RONALD E. DAVIS Associate Professor Marketing, MIS and Decision Sciences Dept. College of Business, San Jose State University Ph#: 408-924-3547 (866)284-8287 (home office) Fax: 408-924-3445 SJSU Home Page SJSU Email

• 1980
  Doctor of Philosophy, Stanford University
  (Mathematics, specialization in Operations Research)

• 1969
  Master of Science, Stanford University
  (Mathematics)

• 1967
  Bachelor of Arts, Harvard University
  (Major in Applied Mathematics)

• 1984
  Technology Excellence Award, Control Data Corp.

• 1967-68
  National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship

• 1967
  Phi Beta Kappa, Harvard

• 1967
  Magna Cum Laude with Highest Honors, Harvard

• 1963
  Harvard National Scholarship

Publication of Books:

• 2003
  Davis, R.E., Management Science Reader for Quantitative Business Analysis (Originally custom published by Thomson South-Western)

Publication of Book chapters, Journal Articles, and Cases:

• 2001
  Davis, R.E., Decision Policy Optimization Via Certain Equivalent Functions for Exponential Utility in Chapter 6, Vol. 6 of Advances in Mathematical Programming and Financial Planning
  (Elsevier Science Ltd.), pp. 89-113

• 1996
  Davis, R.E. Evergreen Foothills Winery: I & II, Cases 28 and 40 in Lapin and Whisler
  (Duxbury Press, San Francisco)

• 1996
  Davis, R.E. and William D. Whisler. U.S.A. Asset Allocation Fund, Case 21 in Cases in Management Science, Lapin and Whisler
  (Duxbury Press, San Francisco)

• 1995
  Davis, R.E. An Empirical Back Test of the Portfolio Gamma Model for Optimal Asset Allocation, Chapter 5 in Vol. 4 of Advances in Mathematical Programming and Financial Planning (Greenwich, CT: JAI Press), (Published Dec. 1995), pp. 77-101.

• 1993
  Davis, R.E. Certainty Equivalent Models for Portfolio Optimization using Exponential Utility and Gamma Distributed Returns, Chapter 4 in Vol. 3 of Advances in Mathematical Programming and Financial Planning (Greenwich, CT: JAI Press), (Published December 1992) pp. 69-108.

• 1991
  Farrar, D.E., and R.E. Davis. The Optimal Time to Impose Normal Operating Expenses on Newly Organized Money Market Mutual Funds:When Should You Cut the Tree? Financial Analysts Journal (Sept-Oct 1991).

• 1972
  Mehra, R.D. and R.E. Davis, "A Generalized Gradient Method for Optimal Control Problems with Inequality Constraints and Singular Arcs," IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Vol. AC-17, No. 1, 1972.

• 1971
  Davis, R.E., D.A. Kendrick and M. Weitzman, "A Branch-and-Bound Algorithm for 0-1 Mixed Integer Programming Problems," Operations Research, Vol. 19, 1971.

• 1969
  Davis, R.E. "A Simplex-Search Algorithm for solving 0-1 Mixed Integer Programs," Technical Report No. 5, Department of Operations Research, Stanford University, October 1969.

Working Papers:

• 2006
  Davis, R.E., and Mease, D. "Derivations of Certainty Equivalent Value Functions for Exponential Utility"

• 2006
  Davis, R.E., "Value of Information from the risk-averse point of view: Risk Tolerance Parametrics with Exponential Utility"

• 2006
  Davis, R.E., "A Fast Spreadsheet Implementation of the Critical Path Method"

• 2006
  Davis, R.E., "Stochastic Project Duration Analysis using PERT-beta Distributions"

Professional Conference Presentations and Proceedings:

• 2005
  Davis, R.E., "PERT-BETA Approximations for Stochastic Project Duration Analysis", INFORMS Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA

• 2005
  Davis, R.E., "PERT-BETA Approximations for Stochastic Project Duration Analysis" Hawaii Int'l Conference on Statistics & Related Fields, Honolulu, HI

• 2002
  Davis, R.E., "Procurement Optimization with Volume Discount Schedules" INFORMS Conference Paper, San Jose, CA

• 2002
  Davis, R.E., "Portfolio Optimization with beta distributed returns and exponential utility", Hawaii Int'l Conference on Statistics & Related Fields, Honolulu, HI

• 2000
  Davis, R.E., "Procurement Optimization with Volume Discount Schedules" INFORMS Conference Paper, San Antonio, TX

• 1999
  Davis, R.E., "Applications of the CE-Value Function PAK" INFORMS Conference Paper, Cincinnati, OH

• 1998
  Davis, R.E., "Certain Equivalent Value Formulas for Decision Analysis" INFORMS Conference Paper, Montreal, Canada

• 1998
  Davis, R.E., "Maximizing the Certain Equivalent Value of LogNormally distributed Portfolio Models", DSI Conference Paper, Las Vegas, NV

• 1995
  Davis, R.E., "Certain Equivalent Formulas for Exponential Utility" INFORMS Conference Paper, (New Orleans, LA, Fall 1995)

• 1993
  Davis, R.E., "Methodologies and Formulas for Using Exponential Utility in Decision Analysis" ORSA/TIMS Conference Paper, (Phoenix, AZ, Fall 1993)

• 1991
  Davis, R.E., "Dynamic Portfolio Optimization Using Exponential Utility and Dynamic Programming" TIMS/ORSA Conference Paper, (Nashville, TN, Spring 1991)

• 1990
  Davis, R.E., "Portfolio Optimization Using Exponential Utility and Asymmetric Probability Distributions" ORSA/TIMS Conference Paper, (Philadelphia, PA, Fall 1990)

• 1980
  Davis, R.E., "Saddle-Point Algorithms for Linear and Nonlinear Programming," ORSA/TIMS Conference Paper, 1980 Winter Meeting, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

• 1973
  Davis, R.E., and C.E. Williams "Optimization Procedures for Open-Pit Mine Scheduling," 11th International Symposium on Computer Applications in the Minerals Industry, University of Arizona, 1973.

• 1973
  Davis, R.E., "Optimization Models and Methods for Hourly Hydro-Thermal-Contract Interchange Scheduling," 44th National ORSA/TIMS Meeting, San Diego, CA 1973

• 1972
  Davis, R.E., and Raymond Pronovost, "Two Stochastic Dynamic Programming Procedures for Long-Term Reservoir Management" IEEE 1972 Summer Power Meeting, Conference Paper PSE 72-163, San Francisco, CA.

Public Service, Consulting Engagements and Grants Received [1995-2005]:

• Fall 2003
  Consultant to Stronghaven Corrugated Containers (a division of Stronghaven Inc.) on how to use 0-1 binary variables to develop a spreadsheet mixed integer programming model of volumn discounts in the paper ordering process

• Spring 1999
  Presentation to Harvard Business School Assn. of Northern California on Spreadsheet Add-Ins for handling "All Those Numbers"

• Spring 1999
  Consultant to Sun Microsystems, Inc. Tutorial on spreadsheet add-ins for optimization, simulation, and forecasting

• Spring 1999
  Consultant to Duke Scientific Systems. Tutorial on spreadsheet add-ins for optimization, simulation and forecasting.

• Spring/Fall 1998
  Consultant to Sunol Software Group. Development of GAMS mixed-integer programming models to optimize procurement decision for volumn discount opportunities

Scholarship in Process:

• Certain Equivalent Functions based on Exponential Utility for Prospect Valuation in Decision Analysis.

• Mixed Integer Programming models for Procurement Optimization in Supply Chain Management The use of the beta distribution for Stochastic Project Duration Analysis

Innovations in Teaching, Curriculum Development [1995-2005]:

• Fall 2004
  Resolution to reinstate Calculus as a requirement for all Business majors

• Fall 2003
  Specification of learning objectives for required undergraduate course in Management Science, BUS 190

• Spring 1995
  Respecification of undergraduate course in Decision Analysis, BUS 198. Course number subsequently changed to BUS 191

University, College, Department Committees [1995-2005]:

• Member, University Committee on Committees

• Member, Continuous Curriculum Improvement and Innovation (College of Business)

• Member and Chair, Quantitative Curriculum Committee (Marketing, Decision Science Group)

Active Service to Professional Organizations [1995-2005]:

• Member, INstitute For Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)

• Member, Decision Sciences Institute

• Member, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

Cumulative Summary of Years of Professional Work:

• San Jose State University, year of beginning employment

• 1987
  Professional full or part-time service in industry, government, non-profits (names, titles, and dates): Stronghaven Corrugated Containers, Mixed Integer Programming Consultant

• 2003
  Sun Microsystems, Spreadsheet Add-In Tutorial

  1999
  Duke Scientific Systems, Spreadsheet Add-In Tutorial

• 1999
  Sunol Software Systems, Mixed Integer Programming Consultant

• 1998-1999
  Benham Capital Management, Portfolio Optimization Consultant

• 1993-1995
  Lockheed Space & Missiles Corp., Senior Staff Engineer

• 1986
  Control Data Corp., Senior Consultant

• 1982 - 1986
  Teknekron Research Inc., Project Manager

• 1980 - 1981
  Dalmo Victor, Sr. Research Scientist

• 1980
  Ford Aerospace & Communications Corp., Software Quality Assurance Engineer

• 1978 - 1980
  Systems Control, Inc., Project Leader and Systems Analyst, 1968- 1974