Deck 10: Human Resources

Question 1

Studies have shown that the success of Japanese companies is due to cultural factors.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Motivation refers to the willingness of an employee to perform as needed to attain a goal or objective.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Studies have shown that the success of Japanese companies is due to management practices.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

With total quality management,employees receive broad job training making them more flexible in where they can work.

Question 5

One of the prerequisites to job rotation is cross training.

Question 6

Flexibility has traditionally been used as a measure of job efficiency.

Question 7

Because services are labour intensive,human resources is becoming a more important strategic factor for service companies.

Question 8

With total quality management,employees are usually given precise directions to achieve narrowly defined objectives.

Question 9

Scientific Management involves breaking down jobs into elemental activities.

Question 10

Among the disadvantages of task specialization are high output,high costs,and extensive training.

Question 11

The objective of ergonomics is to make the best use of employees' capabilities while maintaining the employees' health and well-being.

Question 12

Job rotation often requires cross training of employees.

Question 13

Successful quality-oriented firms recognize the importance of their employees when developing a competitive strategy.

Question 14

Scientific management divides jobs into their most elemental activities to simplify job design.

Question 15

An alternative workplace is a combination of nontraditional work locations and practices that supplements or replaces the traditional office.

Question 16

Empowerment involves giving employees the authority and responsibility to innovate and act on their own.

Question 17

Companies with a quality focus generally give their employees the power to make decisions that will improve quality.

Question 18

For most industrialized countries the difference between a company's success or failure is dependent on the capability of its human resources.

Question 19

Achieving strategic quality goals for quality and customer satisfaction often requires teamwork and group participation.

Question 20

The motivation for companies to create alternative workplaces is primarily financial.

Question 21

Learning curves have limited application for assembly-lines with short,repetitive jobs.

Question 22

The interface of workers with machines is probably the least important aspect of job design.

Question 23

In a piece-rate wage system,pay is based on the efficiency of the overall process.

Question 24

Fitting the task to the person in a work environment is known as job analysis.

Question 25

According to the Conference Board of Canada,only very few new immigrants are needed in the future to stabilize the workforce and ensure economic growth.

Question 26

Determining worker capabilities and responsibilities for a job is known as worker analysis.

Question 27

Globalization has resulted in an overall reduction in diversity-related issues in the workplace.

Question 28

One advantage of an individual piece-rate system is that it provides strong incentives to ensure high quality.

Question 29

Job design includes determining the characteristics a worker needs to meet the job requirements.

Question 30

The formal study of the individual human motions used to perform a task was developed by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.

Question 31

Learning curves are useful for measuring work improvement for repetitive,simple jobs requiring short times to complete.

Question 32

A graph that reflects the fact that repetition of tasks improves worker performance is referred to as a learning curve.

Question 33

An 80% learning curve describes an improvement rate of 80% each time production doubles.

Question 34

A worker-machine chart determines whether worker and machine tasks are strategically aligned.

Question 35

A piece-rate wage plan rewards employees for attaining company goals and objectives.

Question 36

While still an important issue,diversity issues in North American companies is on the decline.

Question 37

A worker-machine chart illustrates the amount of time a worker and a machine are working or idle.

Question 38

A process flowchart is a graph showing the steps of a job or how a set of jobs fit together into the overall flow of the production process.

Question 39

By managing diversity a company can gain a competitive edge because all employees are given an opportunity to do their best.

Question 40

The elimination of racism,sexism,cultural indifference,and religious intolerance cannot be mandated by higher management or managed by financial incentives.

Question 41

Which of the following would most likely be used to redesign or improve existing jobs?

A)methods analysis
B)technology analysis
C)environmental analysis
D)task analysis

Question 42

The amount of time a worker and a machine are working or idle on a job is illustrated by a

A)process flowchart.
B)worker analysis.
C)task analysis.
D)worker-machine chart.

Question 43

___ refers to the physical location of a job and the requisite surroundings.

A)Task analysis
B)Worker analysis
C)Methods analysis
D)Environmental analysis

Question 44

___ gives employees the responsibility and authority to make decisions.

A)Cross training
B)Empowerment
C)Job rotation
D)Horizontal job enlargement

Question 45

All of the following are advantages of task specialization except

A)increased output.
B)lower labour costs.
C)reduced boredom.
D)minimal training.

Question 46

Fitting the task to the employee in a work environment is known as

A)motivation.
B)worker analysis.
C)ergonomics.
D)task analysis.

Question 47

An incentive plan that encourages employees to achieve a company's goals and objectives is referred to as

A)a piece-rate wage plan.
B)gainsharing.
C)profit sharing.
D)overtime.

Question 48

The principles of motion study relate to all of the following categories except

A)the human body.
B)the efficient use of capital.
C)the workplace.
D)the efficient use of equipment and machinery.

Question 49

___ illustrate the improvement rate of workers as a job is repeated.

A)Learning curves
B)Process curves
C)Learning charts
D)Process charts

Question 50

Allowing employees more control over their own work and some of the supervisory responsibilities is known as

A)vertical job enlargement.
B)empowerment.
C)horizontal job enlargement.
D)cross training.

Question 51

In a piece-rate wage system a worker's pay is based on

A)total output.
B)job rating.
C)job classification.
D)total time.

Question 52

Assigning a worker a complete unit of work with clearly defined start and end points is referred to as

A)vertical job enlargement.
B)job rotation.
C)horizontal job enlargement.
D)empowerment.

Question 53

Determining how tasks fit together to form a job is referred to as

A)worker analysis.
B)task analysis.
C)environmental analysis.
D)ergonomics.

Question 54

A(n)___ is used to graphically analyze how the steps of a job fit together into the overall flow of the production process.

A)methods analysis
B)process flowchart
C)task analysis
D)environmental analysis

Question 55

Advantages of empowerment include all of the following except

A)more attention to product quality.
B)higher productivity.
C)abuse of power.
D)more satisfying work.

Question 56

Motion study,the study of the individual human motions used in a task,was developed by

A)Henry Ford.
B)F.W.Taylor.
C)Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.
D)Frederick Herzberg.

Question 57

Advantages of telecommuting include all of the following except

A)reduced turnover.
B)decreased absenteeism and leave usage.
C)flexible work schedules.
D)direct visual surveillance of employees.

Question 58

___ involves the horizontal movement or a worker between two or more jobs.

A)Cross training
B)Empowerment
C)Alternative workplace
D)Job rotation

Question 59

The gradual shift from treating employees as a replaceable part to embracing them as a valuable resource was primarily brought about by the trend toward

A)globalization.
B)quality management.
C)scientific management.
D)customization.

Question 60

The elements of job design include

A)task analysis.
B)worker analysis.
C)environmental analysis.
D)all of the above.

Question 61

A graph that illustrates the improvement rate of workers as a job is repeated is known as a

A)learning curve.
B)process flowchart.
C)worker-machine chart.
D)task analysis chart.

Question 62

List the three categories of the principles of motion study and give two rules for each category.

Question 63

A learning curve illustrates that increasing the number of cumulative units produced ___ the labour required per unit.

A)increases
B)eliminates
C)decreases
D)does not impact

Question 64

A learning curve reflects the fact that

A)each time the number of units produced doubles,the processing time per unit decreases by a constant percentage.
B)each time the number of units produced doubles,the processing time per unit increases by a constant percentage.
C)each time the number of units produced doubles,the processing time per unit increases by 10%.
D)each time the number of units produced doubles,the processing time per unit remains the same.

Question 65

How has the trend toward quality management changed the way companies view their employees?

Question 66

Briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of scientific management.

Question 67

The direct labour times required to produce the first four units of a new product are shown below: Based on this data,the estimated learning or improvement rate is

A)100%.
B)90%.
C)85%.
D)80%.

Question 68

Briefly describe the principles of scientific management.

Question 69

What is empowerment and why is it important to total quality management (TQM)?

Question 70

What is the difference between cross training and job rotation?

Question 71

In what ways have advances in information technologies changed the working environment?

Question 72

A company has accepted a contract to produce a special electric motor.The number of direct labour hours required to produce the first motor is 250.If an 85% learning curve applies to the production of motors,then the number of labour hours needed to produce the 4^th motor is

A)212.5 hours.
B)180.6 hours.
C)153.5 hours.
D)0 37.5 hours

Question 73

Which of the following is not a true statement regarding learning curves?

A)Learning curves can help managers project labour requirements.
B)Learning curves are not affected by product modifications.
C)Learning curves are useful in developing production scheduling plans.
D)Learning curves can help make overall product cost estimates.

Question 74

Define the three categories of the elements of job design.

Question 75

Briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using learning curves.

Question 76

List 5 of the attributes of good job design identified by Frederick Herzberg.

Question 77

The direct labour hours required to produce the first two units of a new product are 2,000 and 1,800,respectively.Using a 90% learning rate the company would estimate the direct labour hours for the 5^th unit to be

A)1692.4 hours.
B)1620.0 hours.
C)1566.0 hours.
D)1523.2 hours.

Question 78

A 90% learning curve indicates

A)a 90% increase in processing time per unit as output doubles.
B)a 90% decrease in processing time per unit as output doubles.
C)a 10% increase in processing time per unit as output doubles.
D)a 10% decrease in processing time per unit as output doubles.

Question 79

The direct labour time required to produce the first sailboat of a particular model was 3000 hours.If the company believes that an 80% learning curve applies to the production of this model sailboat then the direct labour time required to produce the 2^nd boat is estimated to be

A)600 hours.
B)2,400 hours.
C)3,600 hours.
D)4,000 hours.