Multi-stage Stochastic Programming Models in Production Planning

To my dear wife Ying Luo, my dad Naiyu Huang, my mom Yan Li, and my whole family, your love is always the source of my strength. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I want to thank my advisor Dr. Shabbir Ahmed, without whose guidance I could not have finished this exciting journey of discovery and exploration. He taught me how to select a valuable research topic, to conduct high quality research, and to properly present that research. Also my friend, he is always willing to listen to me and to offer advice in every aspect of life. Second, I want to thank Dr. Marc Goetschalckx and Dr. Leon McGinnis, who taught me how to think like an industrial engineer. Third, I thank all my committee members whose patient and considerate advice provided significant insights for this research. Fourth, I thank all the professors in Georgia Institute of Technology who taught me in the past five years. Their high quality courses will always be my treasure. Finally, I thank all my colleagues. I have had great pleasure in working with them, learning from them, and living with them.