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This paper proposes an optimization model of incorporating competence sets of group decision makers to maximize the total benefit of the whole group. Such an incorporation model is formulated as finding a deduction graph linked from the nodes of existing competencies to the nodes of desired competencies. Compared with other methods treating competence set problems (Yu and Zhang 1991, Li and Yu 1994, and Shi and Yu 1996), the proposed model can solve problems involving multiple decision makers; in addition it allows the network to be cyclic and to contain compound nodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a branch-and-bound algorithm for solving fixed charge transportation problems where not all cells exist. The algorithm exploits the absence of full problem density in several ways, thus yielding a procedure which is especially applicable to solving real world problems which are normally quite sparse. Additionally, streamlined new procedures for pruning the decision tree and calculating penalties are presented. We present computational experience with both a set of large test problems and a set of dense test problems from the literature. Comparisons with other codes are uniformly favorable to the new method, which runs more than twice as fast as the best alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]