Please answer any two of the discussion questions below in one posting. Your peer students and I would like to read your experiences and comments. But try to be concise. Discussion questions for Module 6 are:

1. Optimization is a technique used to determine the optimal allocation of limited resources given the desired goal. Chapter 12 demonstrates how to use it in nursing staff scheduling. Discuss a situation in one of the organizations you know that optimization can be used to find the optimal solution. Identify the objective function, decision variables, and constraints.

2. What job sequencing rule does an organization you know to use? Is there another sequencing rule that can be used?

3. First come, first served is the most frequently used sequencing rule in health care. Can you think of another sequencing rule used in health care?

4. List some inventory items found in your organization. Which of these may be classified as A, B, or C class items? Why?

5. Think of an item for which your organization carries safety stock. Can the amount of safety stock be reduced? How?