TY  - JOUR 
TI  - The micro-dynamics of queuing: understanding the formation of queues
PB  - Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
PY  - 2014
issn 1747-7778
AB  - Most work in queuing theory is performed at an aggregate level, with linear models for which closed-form solutions can be derived. We are interested in creating a better understanding of how queues are formed by taking a bottom-up approach to their formation. We use a cellular automata framework to structure a set of agents who must choose which service facility to use. After using the facility, they update their expectations of sojourn time based on their own experience, and information received from their neighbours. On the basis of these updated expectations, they make their choice for the next period. We find that, after an initial transition period, customers mostly reach a quasi-stable situation, where the average sojourn time is close to the Nash equilibrium and social optimum, unless agents forget one of the facilities. We analyse different parameterizations of the agents' decision rules, and consider homogeneous and heterogeneous agent populations. © 2014 Operational Research Society Ltd.
KW  - Microdinámica
KW  - Ingeniería de producción
KW  - Production engineering
KW  - Teoría de sistemas - Métodos de simulación
KW  - Autómatas celulares
KW  - Teoría de control
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10906/82341
ER  -