IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormsom/v15y2013i2p263-279.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Bounded Rationality in Service Systems

Author

Listed:
  • Tingliang Huang

    (Department of Management Science and Innovation, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom)

  • Gad Allon

    (Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208)

  • Achal Bassamboo

    (Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208)

Abstract

The traditional operations management and queueing literature typically assumes that customers are fully rational. In contrast, in this paper we study canonical service models with boundedly rational customers. We capture bounded rationality using a model in which customers are incapable of accurately estimating their expected waiting time. We investigate the impact of bounded rationality from both a profit-maximizing firm's perspective and a social planner's perspective. For visible queues with the optimal price, bounded rationality results in revenue and welfare loss; with a fixed price, bounded rationality can lead to strict social welfare improvement. For invisible queues, bounded rationality benefits the firm when its level is sufficiently high. Ignoring bounded rationality, when present yet small, can result in significant revenue and welfare loss.

Suggested Citation

  • Tingliang Huang & Gad Allon & Achal Bassamboo, 2013. "Bounded Rationality in Service Systems," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 15(2), pages 263-279, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormsom:v:15:y:2013:i:2:p:263-279
    DOI: 10.1287/msom.1120.0417
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/msom.1120.0417
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/msom.1120.0417?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Herbert A. Simon, 1955. "A Behavioral Model of Rational Choice," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 69(1), pages 99-118.
    2. Mirko Kremer & Brent Moritz & Enno Siemsen, 2011. "Demand Forecasting Behavior: System Neglect and Change Detection," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(10), pages 1827-1843, October.
    3. Loomes, Graham & Moffatt, Peter G & Sugden, Robert, 2002. "A Microeconometric Test of Alternative Stochastic Theories of Risky Choice," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 103-130, March.
    4. Goeree, Jacob K. & Holt, Charles A. & Palfrey, Thomas R., 2002. "Quantal Response Equilibrium and Overbidding in Private-Value Auctions," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 104(1), pages 247-272, May.
    5. Noah Lim & Teck-Hua Ho, 2007. "Designing Price Contracts for Boundedly Rational Customers: Does the Number of Blocks Matter?," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(3), pages 312-326, 05-06.
    6. Stahl Dale O. & Wilson Paul W., 1995. "On Players' Models of Other Players: Theory and Experimental Evidence," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 218-254, July.
    7. Steven A. Lippman & Shaler Stidham, 1977. "Individual versus Social Optimization in Exponential Congestion Systems," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 25(2), pages 233-247, April.
    8. McKelvey Richard D. & Palfrey Thomas R., 1995. "Quantal Response Equilibria for Normal Form Games," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 6-38, July.
    9. Patrick Bajari & Ali Hortacsu, 2005. "Are Structural Estimates of Auction Models Reasonable? Evidence from Experimental Data," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 113(4), pages 703-741, August.
    10. Naor, P, 1969. "The Regulation of Queue Size by Levying Tolls," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 37(1), pages 15-24, January.
    11. John D. Hey & Chris Orme, 2018. "Investigating Generalizations Of Expected Utility Theory Using Experimental Data," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Experiments in Economics Decision Making and Markets, chapter 3, pages 63-98, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    12. Uri Yechiali, 1971. "On Optimal Balking Rules and Toll Charges in the GI / M /1 Queuing Process," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 19(2), pages 349-370, April.
    13. Vernon N. Hsu & Susan H. Xu & Boris Jukic, 2009. "Optimal Scheduling and Incentive Compatible Pricing for a Service System with Quality of Service Guarantees," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 11(3), pages 375-396, May.
    14. Chen, Hsiao-Chi & Friedman, James W. & Thisse, Jacques-Francois, 1997. "Boundedly Rational Nash Equilibrium: A Probabilistic Choice Approach," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 32-54, January.
    15. Jan A. Van Mieghem, 2000. "Price and Service Discrimination in Queuing Systems: Incentive Compatibility of Gc\mu Scheduling," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(9), pages 1249-1267, September.
    16. Rapoport, Amnon & Stein, William E. & Parco, James E. & Seale, Darryl A., 2004. "Equilibrium play in single-server queues with endogenously determined arrival times," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 55(1), pages 67-91, September.
    17. Mattsson, Lars-Goran & Weibull, Jorgen W., 2002. "Probabilistic choice and procedurally bounded rationality," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 61-78, October.
    18. Knudsen, Niels Chr, 1972. "Individual and Social Optimization in a Multiserver Queue with a General Cost-Benefit Structure," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 40(3), pages 515-528, May.
    19. John Conlisk, 1996. "Why Bounded Rationality?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 34(2), pages 669-700, June.
    20. Teck-Hua Ho & Juanjuan Zhang, 2008. "Designing Pricing Contracts for Boundedly Rational Customers: Does the Framing of the Fixed Fee Matter?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(4), pages 686-700, April.
    21. Graham Mallard, 2012. "Modelling Cognitively Bounded Rationality: An Evaluative Taxonomy," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 674-704, September.
    22. J. Neil Bearden & Amnon Rapoport & Darryl A. Seale, 2005. "Entry Times in Queues with Endogenous Arrivals: Dynamics of Play on the Individual and Aggregate Levels," Springer Books, in: Amnon Rapoport & Rami Zwick (ed.), Experimental Business Research, chapter 0, pages 201-221, Springer.
    23. Hassin, Refael, 1986. "Consumer Information in Markets with Random Product Quality: The Case of Queues and Balking," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 54(5), pages 1185-1195, September.
    24. Uri Yechiali, 1972. "Customers' Optimal Joining Rules for the GI/M/s Queue," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(7), pages 434-443, March.
    25. Timothy Cason & Stanley Reynolds, 2005. "Bounded rationality in laboratory bargaining with asymmetric information," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 25(3), pages 553-574, April.
    26. Xuanming Su, 2008. "Bounded Rationality in Newsvendor Models," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 10(4), pages 566-589, May.
    27. Richard C. Larson, 1987. "OR Forum—Perspectives on Queues: Social Justice and the Psychology of Queueing," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 35(6), pages 895-905, December.
    28. Suren Basov, 2009. "Monopolistic Screening with Boundedly Rational Consumers," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 85(s1), pages 29-34, September.
    29. Patrick Bajari & Ali Hortacsu, 2001. "Auction Models When Bidders Make Small Mistakes: Consequences for Theory and Estimation," Working Papers 01011, Stanford University, Department of Economics.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yefen Chen & Xuanming Su & Xiaobo Zhao, 2012. "Modeling Bounded Rationality in Capacity Allocation Games with the Quantal Response Equilibrium," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(10), pages 1952-1962, October.
    2. Canbolat, Pelin G., 2020. "Bounded rationality in clearing service systems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 282(2), pages 614-626.
    3. Philip A. Haile & Ali Hortaçsu & Grigory Kosenok, 2008. "On the Empirical Content of Quantal Response Equilibrium," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(1), pages 180-200, March.
    4. Shone, Rob & Knight, Vincent A. & Williams, Janet E., 2013. "Comparisons between observable and unobservable M/M/1 queues with respect to optimal customer behavior," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 227(1), pages 133-141.
    5. Refael Hassin & Ran I. Snitkovsky, 2020. "Social and Monopoly Optimization in Observable Queues," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 68(4), pages 1178-1198, July.
    6. Yinghao Zhang & Karen Donohue & Tony Haitao Cui, 2016. "Contract Preferences and Performance for the Loss-Averse Supplier: Buyback vs. Revenue Sharing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(6), pages 1734-1754, June.
    7. Jordan Tong & Daniel Feiler, 2017. "A Behavioral Model of Forecasting: Naive Statistics on Mental Samples," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(11), pages 3609-3627, November.
    8. Basak Kalkanci & Kay-Yut Chen & Feryal Erhun, 2011. "Contract Complexity and Performance Under Asymmetric Demand Information: An Experimental Evaluation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(4), pages 689-704, April.
    9. Philipp Afèche & Haim Mendelson, 2004. "Pricing and Priority Auctions in Queueing Systems with a Generalized Delay Cost Structure," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(7), pages 869-882, July.
    10. Ying Shi & Xin Li & Ping Fan, 2016. "Optimization of an M/M/∞ Queueing System with Free Experience Service," Asia-Pacific Journal of Operational Research (APJOR), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 33(06), pages 1-17, December.
    11. Breitmoser, Yves, 2019. "Knowing me, imagining you: Projection and overbidding in auctions," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 423-447.
    12. Xuanming Su, 2008. "Bounded Rationality in Newsvendor Models," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 10(4), pages 566-589, May.
    13. Fabrizio Germano & Peio Zuazo-Garin, 2017. "Bounded rationality and correlated equilibria," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 46(3), pages 595-629, August.
    14. Wang, Bingtong & Li, Zhibin & Wang, Shunchao & Li, Meng & Ji, Ang, 2022. "Modeling bounded rationality in discretionary lane change with the quantal response equilibrium of game theory," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 145-161.
    15. Mirko Kremer & Laurens Debo, 2016. "Inferring Quality from Wait Time," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(10), pages 3023-3038, October.
    16. Changping Zhao & Yecheng Wang & Tianxiang Zhang & Qingbo Huang & Yu Gong, 2019. "The Game Simulation of “The Belt and Road” Economic and Trade Network Based on the Asymmetric QRE Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-17, June.
    17. van Ackere, Ann, 1996. "The management of congestion," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 89(2), pages 223-225, March.
    18. Xuanming Su & Stefanos Zenios, 2004. "Patient Choice in Kidney Allocation: The Role of the Queueing Discipline," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 6(4), pages 280-301, June.
    19. Bendoly, Elliot & van Wezel, Wout & Bachrach, Daniel G. (ed.), 2015. "The Handbook of Behavioral Operations Management: Social and Psychological Dynamics in Production and Service Settings," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199357222.
    20. Jeffrey D. Shulman & Xianjun Geng, 2013. "Add-on Pricing by Asymmetric Firms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 59(4), pages 899-917, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ormsom:v:15:y:2013:i:2:p:263-279. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.