Editor's Choice
The following articles have been selected by the editor are available FREE online. Click on the article titles below to read them.
Volume 20, Number 4, October 2009
Equilibrium replenishment in a supply chain with a single distributor and multiple retailers
Konstantin Kogan, Yael Perlman, and Sharon Hovav
Kogan et al present an application of game theory to the operation of a pharmacy supply chain. In addition to setting out their mathematical analysis, the team report what happened when a chain of pharmacies changed its delivery policy to one based on this analysis, displaying the engagement with decision makers that is key to successful Operational Research.
Volume 20, Number 3, July 2009
Energy consumption and environmental pollution: a stochastic model
Charles S. Tapiero
This paper considers an energy–pollution economic problem which uses a stochastic queue framework. This approach is shown to establish a link between a firm's energy-consuming economic activity and its effects on the pollution that it generates as a function of its activity. An economic model is then used to draw some inferences regarding the effects of selected economic parameters on the propensity to pollute and prevent pollution. In particular, a number of theories pertaining to the effects of pollution and its regulation on the output and competitiveness of firms are elaborated. For example, the Porter hypothesis presuming that a stringent environmental policy improves a firm's competitiveness is analysed in terms of our model. For demonstration purposes, a simple example is used.
Volume 20, Number 2, April 2009
Uses and limitations of mathematics in sport
John Haigh
The April 2009 issue of the journal is a special issue on Mathematics in Sport. The first paper sets the scene for the issue by highlighting a number of interesting probabilistic, statistical and decision-related topics in this area. The paper looks in detail at, for example, scoring systems and other aspects of tournament design, the importance of single incidents within a larger contest, and applications of dynamic programming. A range of sports that cover most tastes are considered: golf, soccer, American football, motor racing, cricket, table tennis and basketball.
Volume 20, Number 1, January 2009
Predicting overflow in an emergency department
L. Au, G. B. Byrnes, C. A. Bain, M. Fackrell, C. Brand, D. A. Campbell, and P. G. Taylor
Good decision making in the delivery of health care is a growing issue, and it is accepted by analysts that decisions should be made in the light of relevant evidence. Therefore studies that consider such an approach are to be welcomed and editor's choice for this issue presents a case study relating to emergency admissions at an Australian hospital. By modelling the development of queues at admission to the emergency department (ED) and between the ED and a ward, the aim of the study is to provide a quantitative assessment of the risk of ambulance bypass - this being an event in which an emergency admission by ambulance is refused. Such information might then be used to anticipate the need for additional resources; and to free emergency beds in advance of the occurrence of the conditions for an ambulance bypass.
Volume 19, Number 4, October 2008
Modelling health-based restrictions on pesticides in groundwater under uncertainty: a policy application
Keith Willett and Dolores Willett
The presence of pesticide residue in ground water is a pertinent issue in public policy decision making. This paper quantifies the opportunity or marginal cost of environmental policy restrictions. Such environmental restrictions are considered as constraints in a mathematical programme that determines an optimal set of activities to undertake on a farm assuming that the farm is a profit maximiser. The study describes how one can deal with quantities in the mp formulation that are uncertain, and also how policy makers might set appropriate tax levels for the application of polluting chemicals.