Optimal Entering Rules for a Customer with Wait Option at an M/G/1 Queue

Avishai Mandelbaum and Uri Yechiali
Additional contact information
Avishai Mandelbaum: Tel Aviv University, Israel
Uri Yechiali: Tel Aviv University, Israel

Management Science, 1983, vol. 29, issue 2, 174-187

Abstract: A "smart" customer arrives at an M/G/1 queue. While every other arrival joins the system unconditionally, our customer is allowed to choose among three alternatives: (i) he may Enter the queue and stay there until his service is completed, (ii) he may Leave the system right away, or (iii) he may Wait outside the queue. If he Enters or Leaves the system, his decision is final and no further actions are taken. If he chooses to Wait, he makes a new decision at the next service completion where he may, again, select one of the three options: Enter, Leave, or Wait. For a linear cost structure we show that for any n-period horizon (0

Keywords: queues; optimal joining rules (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1983
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.29.2.174 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:29:y:1983:i:2:p:174-187

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Management Science from INFORMS Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Asher ().