EURO 2024 Copenhagen
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3890. Optimizing food donation delivery for nonprofit company Logica&Co

Invited abstract in session MD-16: OR Initiatives for Education, Sustainability, and Developing Countries, stream OR Education.

Monday, 14:30-16:00
Room: 19 (building: 116)

Authors (first author is the speaker)

1. Martina Gregori
DIAG, Sapienza University of Rome
2. Anna Livia Croella
Sapienza University of Rome

Abstract

We present a case exercise teaching students how to apply mathematical programming to a real-life context.
The case deals with food donation supply chain management. Using a project-based approach, the case proposes a realistic scenario simulating the consultancy interaction with the (fictional) nonprofit company.
The Logica&Co acts as a two-sided platform connecting supply and demand. The objective is to define an effective strategy for collecting and delivering food donations from local businesses to soup kitchens over a semester-long timeframe.
The problem exhibits non-linear characteristics; however, it is designed with adjustable difficulty levels.
An interactive offline tool, the SoS simulator, can be furnished to students for performance assessment. the tool is publicly available for download and can be customized by the instructors.
The case was proposed as a competitive group challenge to students of the Bachelor's or Master's program in Management Engineering at Sapienza University of Rome.
Students appreciated both the teaching methodology and the teamwork aspects; they highlighted the utility of the SoS simulator tool.

Keywords

Status: accepted

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