Krajewski TIF Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Operations as a Competitive Weapon
Chapter
1 Operations as a Competitive
Weapon
TRUE/FALSE
1. Operations management refers to the direction and control of inputs that transform processes into
products and services.
Answer: True
Reference: Operations Management Across the Organization
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: operations, management, inputs, process, transform
2. Clear departmental lines around areas of specialization allow each department to function at peak
efficiency.
Answer: False
Difficulty: Moderate
Keyword: specialization
3. Informal social systems should be hindered by management since they often lead to interaction across
functional areas.
Answer: False
Keywords: social, informal
4. A process involves transforming inputs into outputs.

Answer: True
Reference: A Process View
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: process, inputs, outputs
5. Inputs to a process can include human resources.

Answer: True
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: inputs, process, resource
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6. Every process has a customer.

Answer: True
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: process, customer
7. A nested process refers to a process within a process.

Answer: True
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: nested, process
8. At the level of the firm, service providers offer just services and manufacturers offer just products.
Answer: False
Keywords: manufacturing, service, similarity, goods, services
9. At the process level, it is much easier to distinguish whether the process is providing a service or
manufacturing a product.
Answer: True
Keywords: manufacturing, service, process, goods, services
10. A value chain is the cumulative work of a firms processes.

Answer: True
Reference: Adding Value: The Value Chain
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: process, value chain
11. A core process is a chain of activities that provides vital resources and inputs to the value chain.
Answer: False
Keywords: core, process, value chain
12. The supplier relationship process includes the activities required to produce and deliver the service or
product to the supplier.
Answer: False
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: supplier, relationship, process
13. Strategic plans are developed farther into the future than are tactical plans.
Answer: True
Reference: Operations Management As a Set of Decisions
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: strategy, tactics
14. Productivity is measured as input divided by output.
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Answer: False
Reference: Trends in Operations Management
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: productivity, input, output
15. Labor productivity is an index of the output per person or hours worked.
Answer: True
Keywords: labor, productivity, output
16. Most products today are composites of global materials and services from throughout the world.
Answer: True
Keywords: global, products
17. The increased global presence of many firms has lessened the burden to behave ethically.
Answer: False
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: ethics, global
MULTIPLE CHOICE
18. Regardless of how departments like Accounting, Engineering, Finance, and Marketing function in an
organization, they are all linked together through:
a. management.
b. processes.
c. customers.
d. stakeholders.
Answer: b
Keywords: departments, functions, processes
19. Which of these departments has perhaps the strongest connection with the operations function?
a. Marketing
b. Human Resources
c. Finance
d. Accounting
Answer: a
Keywords: departments, processes, marketing
20. Which one of the following statements regarding operations management is true?
a. Inputs to a production system include capital and materials, but not human resources.
b. Operations management deals only with manufacturing organizations because service organizations
do not have tangible outputs.
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c. Typical inputs to a production system are processes and consumer goods.

d. Customer participation and information on performance are two special types of inputs to a
production system.
Answer: d
Keywords: operations, participation, input, information
21. Operations management is part of a production system that can be described in the following manner:
Organization: inputsprocessesoutputs.
Which one of the following correctly describes a production system?
a. Airline: pilotsplanestransportation
b. Bank: tellerscomputer equipmentdeposits
c. Furniture manufacturer: woodsandingchair
d. Telephone company: satellitescablescommunication
Answer: c
Keywords: production, system, input, process, output
22. Which of the following statements is more of a general characteristic of a manufacturing organization,
as compared to a service organization?
a. Short-term demand tends to be highly variable.
b. Operations are more capital intensive.
c. Outputs are more intangible.
d. Quality is more difficult to measure.
Answer: b
Keywords: manufacturing, service, capital
23. Which of these is an example of a nested process?

a. At the start of the new semester, a student first pays tuition and then goes to the bookstore.
b. A customer service representative verifies a callers account information.
c. A candidates intent to graduate is checked for financial holds by the Bursar and for degree
requirements by Advising before the diploma mill prints their sheepskin.
d. A stockbroker calls a client and advises her to sell silver short.
Answer: c
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: nested, process
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24. Which one of the following statements is more of a general characteristic of a service organization, as
compared to a manufacturing organization?
a. Output can be inventoried.
b. The response time is longer.
c. There is less customer contact.
d. The facilities tend to be smaller.
Answer: d
Keywords: service, manufacturing, facilities
25. Which of the following statements concerning manufacturing and service organizations is generally
true?
a. A service facility is more likely to serve national or even international markets.
b. Manufacturing organizations generally have more difficulty in matching capacity with demand.
c. In many service organizations, such as hospitals and entertainment centers, customers themselves are
inputs to the transformation processes.
d. Most service organizations can buffer themselves against uncertain demand by creating inventories
and smoothing output levels.
Answer: c
Keywords: manufacturing, service, input
26. Which of the following generally is not true of both service and manufacturing?
a. Both types of organizations normally provide a package of goods and services.
b. They must both inventory their inputs.
c. Customer focus is necessary for success in both services and manufacturing.
d. They must both inventory their outputs.
Answer: d
Keywords: manufacturing, service, inventory
27. Refresh your understanding of the word customer on operations management and identify the statement
that is TRUE.
a. Manufacturing systems can have only internal customers because other departments are
responsible for serving the external customer.
b. Only service organizations have external customers because service is provided in the presence of a
customer.
c. Customers can be internal or external in both manufacturing and service operations.
d. The concept of an external customer is no longer relevant because delivery is given by third-party
distribution companies.
Answer: c
Keywords: customer, internal, external, manufacturing, service
28. We have viewed operations management in several different ways. One acceptable view of operations
management is as a:
a. corporate function in which the best way to finance corporate assets is determined.
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b. system wherein inputs pass through one or more operations and are transformed into outputs (goods
or services).
c. set of decisions related to budgeting the annual resources between different functional areas.
d. set of decisions related to product pricing and marketing.
Answer: b
Keywords: system, input, output, operation
29. Which of the following statements is best? Operations management can be made more effective by:
a. focusing on aspects of operations that are directly related to production.
b. coordinating operations with other functional areas that impact operations.
c. making production early enough so that stockouts do not occur.
d. coordinating all activities related to operations directly or indirectly, both within and outside the
organization.
Answer: d
Keywords: operation, management, coordination, activity
30. A chain of activities that delivers value to external customers is a:

a. value chain.
b. core process.
c. support process.
d. system.
Answer: b
Keywords: chain, activity, core, process
31. Budgeting, recruiting, and scheduling are examples of these types of processes.
a. Development
b. Core process
c. Support process
d. System
Answer: c
Keywords: chain, activity, support, process
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32. The core processes in a value chain must add value for the external customers, while support
processes:
a. do not add value for the customer.
b. include the order fulfillment process.
c. are directly involved in service to the external client.
d. are also part of the value chain.
Answer: d
Keywords: process, core, support, value, chain
33. The process that facilitates the placement of orders and identifies, attracts, and builds relationships
with external customers is called the:
a. customer relationship process.
b. new service development process.
c. order fulfillment process.
d. supplier relationship process.
Answer: a
Keywords: process, customer, relationship
34. The process that designs and develops new products and services is called the:
Answer: b
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: process, order, fulfillment
35. The process that includes the activities required to produce and deliver the service or product to the
customer is called the:
Answer: c
Keywords: process, order, fulfillment
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36. Decisions that are less structured and have long-term consequences are:
a. tactical decisions.
b. operational decisions.
c. strategic decisions.
d. functional decisions.
Answer: c
Reference: Operations Management as a Set of Decisions
Keywords: strategy, strategic, decisions
37. An example of a tactical decision that an operations manager is typically involved in is:
a. the development and organization of a value chain.
b. how to measure and improve process performance.
c. the sequence of customer orders to process.
d. whether to expand operations globally.
Answer: b
Reference: Operations Management as a Set of Decisions
Keywords: tactical, decisions
38. Cross-functional coordination can be achieved by:

a. changing the goal-setting process.
b. clearly defining departmental lines.
c. increasing organizational size.
d. dispersing employees geographically.
Answer: a
Keywords: cross-functional, management
39. Which of the following is NOT a trend in operations management?

a. Increased presence of the manufacturing sector
b. Increased global competition in both manufacturing and services
c. Increased emphasis on quality
d. Pressures to address social issues such as pollution and workplace diversity
Answer: a
Keywords: operation, management, trend
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40. Which one of the following statements concerning productivity trends is best?
a. U.S. productivity has been shrinking over the past three years.
b. The low growth in service productivity has had little effect on overall U.S. productivity.
c. The U.S. service sector has experienced small productivity gains, as have the service sectors of
major trading partners such as Japan and Germany.
d. Japanese productivity is greater than that of the United States.
Answer: c
Keywords: productivity, service
41. Which one of the following statements on productivity trends is best?

a. Service-sector productivity growth is weak only in the United States.
b. Of the industrial nations, Germany has the highest labor productivity.
c. Service-sector productivity is a concern because stagnating productivity leads to an overall decline
in the standard of living.
d. The United States has been widening the productivity gap with many countries, including Japan.
Answer: c
Keywords: productivity, service
42. Which of the following statements is best?

a. Operations management refers primarily to manufacturing.
b. Productivity in the service sector has kept pace with the manufacturing sector.
c. Operations managers have little interaction with other functional areas.
d. Global competition is putting additional pressures on operations managers.
Answer: d
Keywords: global, operation
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43. A process produces 5000 units of output that yield $6 per unit. Resources contributed to this output are
200 hours of labor at $15 per hour, materials at $700 and overhead at $300. What is the labor
productivity?
a. 20
b. 25
c. 30
d. 40
Answer: b
Keywords: productivity, labor
44. It takes the Kwinzee shipyard six months with 500 workers to build a small tanker. Material costs are
$32 million and overhead costs are $2 million. Workers cost $40 per hour including benefits and work
40 hours per week. The ship sells for $75 million. What is the multifactor productivity ratio?
a. Less than 1.0
b. Greater than 1.0 but less than or equal to 2.0
c. Greater than 2.0 but less than or equal to 3.0
d. Greater than 3.0
Answer: b
Keywords: productivity, multifactor
FILL IN THE BLANK
45. Operations management refers to the systematic design, direction, and control of ___________ that
transform ____________ into products and services.
Answer: processes, inputs
Keywords: process, input, transform, product, service
46. A(n) ________ is any activity or group of activities that takes one or more inputs, transforms and adds
value to them, and provides one or more outputs for its customers.
Answer: process
Keywords: process, activity, input, value
47. The cumulative work of the processes of a firm is a(n) ________________.

Answer: value chain
Keywords: processes, value, chain
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48. ________________ provide vital resources and inputs to core processes.

Answer: Support processes
Keywords: support, process, core
49. Productivity is defined as __________ divided by____________.

Answer: output, input
Keywords: output, input, productivity
SHORT ANSWERS
50. List and briefly describe five differences between services and manufacturing. Provide examples to
illustrate your arguments.
Answer:
Manufactured Goods Services
Physical, durable products Intangible, perishable products
Output can be produced, stored, and transported Cant be produced and stored
Low customer contact Customers can be part of the input and part of the process
Have days to deliver Must be offered within minutes
Regional, national, or international markets Local markets
Large facilities Small facilities
Capital intensive Labor intensive
Quality easily measured Quality not easily measured
Keywords: manufacturing, service
51. Identify a large employer in your hometown. Describe this organizations inputs, processes, and
outputs.
Answer: Answers will vary based on the employer selected.
Keywords: input, process, output
52. What are four core processes in a firm and how are they related?
Answer: The customer relationship process identifies, attracts, and builds relationships with
external customers and facilitates the placement of orders. The order fulfillment process includes
activities required to produce and deliver the service or product to the external customer. The new
service/product development process designs and develops new services or products, which may be
to customer specifications. The supplier relationship process selects the suppliers of services,
materials, and information and facilitates the flow of these items into the firm. All of these
processes exist to provide a service or product to the customer.
Keywords: core, process, customer, development, order, supplier
53. How has global competition affected productivity? Cite specific examples and reference the
productivity equation to support your thesis.
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Answer: Examples will vary; students should argue that the increase in global competition has
increased productivity for those firms that have survived. Firms that fail (or have already failed) to
effectively compete with new competition suffer from reduced sales, so the numerator in the
productivity equation will be lower, perhaps without a commensurate decrease in the denominator,
resulting in reduced productivity. Firms that are effectively competing against global competition
probably have higher levels of productivity. Global operations might include cheaper or better raw
materials and labor, resulting in a smaller denominator and higher productivity. Global competition
might also inject new management techniques and leaner operations if some services are outsourced
or offshored to specialist companies.
Keywords: operations, manager, skill, analysis, behavior, global, technology
PROBLEM
54. Barrys Tire Service completed 100 tire changes, six brake jobs, and 16 alignments in an eight-hour
day with his standard crew of six mechanics. A brake specialist costs $16 per hour, a tire changer costs
$8 per hour, and an alignment mechanic costs $14 per hour. The materials cost for a day was $2000,
and overhead cost was $500.
a. What is the shops labor productivity if the retail price for each respective service is $60, $150, and
$40?
b. What is the multifactor productivity, if the crew consisted of two of each type mechanic?
Answer:
(100 60 6 150 16 40) $157
a.
68 hr
{(100 60) (6 150) (16 40)}

b. 2.43
{(2 8 16) (2 8 8) (2 8 14) 2000 500}
Keywords: productivity, multifactor, labor
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What are the core processes in a firm and how are they related?

What are the core processes in a firm and how are they related?

How has global competition affected productivity? Cite specific examples and reference the productivity equation to support your thesis.

How has global competition affected productivity? Cite specific examples and reference the productivity equation to support your thesis.

Chapter 1 Operations as a Competitive Weapon

4. A process involves transforming inputs into outputs.

5. Inputs to a process can include human resources.

6. Every process has a customer.

7. A nested process refers to a process within a process.

10. A value chain is the cumulative work of a firms processes.

14. Productivity is measured as input divided by output.

c. Typical inputs to a production system are processes and consumer goods.

23. Which of these is an example of a nested process?

30. A chain of activities that delivers value to external customers is a:

38. Cross-functional coordination can be achieved by:

39. Which of the following is NOT a trend in operations management?

41. Which one of the following statements on productivity trends is best?

42. Which of the following statements is best?

FILL IN THE BLANK

47. The cumulative work of the processes of a firm is a(n) ________________.

48. ________________ provide vital resources and inputs to core processes.

49. Productivity is defined as __________ divided by____________.

{(100 60) (6 150) (16 40)}

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49. Productivity is defined as divided by__.