Choosing exchange students

The Department of Management Studies (DoMS) has MoUs with many German Universities
and MBA students from DoMS choose to go on exchange for 2 months to these universities
towards the end of the program. The HoD has requested Prof Chandra to coordinate the
process of selection and allocation of exchange students. Prof Chandra is keen that the
students get the universities of their choice and is interested that the choices/preferences
of his counterparts in the foreign universities are also respected.

Four students, Chaitra, Joseph, Pradeep and Shyam have been shortlisted by the DoMS
committee for UP, UDE, UH and TUM. Prof Chandra gives each student 100 points and asks
them to allocate to the four universities. The data is given in Table 1.

UW UX UY UZ
Chaitra 45 30 10 15
Joseph 40 5 35 20
Pradeep 55 15 15 15
Shyam 60 15 10 15

After observing the data, Prof Chandra decides not to consider allocating students to
universities where they have given 15 points and below. He checks if he can still allocate a
student to a university. Each university takes maximum of 1 student and each student can
be allotted to utmost one university.

1. Formulate and solve a relevant O.R problem? Is the problem an LP? What does the
dual of its LP version represent?

2. Since Prof Chandra wants to allot each student to a university, he solves an

Assignment problem using the data as it is in Table 1to maximize the sum of the
points. Find the solution?

3. Prof Chandra’s research student Gyan is assisting the process and offers to solve the
problem. He defines a variable Xij as the proportion of time student i spends in
university j and believes that the objective function can be further increased if
students visit more than one university (even though for a shorter period). Would
the objective function increase because of the LP formulation?
(X12 = X23 = X34 = X41 = 1; Z = 140)

4. Shyam’s recruiter had initially agreed that he could join after four months. Now
there is a possibility that Shyam has to join work soon. If he chooses not to opt for
the exchange, which university will lose a student?
(X12 = X23 = X31 = X44 = 1; Z = 120. UZ will lose)
5. Prof Chandra is concerned about leaving out a university because it can affect the
relationship. Chaitra and Joseph have to join their jobs after four months and Prof
Chandra wishes to allot a second university to one of them so that the points are
maximized. The student can spend 2 months in each university one after another.
How does the solution change?
(X12 = X23 = X24 = X31 = 1; Z = 140; still LP)

6. Meanwhile Chaitra and Joseph are ware that Shyam may not be considered and one
of them is likely to go to two universities. Chaitra approaches Prof Chandra to
change her points (preferences) to 30, 30, 10, 30 while Joseph prefers to retain the
same points when Prof Chandra gives him an opportunity. Would Chaitra get a
second university instead of Joe? What is the solution? Is there a way to understand
the change without solving the new problem?
(X12 = X23 = X14 = X31 = 1; Z = 150; still LP) sensitivity on obj function coeff

7. Since Shyam would not be available, two waitlisted students Raviteja and Meghna
have been asked to give their points for the four universities. The data is given below
in Table 2
UW UX UY UZ
Raviteja 20 30 25 25
Meghna 12 22 27 39
Prof Chandra has also received a mail from UZ that they can take two interns if
allotted. What happens to the allocations?

8. Prof Kaul, who was in the selection committee that shortlisted the first four
students, is not happy with idea of students giving points for the universities. She
instead generates preferences of students to universities and also universities to
students from table 1. This is given in Table 3.

Chaitra 1, 2, 4, 3 UW 4, 3, 1, 2
Joseph 1, 3, 4, 2 UX 1, 3, 4, 2
Pradeep 1, 2, 3, 4 UY 2, 3, 1, 4
Shyam 1, 2, 4, 3 UZ 2, 1, 3, 4
(Note that there are ties. These have been broken arbitrarily and not taken as equal
preferences).

Prof Kaul now considers the original assignment X12 = X23 = X34 = X41 = 1 and wishes to
verify if it is stable.