Q&A Hero

Q: The best evidence that managers must have guided the construction of the Egyptian pyramids is ________. A) how long ago they were built B) the fact that they were built by hand C) their sheer size D) their majestic beauty

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Q: Henry Ford's statement that "History is more or less bunk" is best refuted by which of the following statements? A) History has been shown to be 100 percent accurate. B) History can put current activities in perspective. C) Historical facts are seldom proven to be wrong. D) People who write history always have an agenda.

Q: The requirement for value chain management that includes an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to link all of an organization's activities is ________. A) employees/human resources B) technology investment C) coordination and collaboration D) leadership

Q: The requirement for value chain management that is most closely associated with trust is ________. A) organizational culture and attitudes B) technology investment C) organizational processes D) employees/human resources

Q: The requirement for value chain management that is most closely associated with defining and communicating expectations is ________. A) coordination and collaboration B) technology investment C) organizational culture and attitudes D) leadership

Q: The requirement for value chain management that involves better product demand forecasting information is ________. A) leadership B) organizational culture and attitudes C) coordination and collaboration D) organizational processes

Q: The requirement for value chain management that involves being flexible and sharing information is ________. A) employees/human resources B) technology investment C) coordination and collaboration D) organizational processes

Q: A business model is ________. A) a competitor that a company seeks to emulate B) a strategic design for how a company intends to make profit C) a theoretical ideal that a company seeks to emulate D) an unrelated organization whose practices a company seeks to emulate

Q: Productivity is not important to value chain management.

Q: Value chain management is efficiency oriented.

Q: Value chain management is externally oriented.

Q: The manufacturer is the most powerful part of the value chain because it adds more value than the other parts.

Q: Value in a value chain management system is determined by managers.

Q: Since all partners in a value chain benefit when value is added, partners ideally should ________. A) collaborate closely B) work independently of one another C) be dependent only on their narrow local part of the chain D) collaborate with every other part of the chain

Q: A new cell phone battery doubles battery life but also increases the cost of the phone. This battery adds ________. A) no value to the phone since it increases the cost B) value to the phone only if the cost can be cut C) value to the phone if more customers buy the phone D) no value to the phone if more customers buy the phone

Q: When value is created by a participant in a value chain ________ benefits. A) everyone downstream from that step in the chain B) only the party that initiated the step C) everyone in the chain D) only the customers

Q: In value chain management, ultimately the ________ have power to make changes. A) suppliers B) customers C) employees D) managers

Q: All of the following are characteristics of value chain management EXCEPT ________. A) it is externally oriented B) it focuses on both incoming materials and outgoing products and services C) it is efficiency oriented D) it is effectiveness oriented

Q: Value chain management is ________ oriented. A) supplier B) internally C) manager D) externally

Q: ________ focuses on providing an efficient flow of resources to an organization. A) Supply chain management B) Value chain management C) Value D) Supply

Q: ________ is the process of managing the sequence of activities and information along the entire value chain for a product. A) Supply chain management B) Value chain management C) Supply management D) Customer management

Q: In its entirety, the value chain includes which of the following participants? A) internal customers, external customers, and stakeholders B) design, production, and customers C) research and development, production, and distribution D) suppliers, manufacturers, and customers

Q: The ________ is the series of work actions that add value to a product as it is being transformed from inputs to finished product. A) supply chain B) value chain C) output chain D) input chain

Q: When the New York Times experimented with charging money for its online news source, its popularity on the Internet plummeted. This shows that online news, at least as it is defined in this market, has ________. A) enormous value B) no value C) no appeal D) little value

Q: On eBay, brand-new red espresso machines routinely sell for $50 more than identical white machines. What can you conclude? A) The color white has no value. B) The color red has value. C) Color has no value since it does not add to the function of the machine. D) There is something different about the red machines.

Q: The durability an expensive pair of shoes provides has value since ________ are willing to ________ it. A) suppliers; provide B) customers; pay for C) manufacturers; make D) managers; plan for

Q: Value is any aspect of a product that customers ________ in the product. A) like or admire B) want to see C) will pay for D) notice

Q: Operations management is likely to play a key role in American firms regaining their preeminence among world companies.

Q: In the 1960s and 1970s, companies in Japan and Germany began to catch up with U.S. firms by focusing on quality.

Q: After World War II, managers in the U.S. firms began to focus on manufacturing rather than finance and marketing.

Q: Deming's 14 points were useful in their time but are now largely considered to be obsolete.

Q: Productivity goals, according to Deming, should be strictly numerical to avoid ambiguity.

Q: Deming advocated an approach in which managers never get complacent about the quality of their product.

Q: According to W. Edwards Deming, managers should emphasize short-term rather than long-term planning.

Q: For most U.S. companies, high productivity is a matter of survival.

Q: The majority of U.S. companies still produce goods rather than services.

Q: Manufacturing and service organizations produce both physical and nonphysical outputs.

Q: When inputs are turned into goods and services, value is created.

Q: Operations management includes service industries but not manufacturing firms.

Q: Employees are considered an input in transformation process.

Q: Operations management is a subsystem of the transformation process.

Q: The goal of operations management is to manage the process of turning labor and raw materials into goods and services of some type.

Q: Managers in the United States today see this as the path to establishing and maintaining global leadership. A) reducing costs B) increasing production C) operations management D) scientific management

Q: In the 1970s, many U.S. manufacturers fell behind because they ignored production issues and focused on ________. A) quality and efficiency B) marketing and finance C) efficiency and customers D) finance and quality

Q: After World War II, U.S. managers made the mistake of thinking that ________. A) production problems were solved B) marketing problems were solved C) finance problems were solved D) marketing problems were not solved

Q: Where did the modern era of manufacturing primarily begin? A) the coal industry B) Detroit automobile factories C) southern cotton plantations D) northeastern textile mills

Q: Since Deming first proposed his 14 points for improving productivity, his prescriptions have ________. A) been largely discredited B) fallen into disuse C) been confirmed repeatedly D) been confirmed for U.S. workers only

Q: Deming felt that any new skills that employees needed should be acquired ________. A) when they are hired and trained B) by the employees on their own C) when the need arises D) years ahead of time

Q: Deming felt that doing quality work was this. A) a job requirement B) a goal C) a standard to strive toward D) optional for most jobs

Q: Deming felt that ________ with statistics. A) employees should be capable of dealing B) employees should not be asked to deal C) managers only should deal D) employees only should deal

Q: Of all the emotions that affect a workplace, Deming felt that ________ was most important for increasing productivity. A) making workers fear failure B) eliminating fear C) making employees happy D) eliminating anger

Q: Deming was a strong believer in keeping accurate statistics and advocated ________ goals. A) strictly nonnumerical B) strictly numerical C) both numerical and nonnumerical D) both numerical and statistical

Q: With respect to product quality, Deming believed that a company should never ________. A) pay more attention to quality than to price B) be satisfied with its current level of quality C) try to fix a product if it "ain't broke" D) put quality ahead of profits

Q: With respect to planning, Deming believed that ________ was most important for productivity. A) short-term planning B) long-term planning C) medium-term planning D) flexible planning

Q: W. Edwards Deming thought that ________ the key to productivity. A) workers were B) controlling costs was C) managers were D) both managers and workers were

Q: Which of the following is NOT a way to increase productivity? A) increase inputs B) decrease costs C) increase outputs D) increase efficiency

Q: McDonald's recently made productivity gains by cutting the ________. A) wages of workers B) weight of an order of French fries C) time workers were trained D) time it takes to make French fries

Q: Most countries in today's global business climate see ________ as the key to success. A) maintaining productivity B) increasing productivity C) higher wages D) shorter working hours

Q: In the ever more difficult struggle to survive in a competitive world, Evans Findings Company has a work shift with ________. A) extra employees to increase productivity B) no employees to allow workers to rest C) no employees to punish unproductive workers D) no employees to increase productivity

Q: You would expect an undeveloped country like ________ to have a predominately ________ economy. A) Laos; nonservice B) Laos; service C) Great Britian; manufacturing D) Belgium; nonservice

Q: A laptop computer company is a ________ organization because its product is ________. A) service; electronic B) manufacturing; electronic C) service; a computer D) manufacturing; a computer

Q: You would expect a highly developed country like ________ to have a predominantly ________ economy. A) France; manufacturing B) France; service C) Vietnam; service D) the United Kingdom; manufacturing

Q: A bus company is a ________ organization because its product is ________. A) service; buses B) manufacturing; transportation C) service; transportation D) manufacturing; buses

Q: It is estimated that in the United States, about ________ of all economic output is toward making tangible, physical objects. A) 10 percent B) 20 percent C) 40 percent D) 80 percent

Q: Which of the following is NOT an example of a service organization? A) a military force B) a university C) a lens maker D) a hospital

Q: Manufacturing organizations ________. A) produce physical outputs B) produce nonphysical outputs C) require nonphysical inputs D) require physical inputs

Q: Service organizations ________. A) produce physical and nonphysical outputs B) produce physical outputs C) require nonphysical inputs D) produce nonphysical outputs

Q: It is easier to see the transformation process at work in manufacturing organizations than in service organizations because manufacturing organizations ________. A) produce goods and services B) turn inputs into outputs C) turn inputs into physical and nonphysical products D) produce physical goods

Q: In a transformation process, people are considered to be inputs because they ________. A) are material beings B) are costly C) perform tasks that are needed to create outputs D) have knowledge and information

Q: As a product, piano lessons are ________. A) a good because you can purchase them B) a service because they are nonmaterial C) a good because they can be divided into discrete lessons D) a service because someone needs to give them

Q: All organizations produce goods or services through the ________ process. A) transformation B) service C) manufacturing D) operations

Q: Inputs in the transformation process include ________. A) physical, material substances only B) both material and nonmaterial items C) nonmaterial items only D) equipment and materials only

Q: Value is created during the process of ________. A) inputs being converted into outputs B) inputs being stored C) outputs being measured D) operations being controlled

Q: The transformation process transforms ________. A) goods and services into products B) inputs into services only C) materials into goods only D) inputs into goods and services

Q: The purpose of operations management is to manage ________. A) inputs B) outputs C) the transformation process D) the manufacturing process

Q: ________ management oversees the transformation process that converts resources such as labor and raw materials into finished goods and services. A) Control B) Operations C) Systems D) Planning

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Q: In a short essay, identify and explain the final two steps in developing a PERT network.

Q: In a short essay, identify and explain the first three steps in developing a PERT network.