ABSTRACT
Service and manufacturing systems are inundated with problem situations where system entities are required to be grouped into clusters so as to achieve a certain goal (Onwubolu and Mutingi, 2001; Mutingi and Mbohwa, 2014). Typically, the concept of grouping the entities is aimed at optimizing system efficiency and effectiveness. For instance, when dispatching homecare nurses to serve patients at their homes, the decision maker has to allocate a group of patients to each nurse such that patient visits and the homecare service are done as efficiently and effectively as possible.
