Title: Optimal worker assignment with two special workers in a limited-cycle model with multiple periods

Authors: Xianda Kong; Jing Sun; Hisashi Yamamoto; Masayuki Matsui

Addresses: Department of Management Systems Engineering, Graduate School of System Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 6-6 Asahigaoka, Hino Tokyo, 191-0065, Japan ' Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8555, Japan ' Department of Management Systems Engineering, Graduate School of System Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 6-6 Asahigaoka, Hino Tokyo, 191-0065, Japan ' Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Kanagawa University, 3-27-1 Rokkakubashi, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, 221-8686, Japan

Abstract: This study investigates the properties of the optimal assignment of two special workers in a limited-cycle model with multiple periods. Due to the competition among enterprises, meeting the scheduled delivery date becomes a necessity. In most arbitrary cases, the result and efficiency of a certain period of a production cycle are influenced not only by the risks that exist in the current period but also by the risks that existed in the foregoing ones. Moreover, the risk itself is also greatly affected by the risks that existed in the earlier periods. This kind of model is called a limited-cycle model with multiple periods. In this paper, we consider the properties of the optimal worker assignment that minimises the total expected risk in a limited-cycle model with multiple periods. This study is useful in describing the properties of the optimal worker assignment theoretically and determining an optimal cycle time.

Keywords: limited cycle models; multiple periods; optimal worker assignment; processing efficiency; scheduling; expected cost; optimisation; modelling; delivery dates; total expected risk; optimal cycle time.

DOI: 10.1504/AJMSA.2013.056009

Asian Journal of Management Science and Applications, 2013 Vol.1 No.1, pp.96 - 120

Received: 19 Mar 2013
Accepted: 19 Mar 2013
Published online: 18 Jul 2014 *

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