the demand for a perishable item for each of the next four months is 400, 300, 420, and 380 tons,
respectively. the supply capacities for the same months are 500, 600, 200, and 300 tons. the purchase
price per ton varies from month to month and is estimated at $100, $140, $120, and $150, respectively.
as the item is perishable, a current month’s supply must be consumed within three months (starting
with the current month). the storage cost per ton per month is $3. the nature of the item does not
allow for back-ordering.
this problem can be modeled as a transportation problem.
give an initial transportation tableau for this problem (without a solution).