The material presented in this book is a result of my work in the field of call center management during the period 1999-2002. The focus is on the perfor mance analysis and optimization of inbound call centers. Since call arrivals and call-handling times are often random in inbound call centers, this thesis concentrates on the performance analysis and optimization using queueing models. This book describes mathematical methods and algorithms to relate the number of agents and telephone trunks of a given call center configuration to technical as well as economic performance measures. This book...
The material presented in this book is a result of my work in the field of call center management during the period 1999-2002. The focus is on the per...
Writing a book is not possible without the generous input of many people. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to thank at least some of these people. Prof. Dr. Jochen Michaelis, the supervisor of my dissertation, taught me how to do economic analysis and initiated my interest in labour market is sues. Discussions with him have always been enlightening and have greatly improved the analysis in this book. Moreover, he always encouraged me when I experienced a slump in my motivation. He never lost his calmness and good temper, not even in situations when my need for discussion must have...
Writing a book is not possible without the generous input of many people. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to thank at least some of these peo...
ReverseLogistics is an area that has attracted growingattention over the last years both from the industrial as well as from the scienti?c side. The proper management of reverse ?ows of products and materials is of considerable - portance in many industries because of its in?uence on economic performance and environmental impact. The respective management tasks, however, are connected with new challenging planning and control problems. This es- cially holds for product recovery management concerning remanufacturing operations where used products, after being returned to the manufacturer, are...
ReverseLogistics is an area that has attracted growingattention over the last years both from the industrial as well as from the scienti?c side. The p...
This monograph presents a general equilibrium methodology for microeconomic policy analysis. It is intended to serve as an alternative to the now classical, axiomatic general equilibrium theory as exposited in Debreus Theory of Value (1959) or Arrow and Hahns General Competitive Analysis (1971). The monograph consists of several essays written over the last decade. It also contains an appendix by Charles Steinhorn on the elements of O-minimal structures.
This monograph presents a general equilibrium methodology for microeconomic policy analysis. It is intended to serve as an alternative to the now c...
The index of an equilibrium in a game gives information about the "stability" of the equilibrium, for example with respect to game dynamics. Unfortunately, index theory is often very technical. This book presents a new geometric construction that visualises the index in an intuitive way. For example, a 3 n game, for any n, can be represented by a figure in the plane, from which one can read off any equilibrium, and its index as a geometric orientation. With this insight, the index can be characterised in strategic terms alone. Moreover, certain "hyperstable" equilibrium components are seen...
The index of an equilibrium in a game gives information about the "stability" of the equilibrium, for example with respect to game dynamics. Unfort...
J. P. La Salle has developed in 20] a stability theory for systems of difference equations (see also 8]) which we introduce in the first chapter within the framework of metric spaces. The stability theory for such systems can also be found in 13] in a slightly modified form. We start with autonomous systems in the first section of chapter 1. After theoretical preparations we examine the localization of limit sets with the aid of Lyapunov Functions. Applying these Lyapunov Functions we can develop a stability theory for autonomous systems. If we linearize a non-linear system at a fixed...
J. P. La Salle has developed in 20] a stability theory for systems of difference equations (see also 8]) which we introduce in the first chapter wit...
The theory on the evolution of preferences deals with the endogenous formation of preference relations in strategic situations. It is related to the field of evolutionary game theory. In this book we analyze the role and the influence of general, possibly non-expected utility preferences in such an evolutionary setup. In particular, we demonstrate that preferences which diverge from von Neumann-Morgenstern expected utility may potentially prove to be successful under evolutionary pressures.
The theory on the evolution of preferences deals with the endogenous formation of preference relations in strategic situations. It is related to th...
The book considers the lot-sizing and scheduling problem for flexible flow line production facilities. Flexible flow lines are flow lines with parallel machines on some or all production stages. They can be found in a vast number of industries. A three-phased solution approach is presented that solves the integrated lot-sizing and scheduling problem in a hierarchical manner. The approach is able to handle several important features relevant in industrial practice, such as back-orders and setup carry-over. The developed solution procedures solve practically sized problems in a relatively...
The book considers the lot-sizing and scheduling problem for flexible flow line production facilities. Flexible flow lines are flow lines with para...
In his Ph. D. thesis, Rudiger Wapler analyses the causes of the persistently high unemployment rates especially in continental Europe. Particular emphasis is placed on imperfect labour and product markets on the one hand, and on the numerous links between unemployment, innovations and growth on the other. Hence, Rudiger Wapler provides an important contribution towards a better understanding of both the development of labour markets as well as the dynamics of growth. To aid readers with only little prior knowledge of labour markets, the book presents the most common theories of unemployment:...
In his Ph. D. thesis, Rudiger Wapler analyses the causes of the persistently high unemployment rates especially in continental Europe. Particular emph...
1. 1 Motivation and Definition of Topic To provide motivation and to help define the topic of this study, important links between specific areas of economic theory are first highlighted. (i) Learning and Rational Expectations Theory In a standard rational expectations setting, agents in equilibrium have all the information about the model that enables them to correctly forecast future payoff-relevant variables. What rational expectations theory in its standard form does not tell us is what happens outside a rational expectations equilibrium. Less than complete knowledge of the model is a...
1. 1 Motivation and Definition of Topic To provide motivation and to help define the topic of this study, important links between specific areas of ec...
