Dr. Reza Maihami, an Assistant Professor in the College of Business & Technology's
Management, Marketing & Supply Chain Department has two recent publications:
Title: A socio-economic optimization model for blood supply chain network design during
the COVID-19 pandemic: An interactive possibilistic programming approach for a real
case study
Journal: Socio-Economic Planning Sciences
URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038012122002403
During the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO estimated a reduction of 20–30% in blood supply
in all affected countries. Additionally, the donation rate has decreased by 10–30%
in Washington, USA, and by 30% at Canadian Blood Services. Therefore, designing an
efficient blood supply chain (BSC) network is crucial during the pandemic to cope
with the shortages of blood and the uncertainty of supply and demand. This study develops
a new optimization model for BSC network design shown in the figure below.
A four-echelon BSC, including Blood Donation Centers (BDCs), blood banks, regional hospitals, and demand points (local hospitals and clinics), is considered in the study. The model determines the facility location, transportation modes, blood inventory allocation, and capacity of facilities during the pandemic. Results show that the optimal network design covers more demand points and reduces blood shortages. Besides, it minimizes operational costs and maximizes job creation.
The 2nd article published by Dr. Maihami is:
Title: Ticket pricing for entertainment events under a dual-channel environment: a
game-theoretical approach using uncertainty theory
Journal: Annals of Operations Research
URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10479-023-05192-x
When it comes to managing entertainment events such as concerts, sports, operas, ballets,
and theater performances, ticket pricing is a crucial decision, since it reflects
the value the event brings to its stakeholders. The ticket broker, for example, will
swoop up many tickets at a low price and resell them at a higher price if the price
is lower than its real worth. Deadwood (unsold tickets) phenomenon occurs if the price
is high compared to its real value. In this study, a game-theoretical approach is
used to determine the price of tickets offered through the venue booth as well as
through online retailers. The main objective of the study is to maximize profit for
the venue and the online retailer under different competitive and non-competitive
interactions between the partners. The results indicate the best ticket price that
is desirable for customers and provides the highest financial gain for event organizers.