Skip to main content
Log in

Models for planning capacity expansion of convenience stores under uncertain demand and the value of information

  • Published:
Annals of Operations Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Several stochastic optimization models for planning capacity expansion for convenience store chains (or other similar businesses) are developed that incorporate uncertainty in future demand. All of these models generate schedules for capacity expansion, specifying the size, location, and timing of these expansions in order to maximize the expected profit to the company and to remain within a budget constraint on available resources. The models differ in how uncertainty is incorporated, specifically they differ in the point in the decision-making process that the uncertainty in the demand is resolved. Several measures of the value of information are defined by comparing the results from the different models. Two sample problems are given and their solutions for the various approaches compared.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. 1992 State of the Industry (National Association of Convenience Stores, Alexandra, VA, 1992).

  2. J.C. Bean, J.L. Higle and R.L. Smith, Capacity expansion under stochastic demands, Oper. Res. 40(1992)S210-S216.

    Google Scholar 

  3. O. Berman and Z. Ganz, The capacity expansion problem in the service industry, Technical Report 91–101, Clark University, Worcester, MA (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  4. O. Berman, Z. Ganz and J.M. Wagner, A stochastic optimization model for planning capacity expansion in a service industry under uncertain demands, Naval Logist. Res. 41(1994)545–564.

    Google Scholar 

  5. J.R. Birge, Models and model value in stochastic programming, Technical Report 93-2, Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (1993).

    Google Scholar 

  6. J.R. Birge, The value of the stochastic solution in stochastic linear programs with fixed recourse, Math. Progr. 24(1982)314–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. A. Brooke, D. Kenrick and A. Meeraus,GAMS: A User's Guide (Scientific Press, 1988).

  8. G.B. Dantzig and A. Wolfe, The decomposition algorithm for linear programming, Econometrica 29(1961)767–778.

    Google Scholar 

  9. K. Dudziński and S. Walukiewicz, Exact methods for the knapsack problem and its generalizations, Euro. J. Oper. Res. 28(1987)3–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. J. Friedenfelds,Capacity Expansion: Analysis of Simple Models with Applications (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Z. Ganz, Capacity planning in the service industry, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, MA (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Z. Ganz and O. Berman, The capacity expansion problem in the service industry with multiple resource constraints, Socio-Econ. Planning Sci. 26(1992)1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. H. Luss, Operations research and capacity expansion problems: A survey, Oper. Res. 30(1983)907–947.

    Google Scholar 

  14. A. Madansky, Inequalities for stochastic linear programming problems, Manag. Sci. 6(1960)197–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. D. Paraskevopoulos, E. Karakitsos and B. Rustem, Robust capacity planning under uncertainty, Manag. Sci. 37(1991)787–800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. W.H. Press, B.P. Flannery, S.A. Teukolsky and W.T. Vetterling,Numerical Recipes: The Art of Scientific Computing (Cambridge University Press, 1986).

  17. R.T. Rockafellar,Convex Analysis (Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1970).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wagner, J.M., Berman, O. Models for planning capacity expansion of convenience stores under uncertain demand and the value of information. Ann Oper Res 59, 19–44 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02031742

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02031742

Keywords

Navigation