In this paper we describe the distribution problems faced by one of the largest retailers in the distribution and sale of fast moving consumer goods in the U.K. The paper describes an initial solution method, which is then improved by a novel form of simulated annealing. A computational experiment for the improvement algorithm has been also carried out in order to illustrate the flexibility of ...

Formal models have long been used to inform sociological thought. In the past many of these models have often used the language of mathematics. In essence, sets of variables are related to each other via a system of equations, the values of the variables are interpreted in terms of the intensity or amount of a social phenomenon. In sociology such equations have not been taken in a positivist se...