We provide a generic Monte Carlo method to find the alternative of maximum expected utility in a decision analysis. We define an artificial distribution on the product space of alternatives and states, and show that the optimal alternative is the mode of the implied marginal distribution on the...

Consider n tasks which must be attempted in some order. To successfully complete any given task requires a random amount of time. However, we suppose that there are external events, called shocks, which occur according to a nonhomogeneous Poisson process. If no shocks occur while a task is being...