Question 1

W. Edwards Deming pioneered statistical quality control at the Western Electric Company.

Accepted Answer

Deming is known for his work in quality management and statistical quality control, but he did not pioneer these concepts at the Western Electric Company. That was Walter A. Shewhart, who worked at Western Electric and developed the control chart.

Question 2

Operations research techniques were applied first in the area of human resource management where there was a great need for more quantifiable decisions.

Accepted Answer

Operations research techniques were first applied during World War II for military operations, not in human resource management.

Question 3

The Germans formed the first "operations research teams"
of various specialists in an effort to bring their knowledge to bear upon the problems of radar systems and civilian defense matters.

Accepted Answer

The British, not the Germans, formed the first operations research teams during World War II to improve the effectiveness of radar systems and address other military and civilian defense issues.

Question 4

"Just-in-time" inventory management reduces the cost of carrying inventory, that is, inventory "float.".

Accepted Answer

Just-in-time inventory management minimizes inventory levels by receiving goods only as they are needed, thus reducing the costs associated with storing and managing excess inventory.

Question 5

W. Edwards Deming was very successful with Japanese industry before the U.S. managers became interested.

Accepted Answer

Deming's management principles were initially embraced by Japanese industry post-World War II, leading to significant improvements in quality and productivity, before gaining widespread recognition in the United States.

Question 6

The Gordon and Howell report (1959) praised production management courses as the most "intellectually stimulating"
in business school curricula.

Accepted Answer

The Gordon and Howell report (1959) criticized production management courses for lacking intellectual rigor compared to other business school subjects.

Question 7

The Gantt Chart concept was extended and enriched by PERT and CPM techniques.

Accepted Answer

The Gantt Chart, originally a simple scheduling tool, was enhanced by PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) and CPM (Critical Path Method) to include more complex project management features like task dependencies and critical path analysis.

Question 8

"Benchmarking" insures the firm has a competitive advantage by following the best practices of its competitors.

Accepted Answer

Benchmarking involves comparing a firm's processes and performance metrics to industry bests or best practices from other companies, but it does not guarantee a competitive advantage. It helps identify areas for improvement, but competitive advantage requires unique value creation.

Question 9

Cybernetics showed that all systems could be designed to control themselves through a communications loop that fed back information allowing the organism to adjust to its environment.

Accepted Answer

Cybernetics is the study of systems, including biological, mechanical, and social systems, and how they can self-regulate through feedback loops to adapt to changes in their environment.

Question 10

Taiichi Ohno developed his "just-in-time" system of inventory management from practices at the Ford Motor Company.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Taiichi Ohno developed his "just-in-time" system of...

Question 11

The International Organization for Standardization was established to insure each nation followed the best practices within its industry.

Accepted Answer

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was established to develop and publish international standards to ensure quality, safety, efficiency, and interoperability across industries, not to enforce practices in individual nations.

Question 12

Was the application of scientific knowledge and methods to the study of complex problems with the stated purpose of deriving a quantitative basis for decisions which would accomplish the organization's objective.
A) scientific research
B) behavioral research
C) operations research
D) organizational research
E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Operations research involves applying scientific methods to analyze complex problems and derive quantitative solutions for decision-making to achieve organizational objectives.

Question 13

In the modern era, management science uses mathematics and the scientific method to help solve the problem(s) of:
A) the optimum allocation of scarce resources.
B) defining the firm's social responsibility.
C) facilitating human adjustment to environmental changes.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.

Accepted Answer

Management science primarily focuses on the optimal allocation of scarce resources using mathematical and scientific methods.

Question 14

Statistical quality control was pioneered at Western Electric by:
A) Elton Mayo
B) Walter Shewhart
C) Clair Turner
D) Frederick W. Taylor
E) Bing Crosby

Accepted Answer

Walter Shewhart is credited with pioneering statistical quality control at Western Electric.

Question 15

__________ is a modern adaptations of the Gantt Chart:
A) Statistical Quality Control
B) POSDCORB
C) Industry best practices
D) PPBS
E) PERT

Accepted Answer

PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) is a modern adaptation of the Gantt Chart, used for project management and scheduling.

Question 16

Took Shewhart's ideas on quality control to Japan.
A) Ludwig von Bertalanffy
B) P.M.S. Blackett
C) Lillian Gilbreth
D) W. Edwards Deming
E) A.V. Feigenbaum

Accepted Answer

W. Edwards Deming is credited with taking Shewhart's ideas on quality control to Japan, where he significantly influenced Japanese manufacturing and quality practices.

Question 17

Is the phrase used to describe the formation of small problem-solving groups of workers, supervisors, and specialists for the purpose of developing better ways of doing a job.
A) project research groups
B) task improvement teams
C) quantity cadres
D) quality circles
E) participative planning teams

Accepted Answer

Quality circles are small groups of workers and supervisors who meet regularly to discuss and develop solutions for work-related problems, aiming to improve quality and efficiency.

Question 18

_____________ of the Toyota Motor Company developed "just-in-time" inventory management from earlier ideas at the Ford Motor Company.
A) P.M.S. Blackett
B) Frederick W. Taylor
C) W. Edwards Deming
D) Joseph Juran
E) Taiichi Ohno

Accepted Answer

Taiichi Ohno of the Toyota Motor Company is credited with developing the "just-in-time" inventory management system, building on earlier concepts from the Ford Motor Company.

Question 19

A more modern view of production/operations management is that:
A) more quantification is needed to prescribe better models.
B) the lowest manufacturing cost is not always the most competitive cost.
C) manufacturing strategy must be incorporated in overall corporate strategy.
D) all of the above.
E) only b and b above.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A more modern view of production/operations management...

Question 20

"Just-in-time" inventory management:
A) is an idea generally credited to Taiichi Ohno
B) was developed as part of the Toyota Production System
C) was practiced at the Ford Motor Company
D) all of the above.
E) only and above.

Accepted Answer

Just-in-time inventory management is credited to Taiichi Ohno and was developed as part of the Toyota Production System. It was also practiced at the Ford Motor Company, making all the options correct.

Quiz 21: Science and Systems in an Information Age

W. Edwards Deming pioneered statistical quality control at the Western Electric Company.

Operations research techniques were applied first in the area of human resource management where there was a great need for more quantifiable decisions.

The Germans formed the first "operations research teams" of various specialists in an effort to bring their knowledge to bear upon the problems of radar systems and civilian defense matters.

"Just-in-time" inventory management reduces the cost of carrying inventory, that is, inventory "float.".

W. Edwards Deming was very successful with Japanese industry before the U.S. managers became interested.

The Gordon and Howell report (1959) praised production management courses as the most "intellectually stimulating" in business school curricula.

The Gantt Chart concept was extended and enriched by PERT and CPM techniques.

"Benchmarking" insures the firm has a competitive advantage by following the best practices of its competitors.

Cybernetics showed that all systems could be designed to control themselves through a communications loop that fed back information allowing the organism to adjust to its environment.

Taiichi Ohno developed his "just-in-time" system of inventory management from practices at the Ford Motor Company.

The International Organization for Standardization was established to insure each nation followed the best practices within its industry.

Was the application of scientific knowledge and methods to the study of complex problems with the stated purpose of deriving a quantitative basis for decisions which would accomplish the organization's objective.

In the modern era, management science uses mathematics and the scientific method to help solve the problem(s) of:

Statistical quality control was pioneered at Western Electric by:

__________ is a modern adaptations of the Gantt Chart:

Took Shewhart's ideas on quality control to Japan.

Is the phrase used to describe the formation of small problem-solving groups of workers, supervisors, and specialists for the purpose of developing better ways of doing a job.

_____________ of the Toyota Motor Company developed "just-in-time" inventory management from earlier ideas at the Ford Motor Company.

A more modern view of production/operations management is that:

"Just-in-time" inventory management: