In formulation (8.49)–(8.58) (a) Would all patients always go to the nearest clinic? If so, why? If not, why not? (b) Why is or is this not a desirable property for the model to have? (c) Given the...

In formulation (8.49)–(8.58)

(a) Would all patients always go to the nearest clinic? If so, why? If not, why not?

(b) Why is or is this not a desirable property for the model to have?

(c) Given the locations of the facilities of different types, how can you solve the patient flow portion of the problem?

Suppose we (temporarily) eliminate the production capacity constraint (8.73) from the formulation of the production/distribution problem (8.70)–(8.75).

(a) How can you solve this problem?

(b) Use this idea to outline a solution algorithm for the production/distribution problem (8.70)–(8.75).