Discussion 2 Week 10 The Model - Assignment Example

Assignment Model al Affiliation Assignment Model Explain the assignment model and how it facilitates in solving transportation problems. The assignment model is another special type of linear programming model that is deemed to share similar characteristics with the transportation model. The only difference between the assignment model from the transportation model is that “in the assignment model, the supply at each source and the demand at each destination are each limited to one unit” (Taylor, 2010, p. 240). The assignment model facilitates solving transportation problems through the explicit identification of the objective function, the decision variables and the constraints.

Since in the balanced assignment model, the supply and the demand at each source and destination are clearly determined and limited to one, decision makers are provided with the essential tools to solve the problem conveniently. Likewise, as described, when the problem is unbalanced, it is either that the supply exceeds demand, or the demand exceeds the supply (Taylor, 2010).2. What benefits would be gained from using this model? There are several benefits which could be gained from using the assignment model.

For one, the decision makers are provided with clear constraints that would facilitate the formulation of decision variables along the indicated expected demand and supply at source and destination. In addition, through a study written by Caulley (1982), it was revealed that the applicability of the assignment model is appreciated in situations where “there is a variable to be optimized, such as teacher satisfaction. In the example used to demonstrate the assignment model, students are assigned to teachers in a way that matches them up with the students they request as much as possible… The author concludes that the advantages of these models are that they give a better solution than can be obtained by inspection and they take teachers wishes into account regarding assignment” (par. 1). In addition, since these type of problems could be solved using computer applications through Excel or Excel QM, the decision makers could be provided with accurate solutions at the soonest possible time – giving the user of the model the convenience and ease of arriving at the most viable solution within a limited time period.

ReferencesCaulley, D. (1982, February). The Use of Assignment and Transportation Models in Evaluation. Research on Evaluation Program. Paper and Report Series No. 68. Retrieved from eric.ed.gov: http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED224166Taylor, B. I. (2010). Introduction to Management Science. Pearson Education, Inc.