From Optimization to Ethical Deliberation: A ConstraintBased Linear Programming Framework for Decision Making in Faith-Based Manufacturing Organizations

Mustika Mustika; Nurhayati; Muh Dahkan Thalib

doi:10.64268/ijors.v1i2.85

Authors

Mustika Mustika Institut Agama Islam Negeri pare-pare, Indonesia
Nurhayati Institut Agama Islam Negeri Pare-Pare, Indonesia
Muh Dahkan Thalib Institut Agama Islam Negeri Pare-Pare, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64268/ijors.v1i2.85

Keywords:

ethical deliberation, faith-based organizations, linear programming, operations research, religious ethics, production decision making

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to reconceptualize linear programming not merely as a technical optimization tool, but as an analytical framework for ethical deliberation in faith-based manufacturing organizations. Existing operations research literature predominantly emphasizes efficiency and cost minimization, while religious studies often examine ethical values without formal decision models. This study addresses the gap between these domains by exploring how production constraints function simultaneously as operational limits and moral boundaries shaped by religious doctrines and faith-based organizational norms within managerial decision-making.

Method: The research employs a quantitative operations research approach through a constraint-based linear programming model of production scheduling. The objective function minimizes production cost, while constraints represent capacity, labor availability, and demand requirements. A representative faith-based manufacturing context is used to illustrate model formulation and solution interpretation. Rather than focusing solely on optimal numerical outcomes, the analysis emphasizes the role of binding constraints as sites of ethical consideration, where managerial decisions must balance efficiency objectives with institutional religious commitments.

Findings: The findings reveal that binding constraints exert a decisive influence on production decisions, not only by limiting feasible solutions but also by shaping ethical trade-offs faced by managers. The results indicate that efficiency gains are negotiated within predefined moral boundaries, where certain technically optimal options are constrained by religious commitments. This demonstrates that linear programming models can illuminate how ethical considerations are embedded within operational structures rather than treated as external or abstract norms.

Significance: This study contributes to religious-oriented operations research by integrating formal optimization models with ethical analysis grounded in faith-based organizational contexts. By framing constraints as moral as well as technical determinants, the study extends the interpretive scope of linear programming and offers a novel analytical bridge between operations research systems and religious studies. The findings provide meaningful insights for scholars and practitioners seeking to align operational efficiency with religious and ethical accountability.

References

Alodhialah, A. M. (2025). Exploring the influence of organizational culture on evidence-based practice adoption among nurses in tertiary hospitals: A qualitative study. BMC Nursing, 24(1), 1029. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03647-z

Alowais, A. A., & Suliman, A. (2025). The Impact of Ethical Leadership on Employee Green Behaviors: A Study of Academic Institutions in the UAE. 15(10), 376.

Arar, K., Sawalhi, R., & Yilmaz, M. (2022). The research on Islamic-based educational leadership since 1990: An international review of empirical evidence and a future research agenda. 13(1), 42.

Bhawya, & Singh, S. (2026). Frugal Consumer Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 50(1), e70150. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.70150

Bukowski, L., & Werbinska-Wojciechowska, S. (2025). Multidimensional Maintenance Maturity Modeling: Fuzzy Predictive Model and Case Study on Ensuring Operational Continuity Under Uncertainty. Applied Sciences, 15(22), 12236. https://doi.org/10.3390/app152212236

Chaudhary, S., Dhir, A., Nguyen, D. K., Battisti, E., & Kaur, P. (2025). Exploring Family Values, Religion, and Ethical Behavior in Family Businesses: A Multi-Stage Qualitative Investigation. Journal of Business Ethics, 198(4), 865–891. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-025-05947-5

Desierto, D., & Koyama, M. (2024). Religious violence and coalition politics in history. 4(2), 281–309.

Goldsmith, L., Raditz, V., & Méndez, M. (2022). Queer and present danger: Understanding the disparate impacts of disasters on LGBTQ+ communities. Disasters, 46(4), 946–973. https://doi.org/10.1111/disa.12509

Heubeck, T. (2024). Untangling the Paradoxical Relationship Between Religion and Business: A Systematic Literature Review of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Religiosity Research: T. Heubeck. 195(1), 191–214.

Ibrahim, S., Kuppens, L., & Nfundiko, J. S. (2024). Holding up the researcher’s mirror to decolonize knowledge generation: A critical examination of researchers’ positionality beyond the ‘Global North’/‘South’ divide. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 22(3), 461–474. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2023.2171369

Kibongani Volet, A., Scavone, C., Catalán-Matamoros, D., & Capuano, A. (2022). Vaccine hesitancy among religious groups: Reasons underlying this phenomenon and communication strategies to rebuild trust. 10, 824560.

Lau, L. L., Dodd, W., Qu, H. L., & Cole, D. C. (2020). Exploring trust in religious leaders and institutions as a mechanism for improving retention in child malnutrition interventions in the Philippines: A retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open, 10(9). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036091

Lavi, E., & Reich, Y. (2024). Supporting Decision-Making in Value-Oriented Design: A Multi-Domain System Value Model. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10715532/

Lei, Z., & Naveh, E. (2023). Unpacking Errors in Organizations as Processes: Integrating Organizational Research and Operations Management Literature. Academy of Management Annals, 17(2), 798–844. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2021.0066

Molina-Sánchez, H., Ortiz-Gomez, M., & Fernández-Navarro, F. (2025). Measuring the Human Values That Predominate in the Organization’s Culture: A Dynamic Multilevel Linear Mixed Model Based on Genetic Algorithms. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 35(4), 735–750. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21640

Puzio, A. (2025). Robot, let us pray! Can and should robots have religious functions? An ethical exploration of religious robots. AI & SOCIETY, 40(2), 1019–1035. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-023-01812-z

Rafiq, M. Y. (2025). Religious Leadership for Family Planning: Insights from Tanzania. Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003645856

Risi, D., Vigneau, L., Bohn, S., & Wickert, C. (2023). Institutional theory‐based research on corporate social responsibility: Bringing values back in. International Journal of Management Reviews, 25(1), 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12299

San Diego, E. R. N., West, N. T., Pichon, L. C., Jiang, Y., Powell, T. W., Rugless, F., Lewis, J., Campbell, B., McCann, L., McNeals, S., & Harmon, B. E. (2024). Associations Between Sociodemographic Variables, Social Determinants of Health, and Diabetes: Findings From a Congregational Health Needs Assessment. American Journal of Health Promotion, 38(6), 809–819. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171241234662

Steen-Johnsen, T. (2019). Methodological Challenges to the Study of Religious Peacebuilding. In International Studies in Religion and Society (Vol. 33, pp. 84–103). Brill Academic Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004397965_008

Taghavi, S., & Segalla, M. (2023). Is Work an Act of Worship? The Impact of Implicit Religious Beliefs on Work Ethic in Secular vs. Religious Cultures. Journal of Business Ethics, 188(3), 509–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-023-05325-z

Valentinov, V. (2024). Advancing a system-level perspective in stakeholder theory: Insights from the institutional economics of John R. Commons. Social Science Information, 63(4), 443–467. https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184241302724

Valentinov, V. (2025). Three Problems of Business Addressed by Stakeholder Theory: Insights from the Institutional Economics of John R. Commons. Journal of Business Ethics, 201(3), 717–733. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-024-05854-1

Van Laer, K., & Essers, C. (2024). The Regulation of Religion by Secular Work Practice: Exploring Muslim Employees’ Performance of Religious Practice. Journal of Management, 50(3), 1002–1028. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063231161344

Wilcox, S., Saunders, R. P., Kaczynski, A. T., Rudisill, C., Kim, Y. S., Parker-Brown, J., & Day, K. R. (2025). Implementation outcomes and associated constructs from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research among churches trained online to implement Faith, Activity, and Nutrition in a national implementation study. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibaf015