On the afternoon of September 22, the Department of Systems Science at the Business School hosted a special lecture titled Advance Selling and Upgrading in Priority Queues, delivered by Professor Cao Ping from the School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). The lecture was chaired by Associate Professor Chen Yanting of the Department of Systems Science, with over 30 faculty members and students in attendance.
Focusing on key concepts such as queuing systems, priority mechanisms, advance selling, inventory management, and service upgrades, Professor Cao derived relevant computational models using real-world case studies. He explained how to implement advance selling and upgrading functionalities under priority queuing mechanisms in practical scenarios.
From a systems thinking framework, Cao emphasized that price differentiation should be treated as a dynamic, feedback-driven optimization process. By defining fixed quantities and variables to construct objective functions, he illustrated how advance selling and upgrading, as two critical intervention points in service workflows, can enhance overall system performance.
Professor Cao further highlighted the value of systems thinking, noting that priority queuing rules can transition from static to dynamic. By incorporating user choice, multi-objective optimization, and lifecycle management, systems can adapt to real-time conditions, improving resilience and profitability.
During the Q&A session, attendees engaged in in-depth discussions with Professor Cao on practical applications of priority ticketing systems and the implementation of derived computational models.
Translated by Wei Xin
Reviewed by Liu Weiwei
