Bunuel
A large retailer operates a limited fleet of same-day-delivery trucks. For years, each neighborhood delivery hub has been assigned the same number of trucks, regardless of the daily order volume in that neighborhood. To shorten overall delivery times, senior management now plans to let neighborhood hubs trade truck assignments freely. Management argues that trading will move more trucks to the neighborhoods that rely on them most intensively, thereby reducing average delivery time across the company.
To evaluate whether the company’s plan is likely to achieve its intended result, it would be most helpful to know which of the following?
(A) Whether neighborhood hubs facing tighter shipping deadlines currently use their trucks more frequently than other neighborhoods
(B) Whether neighborhood hubs currently using trucks more intensively achieve shorter delivery times due to having more trucks
(C) Whether using the company’s own trucks reduces delivery time more effectively than outsourcing to third-party carriers
(D) Whether certain neighborhood hubs currently have idle trucks at any point during the day
(E) Whether neighborhood hubs will be required to record truck-trading activity in a central scheduling system
Intended result = Trading trucks will shorten average delivery times across the company
(A) Whether neighborhood hubs facing tighter shipping deadlines currently use their trucks more frequently than other neighborhoods
--> Frequency of truck use is not relevant. A Yes/No to this can show whether the management's observation is correct or not.
(B) Whether neighborhood hubs currently using trucks more intensively achieve shorter delivery times due to having more trucks
--> All neighborhoods have the same number of trucks hence not correct
(C) Whether using the company’s own trucks reduces delivery time more effectively than outsourcing to third-party carriers
--> This comparison is not discussed
(D) Whether certain neighborhood hubs currently have idle trucks at any point during the day
--> Correct. Yes would be a necessary for the plan to work. No would mean the plan cannot take off.(E) Whether neighborhood hubs will be required to record truck-trading activity in a central scheduling system
--> Recording is not the issue at hand
Option D