This paper studies service systems with gatekeepers who diagnose a customer problem and then either refer the customer to an expert or attempt treatment. The probability of successful treatment by a gatekeeper decreases as the problem's complexity increases. We determine the optimal staffing...

We model a spot market in a make-to-stock industry with two types of suppliers: A type 1 supplier faces stochastic contracted demand and has access to the spot market for liquidating surplus, while a type 2 supplier produces only for the spot market. We find the production quantity equilibrium...

Temporary help agencies are among the largest employers of American workers today. Depending upon the interpretation, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counts between 3 and 30 million Americans in contingent and part-time work arrangements. We model firms' use of contingent labor in maximizing...

This paper examines the staffing, division of labor, and resulting profitability of primary care physician practices. We develop a theoretical model of how practice profit is determined by the number and mix of support staff and how tasks are delegated to support staff. A key element of the...