A Generalized Model of Classical Secretary Problem
LU Ya-nan · Journal of Shenyang University of Chemical Technology · 2010
The classical secretary problem is the typical one in the optimal stopping theory.It discusses sequential observations and selection problems in which the payoff depends on the observations only through their relative ranks and not otherwise on their actual values.In everyday life,a class of the decision problem is similar to it.Under certain assumptions,a generalized model of the classical secretary problem is discussed.When there are groups of applicants applying for one item,unequal weights may be assigned to each group according to some prior information,the decision to accept or reject a group must be based only on the relative ranks of those groups interviewed so far,and a group once rejected cannot later be recalled.The object is to get the best group with the biggest probability.A simple heuristic solution is obtained by dynamic programming.