Cost allocation (allocate pay across places)

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter fusion1920
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the mathematical problem of allocating pay across multiple locations for two employees, Sue and Bob, with specific hourly rates and hours worked. The goal is to distribute a total of 160 hours between Place01 and Place02 while adhering to financial constraints of $50,000 and $75,000, respectively. The solution requires minimizing the absolute differences in hours allocated to each place for both employees, ensuring scalability for future applications involving more employees and locations. The initial approach using a matrix was deemed insufficient for achieving an even allocation.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of linear programming concepts
  • Familiarity with the Simplex Method for optimization
  • Basic knowledge of mathematical constraints and variables
  • Experience with matrix operations and their applications in problem-solving
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the Simplex Method for solving linear programming problems
  • Learn about optimization techniques in operations research
  • Explore software tools for linear programming, such as LINDO or MATLAB
  • Research methods for scaling allocation problems in larger datasets
USEFUL FOR

Business analysts, financial planners, and operations managers who are tasked with optimizing resource allocation across multiple locations and personnel.

fusion1920
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
I have business problem that I need to address. In short, I need to allocate pay for multiple people across multiple locations. For the purpose of providing a simple example, I restricted my thoughts to two people and two places.

Given:

Let a = Hours to allocate to Place01 for Sue
Let b = Hours to allocate to Place02 for Sue
Let c = Hours to allocate to Place01 for Bob
Let d = Hours to allocate to Place02 for Bob

Bob's Hourly rate = 500 dollars/hour
Sue's Hourly rate = 1000 dollars/hour
Bob's Hours worked = 70 Hours
Sue's Hours worked= 90 Hours

The following must be true in any reasonable solution:
a>0
b>0
c>0
d>0

1000*a + 500*c = $50,000 where 1000 represents Sue's hourly rate and 500 represents Bob's hourly rate.
1000*b + 500*d = $75,000 where 1000 represents Sue's hourly rate and 500 represents Bob's hourly rate.
c+d = 70 hours
a+b = 90 hours

The Problem

I need to distribute the 160 total hours as evenly as possible across Place01 and Place02 for each Person. Thus, in math terms I would like to minimize the absolute difference between a and b. I would also like to minimize the absolute difference between c and d subject to the constraints listed above.
e.g. I want to select the solution from the universe of possible solutions such that:
|a-b| is at a minimum and |c-d| is also minimized

Notice that the total dollars allocated $125,000 = total dollars paid = $125,000. Normally, to do this I would just split the hours for each person between each place. But as noted above, I now have the constraint that Place01 must get exactly $50,000 allocated and place two must get $75,000. How can I solve this in the best way possible that distributes the hours as evenly as possible for each employee across the two Places? Bear in mind that the solution will need to be scalable in the sense that I actually have about 100 places and as many people. Rates and hours for each person are known in advance and are constant. I simplified the example for the purpose of illustrating the problem at hand.

I first attempted to solve this using a matrix, but then realized I did not understand how to even out the allocation.

Thanks in advance!
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
Here is a step by step example how to solve these kind of problems:
https://www.avon-schools.org/cms/lib/IN01001885/Centricity/Domain/3488/FB%20Ch%204%20Notes%20-%20Simplex%20Method.pdf
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 35 ·
2
Replies
35
Views
4K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Replies
2
Views
1K
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
14
Views
3K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K