Deck 2: Operations and Supply Chain Strategy

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT considered a key characteristic of a core capability:

A)It is based on factors that are rare or unique to the firm.
B)It is hard to imitate.
C)It does not need to be extendable to many market opportunities.
D)There are few substitutes for it.

Answer 1

It does not need to be extendable to many market opportunities.

Question 2

Which of the following is considered a "process-related" competitive priority?

A)Flexibility
B)Quality
C)Cost
D)All of these

Answer 2

Flexibility

Question 3

Which of the following is the most appropriate definition of a core capability?

A)A set of products unique to a firm.
B)Technical capabilities of a firm.
C)Reputation.
D)Production/design processes unique to the firm.

Answer 3

Production/design processes unique to the firm.

Question 4

A company with a number of physically separate plants has a centralized tool room. This tool room in the past has been responsible for emergency repairs. Whenever equipment (e.g., a spindle, boring machine, transfer line) in one of these separate plants breaks down, the affected items are brought to the tool room, where they are repaired. In some cases, the breakdowns affect production schedules. In other cases, the breakdowns are more annoying but do not adversely affect schedules. Complicating the operations in the tool room is the fact that many of the plans for the equipment are incomplete or out-of-date, thus resulting in "make from sample" requests (the broken part is provided and the tool room is asked to make the replacement piece just like the broken part). It is difficult to predict what equipment will break down and when. Furthermore, the company owns a wide variety of equipment. What are the order winners and order qualifiers in this scenario?

A)Option A
B)Option B
C)Option C
D)Option D

Question 5

Which of the following is a measure common to both the strategic profit model and the SCOR model?

A)Responsiveness
B)Return on assets
C)Delivery performance
D)Lead time

Question 6

A well-designed value proposition possesses four characteristics. Which of the following is NOT one of those characteristics?

A)It offers the highest product quality in each quality dimension.
B)It differentiates the firm from its competition in a way that is difficult to imitate.
C)It satisfies the financial and strategic objectives of the firm.
D)It can be reliably delivered given the operational capabilities of the firm and its supporting supply chain.

Question 7

Xanadu Inc. claims that its manufacturing processes result in fewer greenhouse gases than those of its primary competitors. This suggests that Xanadu has a focus on:

A)Risk management.
B)Sustainability.
C)Flexibility.
D)Profitability.

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT true about "order qualifiers"?

A)These are product traits that must meet a certain level in order for the product to even be considered by customers.
B)The firm must perform acceptably on these traits, usually at least as well as competitors' offerings.
C)Customers may not be aware of any level of performance in excess of those minimum levels that they have established.
D)All of the above are true about order qualifiers.

Question 9

Functional strategic planning involves decisions related to:

A)What businesses should we be in?
B)Specific product- and market-based initiatives and goals.
C)What metrics should be used to ensure progress in operations management?
D)All of these.

Question 10

Xanadu makes HD televisions. It claims that its HD televisions have the clearest picture clarity in the industry. Xanadu is emphasizing which dimension of quality?

A)Reliability
B)Performance
C)Features
D)Conformance

Question 11

The performance measurement approach that would be most useful in measuring and describing supply chain processes would be:

A)Strategic profit model.
B)Balanced scorecard.
C)SCOR model.
D)All of these.

Question 12

Which three elements make up the triple bottom line?

A)Planet, Pollution, Profit.
B)Pollution, Equality, People.
C)Profit, Equality, Pollution.
D)People, Profit, Planet.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a component of the business model?

A)Critical customer
B)Value proposition
C)Desired outcome statement
D)System capabilities

Question 14

Corporate strategic planning involves decisions related to:

A)What businesses should we be in?
B)What specific product- and market-based initiatives and goals should we establish?
C)What measures should we use to control strategic initiatives?
D)All of these.

Question 15

You are an upper-level manager in a firm. You believe that corporate objectives are not effectively disseminated throughout the organization and that line-level managers do not take them into account in their decision making. Which of the following would best help you to try to correct this problem?

A)Strategic profit model.
B)Balanced scorecard model.
C)Maslow's needs model.
D)SCOR model.

Question 16

A vice president of operations wants to evaluate the impact of reducing manufacturing expenses on the firm's return on assets. A measurement approach that he might consider for this is the:

A)Strategic profit model.
B)Balanced scorecard model.
C)SCOR model.
D)None of these.

Question 17

Scantron Inc. claims that its competitors have to recall 10 percent of their products to fix defects, while it only has to recall 5 percent. Scantron is emphasizing which dimension of quality?

A)Durability
B)Reliability
C)Performance
D)Conformance

Question 18

Which of the following is the most appropriate definition of an "order winner"?

A)A product characteristic that causes customers to choose the product over that of a competitor.
B)A product characteristic that permits the product to compete in a market.
C)A product that has the highest profit margin.
D)A product that generates the highest dollar sales volume.

Question 19

Currently, our system is characterized by a lack of fit between what the customer wants and what the SCM system is best able to provide. As a result, which of the following would apply?
I. The firm must change the market segment it is going after.
II. Unless something is done, our firm will not be the most effective and efficient long-term supplier.
III. Any firm can successfully counter such inconsistencies through the use of patents and aggressive advertising.

A)I only.
B)II only.
C)III only.
D)I and II only.
E)I, II, and III.

Question 20

"When operational capabilities are consistent with and supportive of the value proposition and the outcomes desired by critical customers" best describes the concept of:

A)Execution.
B)Flexibility.
C)Strategic planning.
D)Fit.