Optimal design of multiproduct production and operations systems

This dissertation examines some issues related to the design of a multiproduct production and operations system with emphasis on production and operations management. This dissertation focuses on the impact of interrelationships among products on the design of a multiproduct production and operations system. In particular, this dissertation proposes and claims that the interrelationship among products is a crucial factor in determining the operational mode of multiproduct system and the adoption of a multiproduct technology. Three models are presented to demonstrate the importance of these relationships: the analysis in Chapter 2 emphasizes the importance of interrelationship among products on demand side, while Chapter 3 emphasizes the importance of interrelationship among products on the production process side. Chapter 4 presents a game theoretic model to analyze the strategic behaviors of firms in multiproduct technology adoption: the relationship among demands is shown to be a crucial factor in determining strategic behaviors by firms in a multiproduct technology adoption. In addition, Chapter 5 seeks an empirical investigation of the hypotheses drawn from the theoretical analyses in the previous chapter. Finally, Chapter 6 summarizes this dissertation and discusses possible future research