanting Yang , Lixiang Li , Wei Yang , Lianmin Zhang
This paper studies the multi-product pricing problem under the q-generalized logit model, which generalizes the relationship between systematic and random components by applying the q-generalization technique so that both the logit and weibit models can be seen as special cases. For firms achieving the maximal expected revenue, we find that all products’ adjusted markups are constant at optimality. Further, under a mild condition that guarantees the existence of a one-to-one mapping between the price and the adjusted markup, the pricing problem is simplified to a single-dimensional optimization problem with a unimodal objective function. Moreover, we explore the multifaceted insights derived from the model and optimization results, including the impacts of customer risk attitude, product cost, and the distribution parameter.
{"title":"Multi -product pricing under the q-generalized logit model","authors":"Wanting Yang , Lixiang Li , Wei Yang , Lianmin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper studies the multi-product pricing problem under the <em>q</em>-generalized logit model, which generalizes the relationship between systematic and random components by applying the <em>q</em>-generalization technique so that both the logit and weibit models can be seen as special cases. For firms achieving the maximal expected revenue, we find that all products’ adjusted markups are constant at optimality. Further, under a mild condition that guarantees the existence of a one-to-one mapping between the price and the adjusted markup, the pricing problem is simplified to a single-dimensional optimization problem with a unimodal objective function. Moreover, we explore the multifaceted insights derived from the model and optimization results, including the impacts of customer risk attitude, product cost, and the distribution parameter.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54682,"journal":{"name":"Operations Research Letters","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 107405"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145975913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-11DOI: 10.1016/j.orl.2026.107411
Jianjun Gao , Siya Liu , Yu Lin , Weiping Wu , Ke Zhou
Recognizing the limitations of the dynamic mean-variance (MV) portfolio optimization model in controlling downside risk, we propose a continuous-time hybrid MV model that integrates the Spectral Risk Measure (SRM). Leveraging quantile formulation and martingale methods, we develop a solution framework and establish conditions ensuring solution existence. For markets with a deterministic opportunity set, we derive an analytical portfolio policy. Numerical experiments demonstrate that our model effectively mitigates downside risk and enhances the Sortino Ratio.
{"title":"Dynamic mean-variance hybrid portfolio optimization with spectral risk regulation","authors":"Jianjun Gao , Siya Liu , Yu Lin , Weiping Wu , Ke Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107411","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107411","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recognizing the limitations of the dynamic mean-variance (MV) portfolio optimization model in controlling downside risk, we propose a continuous-time hybrid MV model that integrates the Spectral Risk Measure (SRM). Leveraging quantile formulation and martingale methods, we develop a solution framework and establish conditions ensuring solution existence. For markets with a deterministic opportunity set, we derive an analytical portfolio policy. Numerical experiments demonstrate that our model effectively mitigates downside risk and enhances the Sortino Ratio.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54682,"journal":{"name":"Operations Research Letters","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 107411"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this study, we investigate a robust satisficing (RS) newsvendor problem, which generalizes classical sample average approximation (SAA) newsvendor problem. We derive a closed-form RS solution that adaptively balances profit targets and distributional uncertainty. The analysis reveals monotonic relationships between ordering decisions, profit targets, and wholesale prices, while providing finite-sample guarantees for target achievement probabilities. We analyze how profit targets shape the out-of-sample efficacy of RS solutions and establish data-driven guidelines for target selection. Multi-scenario empirical analyses allow for a controlled comparison of RS and benchmark models, highlighting their performance dynamics.
{"title":"Robust satisficing newsvendor problem","authors":"Jianpeng Ding , Liuxin Chen , Lianmin Zhang , Yue Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107408","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107408","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we investigate a robust satisficing (RS) newsvendor problem, which generalizes classical sample average approximation (SAA) newsvendor problem. We derive a closed-form RS solution that adaptively balances profit targets and distributional uncertainty. The analysis reveals monotonic relationships between ordering decisions, profit targets, and wholesale prices, while providing finite-sample guarantees for target achievement probabilities. We analyze how profit targets shape the out-of-sample efficacy of RS solutions and establish data-driven guidelines for target selection. Multi-scenario empirical analyses allow for a controlled comparison of RS and benchmark models, highlighting their performance dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54682,"journal":{"name":"Operations Research Letters","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 107408"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145975914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1016/j.orl.2026.107404
Yunxiao Liang , Jiayi Zeng , Qiao-Chu He
This study addresses the design of influencer marketing campaigns under stochastic diffusion over social networks. We propose an optimization model that minimizes advertising costs while guaranteeing a target level of user engagement. To address the #P-hard complexity of estimating user engagement under the Independent Cascade model, we introduce a multivariate polynomial approximation. This approximation can be constructed via an O(n3) algorithm and enables tractable optimization. Numerical simulation demonstrates its high accuracy on predicting influence spread. We find distributing resources across multiple medium-sized influencers consistently outperforms the strategy of concentrating efforts on top-tier influencers.
{"title":"Seeding influencers with engagement guarantees by approximating network diffusions","authors":"Yunxiao Liang , Jiayi Zeng , Qiao-Chu He","doi":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107404","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107404","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study addresses the design of influencer marketing campaigns under stochastic diffusion over social networks. We propose an optimization model that minimizes advertising costs while guaranteeing a target level of user engagement. To address the #P-hard complexity of estimating user engagement under the Independent Cascade model, we introduce a multivariate polynomial approximation. This approximation can be constructed via an <em>O</em>(<em>n</em><sup>3</sup>) algorithm and enables tractable optimization. Numerical simulation demonstrates its high accuracy on predicting influence spread. We find distributing resources across multiple medium-sized influencers consistently outperforms the strategy of concentrating efforts on top-tier influencers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54682,"journal":{"name":"Operations Research Letters","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 107404"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145975911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1016/j.orl.2026.107406
Yun Wang, Hu Shao, Huayu Sun, Meixuan Jiang
This paper introduces a Riemannian spectral three-term conjugate gradient method for solving optimization problems on Riemannian manifolds. The conjugate parameter in the search direction can be expressed as a hybrid of the FR-DY or HS-PRP parameters. The spectral parameter, obtained via convex combination, guarantees that the search direction satisfies the sufficient descent condition independently of any line search conditions. We establish the global convergence of the algorithm under both Riemannian weak Wolfe and improved Armijo line search conditions. Finally, numerical results are presented and compared with several classic Riemannian conjugate gradient methods, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method.
{"title":"The global convergence of a spectral three-term Riemannian conjugate gradient method with convex combination","authors":"Yun Wang, Hu Shao, Huayu Sun, Meixuan Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107406","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.orl.2026.107406","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper introduces a Riemannian spectral three-term conjugate gradient method for solving optimization problems on Riemannian manifolds. The conjugate parameter in the search direction can be expressed as a hybrid of the FR-DY or HS-PRP parameters. The spectral parameter, obtained via convex combination, guarantees that the search direction satisfies the sufficient descent condition independently of any line search conditions. We establish the global convergence of the algorithm under both Riemannian weak Wolfe and improved Armijo line search conditions. Finally, numerical results are presented and compared with several classic Riemannian conjugate gradient methods, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54682,"journal":{"name":"Operations Research Letters","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 107406"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145975912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号