Problem Y: Understanding Used Sailboat Prices

Like many luxury goods, sailboats vary in value as they age and as market conditions change. The attached “2023_MCM_Problem_Y_Boats.xlsx” file includes data on approximately 3500 sailboats from 36 to 56 feet long advertised for sale in Europe, the Caribbean, and the USA in December 2020. A boating enthusiast provided these data to COMAP. Like most real-world data sets, it may have missing data or other issues that require some data cleaning prior to analysis.

The Excel file includes two tabs, one for monohulled sailboats and one for catamarans. In each tab, columns are labeled Make, Variant, Length (in feet), Geographic Region, Country/Region/State, Listing Price (in US dollars), and Year (of manufacture).

For a given make, variant, and year, there are many other sources beyond the provided Excel file that may provide detailed descriptions of the features of a particular sailboat. You may supplement the data set provided with any additional data you choose; however, you must include the data in “2023_MCM_Problem_Y_Boats.xlsx” in your modeling. Be sure to fully identify and document the source of any supplemental data used.

Sailboats are frequently sold through brokers. In a desire to better understand the sailboat market, one sailboat broker in Hong Kong (SAR), China has commissioned your team to prepare a report on the pricing of used sailboats. The broker would like you to:

Develop a mathematical model that explains the listing price of each of the sailboats in the provided spreadsheet. Include any predictors you consider useful. You may draw on other sources to understand additional features of a given sailboat (such as beam, draft, displacement, rigging, sail area, hull materials, engine hours, sleeping capacity, headroom, electronics, etc.) and for economic data by year and region. Identify and describe all sources of data used. Include a discussion of the precision of your estimate for each sailboat variant’s price.
Use your model to explain the effect, if any, of region on listing prices. Discuss whether any regional effect is consistent across all sailboat variants. Address the practical and statistical significance of any regional effects noted.
Discuss how your modeling of the given geographic regions can be useful in the Hong Kong (SAR) market. Choose an informative subset of sailboats, split between monohulls and catamarans, from the provided spreadsheet. Find comparable listing price data for that subset from the Hong Kong (SAR) market. Model what the regional effect of Hong Kong (SAR) would be, if there is one, on each of the sailboat prices for the sailboats in your subset. Is the effect the same for both catamarans and monohull sailboats?
Identify and discuss any other interesting and informative inferences or conclusions your team draws from the data.
Prepare a one- to two-page report for the Hong Kong (SAR) sailboat broker. Include a few well-chosen graphics to help the broker understand your conclusions.

Your PDF solution of no more than 25 total pages should include:

One-page Summary Sheet that clearly describes your approach to the problem and your most important conclusions from your analysis in the context of the problem.
Table of Contents.
Your complete solution.
One- to two-page report to the broker.
Reference List.

Note:

The MCM Contest has a 25-page limit. All aspects of your submission count toward the 25-page limit (Summary Sheet, Table of Contents, Report, One- to Two-Page Report to the Broker, Reference List, and any Appendices). You must cite the sources for your ideas, data, images, and any other materials used in your report.

Attachment

Data File. 2023_MCM_Problem_Y_Boats.xlsx

Monohulled Sailboats Catamarans

Data File Entry Descriptions

Make: The name of the manufacturer of the boat.
Variant: The name identifying the particular model of the boat.
Length (ft): The length of the boat in feet.
Geographic Region: The geographic region of the boat’s location (Caribbean, Europe, USA).
Country/Region/State: The specific country/region/state of the boat’s location. Listing Price (USD): The advertised price to purchase the boat in U.S. Dollars. Year: The year the boat was manufactured.

Glossary

Beam: The width of a boat at its widest point.
Broker: A specialist who serves sellers and/or buyers as a representative for the sale or purchase of property. For this problem, the property is a sailboat.
Catamarans: A multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size.
Displacement: The weight of the volume of water displaced by a boat.
Draft: The minimum depth of water required to float a boat without touching the bottom.
Engine Hours: The number of hours the boat’s engine(s) have run since new.
Headroom: The height available to stand up in the cabin.
Hull: The main body or shell of a ship or other vessel, including the bottom, sides, and deck.
Hull Materials: The materials of which a boat’s hull is made. Materials used include fiberglass, steel, wood, and composites.
Listing Price: The price asked by the seller. The boat may sell for a different price.
Make: The manufacturer of the sailboat.
Monohull Sailboats: Sailboats that have only one hull usually centered around a heavy keel (the center blade).
Rigging: The system of ropes, cables and pulleys that support and control the sails, steering and other systems of a boat.
Sail Area: The total surface area of the sails of a boat when fully raised.
Variant: The name identifying a particular model of sailboat. For example, “Sun Odyssey 54 DS.”

Y题翻译：

和许多奢侈品一样，帆船的价值也会随着年龄和市场条件的变化而变化。所附的“2023_MCM_Problem_Y_Boats.xlsx”文件包括2020年12月在欧洲、加勒比地区和美国销售的大约3500艘36至56英尺长的帆船的数据。一位划船爱好者向COMAP提供了这些数据。像大多数真实世界的数据集一样，它可能有缺失的数据或其他问题，需要在分析之前进行一些数据清理。

Excel文件包括两个选项卡，一个用于单体帆船，另一个用于双体船。在每个选项卡中，列被标记为制造、变体、长度(英尺)、地理区域、国家/地区/州、标价(美元)和年份(制造)。

对于给定的制造商、变体和年份，除了提供的Excel文件之外，还有许多其他来源可以提供特定帆船特征的详细描述。您可以选择任何其他数据来补充所提供的数据集;但是，您必须在建模中包含“2023_MCM_Problem_Y_Boats.xlsx”中的数据。确保充分识别并记录所使用的任何补充数据的来源。

帆船经常通过经纪人出售。为了更好地了解帆船市场，中国香港(特区)的一家帆船经纪人委托您的团队准备一份关于二手帆船定价的报告。经纪人希望您:

开发一个数学模型，解释所提供的电子表格中每艘帆船的标价。包括任何你认为有用的预测因素。您可以利用其他来源来了解给定帆船的其他特征(如横梁、吃水、排水量、索具、帆面积、船体材料、发动机小时数、睡眠容量、净空、电子设备等)以及按年份和地区划分的经济数据。识别并描述所使用的所有数据来源。包括对每艘帆船变种价格估计精度的讨论。
用你的模型来解释地区对上市价格的影响(如果有的话)。讨论是否所有帆船变体的区域效应是一致的。说明所注意到的任何区域影响的实际意义和统计意义。
讨论您对给定地理区域的建模如何在香港(SAR)市场中有用。从提供的电子表格中选择一个信息丰富的帆船子集，分为单船体和双体船。在香港(SAR)市场查找该子集的可比上市价格数据。建模香港(SAR)对您的子集中帆船的每艘帆船价格的区域影响(如果有的话)。双体帆船和单体帆船的效果是一样的吗?
确定并讨论您的团队从数据中得出的任何其他有趣且有信息的推论或结论。
为香港(SAR)帆船经纪人准备一至两页的报告。包括一些精心挑选的图表，以帮助经纪人理解你的结论。

不超过25页的PDF解决方案应包括:

一页总结表，清楚地描述你解决问题的方法，以及你在问题的背景下分析得出的最重要的结论。
目录。
你的完整解决方案。
给经纪人一到两页的报告。
参考清单。

注意:

MCM竞赛有25页的限制。您提交的所有内容均计入25页的限制(汇总表、目录、报告、一至两页的经纪人报告、参考清单和任何附录)。你必须为你的观点、数据、图像和在你的报告中使用的任何其他材料引用来源。

附件

数据文件。2023_MCM_Problem_Y_Boats.xlsx
单体帆船，双体船
数据文件输入说明
Make:船舶制造商的名称。
变体:标识特定船型的名称。
长度(英尺):船的长度，以英尺为单位。
地理区域:船所在的地理区域(加勒比海、欧洲、美国)。
国家/地区/州:船只所在的具体国家/地区/州。挂牌价格(美元):以美元购买该船的广告价格。年份:船制造的年份。

术语表

横梁:船最宽处的宽度。
经纪人:作为房产买卖代表为卖方和/或买方提供服务的专家。对于这个问题，房产就是一艘帆船。
双体船:一种多体船，有两个大小相等的平行船体。
排水量:船所排水量的重量。
吃水:使船在不触底的情况下浮起来所需要的最小水深。
发动机小时数:船舶发动机自新船以来运行的小时数。
净空高度:机舱内站立的高度。
船体:船或其他船只的主体或外壳，包括底部、侧面和甲板。
船体材料:制造船体的材料。所用材料包括玻璃纤维、钢铁、木材和复合材料。

Problem Z: The Future of the Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is facing a decreasing number of bids to host the Olympics – both Summer and Winter Games[1]. In the past, hosting the Olympics was highly competitive and prestigious. More recently, however, host cities/nations have experienced a variety of short- and long-term negative impacts. To address these issues, innovative problem- solvers are considering various options and strategies. For example, perhaps the Summer and Winter Games should each have a permanent location. Another idea is to split the Olympic sports into four (instead of two) groups and hold four smaller Olympic Games (e.g., Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall). This system might somewhat relieve the burden of hosting such a large event.

Requirement

COMAP’s Interdisciplinary Committee on Modern Games (ICMG) is interested in exploring creative options, strategies, and policies to ensure the Olympics are successful and continue to bring the world together through sport. Your task is to make recommendations in support of the ICMG’s work. The ICMG recommends building metrics for the impacts of hosting the games from various points of view: economic, land use, human satisfaction (athletes and spectators), travel, opportunity for future improvements, host city/nation prestige, and other criteria your team identifies. Consider the feasibility, timeline to implement, and impact of potential strategies on your metrics. Write a one-page memorandum to the IOC describing your strategy and policy recommendations.

Your PDF solution of no more than 25 total pages should include:

One-page Summary Sheet that clearly describes your approach to the problem and your most important conclusions from your analysis in the context of the problem.
Table of Contents.
Your complete solution.
One-page memorandum.
Reference List.

Note:

The ICM Contest has a 25-page limit. All aspects of your submission count toward the 25- page limit (Summary Sheet, Table of Contents, Report, One-page memorandum, Reference List, and any Appendices). You must cite the sources for your ideas, images, and any other materials used in your report.

References

[1] Matheson, V. and Zimbalist, A. (2021, April 19). Why Cities No Longer Clamor to Host the Olympic Games. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. Found February 9, 2023 at: Why Cities No Longer Clamor to Host the Olympic Games - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs games/.

Z题翻译：

背景

国际奥委会(IOC)正面临着夏季和冬季奥运会申办数量减少的问题。在过去，举办奥运会竞争激烈，声望很高。然而，最近，主办城市/国家经历了各种短期和长期的负面影响。为了解决这些问题，创新的问题解决者正在考虑各种选择和策略。例如，也许夏季奥运会和冬季奥运会都应该有一个固定的地点。另一种想法是将奥林匹克运动分成四个(而不是两个)组，并举行四个较小的奥运会(例如，冬季、春季、夏季和秋季)。这个系统可能会在一定程度上减轻举办如此大型活动的负担。

要求

COMAP的现代奥运会跨学科委员会(ICMG)热衷于探索创造性的选择、战略和政策，以确保奥运会的成功，并继续通过体育将世界团结在一起。你的任务是提出建议，支持ICMG的工作。ICMG建议从不同的角度为举办奥运会的影响建立指标:经济、土地使用、人们的满意度(运动员和观众)、旅行、未来改善的机会、主办城市/国家的声望，以及团队确定的其他标准。考虑可行性、实施的时间表，以及潜在策略对度量的影响。写一页的备忘录给国际奥委会，描述你的策略和政策建议。

不超过25页的PDF解决方案应包括: