MAT412: Flipped Classroom 08 Problems, AS2023

Question No. 1
In a textile sales emporium, four salesmen S1 , S2 , S3 , and S4 are available to four counters
C1 , C2 , C3 , and C4 . Each salesman can handle any counter. The service (in hours) of each
counter when manned by each salesman is given below:
Salesmen
S1 S2 S 3 S4
C1 41 72 39 52
C2 22 29 49 65
Subordinates
C3 27 39 60 51
C4 45 50 48 52
How should the salesmen be allocated to appropriate counters so that the service time is
minimized? Each salesman must handle only one counter.

Question No. 2
The city corporation has initiated a road repair project for four main arteries in the city.
The government has allocated a special grant of Nu. 5 million for this endeavour, with
the stipulation that the repairs must be carried out both cost-e↵ectively and efficiently.
If necessary, an additional supplementary grant may also be provided. The corporation
has released tenders, and five contractors have submitted their proposals. To streamline
the project, each road will be assigned to a single contractor.
Cost (Nu. in ’00,000)
R1 R2 R3 R4
C1 9 14 19 15
C2 7 17 20 19
Contractors
C3 9 18 21 18
C4 10 12 18 19
C5 10 15 21 16

(a) Determine the optimal method for allocating the repair tasks to the contractors
and estimating the associated expenses.

(b) In the event that additional grants are required, what would be the appropriate
amount to request?

(c) Which one of the five contractors will not secure the contract for the project?

1
Question No. 3
A car hire company has one car in each of the five depots I, II, III, IV , and V . A
customer in each of the five towns A, B, C, D, and E requires a car. The distance (in
km) between the depots (origins) and the towns (destinations) where the customers are,
given by the following distance matrix:
Depot
I II III IV V
A 20 40 30 50 40
B 70 40 60 80 40
C 20 90 80 100 40
Town
D 80 60 120 70 40
E 20 80 50 80 80
How should the cars be assigned to the customers so as to minimize the distance travelled?

Question No. 4
A hypothetical scenario involves a company contemplating expansion into five
prospective sales territories. The company recently brought in four new sales
representatives. Based on their individual experience and personality attributes, the
sales manager has evaluated and assigned ratings for each sales representative in relation
to the potential sales territories. These evaluations are presented below for reference.
Territory
1 2 3 4 5
A 75 80 85 70 90
B 91 71 82 75 85
C 78 90 85 80 80
Salesmen
D 65 75 88 85 90
Recommend the most e↵ective way to allocate the salesmen. If, due to specific
circumstances, salesman D cannot be assigned to territory 3, would this alter the
optimal allocation? If yes, what would be the revised allocation plan?