Dynamics of online auctions

网上拍卖在现代商业中扮演着重要而不可或缺的角色。从主要被视为消费者对消费者市场的在线跳蚤市场，它们今天被许多成熟的公司用于企业对消费者市场。例如，在eBay.com上有代表的公司包括西尔斯、IBM、富士通和戴尔。举办自己拍卖的公司和组织包括戴尔、美国职业棒球大联盟、shopNBC和Comet。网上拍卖的一个常见用途是作为另一种救助渠道。例如，戴尔（Dell）和富士通（Fujitsu）都使用它们的在线拍卖渠道，从退货和剩余库存中出售翻新产品。这个研究项目的第一部分是提出模型并得出结果，这将有助于公司决定如何发布物品进行在线拍卖，以实现利润最大化。

Online auctions play an important and integral part in modern business. From mainly having been perceived as online flea-markets for the consumer-to-consumer market, they are today used by many well-established firms in the business-to-consumer markets. For instance, companies represented on eBay.com include Sears, IBM, Fujitsu and Dell. Companies and organizations that host their own auctions include Dell, Major League Baseball, shopNBC and Comet. One common use of online auctions is as alternative salvage channels. For example, both Dell and Fujitsu use their online auction channel to sell refurbished products from returned and remaining inventory. The first part of this research project is to propose models and derive results that will help companies in deciding how to release items for online auction in order to maximize profit.