This thesis shows that several old, somewhat discredited machine learning techniques are still valuable in the solution of modern, large-scale machine learning problems. We begin by considering Tikhonov regularization, a ...

Motivated by several core operational applications, we introduce a class of multistage stochastic optimization models that capture a fundamental tradeoff between performing work under uncertainty (exploitation) and investing ...

This thesis deals with two basic issues in resource allocation problems. The first issue pertains to how one approaches the problem of designing the "right" objective for a given resource allocation problem. The notion of ...

This dissertation consists of two essays on tactical issues in retailing. The first essay compares the price sensitivity of private label and national brand products. A large-scale field experiment shows that private label ...

Bertrand and Mullainathan (2003) find that managers shielded from the threat of takeovers exert less effort to maximize firm value, consistent with a 'quiet life' hypothesis. I study whether the governance role of financial ...

Our work is motivated by real-world planning challenges faced by a manufacturer of industrial products. In the first part of the thesis, we study a multi-product serial-flow production line that operates in a low-volume, ...