Question 1

Managers should most often rely on quantitative techniques for important decisions since quantitative approaches result in more accurate decisions.

Accepted Answer

Quantitative techniques are valuable for decision-making but should be complemented with qualitative insights, as important decisions often involve factors that cannot be quantified, such as human behavior, ethics, and uncertainty.

Question 2

In their chief role of _________, operations managers exert considerable influence over the degree to which the goals and objectives of the organization are realized.

Accepted Answer

Operations managers are primarily responsible for planning and making decisions that affect the day-to-day and strategic operations of a business, directly influencing the achievement of organizational goals and objectives.

Question 3

Elton Mayo's Hawthorne experiments were significant contributions to the human relations movement, which emphasized the importance of the human element in job design.

Accepted Answer

The Hawthorne experiments, conducted by Elton Mayo and his team, highlighted the impact of social relations, employee participation, and the work environment on productivity, thus contributing significantly to the human relations movement by emphasizing the importance of considering the human element in job design and management practices.

Question 4

Which of the following would tend to increase the importance of supply chain management?

Accepted Answer

Increased globalization leads to more complex supply chains that span multiple countries, making effective supply chain management more crucial to handle the complexities and efficiencies required in a global market.

Question 5

The optimal solutions produced by quantitative techniques should always be evaluated in terms of the larger framework.

Accepted Answer

Quantitative techniques often focus on specific, measurable outcomes without considering broader contextual factors. Evaluating these solutions within the larger framework ensures they align with overall goals, ethical considerations, and potential impacts on all stakeholders.

Question 6

Lean production systems incorporate the advantages of both mass production and craft production.

Accepted Answer

Lean production systems aim to combine the high quality and customization of craft production with the low cost and efficiency of mass production, by eliminating waste and continuously improving processes.

Question 7

Operations managers, who usually use quantitative approaches, are not really concerned with ethical decision making.

Accepted Answer

Operations managers, like professionals in any field, must consider ethical implications in their decision-making processes, even when using quantitative approaches. Ethical considerations are fundamental to maintaining trust and integrity in business operations.

Question 8

Marketing personnel and product designers must work closely with operations to successfully develop and produce new products because operations personnel can best judge how _____________ new product designs will be.

Accepted Answer

Operations personnel are primarily concerned with the production process, making them best suited to assess the manufacturability of new product designs.

Question 9

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, goods were produced primarily by craftsmen or their apprentices using custom-made parts.

Accepted Answer

Before the Industrial Revolution, goods were typically made by hand by craftsmen and their apprentices, often using parts that were custom-made for each individual product.

Question 10

Services can be stored and are not provided "on demand."

Accepted Answer

Services are intangible and are typically provided at the time of consumption, meaning they cannot be stored for later use like physical goods.

Question 11

Managing the supply chain has become more important as a result of firms increasing their levels of

Accepted Answer

Outsourcing has made managing the supply chain more critical because it involves coordinating with multiple external partners and suppliers, often across global distances, to ensure the timely and cost-effective delivery of goods and services.

Question 12

A systems approach means that we concentrate on efficiency within a subsystem and thereby assure overall efficiency.

Accepted Answer

A systems approach focuses on the interrelationships and interactions between different subsystems to ensure the overall system's effectiveness, rather than concentrating solely on the efficiency within a subsystem.

Question 13

The Pareto phenomenon is one of the most important and pervasive concepts that can be applied at all levels of management.

Accepted Answer

The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, is a widely recognized concept that suggests that roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. It is applicable across various domains, including management, where it can help in prioritizing tasks, resources, and strategies for effective decision-making and optimization of efforts.

Question 14

Which of the following is a type of transformation process used by operations to convert inputs into outputs?

Accepted Answer

All the options listed (cutting, storing, transporting, analyzing) are considered types of transformation processes in operations management. They all involve converting inputs into outputs, whether it's physically altering a product, moving goods, holding items until needed, or analyzing data to create information.

Question 15

Many operations management decisions can be described as trade-offs.

Accepted Answer

Operations management often involves making decisions that balance competing interests or objectives, such as cost versus quality, efficiency versus flexibility, or speed versus accuracy, which are essentially trade-offs.

Question 16

Operations and sales are the two functional areas that exist to support activities in other functions such as accounting, finance, IT, and human resources.

Accepted Answer

Operations and sales are primary functions that directly contribute to the production and distribution of a company's products or services, whereas accounting, finance, IT, and human resources are support functions that help the primary functions run smoothly.

Question 17

As an abstraction of reality, a model is a simplified version of a real phenomenon.

Accepted Answer

A model, by definition, is a simplified representation of a real-world phenomenon designed to help understand, explain, predict, or control that phenomenon.

Question 18

A "product package" consists of

Accepted Answer

A "product package" refers to a combination of goods and services offered together to provide value to the customer.

Question 19

Business organizations consist of three major functional areas which, ideally

Accepted Answer

The three major functional areas in business organizations—typically finance, marketing, and operations—are designed to support one another, ensuring the organization functions effectively and efficiently as a cohesive unit.

Question 20

Among Ford's many contributions was the introduction of mass production, using the concepts of interchangeable parts and division of labor.

Accepted Answer

Henry Ford revolutionized the automobile industry by introducing the first moving assembly line for the mass production of cars. This method utilized the concepts of interchangeable parts and division of labor, significantly lowering the cost of production and making cars more affordable to the general public.

Quiz 1: Introduction to Operations Management