In this paper we study a challenging call center operation problem. The goal of our analysis is to identify an optimal policy for allocating tasks to agents. As a first step, we discuss promising randomized policies and use stochastic approximation for finding the optimal randomized policy when...

[fre] La vulgarisation, le développement nécessitent des études sur les aspects humains du travail agricole. Or la profession refuse, plus ou moins consciemment, ce type d'études. . Deux mythes sont entretenus: celui de l'unité d'intérêts entre l'agriculture riche et l'agriculture pauvre,...

In this paper an inventory model with several demand classes, prioritised according to importance, is analysed. We consider a lot-for-lot or (S-1,S) inventory model with lost sales.<BR> For each demand class there is a critical stock level at and below which demand from that class is not satisfied...

In this paper we will give an overview of the use of operations research models and methods in the design and operation of container terminals. We will describe the activities that take place at a container terminal and give an overview of the relevant decision problems, both at a strategic,...

Reverse Logistics has been stretching out worldwide, involving all the layers of supply chains in various industry sectors. While some actors in the chain have been forced to take products back, others have pro-actively done so, attracted by the value in used products One way or the other,...

This article studies specific aspects of the joint replenishment problem in a real supply chain setting. Particularly we analyze the effect on inventory performance of having minimum order quantities for the different products in the joint order, given a complex transportation cost structure....

In this paper we consider the role Electronic Commerce plays and can play for Reverse Logistics. After short introductions to electronic commerce and reverse logistics, we give an overview of existing internet sites for reverse logistics. These sites can be classified as electronic markets,...