BUSN 101 CH 7: Operations Management and Quality

Which of the following is the BEST description of a master operations schedule?

A top-level schedule showing which products will be produced, and when, in upcoming time periods.

A firm that mass produces stereos for automobiles needs to test its equipment. Karen pulls a CD player from the conveyor belt and inserts a CD. She then presses the play button and sets the equipment back on the conveyor belt. The employee next to her listens to the music for three seconds to verify the equipment works properly. The next employee then affixes a quality seal. Referring to the scenario above, which of the following BEST describes the layout in place at this firm?

Assembly line layout

LG wants to improve the quality of its machines. To find out what it could be doing better, it has taken apart and analyzed a Whirlpool washing machine for durability, efficiency, and ease of use. Referring to the scenario above, what has LG used to improve its own products?

Competitive product analysis

At Super Sneakers' manufacturing facility, Wyatt compares the schedule he receives with the number of shoes that come off of each line for every shift that day. What is Wyatt in charge of?

Follow-up

Globally, U.S. manufacturing faces intense competition from other nations. A recent international survey of industrial executives ranks China as the most competitive manufacturing country, followed by ________.

Germany

Awareness of its impact on the local environment has led Coal Kickers Mining Company to pursue ____________, which certifies improvements the business makes to reduce and manage the pollution it creates.

ISO 14000

__________ is the systematic direction and control of the activities that transform resources into finished services and goods that create value for and provide benefits to customers.

Operations management

Which of the following describes a product layout?

Organizing production steps for a single product created in a fixed sequence and according to production requirements

For a large project, managers should use a __________ to identify the sequence of activities, the time needed to perform the various activities, and the most time-consuming set of activities within the sequence.

PERT chart

_______ is the comparison of the output quantity of goods and services to the input quantity of resources.

Productivity

__________ is the step in materials management where managers acquire the raw materials they need to produce goods, such as leather for sofas.

Purchasing

Which of the following is the BEST description of a low-contact system?

The level of customer contact in which the customer need not be part of the system to receive the service

Historically, ________ was the dominant sector in the very early years of the United States.

agriculture

A major health insurance company finds that the biggest delay in paying claims comes from customers failing to submit receipts. After looking at the entire process, they've decided to overhaul the way claims are filed. Now customers snap a photo of receipts with their smartphones and send them directly to the insurance company. Referring to the scenario above, the insurance company has used _________ to improve its service.

business process reengineering

The amount of product that a company can produce under normal conditions is its _________.

capacity

No matter where you go in the world, you can nearly always buy a Coke. It will have the same ingredients, same taste, and basically the same packaging. This quality of _________ is one of the reasons it is such a popular product.

consistency

In the hospital's kitchen, each employee has certain tasks to be completed at specific times each day. Kitchen managers use a _______ to map out what each employee needs to do and when to do it.

detailed schedule

Burt's Bees makes natural, often organic, health and beauty products. Because these are tangible products, Burt's Bees is in the business of __________.

goods production

Clothing, such as evening gowns, is available either off-the-shelf in department stores or custom-made at a designer or tailor shop. The designer's ________ operations respond to one-of-a-kind gown requirements, including unique patterns, materials, sizes, and shapes, depending on the customers' characteristics.

make-to-order

Managers evaluate performance by comparing plans and projections with actual outcomes and results in a process known as _______.

operations control

A computer chip manufacturer will design its processors for ______ , which refers to how well the processors do what they are expected to do, like achieve a certain number of operations per second without overheating.

performance

Operations, which is also known as _________, encompasses all the processes involved in making a good or service available for consumption.

production

Successful firms design their operations to support the company's business strategy. In other words, managers adjust ________ to support the firms' target markets.

production operations

A supply chain is the flow of information, materials, and services that starts with ________ and continues adding value through other stages in the network of firms until the product reaches the end customer.

raw-materials suppliers

The methods and technologies a company uses in the production of goods or services are called _______ and can be divided into two categories: make-to-order and made-to-stock.

the operations process

When a theater offers midday, afternoon, and evening shows seven days a week, it creates _______ utility; it adds customer value by making products available when consumers want them.

time