Real R&D options and optimal activation of two-dimensional random controls

S H Martzoukos ()
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S H Martzoukos: University of Cyprus

Journal of the Operational Research Society, 2009, vol. 60, issue 6, 843-858

Abstract: Abstract We value investments under uncertainty with embedded optional costly controls (impulse-type with uncertain outcome) that capture managerial intervention for value enhancement and/or information acquisition (exploration, R&D, advertising, marketing research, etc). Implementing real option models but neglecting such embedded managerial actions can severely underestimate investment opportunities and lead to erroneous investment decisions. Optimal decisions are solutions to a maximization problem where the trade-off between the control's cost and the value added by such actions is explicitly taken into consideration. In this paper, we generalize such a methodology from one dealing with the special case of actions affecting only one state-variable, to one with actions that affect several. Asset values follow geometric Brownian motion or jump-diffusion processes with multiple generating sources of jumps. The Markov-chain numerical methodology we provide can handle sequential controls. Although we report the results with open-loop policies, the approach can be readily extended to accommodate dependency among the controls.

Keywords: investments; cost benefit analysis; research; stochastic processes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602627

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