# Using Bids, Arguments and Preferences in Sensitive Multi-unit Assignments: A p-Equitable Process and a Course Allocation Case Study

3 LIS - Logical Information Systems
IRISA-D7 - GESTION DES DONNÉES ET DE LA CONNAISSANCE
Abstract : Bonus distribution in enterprises or course allocation at universities are examples of sensitive multi-unit assignment problems, where a set of resources is to be allocated among a set of agents having multi-unit demands. Automatic processes exist, based on quantitative information, for example bids or preference ranking, or even on lotteries. In sensitive cases, however, decisions are taken by persons also using qualitative information. At present, no multi-unit assignment system supports both quantitative and qualitative information. In this paper, we propose \muaplis, an interactive process for multi-assignment problems where, in addition to bids and preferences, agents can give arguments to motivate their choices. Bids are used to automatically make pre-assignments, qualitative arguments and preferences help decision makers break ties in a founded way. A group decision support system, based on Logical Information Systems, allows decision makers to handle bids, arguments and preferences in a unified interface. We say that a process is {\em p-equitable} for a property $p$ if all agents satisfying $p$ are treated equally. We formally demonstrate that \muaplis{} is p-equitable for a number of properties on bids, arguments and preferences. It is also Pareto-efficient and Gale-Shapley-stable with respect to bids. A successful course allocation case study is reported. It spans over two university years. The decision makers were confident about the process and the resulting assignment. Furthermore, the students, even the ones who did not get all their wishes, found the process to be equitable.
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Article dans une revue
Group Decision and Negotiation, 2016, 25 (6), 〈10.1007/s10726-016-9483-9〉
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https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01485046
Contributeur : Mireille Ducassé <>
Soumis le : mercredi 8 mars 2017 - 10:21:26
Dernière modification le : mercredi 16 mai 2018 - 11:23:29

### Citation

Mireille Ducassé, Peggy Cellier. Using Bids, Arguments and Preferences in Sensitive Multi-unit Assignments: A p-Equitable Process and a Course Allocation Case Study. Group Decision and Negotiation, 2016, 25 (6), 〈10.1007/s10726-016-9483-9〉. 〈hal-01485046〉

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