Part 2 Multiple Choice Questions |Essential Operations Management, Second Edition by Alex Hill and Terry Hill

1. The objective of research and development is to bring about technological change and innovation within:

Services and products to be sold Services delivery systems and processes used Both a and b

2. Applied research is concerned with:

Practical applications and solutions to practical problems Increasing knowledge, making discoveries and establishing new practices that may eventually be used on a commercial basis Both a and b

3. The third step in the design and development process for services and products is:

Generating ideas Testing prototypes Feasibility study

4. One purpose of testing prototypes is to:

Understand whether customers will buy the service or product Eliminate those ideas that do not appear to have high potential Illustrate the aesthetic dimension and check the functionality of an idea

5. If the cash generated is greater than the cash used by a service or product it is considered to be a:

Cash cow Star Dilemma

6. Security and privacy within a banking system are examples of:

An explicit benefit An implicit benefit Both a and b

7. Standardization in the design process:

Enhances volumes Reduces design lead times Both a and b

8. Which of the following is not an operations technique or approach related to design:

Quality functional deployment and the house of quality Statistical process control Taguchi method

9. Which of the following is not typically a method used to speed up the process of designing and introducing services and products:

Using standard parts and modular design Quality function deployment Overlapping development stages

10. An example of an advantage offered by variety reduction is:

Reduced inventory Reduced operations runs Increased downtime through changeovers

11. With a high-volume repeat service or product, the company typically wins orders on:

Unique capability Repeat business or recommendations Price

12. The design of an appropriate service delivery system should reflect:

The complexity of the service The business and technical dimensions of the market Both a and b

13. Which of the following is a distinctive characteristic of service operations:

Services are produced and consumed separately, so it is possible to use inventory as a way to help absorb fluctuations in demand Customers do not form part of the delivery system The intangible nature of services means that customers are not able to see, feel, inspect or even test a service before it is purchased

14. Which of the following statements is true about service organizations:

Some staff will deal directly with customers All staff will deal directly with customers None of the staff will deal directly with customers

15. An example of a fully-automated service is:

Dry-cleaning Cash dispensing Word processing

16. The key dimensions that help to classify services into professional services, service shops and mass services categories are:

Volume Service variety Both a and b

17. A key element within the service delivery system design is the service experience. This concerns:

The reality of the service that is delivered Where and what is delivered Identifying volumes and the relevant order-winners and qualifiers to retain and grow market share

18. The front-office task of the service delivery system is conducted:

In the presence of and involving the customer Away from and not involving the customer Both a and b

19. An advantage of completing work in the back office is that:

Processing volumes are lower Work is easier to schedule The customer can process some of the activities

20. The service encounter is a key element within service delivery system design and concerns:

The reality of the service delivered Where and what is delivery Both a and b

21. The level of service variety and service customization for non-repeat services are, respectively:

Narrow and low Wide and high Somewhere between a and b

22. Which of the following is an example of a special product:

Automobile Oil tanker Formula 1 racing car

23. The essential difference between a batch and a line process is:

A line process is always straight When changing from one product to another, a batch process has to be stopped and reset whereas a line process does not A batch process can be stopped but a line process cannot be stopped

24. The differentiating feature of a continuous process is:

The processes are laid out sequentially None -It is just another name for a line process It is very expensive (often prohibitively so) to stop and restart

25. Which of the following characteristics demonstrates the 'flexibility' of a manufacturing process:

Handling a range of products Meeting demand peaks Both a and b

26. Which of the following is true?

Process investment tend to be inexpensive to change Companies choose a process with the intention of not changing it in the near future Both a and b

27. The essential difference between cells and batch manufacturing is that:

In cells, processes are allocated to the sole use of a group of products In cells, similar processes are grouped together In cells, equipment utilization tends to be higher than in a batch process

28. A mobile phone can be made using which manufacturing process?

Jobbing Line Both a and b

29. A key feature of a project process is that:

Resources are moved to the site Only special products are made Both a and b apply

30. The levels of decision when locating a business include:

The region and country The area or city and site Both a and b

31. Which of the following factors are changing the levels of freedom as to where an organization can locate:

New countries are opening up to foreign investment Technological developments Both a and b

32. Which of the following is true:

Cost structures and workforce availability are critical issues in location decisions The cost of changing to a more suitable location can always be justified It is still difficult to locate operations facilities in China and Eastern Europe

33. Competitive clustering refers to:

Market saturation Customer ability to choose from a number of options (for example hotel accommodation or restaurants) Neither of these

34. Which of the following is a technique used in deciding where to locate?

Weighted-factor method Centre of gravity method Both a and b

35. Which of the following is a basic type of layout:

Fixed position layout Sequential layout Multi-step layout

36. A typical hospital provides an example of which of the following types of layout:

Service layout Functional layout Repeat service layout

37. A trip frequency chart is also known as:

A load frequency chart A movement frequency chart Both a and b

38. The purpose of a relationship chart is to:

Calculate the distance between one department and another Identify the relative closeness of one department to another Neither of these

39. Line balancing refers to:

Keeping the design of the line process flat so as to maximise the use of gravity rollers To balance the work content (time) across all steps in a process Neither of these

Part Two: Designing and Delivering Services and Products