Question 1. The Army is conducting war games in Europe. One simulated encounter is between the Blue and Red Divisions. The Blue Division is on the offensive; the Red Division holds a defensive position.
The results of the war game are measured in terms of troop losses. The following payoff table shows Red Division troop losses for each battle strategy available to each division:
Blue Division
Red Division Strategy
Strategy A B C
1 1,800 2,000 1,700
2 2,300 900 1,600
Determine the optimal strategies for both divisions and the number of troop losses the Red Division can expect to suffer.
Question 2: Mary Washington is the incumbent congresswoman for a district in New Mexico, and Franklin Truman is her opponent in the upcoming election. Because Truman is seeking to unseat Washington, he is on the offensive, and she hopes to minimize his gains in the polls. The following payoff table shows the possible percentage point gains for Truman, given the political strategies available to each politician:
Franklin Truman
Mary Washington Strategy
Strategy A B
1 7 3
2 6 10
a. Determine the optimal political strategy for each politician and the percentage gain in the polls Franklin Truman can expect.
b. Solve this problem by using the computer.
Question 3: Two major soft drink companies are located in the Southeast—the Cooler Cola Company and Smoothie Soft Drinks, Inc. Cooler Cola is the market leader, and Smoothie has developed several marketing strategies to gain a larger percentage of the market now belonging to Cooler Cola. The following payoff table shows the gains for Smoothie and the losses for Cooler, given the strategies of each company:
Smoothie
Cooler Cola Strategy
Strategy A B C
1 10 9 3
2 4 7 5
3 6 8
Determine the mixed strategy for each company and the expected market share gains for Smoothie and losses for Cooler Cola.