"Based on the proceedings of an International Conference on Markov Decision Processes organised jointly by the Department of Decision Theory of the University of Manchester and the Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications and held at the University of Manchester on July 17th to 19th, 1978."

Includes bibliographies.

Overview of iterative methods for discounted finite Markov and semi-Markov decision chains / Evan L. Porteus -- Sequential similarity transformation / G. Hübner -- Negative programming and unbounded costs / P. Whittle -- Punctuated and truncated annuites for expanding Markovian decision processes / D. Reetz -- Finite state approximations for denumerable state infinite horizon discounted Markov decision processes / D.J. White -- A survey of asymptotic value-iteration for undiscounted Markovialn decision processes / A. Federgruen and P.J. Schweitzer -- A sufficient condition for the existence of a stationary 1-optimal plan in compact action Markovian decision processes / S.S. Sheu and K.-J. Farn -- On solving Markov decision problems by linear programming /A. Hordijk and L.C.M. Kallenberg -- An algorithm for average costs denumerable state semi-Markov decision problems with applications to controlled production and queueing systems / J.C. Tijms -- Connectedness conditions for denumerable state Markov decision processes / Lyn C. Thomas -- Vector-valued Markovian decision processes with countable state space / N. Furukawa -- Adaptive dual control approach to Markovian decision decision processes and its application / H. Myoken -- Markovian decision processes with unknown transition law / K.M. van Hee -- Piecewise linear Markov decision processes with an application to partially observable models / K. Sawaki -- The optimality of isotone strategies for Markov decision problems with utility criterion / Chelsea C. White, III -- Dynamic programming and an undiscounted, infinite horizon, convex stochastic control problem / Roger Hartley -- Optimal control of systems subject to random jump disturbances and their representation by Markov decision processes / R.C.H. Cheng -- Weak convergence of decision processes / A. Hordijk and F.A. Van der Duyn Schouten .