Applied Stochastic Models And Control For Finance And Insurance

Applied Stochastic Models and Control for Finance and Insurance presents at an introductory level some essential stochastic models applied in economics, finance and insurance. Markov chains, random walks, stochastic differential equations and other stochastic processes are used throughout the book and systematically applied to economic and financial applications. In addition, a dynamic programming framework is used to deal with some basic optimization problems. The book begins by introducing problems of economics, finance and insurance which involve time, uncertainty and risk. A number of cases are treated in detail, spanning risk management, volatility, memory, the time structure of preferences, interest rates and yields, etc. The second and third chapters provide an introduction to stochastic models and their application. Stochastic differential equations and stochastic calculus are presented in an intuitive manner, and numerous applications and exercises are used to facilitate their understanding and their use in Chapter 3. A number of other processes which are increasingly used in finance and insurance are introduced in Chapter 4. In the fifth chapter, ARCH and GARCH models are presented and their application to modeling volatility is emphasized. An outline of decision-making procedures is presented in Chapter 6. Furthermore, we also introduce the essentials of stochastic dynamic programming and control, and provide first steps for the student who seeks to apply these techniques. Finally, in Chapter 7, numerical techniques and approximations to stochastic processes are examined. This book can be used in business, economics, financial engineering and decision sciences schools for second year Master's students, as well as in a number of courses widely given in departments of statistics, systems and decision sciences.

Applied Stochastic Models and Control in Management bridges a gap between the evolving domains of stochastic model building, dynamic systems optimization and their applications to managerial decision-making problems. The volume presents a large number of applications, covering production and operations management, marketing, finance and insurance, as well as a collection of problems dealing with quality, and resource management. In addition, the book explains and outlines the kind of tools that are necessary for the solution of such problems.

Incorporates the many tools needed for modeling and pricing infinance and insurance Introductory Stochastic Analysis for Finance and Insuranceintroduces readers to the topics needed to master and use basicstochastic analysis techniques for mathematical finance. The authorpresents the theories of stochastic processes and stochasticcalculus and provides the necessary tools for modeling and pricingin finance and insurance. Practical in focus, the book's emphasisis on application, intuition, and computation, rather thantheory. Consequently, the text is of interest to graduate students,researchers, and practitioners interested in these areas. While thetext is self-contained, an introductory course in probabilitytheory is beneficial to prospective readers. This book evolved from the author's experience as an instructor andhas been thoroughly classroom-tested. Following an introduction,the author sets forth the fundamental information and tools neededby researchers and practitioners working in the financial andinsurance industries: * Overview of Probability Theory * Discrete-Time stochastic processes * Continuous-time stochastic processes * Stochastic calculus: basic topics The final two chapters, Stochastic Calculus: Advanced Topics andApplications in Insurance, are devoted to more advanced topics.Readers learn the Feynman-Kac formula, the Girsanov's theorem, andcomplex barrier hitting times distributions. Finally, readersdiscover how stochastic analysis and principles are applied inpractice through two insurance examples: valuation of equity-linkedannuities under a stochastic interest rate environment andcalculation of reserves for universal life insurance. Throughout the text, figures and tables are used to help simplifycomplex theory and pro-cesses. An extensive bibliography opens upadditional avenues of research to specialized topics. Ideal for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, thistext is recommended for one-semester courses in stochastic financeand calculus. It is also recommended as a study guide forprofessionals taking Causality Actuarial Society (CAS) and Societyof Actuaries (SOA) actuarial examinations.

Risk models are models of uncertainty, engineered for some purposes. They are “educated guesses and hypotheses” assessed and valued in terms of well-defined future states and their consequences. They are engineered to predict, to manage countable and accountable futures and to provide a frame of reference within which we may believe that “uncertainty is tamed”. Quantitative-statistical tools are used to reconcile our information, experience and other knowledge with hypotheses that both serve as the foundation of risk models and also value and price risk. Risk models are therefore common to most professions, each with its own methods and techniques based on their needs, experience and a wisdom accrued over long periods of time. This book provides a broad and interdisciplinary foundation to engineering risks and to their financial valuation and pricing. Risk models applied in industry and business, heath care, safety, the environment and regulation are used to highlight their variety while financial valuation techniques are used to assess their financial consequences. This book is technically accessible to all readers and students with a basic background in probability and statistics (with 3 chapters devoted to introduce their elements). Principles of risk measurement, valuation and financial pricing as well as the economics of uncertainty are outlined in 5 chapters with numerous examples and applications. New results, extending classical models such as the CCAPM are presented providing insights to assess the risks and their price in an interconnected, dependent and strategic economic environment. In an environment departing from the fundamental assumptions we make regarding financial markets, the book provides a strategic/game-like approach to assess the risk and the opportunities that such an environment implies. To control these risks, a strategic-control approach is developed that recognizes that many risks resulting by “what we do” as well as “what others do”. In particular we address the strategic and statistical control of compliance in large financial institutions confronted increasingly with a complex and far more extensive regulation.

Yet again, here is a Springer volume that offers readers something completely new. Until now, solved examples of the application of stochastic control to actuarial problems could only be found in journals. Not any more: this is the first book to systematically present these methods in one volume. The author starts with a short introduction to stochastic control techniques, then applies the principles to several problems. These examples show how verification theorems and existence theorems may be proved, and that the non-diffusion case is simpler than the diffusion case. Schmidli’s brilliant text also includes a number of appendices, a vital resource for those in both academic and professional settings.

With this book, distinguished and notable contributors wish to honor Professor Charles S. Tapiero’s scientific achievements. Although it covers only a few of the directions Professor Tapiero has taken in his work, it presents important modern developments in theory and in diverse applications, as studied by his colleagues and followers, further advancing the topics Tapiero has been investigating. The book is divided into three parts featuring original contributions covering the following areas: general modeling and analysis; applications to marketing, economy and finance; and applications to operations and manufacturing. Professor Tapiero is among the most active researchers in control theory; in the late sixties, he started to enthusiastically promote optimal control theory along with differential games, successfully applying it to diverse problems ranging from classical operations research models to finance, risk and insurance, marketing, transportation and operations management, conflict management and game theory, engineering, regional and urban sciences, environmental economics, and organizational behavior. Over the years, Professor Tapiero has produced over 300 papers and communications and 14 books, which have had a major impact on modern theoretical and applied research. Notable among his numerous pioneering scientific contributions are the use of graph theory in the behavioral sciences, the modeling of advertising as a random walk, the resolution of stochastic zero-sum differential games, the modeling of quality control as a stochastic competitive game, and the development of impulsive control methods in management. Charles Tapiero’s creativity applies both in formulating original issues, modeling complex phenomena and solving complex mathematical problems.

A comprehensive guide to financial engineering that stresses real-world applications Financial engineering expert Charles S. Tapiero has his finger on the pulse of shifts coming to financial engineering and its applications. With an eye toward the future, he has crafted a comprehensive and accessible book for practitioners and students of Financial Engineering that emphasizes an intuitive approach to financial and quantitative foundations in financial and risk engineering. The book covers the theory from a practitioner perspective and applies it to a variety of real-world problems. Examines the cornerstone of the explosive growth in markets worldwide Presents important financial engineering techniques to price, hedge, and manage risks in general Author heads the largest financial engineering program in the world Author Charles Tapiero wrote the seminal work Risk and Financial Management.

Information Control Problems in Manufacturing 2006 contains the Proceedings of the 12th IFAC Symposium on Information Control Problems in Manufacturing (INCOM'2006). This symposium took place in Saint Etienne, France, on May 17-19 2006. INCOM is a tri-annual event of symposia series organized by IFAC and it is promoted by the IFAC Technical Committee on Manufacturing Plant Control. The purpose of the symposium INCOM'2006 was to offer a forum to present the state-of-the-art in international research and development work, with special emphasis on the applications of optimisation methods, automation and IT technologies in the control of manufacturing plants and the entire supply chain within the enterprise. The symposium stressed the scientific challenges and issues, covering the whole product and processes life cycle, from the design through the manufacturing and maintenance, to the distribution and service. INCOM'2006 Technical Program also included a special event on Innovative Engineering Techniques in Healthcare Delivery. The application of engineering and IT methods in medicine is a rapidly growing field with many opportunities for innovation. The Proceedings are composed of 3 volumes: Volume 1 - Information Systems, Control & Interoperability Volume 2 - Industrial Engineering Volume 3 - Operational Research * 3-volume set, containing 362 carefully reviewed and selected papers * presenting the state-of-the-art in international research and development in Information Control problems in Manufacturing