Research

Research Interests

  • Flexibility in Service Operations and Supply Chains
  • Healthcare Applications of OR
  • Queueing Systems
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Impact of Risk on IT

Publications 

  • Iravani, S.M.R., and B. Kolfal, 2005, "When Does the cμ Rule Apply to Finite-Population Queueing Systems." Operations Research Letters, 33(3), 301-304.
  • Iravani, S.M.R., B. Kolfal, and M.P. Van Oyen, 2007, "Call Center Labor Cross-Training: It’s a Small World After All." Management Science, 53(7), 1102-1112.
  • Iravani, S.M.R., B. Kolfal, and M.P. Van Oyen, 2011, “Capability Flexibility: A Decision Support Methodology for Parallel Service and Manufacturing Systems with Flexible Servers,” IIE Transactions, 43(5), 363-382.
  • Saghafian, S., M.P. Van Oyen, and B. Kolfal, 2011, “The ‘W’ Network and the Dynamic Control of Unreliable Flexible Servers,” IIE Transactions, 43(12), 893-907.
  • Delasay, M., B. Kolfal, and A. Ingolfsson, 2012, “Maximizing Throughput in Finite-Source Parallel Queue Systems,” European Journal of Operational Research, 217(3), 554-559.
  • Alanis, R., A. Ingolfsson, and B. Kolfal, 2012, “A Markov Chain Model for an EMS System with Repositioning,” accepted for publication at Production and Operations Management.
  • Iravani, S.M.R., B. Kolfal, and M.P. Van Oyen, 2012, “Process Flexibility and Inventory Flexibility via Product Substitution,” accepted for publication at Flexible Services & Manufacturing (FSM). Available online at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/h207553107702427/
  • Kolfal, B., R. Patterson, and L. Yeo, 2012, “Market Impact on IT Security Spending,” accepted for publication at Decision Sciences Journal.

Working Papers

  • Messinger, P., B. Kolfal, and K. Asdemir, “Self-Service Co-creation: Cooperation or Competition?”
  • Delasay, M., A. Ingolfsson, and B. Kolfal, “Multi-server Service Systems with Adaptive Server Behavior.”
  • Rastpour, A., B. Kolfal, and A. Ingolfsson, “Analysis of Yellow and Red Alerts in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems.”
  • Alanis, R., A. Ingolfsson, B. Kolfal, and F. Campello, “Optimizing Compliance Tables for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Repositioning.”

Current Projects

    (names in alphabetical order)
  • Delasay, M., Ingolfsson, A., and B. Kolfal, “Emergency Room Wait Time Announcement Policies.”
  • Delasay, M., A. Ingolfsson, B. Kolfal, and, K. Schultz “Components of Service Time and Effects of Load and Overwork.”
  • Kolfal, B. and P. Messinger, “Human Capital and the Division of Labor: An Extension to Service Operations.”