Using Microcomputers to Ensure Proper Representation in Committees: A Tutorial on Integer Programming

Despite the popularity of the committee as a decision-making authority in many organizations, the social science literature offers few objective means for selecting committee members. This paper shows how Integer Programming, using a microcomputer, can be useful to both practicing managers and researchers in the social sciences. The theory is first developed. Then a familiar example, one analogous to forming a committee in many settings, is used to illustrate the procedure. Other implications and advantages of the procedure are discussed.