31 - 37 of 37 results for: OIT

In many of the challenges faced by the modern world, from overcrowded road networks to overstretched healthcare systems, large benefits for society come about from small changes by very many individuals. This course survey the problems and the cost they impose on society. It describes a series of pilot projects which aim to develop principles for inducing small changes in behavior in Societal Networks--transportation networks, wellness programs, recycling systems and, if time permits, energy grids. Students will learn how low-cost sensing and networking technology can be used for sensing individual behavior, and how incentives and social norming can be used to influence the behavior. The effectiveness of this approach in pilots conducted in Bangalore (commuting), Singapore (public transit system), Stanford (congestion and parking), and a wellness program at Accenture-USA will be discussed. Students may experience the incentive platform as participants.

One of the most interesting and underexplored areas in modern technology is, as Dan Reicher at Stanford has put it, "where energy technology (ET) meets information technology (IT)". The main driver of widespread use of computing in the modern age is the rapid reduction in the cost of computing services caused by Moore's law. At the same time, a substantial increase in the energy efficiency of computing (doubling every year and a half for more than six decades) has led to a proliferation of mobile computers, sensors, and controls, with implications that have only recently begun to be understood.nnnThis class will explore the direct and indirect implications of applying information technology to the production, delivery, and use of energy and associated services. It will first review current knowledge about the direct energy use associated with information technology, including data centers, personal computers, cellular telephones, mobile sensors, and other IT equipment. It will also summarize the state of knowledge about the types, amount, and growth rates of energy services delivered in the US and globally. Finally, it will explore the applications to which information technologies have been put in the energy industry, ranging from the use of visualization and analysis techniques to improve the results of oil and gas exploration, to the computer-aided design of wind turbines and automobiles, to the implications of wireless sensors and controls for the more efficient and effective use of energy. The class will culminate in student projects, typically business plans for new ventures using IT to radically transform how we understand and respond to the world around us.

In tandem with OIT 603, this course explores the application of stochastic modeling and optimization to two closely related problem areas: (a) dynamic price selection, and (b) dynamic allocation of limited capacity to competing demands. As background, students are assumed to know stochastic process theory at the level of Statistics 217-218, microeconomics at the level of Economics 202N, and optimization theory at the level of MS&E 211, and to have some familiarity with the basic ideas of dynamic programming. Additional dynamic programming theory will be developed as needed for the applications covered. Emphasis will be on current research topics, especially in the realm of airline revenue management.

In tandem with OIT 602, this course explores the application of stochastic modeling and optimization to two closely related problem areas: (a) dynamic price selection, and (b) dynamic allocation of limited capacity to competing demands. As background, students are assumed to know stochastic process theory at the level of Statistics 217-218, microeconomics at the level of Economics 202N, and optimization theory at the level of MS&E 211, and to have some familiarity with the basic ideas of dynamic programming. Additional dynamic programming theory will be developed as needed for the applications covered. Emphasis will be on current research topics, especially involving customized pricing of financial services. OIT 602 is not a prerequisite for OIT 603 but is highly recommended.

The course provides students a strong theoretical background in several fundamental aspects underlying inventory theory. Topics include deterministic inventory models (EOQ, Power-of-two policies, ELS, serial and assembly networks), the Newsvendor model, multi-period stochastic inventory theory, serial and multi-echelon models, approximation algorithms, batch ordering and lost-sales models, infinitesimal perturbation analysis, distribution-free inventory theory, models for joint pricing and inventory decisions. The course also provides an overview of relevant mathematical concepts used in inventory theory, including convexity, duality, probability theory, finite and infinite state Markov decision processes, and comparative statics.

To compete successfully in today's market place, companies need to manage effectively the efficiency of activities to design, manufacture, distribute, service and recycle their products or services to their customers. Supply chain management deals with the management of materials, information and financial flows in a network consisting of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and customers. The coordination and integration of these flows within and across companies are critical in effective supply chain management. nnnIn parallel to the development of new practices and concepts in industry, there have been emerging research that are based on (1) structuring new processes and supply chain networks with the new technologies; (2) exploring ways to do planning and make decisions consequently; (3) quantifying the benefits as a result; and (4) aligning the incentives of multiple players in a supply chain when the costs and benefits to these players are different. nnnThis course will examine evolutionary research that focuses on the above themes. We will explore how such problems can be formulated, models can be structured, and analysis can be performed to address information-based supply chain management issues. You are all challenged to think, discuss, share, and debate on the issues brought up. The end result of this course is, hopefully, that we can start defining new, interesting and exciting research paths, and maybe even beginning to pursue some of the research ideas generated.