This is the first of two papers dealing with the optimal bu er allocation problem in tandem manufacturing lines with unreliable machines.We address the theoretical issues that arise when using sample-path optimization, a simulation-based optimization method, to solve this problem.Sample-path...

A generalization of processing problems with restricted capacities is introduced.In a processing problem there is a finite set of jobs, each requiring a specific amount of effort to be completed, whose costs depend linearly on their completion times.The new aspect is that players have interest...

This paper considers a special class of sequencing situations with two parallel machines in which each agent has precisely two jobs to be processed, one on each machine.The costs of an agent depend linearly on the final completion time of his jobs.We describe a procedure that provides an optimal...