The Insurance Department at Shear's Has Two Agents, Each Working

question 35

Essay

The insurance department at Shear's has two agents, each working at a mean speed of 8 customers per hour. Customers arrive at the insurance desk at a mean rate of one every six minutes and form a single queue. Management feels that some customers are going to find the wait at the desk too long and take their business to Word's, Shear's competitor.
In order to reduce the time required by an agent to serve a customer Shear's is contemplating installing one of two minicomputer systems: System A which leases for $18 per day and will increase an agent's efficiency by 25%; or, System B which leases for $23 per day and will increase an agent's efficiency by 50%. Agents work 8-hour days.
If Shear's estimates its cost of having a customer in the system at $3 per hour, determine if Shear's should install a new minicomputer system, and if so, which one.

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Definitions:

Stimulus

Any object or event that elicits a sensory or behavioral response in an organism.

Subliminal

Referring to stimuli or messages presented below the threshold of conscious perception, capable of influencing thoughts, feelings, or actions.

Bitter Receptors

Sensory taste receptors located on the tongue that are responsible for detecting bitter substances, playing an essential role in taste perception.

Sour Receptors

Specialized sensory cells located in the taste buds that detect sour tastes.