Approximations for the Random Minimal Spanning Tree With Application to Network Provisioning

This paper considers the problem of determining the mean and distribution of the length of a minimal spanning tree (MST) on an undirected graph whose arc lengths are independently distributed random variables. We obtain bounds and approximations for the MST length and show that our upper bound is much tighter than the naive bound obtained by computing the MST length of the deterministic graph with the respective means as arc lengths. We analyze the asymptotic properties of our approximations and establish conditions under which our bounds are asymptotically optimal. We apply these results to a network provisioning problem and show that the relative error induced by using our approximations tends to zero as the graph grows large

LABOR STRIKES AND THE PRICE OF LETTUCE

This paper examines the economic impact of the 1979 labor strike against lettuce producer-shippers in the Imperial Valley of California. The theory presented suggests that formidable problems are encountered by agricultural labor unions in obtaining higher wages for farm workers. During the 1979 strike, ironically the returns to many of the lettuce producers in the Imperial Valley increased substantially.Demand and Price Analysis, Labor and Human Capital,

Finite approximations to a zero-sum game with incomplete information

In this paper, we investigate a scheme for approximating a two-person zero-sum game G of incomplete information by means of a natural system G mn of its finite subgames. The main question is: For large m and n , is an optimal strategy for G mn necessarily an ε -optimal strategy for G ?Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45836/1/182_2005_Article_BF01753710.pd

FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL POLICY AND FAR EAST FARM MARKETS

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Discounted and Per Unit Costs of Product Warranty

This paper proposes a detailed model of the costs and benefits to producers and consumers of product warranty. Three common types of product warranty contract are considered. In addition, we explicitly allow for randomness in consumer repurchase behavior and for the possibility of an independent damage process acting on products sold under warranty. The cost criteria considered are discounted costs (profits) and per unit costs (and profits). The model is used to analyze the trade-off between warranty and quality control, and to illustrate the sensitivity of warranty costs to environmental variables.reliability: product warranty, costing: estimation, probability: stochastic model applications

A Constrained Capital Budgeting Problem with Applications to Repair Kit Selection

We consider a capital budgeting problem in which each potential project requires the performance of a known set of activities. In general, these sets of activities are not mutually exclusive. However, when a particular activity is common to the requirements of multiple projects, a single performance of the activity simultaneously satisfies the requirements of the multiple projects. Associated with the performance of each activity are two quantities: a known fixed cost and a consumption of a known amount of a scarce resource. Because the sets of activities required by the projects are not mutually exclusive, we cannot apportion an activity's fixed cost or resource consumption to a single project. In this paper, we formulate this capital budgeting problem (and a slight variant) as a maximal network flow problem with a side constraint, and we report computational experience using Lagrangian relaxation to find an optimal solution. We also discuss an application to the selection of parts and tools to include in a field repair kit used to fix a variety of types of breakdowns.capital budgeting, Lagrangean relaxation, network flow