chapter 9 practice questions

Describe how optimum and maximum capacities may differ in the restaurant industry.

A full restaurant may deteriorate service because the staff is rushed and there is a greater likelihood of errors and delays.

Discuss why a subway car has elastic capacity.

A subway car has elastic capacity because it is designed to seat perhaps 40 and allow another 60 to stand with adequate space. Under rush hour conditions it can supply space for 200, though the space would be extremely cramped.

What are the two basic approaches to fluctuating demand?

Adjust the level of capacity to meet variations in demand. Manage the level of demand, using marketing strategies to smooth peaks and fill valleys.

Describe how Boeing dealt with the need to create flexible capacity when designing its 777 airliner.

Boeing created an airliner that can be rearranged to accommodate different capacity requirements within a few hours.

What are the four supply and demand conditions that a fixed-capacity service may face?

Excess demand, demand exceeds optimum capacity, demand and supply are well balanced, and excess capacity.

T/F A good example of inventorying demand is a haircut that can be set up and prepared for one day and executed the next.

False

T/F Efforts directed at changing demand patterns on a city bus should be aimed at crosstraining individual employees.

False

T/F Measures of capacity utilization include: the number of hours that facilities, labor and equipment are productively employed in revenue operations and the size of the physical facility

False

T/F Optimum and maximum capacities are never one and the same (e.g. a sport performance)

False

T/F Parallel lines to multiple servers is commonly known as a "Snake"

False

T/F Processing times for people are typically less variable than objects or things

False

T/F Random fluctuations in business are usually caused by factors well within management's control

False

T/F The goal of a restaurant in varying its service level and menus is only to appeal to different needs within the same group of customers.

False

T/F When a firm wants to inventory demand via a reservation system and has insufficient capacity it should lower prices selectively

False

Give a situation where optimal and maximum capacities are the same.

Live theater or a sports performance.

What are thee strategies that can be employed when considering a modification to the place and time of service delivery?

No change, varying the times when the service is available, and offering the service to customers at new locations.

Give an example of how ski resorts increase demand during the summer months.

Promoting mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, and other warm-weather outdoor recreation opportunities.

List the seven actions managers can take to adjust capacity as needed.

Schedule downtime during periods of low demand. Use part-time employees. Rent or share extra facilities and equipment. Ask customers to share. Invite customers to perform self-service. Cross train employees. Create flexible capacity.

Discuss the multi-pronged strategy a large Chicago bank used to reduce customer waiting times.

The bank determined that adding more space and staff was not the optimal solution, as customer satisfaction had to be balanced against costs. The three-pronged strategy that the bank adopted included technological, human resources, and customer oriented improvements. Technological improvements included an electronic queuing system that routed customers to the next available teller and helped match customers to appropriate staff. An officer-of-the-day program was also implemented to make human resources more responsible for queuing times that included cash incentives and new job categories. The customer-oriented improvements focused on the delivery system that included a quick-drops desk, extended lobby hours, and customer education on how to reduce waiting times.

Describe what the term "yield" means in the context of a reservation strategy

The term "yield" refers to the average revenue received per unit of capacity. Firms should aim to maximize this yield to enhance profitability. Yield analysis forces managers to consider the opportunity cost of selling capacity for a given date to one customer segment when another might yield a higher rate. Reservation systems can provide the detailed information necessary to support an optimal strategy from both a historical perspective and current updates.

Describe how Disney decided to deal with long lines.

The theme park implemented virtual waiting lines in response to long waiting lines and subsequent customer dissatisfaction. Customers pick up a special pass that tells them how close to the front of the line they are without actually standing in line. This causes lines to self-regulate such that customers who are not close to the front, do not stand around taking up space and find alternative things to do. This enhances both customer satisfaction and has been shown to increase profit because customers will spend money elsewhere instead of idling in line. Disney does not charge extra for the privilege of the pass.

Describe how ski resorts manage traditionally seasonal supply and demand fluctuations.

Traditionally ski resorts only operated during the winter months, shutting down for the summer. Realizing that hiking and mountain biking were coming into vogue, as well as the value of offering other summer activities, resorts began opening in the summertime. This allowed the firms to smooth the seasonal demand and create value out of unused capacity. Chairlifts used for skiing and restaurants used for feeding customers now operate year round instead of laying dormant for half of the year.

T/F For the monetary price of a service to be effective as a demand management tool, managers must have some sense of the shape and slope of a product's demand curve

True

T/F One of the most direct ways for a hotel to reduce excess demand at peak periods is to charge customers more money to use the service during those periods.

True

T/F One way to stretch capacity is to utilize the facility for longer periods.

True

T/F Queues represent a symptom of unresolved capacity management problems

True

T/F The term "productive capacity" refers to the resources or assets that a firm can employ to create goods and services

True

T/F Yield analysis forces managers to recognize the opportunity cost of selling capacity for a given date to a customer from one market segment when another might subsequently yield a higher rate

True

List the four key marketing strategies that can be employed to reshape demand.

Use price and nonmonetary costs to manage demand, change product elements, modify the place and time of delivery, and promotion and education

Which of the following hotel customers has the most inelastic demand slope? a. Business travelers in high season. b. Business travelers in low season. c. Tourists in high season. d. Tourists in low season. e. All groups have equivalent demand curves.

a. Business travelers in high season.

A cleaning and repair firm that wants to generate business during low demand periods would do best to offer which of the following? a. Offer free pickup and delivery of portable items that need servicing. b. Vary the time when service is available. c. Add more service options. d. Increase prices to get the most out of current customers. e. Educate customers on when they should have things cleaned or repaired.

a. Offer free pickup and delivery of portable items that need servicing.

Possible strategic applications of excess capacity include all of the following EXCEPT ____________. a. reducing variation in current capacity b. free trials for prospective customers c. free trials for intermediaries who sell to end customers d. employee rewards e. bartering with the firm's own suppliers

a. reducing variation in current capacity

Theme parks cleverly design their waiting areas to do which of the following? a. Make the wait look as long as it is so they aren't disappointed b. Find ways to give the customers the impression of constant progress c. Keep the waiting area distraction free so people keep moving in line d. Post clocks everywhere so people know how long they have been in line e. Offer customers additional services while they wait

b. Find ways to give the customers the impression of constant progress

Which of the following is NOT one of the alternative queuing configurations discussed? a. Single line/single servers at sequential stages b. Multiple line to single servers ("snake") c. Parallel lines to multiple servers d. Designated lines to designated servers e. "Take a Number" (single or multiple servers)

b. Multiple line to single servers ("snake")

Which of the following is NOT one of the productive capacity forms in a service context? a. Physical facilities designed to contain customers b. Physical equipment used to process people, possessions, or information c. Customers d. Labor e. Infrastructure

c. Customers

According to a national survey of 1000 adults in the United States, which of the following is the most dreaded waiting queue? a. Restaurant b. Department of Motor Vehicles c. Doctor's office d. Grocery store e. Airport

c. Doctor's office

All of the following are questions to ask about demand patterns and their underlying causes EXCEPT ____________. a. Do demand levels follow a predictable cycle? b. What are the underlying causes of these cyclical variations? c. How much demand are competitors receiving? d. Do demand levels seem to change randomly? e. Can demand for a particular service over time be disaggregated by market segment?

c. How much demand are competitors receiving?

Which of the following may result in allocation to separate queuing areas? a. Time already spent waiting b. Excess capacity c. Urgency of the job d. Excess demand e. Multiple locations

c. Urgency of the job

Which of the following is the correct action for a firm to take that wants to reduce demand and has insufficient capacity? a. Take no action. b. Consider override for most desirable segments. c. Consider priority systems for most desirable segments. d. Increase prices or encourage use in other time slots. e. Lower prices selectively.

d. Increase prices or encourage use in other time slots.

Which of the following is NOT one of the five basic approaches to managing demand? a. Taking no action and leaving demand to find its own levels. b. Reduce demand in peak periods. c. Increase demand when there is excess capacity. d. Inventory capacity until demand increases. e. Inventory demand by creating a formalized queuing system.

d. Inventory capacity until demand increases.

The demand for a city bus is most likely to vary by all EXCEPT which of the following? a. Time of day. b. Day of the week. c. Season of the year. d. Population in the city. e. All of the above will likely cause demand to vary on a city bus.

d. Population in the city.

The problem of capacity constrained organizations that cannot stockpile services is most commonly found among services that process ____________ and ____________. a. non-labor intensive information; time b. physical possessions; time c. people; non-labor intensive information d. people; physical possessions e. non-labor intensive information; physical possessions

d. people; physical possessions

Which of the following is NOT a way of understanding the nature of demand curves? a. Research. b. Analyzing parallel situations in other locations. c. Trial and error. d. Analyzing parallel situations in comparable services. e. Analyzing competing demand positions.

e. Analyzing competing demand positions.

A service organization's capacity to satisfy demand is constrained by all of the following EXCEPT ____________. a. physical facilities b. equipment c. personnel d. sequence of services provided e. number of competitors

e. number of competitors