Linear Programming in University Resource Allocation Case Study

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The article “The Allocation of Resources in a University” by Dr. Koch is devoted to the employment of a linear programming model to an educational organization in Illinois. In particular, it was applied to measure the resource allocation within the institution. The proposed approach aims to support academic administration in the planning and distribution of resources available to them (Koch 20). Importantly, the author stressed that the model’s components could be changed or adapted to address the requirements or peculiarities of each educational institution.

Model and Assumptions

According to the article, the model has been elaborated to maximize an objective function. In its turn, the function represents total net social gain executed by the educational institution in terms of its results for society. Notably, the discussed model was boosted to take into account a variety of aspects. For instance, such inputs as budget, space, and other factors have been considered.

The constraints display the correlation between different factors related to the institution and the specific educational delivery approach applied by the given unit. The results of the model reflect the optimum combination of educational outputs by the institution, the effective allocation and utilization of inputs within it, and their shadow prices (Koch 21). The implications of this approach to resource allocation include assumptions that the graduates represent the output, public expenditures should be comprehended as money that would be used for the development of the future workforce, and that the contribution made by graduates would be much greater than the money spent on their education (Koch 20).

Aspects

In general, the problem of optimal resource allocation means the effective management of available resources of different types. The educational organization has resources of different kinds, which include tangible, human, technical, financial, and other types (Gupta 2). The model assumes that the resources of each type can be divided into classes, for instance, labor – professions and qualifications of employees, financial – sources of financing, technical – technical characteristics, and so on. As a result of this classification, a specific number of resource types can be determined. All of them should be numbered and indicated by the appropriate letter. Significantly, different categories of resources might be measured differently. During the planning period, the institution has a certain amount of resources of each type. Thus, the results, as well as the resources, can be measured differently.

Therefore, the problem of optimal use of resources is reflected in the need to determine the way the educational institution can receive the results using the available resources so that the output of educational activities would bring greater contribution than the resources spent. This way, a financial issue becomes a mathematical problem to find the maximum value of the objective function under the condition that the values of variables are subject to constraints and take the form of inequalities (Gupta 3). Each set of variables is considered a plan and the plans that satisfy the constraints are valid. The plan, which has the highest value of the objective function is considered optimum (Koch 23). Therefore, the determination of the optimal plan is a solution to the problem of production planning.

Limitations and Conclusion

Despite the applicability of the linear progression model, certain limitations should be considered. The approach reviews past relations to analyze and reconsider plans for the future. Also, earning patterns within an educational institution might vary. Furthermore, all unit inputs are treated similarly, which is not the case for academic facilities (Koch 25). Nevertheless, the model is referred to as universal. In terms of the university considered in the current case, it was revealed that the expenses on teacher education should be decreased significantly.

Works Cited

Gupta, Dinesh. Strategic Allocation of Resources Using Linear Programming Model with Parametric Analysis. Anchor Academic Publishing, 2014.

Koch, James. “The Allocation of Resources in a University.” Growth and Change, 1974, pp. 20-27.

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IvyPanda. 2020. "Linear Programming in University Resource Allocation." August 14, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/linear-programming-in-university-resource-allocation/.

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