A shadow price in integer programming for management decision

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to propose a new concept of shadow prices in integer programming with rich economic interpretation which is useful in management decision, and to examine closely some related properties as well as computational methods. This shadow price is based not on marginal analysis but on average analysis. The existence and the uniqueness that have not been achieved until now from other studies on dual prices of integer programming are guaranteed for this shadow price. A version of complementary slackness theorem in integer programming has been achieved for this shadow price. An easy method of finding upper and lower bounds of the shadow price as well as a rigorous algorithm of obtaining its exact value is presented. © 1988.