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An extended queueing control model for facilities with front room and back room operations and mixed-skilled workers

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  • Terekhov, Daria
  • Christopher Beck, J.

Abstract

Three related problems arising in retail facilities with front room and back room operations, and cross-trained workers, are considered. In the first problem, the goal is to determine an optimal policy for switching workers between the two rooms. In the second and third problems, the goal is to determine the minimum number of workers that should be hired by the facility such that a satisfactory switching policy exists. We analyze two questions arising from previous work on these problems. Firstly, we demonstrate that the previously proposed policy definition is sub-optimal and cannot represent a set of solutions that are reasonable in practice, and propose an alternative definition. Secondly, we examine the problem of finding the optimal combination of cross-trained and specialized workers under a complete set of assumptions regarding worker costs. This analysis shows that the structure of the optimal solution depends on the policy definition that is employed. Moreover, under some assumptions the cost of the 'optimal' solution with the original policy definition will be greater than the cost of the optimal solution with the new one.

Suggested Citation

  • Terekhov, Daria & Christopher Beck, J., 2009. "An extended queueing control model for facilities with front room and back room operations and mixed-skilled workers," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 198(1), pages 223-231, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:198:y:2009:i:1:p:223-231
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    Cited by:

    1. E. Morozov & B. Steyaert, 2013. "Stability analysis of a two-station cascade queueing network," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 202(1), pages 135-160, January.
    2. Mou, Shandong & Robb, David J. & DeHoratius, Nicole, 2018. "Retail store operations: Literature review and research directions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 265(2), pages 399-422.
    3. Daria Terekhov & J. Christopher Beck & Kenneth N. Brown, 2009. "A Constraint Programming Approach for Solving a Queueing Design and Control Problem," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 549-561, November.
    4. James J. Kim & Douglas G. Down & Mohan Chaudhry & Abhijit Datta Banik, 2022. "Difference Equations Approach for Multi-Server Queueing Models with Removable Servers," Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1297-1321, September.
    5. Hong Zhang & Saviour Worlanyo Akuamoah & Wilson Osafo Apeanti & Prince Harvim & David Yaro & Paul Georgescu, 2021. "The Stability Analysis of a Double-X Queuing Network Occurring in the Banking Sector," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(16), pages 1-21, August.

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