Because almost 60–80% of the total costs for operating a contact centre involve wage and benefit expenses for personnel, determining the optimal number of agents available is of great importance in call centre management. In modern call centres, working hours are divided into planning...

This dissertation deals with three problems in health care. In the first, we consider the incentives to change prices and capital levels at hospitals, using optimal control under the assumption that private payers charge higher prices if patients consume more hospital services. The main results...