We propose and analyze a two-dimensional Markov chain model of an Emergency Medical Services system that repositions ambulances using a compliance table policy, which is commonly used in practice. The model is solved via a fixed-point iteration. We validate the model against a detailed...

The exact analysis of optimal ordering policies for periodic-review perishable inventory systems is challenging because of their high-dimensional state space arising from multiple interrelated ordering decisions over many periods and age distributions of on-hand products. We develop a new...

(1) Problem definition: Internet-based technology advancements have enabled service providers to disseminate real-time delay estimates to customers who are strategic and delay-sensitive. In a market with two service providers who compete for market share, we investigate whether one of the...

To obtain improved performance, many firms pursue operational flexibility by endowing their production operations with multiple capabilities (e.g., multi-skilled workers, flexible machines and/or flexible plants). This article focuses on the problem of ranking (according to average wait in...

It is well known that flexibility can be created in manufacturing and service operations by using multipurpose production sources such as cross-trained labor, flexible machines, or flexible factories. We focus on flexible service centers, such as inbound call centers with cross-trained agents,...

This paper proposes a new approach, entitled discrete event simulation with probabilistic event list (DESPEL), for approximating the project completion time and the critical path in a stochastic resource–constrained project network. Unlike the traditional discrete event simulation approach,...

Motivated by a Bell Canada call center operating in blend mode, we consider a system with two types of traffic and two types of agents. Outbound calls are served only by blend agents, whereas inbound calls can be served by either inbound-only or blend agents. Inbound callers may talk or abandon....