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Hopp, Bean and Duenyas(1992) formulate a mixed integer program (MIP) to determine whether a finite time horizon is a forecast horizon in a nonhomogeneous Markov decision process(NMDP). Their formula are solved by complex Bender's decomposition In this thesis, we make an examination in details of the contraction property and affine mapping property of NMDP. By these properties we are relieved of the complex MIP formula and Bender's decomposition algorithm. The main contribution of the thesis is to show that it is not necessary to determine the optimal policies by running through the whole feasible solution space of their MIP problem. We only need to check a finite number of vertices at a polyhedral set shaped by the solution of the NMDP. The analysis shows insights into the NMDP and facilitate the prosess in determining the forecast horizon. Furthermore, this NMDP formulation is presented in the form of a simple dynamic function which is different from the linear program presented by Hopp, Bean and Duenyas.
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