For questions about mathematical models and algorithms for optimizing inventories.
Inventory theory concerns the management of the inventory of (usually physical) goods. Typically, inventory problems involve a mathematical description of the expected cost of the system, for given values of the inventory control parameters; and then an attempt to optimize the system by choosing the optimal control parameters.
Common inventory models include the economic order quantity (EOQ) model, the newsvendor model, and the $(r,Q)$ optimization model.
In some cases one seeks an optimal inventory policy, which is a simple rule that governs the inventory decisions. For example, in a base-stock policy, one always places an order whose size is sufficient to bring the inventory position up to a fixed number, called the base-stock level.
