201011L2ResitAugOperationsManagementpreseenpaper2

BSB10214-5 & BSB10192-5 ResitYear 2010-2011

Student Number …………………………….

Operations ManagementClosed Book Examination

Date w/c 15th August 2011

Time Allowed 2.00 hours

Exam No BSB10214-5 + BSB10192-5 resit

Venue Stoke / Stafford / SURF network

Weighted 100%

Examiner Roy Edwards

Session 2010-11

Marks First Marker Second Marker

Multi Choice Section

Yes/No Section

Short Answer Section

TOTAL MARKS

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Instructions to candidates:

Section A 27 Multiple choice questions @ 2% each = 54%6 Yes/No questions @ 1% each = 6%

Section B 5 Short answer questions @ 8% each = 40%

You should answer all questions

Section B – Short answer questions (40%) Section B of the examination paper will contain only 5 questions. These questions will be selected, by us, from the pre-published list of 8 possible questions given below. You will be required to write answers to all 5 of these questions. You will NOT KNOW WHICH 5 questions have been selected for the paper until you sit the exam. It is expected that your response to each question would be no more than 150 words, This exam paper has the requisite spaced lines for each of the written answers. Only in exceptional circumstances will additional answer books be accepted and these should be clearly marked in the usual way with your student name and number.

You will NOT be allowed to take material, notes, articles or books into the examination with you.

Please note that higher marks will be given where the exam paper as a whole reflects:

Independent thought and ability to apply operations concepts to practical effect.

A structured approach that utilises appropriate terminology and relevant models and frameworks where necessary.

A good balance between the practical and theoretical aspects. Accuracy and clarity of style in presenting answers.

This is a closed book examination and Staffordshire University regulations for examinations apply.

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Module: Operations Management

Re: Multiple Choice Sections – Section A

Instructions to students

1) Enter student name and number at the top of the answer sheet2) This test paper contains 27 multiple choice questions, each carrying equal

marks @ 2% each plus 6 yes/no type questions @ 1% each3) Candidates must answer all the questions on this paper. 4) Select the ONE letter corresponding to the MOST APPROPRIATE answer

for each question, and place an ‘X‘ in the appropriate box on the answer grid.

5) Stop immediately when time is up.6) You may not leave the room before the allocated time is up.7) The answer sheet and the question booklet must be handed in at the end

of the test.

[Example]

1. The common name for the system which allows employees to choose their starting time, finishing time, and to vary their lunch-break, within agreed parameters is

A) Varytime B) Flexitime C) Overtime D) Personal time

In this example, the correct answer is ‘B) Flexitime’ and should be indicated as:

If you wish to change your answer, the original answer must be clearly crossed out so that the desired answer is absolutely clear. If there is any doubt as to your desired answer, that response will receive no marks.

Note: In questions where the word “NOT” is emphasised, the correct answer is the statement that is not true in the given context. This is often most easily found by first identifying the true statements.

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A B C D Mark

Question 1 x


Operations Management - Multiple question a nswer Sheet Level 2Please write student name: ___________________________

Student Number: ___________________________

DATE OF EXAM: W/C 15 AUG 2011 ASSESSOR: ROY EDWARDS

A B C D Mark A B C D Mark

Question 1 Question 18










Question 11 Score @ 2% each

Question 12 Yes / No Questions

Question 13 A B





Question 32

Question 33

Score @ 1% each

TOTAL SCORE

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RESIT Operations Management MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST SECTION

1 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 find it more difficult to match capacity with demand

C) In many service organizations 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.

2 Operations typically differ in terms of volume of output, variety of output, variation in demand or the degree of ‘visibility’ (ie, customer contact) that they give to customers of the delivery process. Please match the following element with the most appropriate of the above dimensions. Low unit costs are most closely matched to:-

A) VarietyB) VariationC) VolumeD) Visibility

3 Which of the following is an implication of low variety?A) Low unit costB) Flexibility neededC) High complexityD) Matching customers specific needs

4 In a service organisation faced with variable demand the Operations Manager can help smooth demand by:

A) using part-time help during peak hoursB) scheduling work shifts to vary workforce needs according to demandC) increase the customer self-service content of the serviceD) using reservations and appointments

5 When developing the operations strategy one of the most important considerations is that it:

A) Requires minimal capital investmentB) Utilises as much automation as possibleC) Utilises an equal balance of labour and automationD) Supports the overall competitive strategy of the company

6 A order qualifying characteristic could be described as :A) A factor which significantly contributes to winning businessB) A factor which may be of significance in other parts of the organisationC) A factor which is at a higher level than the standard for the industryD) A factor which has to achieve a particular level to be considered by the

customer

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7 Expansion by acquisition of suppliers and customers, illustrates which of the following strategies

A) Vertical integration strategyB) Facilities strategyC) Planning and control systems strategyD) Supplier development strategy

8 Process design or redesign is most important whenA) current performance is adequateB) you have a significant competitive advantageC) competitive priorities have changedD) the cost of inputs remain stable

9 Service shops are characterised as which of the following?A) Some customer contact, a degree of customisation and some staff

discretionB) Project orientated with little customisationC) Many customer transactions, involving limited contact timeD) High-contact organisations where customers spend a considerable

time in the service process

10 A big advantage of a process layout isA) Its flexibilityB) Its low costC) The ability to employ low-skilled labourD) Its high equipment utilization

11 As production systems move from projects to batch production to mass production to continuous production

A) Processes become more flexibleB) Customer involvement with the process increasesC) Products become more standardisedD) Demand volumes decrease

12 Which one of the following reactive alternatives would typically be best to implement a chase strategy for a manufacturing firm?

A) Use creative pricing to modify demandB) Build anticipation inventory to absorb the variability in demandC) Increase overtime to satisfy peaks in demandD) Use promotional campaigns to boost demand

13 Buffer inventory is required as :

A) One or more stages in the operation cannot supply all the items it produces simultaneously

B) Material cannot be transported instantaneously between the point of supply and the point of demand

C) Compensation for the uncertainties inherent in supply and demandD) Compensation for differences in the timing of supply and demand

14 At a strategic level, the essential role of inventory is to support :

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A) Quality, dependability, flexibility, cost and speedB) Flexibility, dependability and qualityC) Cost and speedD) Range, speed, flexibility and dependability

15 Where demand is uncertain, a key purchasing objective will be :

A) Fast deliveryB) High qualityC) Low priceD) Dependable delivery

16 In lean systems, if a defective product if found, which of the following is generally NOT done?

A) The production line is stoppedB) The defective unit is passed on to the next workstationC) The defective unit is returned to the worker responsible for creating the

defectD) The production line is made aware of the problem without stopping the

line

17 Which of the following illustrates an activity that does not add value?

A) Training employeesB) Ordering parts from a supplierC) Accumulating parts in front of the next work centreD) Delivering the product to the customer

18 Job design does not involve which one of the following considerations :

A) How much autonomy should be given to individual employees?B) What tasks should be allocated?C) Who should be involved / consulted?D) Ignoring where the job is located

19 Within a typical behavioural model of job design, which of the following would be considered as representing core job characteristics?

A) Task combination / task identity / autonomyB) Vertical loading / skill variety / outputC) Task identity / task significance / autonomyD) Cultural advancement / absenteeism / nationality

20 When a worker has a say in the work methods that he/she wishes to utilise in his/her job is characterised by :

A) Skill varietyB) Job identityC) Job significanceD) Autonomy

21 Which of the following is NOT considered effective in achieving and maintaining service quality?

A) Encouraging service providers to be highly visible in dealing with

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customers B) Establishing peer groups among service providers to foster teamwork

and a sense of pride C) Installing system of incentives that emphasises quality D) Increasing supervision of service providers

22 A quality variableA) takes discrete valuesB) may be measured on a continuous scaleC) is continually changingD) is highly undesirable

23 Which of the following is an indirect benefit of improved quality?A) Improved imageB) Reduced cost of inspectionC) Reduced scrapD) Reduced inventory

24 A ‘moment of truth’ is NOT A) an opportunity to influence a customer’s perception of the service

quality B) critical in achieving a reputation for superior quality C) when the customer is forming an opinion about the efficiency of the

service D) an interaction between the customer and a service provider

25 Proactive quality management includes the concept ofA) quality improvement costs moreB) needing to find out who is responsible for the quality problemC) getting the service to the customer as soon as possibleD) highlighting problems to help solve them

26 Zero defects in manufacturingA) is an unobtainable and misleading idealB) is the goal of TQMC) is readily achievable in all areasD) is a relevant goal only in electronic assembly

27 Which of the following represent reasons for globalising operations?

A) To gain improvements in the supply chainB) To improve operationsC) To expand a product’s life cycleD) All of the above

28 A common difference between jobbing and mass operations is degree of product standardisation

A) True

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B) False

29 Companies that compete based on flexibility often cannot compete based on cost

A) TrueB) False

30 The design of products and services is separate and distinct from the design of processes and they should be treated quite independently

A) TrueB) False

31 Social responsibility is an issue for executives, not operation managers

A) TrueB) False

32 In an ABC inventory system, Class A items require loose inventory control because of their high value

A) TrueB) False

33 Jobs that are designed purely on the division of labour, scientific management or ergonomic principles can alienate the people performing them.

A) TrueB) False

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Section B – Short answer questions (40%) Section B of the examination paper will contain only 5 questions. These questions will be selected, by us, from the pre-published list of 8 possible questions given below. You will be required to write answers to all 5 of these questions. You will NOT KNOW WHICH 5 questions have been selected for the paper until you sit the exam. It is expected that your response to each question would be no more than 150 words, This exam paper has the requisite spaced lines for each of the written answers. Only in exceptional circumstances will additional answer books be accepted and these should be clearly marked in the usual way with your student name and number.

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Question 1

Explain how an understanding of 2 of the 5 Schroeder’s decision areas of Process Design, Quality Management, Workforce Management, Inventory Management, and Capacity Management could be applied to a large supermarket organisation to help inform their operations management.

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Question 2

Discuss the concept of straying from the diagonal relative to the volume variety continuum and the implications for operations

Question 3

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Describe how the characteristics of service operations (Presence of the customer, simultaneity, perishability, intangibility, heterogeneity) can be related to BMIbaby budget airline

Question 4

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The elimination of waste is a core philosophy of Just in Time / Lean technology. What is meant by ‘waste’ in this context?

Question 5

Discuss some of the options available to operations managers when it comes to introducing job design opportunities – relating these to a work situation

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Question 6

“A major responsibility for all managers is the support of company based systems designed to ensure the quality of products or services”. Briefly discuss why quality has become such a live issue today?

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Question 7

Major challenges for operations are seen to be Corporate Social Responsibility, Globalisation and Environmental responsibility

a) Outline how two of these factors impact on the operations function?

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Question 8

What are the implications of moving tasks between the front office and backoffice areas of a service operation? Use relevant organisational situations of your choice to relate to your responses

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201011L2ResitAugOperationsManagementpreseenpaper2

Documents

requisite

additional

short answer

service providers

service organizations

defective

operations

desired answer