Joe has achieved a position of some power in the institution in which he currently resides and works. In fact, things have gone so well that he has decided to divide the day-to-day operations of his business activities among four trusted subordinates: Big Bob, Dirty Dave, Baby Face Nick, and Tricky Dick. The question is how he should do this in order to take advantage of his associates’ unique skills and to minimize the costs from running all areas for the next year. The following matrix summarizes the costs that arise under each possible combination of men and areas:

Area Associate 1 2 3 4 Big Bob $1,400 $1,800 $ 700 $1,000 Dirty Dave 600 2,200 1,500 1,300 Baby Face Nick 800 1,100 1,200 500 Tricky Dick 1,000 1,800 2,100 1,500 WT-202