Question 1

The Motorola Corporation has begun a program that promises to improve employee motivation. This is an example of a way to ____ productivity.

Accepted Answer

The Motorola Corporation's program aims to improve employee motivation which will lead to increased productivity.

Question 2

Kraft Foods began producing Jell-O over sixty years ago, and the product continues to be profitable. All of the following are methods Kraft Foods has probably used to lengthen Jell-O's product life cycle except

Accepted Answer

Product integration involves adding new features or products to complement the original product. This is not applicable to Jell-O as it is a stand-alone product and does not require integration with other products. Therefore, all the other choices, product refinement, advertising and promotion, research and development, and product extension, could potentially lengthen Jell-O's product life cycle.

Question 3

Phil Johnson is the owner of a small firm that manufactures customized oil-drilling equipment. The company's manufacturing facility is organized into a fabrication section, a heat treatment section, a welding section, and a quality control section. This type of plant layout is referred to as a(n) ____ layout.

Accepted Answer

A process layout is characterized by grouping together similar or related processes or equipment. In this case, Phil Johnson's manufacturing facility is organized into sections based on the specific processes involved in manufacturing customized oil-drilling equipment, which best fits a process layout.

Question 4

Kraft combines elbow macaroni, cheese, and cardboard to make packages of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. This most closely resembles a(n) ____ process.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Kraft combines elbow macaroni, cheese, and cardboard...

Question 5

Research activities undertaken to put new or existing knowledge to use in producing goods and services are called

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research activities undertaken to put new or...

Question 6

During the period after World War II, the United States was the most productive country in the world for approximately ____ years.

Accepted Answer

The period after World War II is commonly known as the post-war era or the Golden Age of Capitalism. During this time, the US experienced significant economic growth due to factors such as increased consumer spending, government investment in infrastructure, and technological advancements. This period lasted from the mid-1940s to the early 1970s, which is approximately 30 years, making choice D the correct answer.

Question 7

When New Coke was introduced, it failed miserably in the market. After removing it from its product line, what did Coca-Cola most likely do with the capacity devoted to producing this product?

Accepted Answer

It is most likely that Coca-Cola would shift the excess capacity to produce other soft-drink products as this would be the most cost-effective solution. Eliminating facilities or firing employees is a drastic measure that would likely have negative consequences for the company's operations and reputation. Subcontracting the production of New Coke to another producer is also unlikely, as the failure of the product suggests a lack of expertise in its development and production. Decreasing the work week of production line employees may be a temporary solution but would not address the long-term issue of excess capacity.

Question 8

When Black & Decker manufactures its wide array of tools, it is using a(n) ____ process.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When Black & Decker manufactures its wide...

Question 9

​Meadowlark Medical Offices noticed that appointments taken by receptionists resulted in a lag between patients arriving, checking-in, being directed to an open treatment room, and the doctor being notified that they were in the treatment room waiting. To eliminate this lag, an electronic check-in system was installed. Patients now enter their information in the computer in the waiting room and all of the other functions are handled electronically with the receptionist only required to open the door, greet the patient, and walk them to the treatment room. When the treatment room door closes, a light above the door notifies the staff that the room is occupied. This is an example of a way to _____ productivity.

Accepted Answer

The installation of the electronic check-in system has streamlined the check-in process and eliminated the lag between patient arrival and doctor notification, thus increasing productivity.

Question 10

In a service industry such as a package carrier, the ____ of the conversion process is usually small or none at all.

Accepted Answer

Magnitude refers to the size or extent of something. Since package carriers are in the service industry, there is usually little to no physical conversion process involved, meaning the magnitude of the process is small or nonexistent. Therefore, choice B is the best answer.

Question 11

Steinway, a company that produces concert quality grand pianos, has ivory in storage waiting to be made into piano keys. This ivory is classified as

Accepted Answer

The ivory is waiting to be used to produce piano keys, so it is considered raw materials inventory.

Question 12

A software manufacturer may seriously consider locating its facility in Silicon Valley because

Accepted Answer

Silicon Valley is known for its abundance of talented and experienced technology professionals, making it an ideal location for a software manufacturer looking for a skilled labor force. The other options, such as the availability of electricity and tax benefits packages, may also be factors in the decision-making process, but the skilled labor force is likely the primary consideration.

Question 13

Sarah regularly spends an entire working day ensuring that goods and services are produced in accordance with design specifications. Obviously ____ is important in her company.

Accepted Answer

Sarah's responsibility of ensuring that goods and services are produced in accordance with design specifications falls under the category of quality control. Therefore, option C is the best choice. The other options, product design, design planning, inventory control, and operations control, do not directly relate to Sarah's responsibility of ensuring quality control.

Question 14

Technology that is characterized by low initial costs and high operating costs is termed

Accepted Answer

Technology that has low initial costs but high operating costs is often referred to as labor-intensive, as it relies heavily on human labor to operate and maintain. This stands in contrast to capital-intensive technology, which often requires significant investments up front but lower ongoing costs.

Question 15

Thad is in charge of examining the quality of work in process at a furniture factory. Thad's duty is referred to as

Accepted Answer

Thad's duty of examining the quality of work in process at a furniture factory is referred to as inspection. This involves checking the products for defects and ensuring that they meet the necessary standards before they are released into the market. This falls under quality control and is important for maintaining customer satisfaction and brand reputation.

Question 16

The just-in-time inventory system focuses on minimizing

Accepted Answer

The just-in-time inventory system aims to minimize storage and holding costs by ensuring that inventory is received only when it is needed for production, and products are produced only when there is demand for them. This approach helps to reduce the costs associated with storing excess inventory, such as warehousing, handling, and insurance expenses.

Question 17

Liz Claiborne, Inc. has a system that combines the use of computers to aid in the development of products and the use of computers to plan and control manufacturing processes. What is this combined system called?

Accepted Answer

The system described in the question combines computer-aided product development (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), utilizing technology to streamline the entire production process. This is known as Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (CIM). Therefore, the best choice is B - Computer-integrated manufacturing.

Question 18

The type of utility on which production and operations management focuses is ____ utility.

Accepted Answer

Production and operations management focuses on creating form utility, or the value added to a product or service through the transformation process of raw materials and components into finished goods or services.

Question 19

ABC Company
ABC Company is dedicated to operations control. It holds its suppliers to the highest standards, believing there is one best way to complete their tasks. ABC has even gone so far as to incorporate the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria into its business. Following these criteria has allowed the company to grow from a small business to a large corporation. ABC plans on going international in the next couple of years to broaden its scop
-Refer to ABC Company. Given that ABC is dedicated to operations control, the management must have incorporated all of these aspects of operations control except

Accepted Answer

The passage does not mention anything about ABC's dedication to operations control in its selling practices. Therefore, it can be inferred that selling has not been incorporated as an aspect of operations control.

Question 20

IBM satisfies consumers' needs for powerful, easy-to-use laptop computers by converting assorted software routines, hardware devices, and miscellaneous parts into personal computers. By doing this, IBM is creating

Accepted Answer

IBM is creating form utility by assembling different software and hardware components into a finished product, a laptop computer, which meets consumers' needs for powerful and easy-to-use devices. Form utility is the process of converting raw materials, components and other inputs into a finished product that is useful and can be offered for sale to consumers.

Quiz 8: Producing Quality Goods and Services