Resourse Allocation and Pricing Principles for a University Computer Centre. Working Paper Series Number 6819.

As an introduction, this paper presents a statement of the objectives of the university computing center (UCC) from the viewpoint of the university, the government, the typical user, and the UCC itself. The operating and financial structure of a UCC are described. Three main types of budgeting schemes are discussed: time allocation, pseudo-dollar, and real dollar. The main types of pricing schemes considered are based on: single price for central processing unit (CPU) time, variable prices for CPU time, multiple input queues, perfect market, stochastic scheduling, and rate of access. A set of criteria is offered against which various budgeting-pricing systems may be evaluated. A table is developed which compares various budgeting-pricing systems with the criteria. Appendices contain considerations of ways in which a UCC can be made adequate relative to the university's programs, suggestions for further study, and a bibliography. (JY)