On Two-Stage Selection of the Best Negative Exponential Population with Applications

Abstract

SYNOPTIC ABSTRACTWe revisit the problem of selecting the best among k(?: 2) independent negative exponential populations, each with unknown location and scale parameters. Thus, we go back to Desu et al. 's (1977) two-stage selection methodology that was developed for the case when the scale parameters were all equal but unknown. That selection methodology is first extended for situations where scale parameters have the form e;,a with a(> 0) being unknown but e;(> 0) is known, not all equal, i = 1, ... , k(?: 2). It is shown that this new two-stage selection methodology does not require any new statistical table for its implementation beyond what was required by the original 1977 methodology of Dcsu et al. We have also addressed the customary sticky problem regarding the choice of an appropriate pilot sample size. Two illustrations are included with the help of real data that came from the area of weed and plant science.