Textbook Problem

A small business requires different numbers of full-time employees on different days of the week. The number of full-time employees required each day is given in Table 4.2. Company policy sates that each full-time employee must work five consecutive days and then receive two days off. For example, an employee who works Monday to Friday must be off Saturday and Sunday. The company wants to meet its daily requirements using only full-time employees. its objective is to minimize the number of full-time employees on its payroll.

In the employee scheduling example, suppose that each full-time employee works eight hours per day. Thus, Monday’s requirement of 17 employees can be viewed as a requirement of 8(17) 5 136 hours. The company can meet its daily labor requirements by using both full-time and part-time employees. During each week, a full-time employee works eight hours per day for five consecutive days, and a part-time employee works four hours per day for five consecutive days. A full-time employee costs the company $15 per hour, whereas a part-time employee (with reduced fringe benefits) costs the company only $10 per hour. Company policy limits part-time labor to 25% of weekly labor requirements.

1. a. Modify the model as necessary, and then use Solver to minimize the company’s weekly labor costs.
2. b. Use SolverTable to determine how a change in the part-time labor limitation (currently 25%) influences the optimal solution.