It is an open secret that airlines overbook flights, but I have just learned recently that bookstores under book (I might have invented this new term.) textbooks..........

To make a long story short, our UMUC designated virtual bookstore, MBS Direct, routinely, as a matter of business practice, orders less textbooks than the amount requested by UMUC's Registrar's Office.That is what I have figured out.......Simply put, MBS Direct has to "eat" the books if they are not sold.Do you want to eat the books?You may want to cook the books before you eat them!Oops, I hope there is no account major in this class?

OK, let us cut to the chase....MBS Direct believes that only 86% of our registered students will stay registered in a class long enough to purchase the required textbook.Let's pick on our STAT 200 students.According to the Registrar's Office, we have 650 students enrolled in STAT 200 this fall 2021.

Suppose you are the CEO of MBS Direct, and you want to perform a probability analysis.What would be the number of STAT 200 textbook bundles you would order so that you stay below 5% probability of having to back-order from Pearson Custom Publishing?(Note: Our Provost would be very angry when she hears that textbook bundles have to be backordered.In any case, by next fall, we will no longer need the service of MBS Direct as we are moving 100% to free eResources.Auf Wiedersehen, MBS Direct......)