Operations Management Ch 1

Which of the following is not true about the systems approach?

A systems approach concentrates on efficiency within subsystems.

Which of the following statements about variation is false?

Any variation makes a production process less productive

The fact that a few improvements in a few key areas of operations will have more impact than many improvements in many other areas is consistent with the

Pareto phenomenon.

_____ is considered to be more challenging for _____ due to the higher variation in input.

Quality assurance; services

In addition to operations, which of the following is considered a "line" function?

Sales

Which of the following principles emphasizes that actions should make the community as a whole better off?

The Common Good Principle

Which of the following is not a benefit of using models in decision making?

They force the decision maker to take into account qualitative issues such as personalities and emotions.

A "product package" consists of

a combination of goods and services.

The essence of the operations function is to _____ during the transformation process.

add value

If one organization is better able than most to respond to changes in demands or opportunities, we say that organization exhibits higher

agility.

Technology choices can have a major impact on

all of these choices are correct.

Which of the following is a type of transformation process used by operations to convert inputs into outputs?

all of these choices are transformation processes

Which of the following is essential to consider with respect to managing a process to meet demand?

capacity

Knowledge skills usually don't include

communication skills

The process of comparing outputs to previously established standards to determine if corrective action is needed is called

controlling.

Which of the following is not a characteristic of service operations?

easy measurement of productivity

Measurements taken at various points in the transformation process for control purposes are called

feedback.

Budgeting, analysis of investment proposals, and provision of funds are activities associated with the _______ function.

finance

Which is not an area of significant difference between manufacturing and service operations?

forecasting demand

Which of the following would tend to increase the importance of supply chain management?

increased globalization

Which of the following is an example of a supporting process?

information technology

Supplying operations with parts and materials, performing work on products, and/or performing services are part of the firm's

internal supply chain.

Which of the following does not relate to system design?

inventory management

Which of the following is a common complaint that employers have when hiring recent college graduates?

lack of general knowledge of how businesses operate

Marketing depends on operations for information regarding

lead time.

Operations and sales are the two ________ functions in businesses.

line

Marketing personnel and product designers must work closely with operations to successfully develop and produce new products because operations personnel can best judge how _____________ new product designs will be

manufacturable

Which of the following is a system in which low-skilled workers use specialized equipment to produce high volumes of standardized goods?

mass production

Which of the following is not an ongoing trend in manufacturing?

mass production for greater economies of scale

Two widely used metrics of variation are the __________ and the _________.

mean; standard deviation

Farming is an example of

nonmanufactured goods production.

Which of the following is not an element of supply chain management?

operations

Buying goods or services instead of producing or providing them in-house is called

outsourcing.

Managing the supply chain has become more important as a result of firms increasing their levels of

outsourcing.

Modern firms increasingly rely on other firms to supply goods and services instead of doing these tasks themselves. This increased level of _____________ is leading to increased emphasis on ____________ management.

outsourcing; supply chain

In their chief role of _________, operations managers exert considerable influence over the degree to which the goals and objectives of the organization are realized.

planner/decision maker

Dealing with the fact that certain aspects of any management situation are more important than others is called

recognition of priorities.

Some companies attempt to maximize the revenue they receive from fixed operating capacity by influencing demands through price manipulation. This is an example of

revenue management.

Production systems with customized outputs typically have relatively

skilled workers.

Which of the following would not generally be classified under the heading of transformation?

staffing

Which of the following most involves coordinating the activities among all the elements of the business including its suppliers and distributors?

supply chain management

Business organizations consist of three major functional areas which, ideally

support one another.

Which of the following refers to service and production processes that use resources in ways that do not harm ecological systems?

sustainability

Taking a systems viewpoint with regard to operations in today's environment increasingly leads decision makers to consider ______________ in response to the ___________.

sustainability; threat of global warming

Product design and process selection are examples of _______ decisions.

system design

The responsibilities of the operations manager include

the creation of goods or provision of services.