Question 1

Productivity equals

Accepted Answer

Productivity is defined by the formula of outputs divided by inputs for a specified period of time.Outputs are all the goods and services produced.Inputs are not only labor but also capital, materials, and energy.

Question 2

Which of the following is a primary function of management?

Accepted Answer

The four management functions are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.

Question 3

Managers should develop control standards when they are developing strategic plans.

Accepted Answer

Control systems support strategic plans and are concentrated on significant activities that will make a real difference to the organization.Thus, when managers are developing strategic plans for achieving strategic goals, that is the point at which they should pay attention to developing control standards that will measure how well the plans are being achieved.

Question 4

Twice daily, factory workers at Teller Copperworks select random samples from the production runs and test them for quality, rejecting runs if too many samples fall outside a standard range of acceptability.These workers are engaged in benchmarking.

Accepted Answer

Benchmarking is a process by which a company compares its performance with the best practices of high-performing organizations.The question is describing statistical process control.

Question 5

______ is defined as monitoring performance, comparing it with goals, and taking corrective action as needed.

Accepted Answer

Controlling is defined as monitoring performance, comparing it with goals, and taking corrective action as needed.

Question 6

Employees frustrated by too much control in the workplace may turn to sabotage of the control process.

Accepted Answer

Allowing employees too little discretion for analysis and interpretation may lead to employee frustration, particularly among professionals, such as college professors and medical doctors.Their frustration may lead them to ignore or try to sabotage the control process.

Question 7

Control systems are significantly improved by focusing them on reporting.

Accepted Answer

A specific kind of misdirection of control effort is management emphasis on getting reports done, to the exclusion of other performance activity.Reports are not the be-all and end-all.Undue emphasis on reports can lead to too much focus on quantification of results and even to falsification of data.

Question 8

Managers can increase overall productivity by

Accepted Answer

Managers can increase overall productivity by making substitutions or increasing the efficiency of any one element: labor, capital, materials, or energy.

Question 9

Which of the following is a challenge a manager will deal with in the 21^st century?

Accepted Answer

A manager in the 21^st century will operate in a complex environment in which he or she will need to deal with seven challenges, managing for (1) competitive advantage, (2) diversity, (3) globalization, (4) information technology, (5) ethical standards, (6) sustainability, and (7) your own happiness and life goals.

Question 10

Reduced cycle time means a reduction in steps in a work process.

Accepted Answer

Reduced cycle time is the reduction in steps in a work process, such as fewer authorization steps required to grant a contract to a supplier.

Question 11

Reema was recently promoted to facilities director at Harvest Processing.Which of the following should she do immediately as she tries to improve productivity?

Accepted Answer

One suggestion for improving productivity is to establish base points, set goals, and measure results.To be able to tell whether your work unit is becoming more productive, you need to establish systems of measurement.

Question 12

Which of the following has been a primary source of productivity gains in the years 1995 to 2001?

Accepted Answer

From 1995 to 2001, labor productivity in services grew at a 2.6% rate (outpacing the 2.3% for goods-producing sectors), the result, economists think, of information technology.In particular, many companies have implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) software systems, information systems for integrating virtually all aspects of a business.

Question 13

Corrine, a customer service manager, tracks monthly complaints and has been trying over the past six months to reduce them to fewer than 0.2% with additional training for her staff.She is engaged in

Accepted Answer

Controlling is defined as monitoring performance, comparing it with goals, and taking corrective action as needed.Corrine is undertaking this process with customer complaints, one measure of performance.

Question 14

Which of the following best describes ERP systems?

Accepted Answer

Many companies have implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) software systems, information systems for integrating virtually all aspects of a business, helping managers stay on top of the latest developments.

Question 15

Which of the following is not one of the reasons that control is needed in an organization?

Accepted Answer

Figure 16.3 shows the six reasons for control in an organization, one of which is to decentralize decision making and facilitate teamwork.

Question 16

Gulf Satellite has restructured its procedures for service calls, reducing the number of steps involved so that employees can finish each call faster.Gulf has engaged in reduced cycle time.

Accepted Answer

TQM puts emphasis on increasing the speed with which an organization's operations and processes can be performed.This is known as reduced cycle time, or reduction in steps in a work process, such as fewer authorization steps required to grant a contract to a supplier.

Question 17

Lean Six Sigma focuses on problem solving and performance improvement.

Accepted Answer

Lean Six Sigma focuses on problem solving and performance improvement, or speed with excellence, of a well-defined project.

Question 18

Though ISO 9000 can help a company improve its processes, unfortunately this quality designation is only accepted currently by the United States.

Accepted Answer

The ISO 9000 designation is now recognized by more than 100 countries around the world, and a quarter of the corporations around the globe insist that suppliers have ISO 9000 certification.

Question 19

According to Six Sigma, 99% perfect is the threshold for accepting defects in manufacturing and service-related products.

Accepted Answer

Six Sigma means being 99.9997% perfect.By contrast, Three Sigma or Four Sigma means settling for 99% perfect, which is the equivalent of no electricity for 7 hours each month, two short or long landings per day at each major airport, or 5,000 incorrect surgical operations per week.

Question 20

Control systems should leave no room for individual judgment.

Accepted Answer

Control systems must leave room for individual judgment, so that they can be modified when necessary to meet new requirements.In other words, control systems should be flexible.

Quiz 16: Control Systems and Quality Management: Techniques for Enhancing Organizational Effectiveness