Two new case studies have been added to the ED Educational Suite. The case studies share a theme: whether or not to pool servers.
As an example think of the queues in supermarkets and at airport check-in desks: usually, every supermarket cashier has their own queue, whereas all check-in desks usually share a single queue. The general perception is that pooling servers as with the check-in desks improves efficiency and is therefore preferable. The shared queue solution is also regarded as more fair because it cannot happen that people who arrived later are serviced earlier, a common frustration at the supermarket. As it turns out, however, this perception is not always correct.
Case Study 14 “To pool or not to pool” makes students aware why pooling can be more efficient, and also why in other circumstances, it isn’t. The models used in this case study are extremely basic and easy to build. Case Study 15 “To pool or not to pool: A MRI application” is based on real life application which addresses this in a health care environment.
