Which one of the following would not generally be classified under the heading of transformation of products?

45.Which one of the following would not generally be classified under the heading oftransformation?A.assemblingB.teachingC.staffingD.farmingE.consultingStaffing doesn't involve transforming resources so much as it involves acquiring them.

41. Which of the following is not a type of operations?A. goods productionB. storage/transportationC. entertainmentD. communication

E. all the above involve operations

All of these involve taking inputs and transforming them.

42. Technology choices seldom affect:

A. costs.B. productivity.

C. union activity.

D. quality.E. flexibility.Union activity can affect a firm's technology choices, but not the other way around.

43. Measurements taken at various points in the transformation process for control purposes are called:

A. plansB. directionsC. controls

D. feedback

E. budgetsFeedback is used to monitor and improve processes.

44. Budgeting, analysis of investment proposals, and provision of funds are activities associated with the _______ function.

A. operationB. marketingC. purchasing

D. finance

E. internal auditThese are the primary tasks for the finance function.

45. Which one of the following would not generally be classified under the heading of transformation?

A. assemblingB. teaching

C. staffing

D. farmingE. consultingStaffing doesn't involve transforming resources so much as it involves acquiring them.

46. Manufacturing work sent to other countries is called:

A. downsized

B. outsourced

C. internationalizationD. vertical integrationE. entrepreneurial shipOutsourcing is increasingly a part of operations management.

47. Product design and process selection are examples of _______ decisions.

A. financialB. tactical

C. system design

D. system operationE. forecastingThese major decisions affect decisions made at lower levels.

48. The responsibilities of the operations manager are:

A. planning, organizing, staffing, procuring, and reviewing

B. planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling

C. forecasting, designing, planning, organizing, and controllingD. forecasting, designing, operating, procuring, and reviewingE. designing and operatingThe scope of operations management ranges across the organization.

49. Knowledge skills usually don't include:

A. process knowledgeB. accounting skills

C. communication skills

D. global knowledgeE. all of the aboveCommunication skills generally are considered to be people skills.

50. Which of the following is not true about systems approach?

A. A systems viewpoint is almost always beneficial in decision making.B. A systems approach emphasizes interrelationships among subsystems.

C. A systems approach concentrates on efficiency within subsystems.

D. A systems approach is essential whenever something is being redesigned or improved.E. All of the above are true.Subsystem efficiency doesn't necessarily translate into overall system efficiency.

51. What is credited with gains in industrial productivity, increased standards of living and affordable products?

A. personal computersB. the internetC. mass transportation

D. assembly lines

E. multi-level marketing

Mass production has played a prominent role in increasing standards of living.

52. Production systems with customized outputs typically have relatively:A. high volumes of outputB. low unit costsC. high amount of specialized equipmentD. fast work movement

E. skilled workers


Skilled workers are necessary to accommodate the variation inherent in customized outputs.

53. Which is not a significant difference between manufacturing and service operations?
A. cost per unitB. uniformity of outputC. labor content of jobsD. customer contact

E. measurement of productivity

Manufacturing operations aren't necessarily more or less efficient than service operations.

54. Which of the following is not a characteristic of service operations?

A. intangible outputB. high customer contactC. high labor content

D. easy measurement of productivity

E. low uniformity of outputThe productivity of service operations is often hard to measure.

55. Which of the following is a recent trend in business?

A. pollution controlB. total quality management

C. supply chain management

D. competition from foreign manufacturersE. technological changeSupply chain management involves a broader systemic view of operations.

56. Farming is an example of:

A. an obsolete activityB. a virtual organization

C. non-manufactured goods

D. a growth industryE. customized manufacturingFarm operations are not manufacturing operations.

57. Dealing with the fact that certain aspects of any management situation are more important than others is called:

A. analysis of tradeoffsB. sensitivity analysis

C. recognition of priorities

D. analysis of varianceE. decision table analysisSolutions tend to be targeted toward higher priority aspects of a situation.

58. The fact that a few improvements in a few key areas of operations will have more impact than many improvements in many other areas is consistent with the:

A. Irwin phenomenon

B. Pareto phenomenon

C. Stevenson phenomenonD. Tellier phenomenonE. Adam Smith phenomenonPareto phenomena direct our attention to the difference between the "important few" and the "trivial many."

59. The process of comparing outputs to previously established standards to determine if corrective action is needed is called:

A. planningB. directing

C. controlling

D. budgetingE. discipliningControls are used to maintain performance.

60. Which of the following does not relate to system design?

A. altering the system capacityB. location of facilities

C. inventory management

D. selection and acquisition of equipmentE. physical arrangement of departmentsInventory management is a system operation decision area.

61. Taking a systems viewpoint with regard to operations in today's environment increasingly leads decision-makers to consider ______________ in response to the ___________.

A. flexibility; pressure to be more efficientB. offshoring; need to promote domestic production

C. sustainability; threat of global warming

D. technology; impact of random variationE. forecasting; stabilization of demandSustainability is a relatively recent operations management consideration.

62. Some companies attempt to maximize the revenue they receive from fixed operating capacity by influencing demands through price manipulation. This is an example of __________________:

A. Illegal price discriminationB. CollusionC. Volume analysis

D. Revenue management

E. OutsourcingRevenue management is used to ensure that as much perishable capacity as possible is sold.

63. Which of the following is not an ongoing trend in manufacturing?

A. globalizationB. quality improvementC. flexibility and agility

D. mass production for greater economies of scale

E. technological advancesManufacturers are moving away from mass production for economies of scale.

64. Which of the following is not a benefit of using models in decision making?

A. They provide a standardized format for analyzing a problem.B. They serve as a consistent tool for evaluation.C. They are easy to use and less expensive than dealing with the actual situation.

D. All of the above are benefits.

E. None of the above is a benefit.Models are useful tools for making decisions without confronting the actual situation with all of its complexity.

65. Modern firms increasingly rely on other firms to supply goods and services instead of doing these tasks themselves. This increased level of _____________ is leading to increased emphasis on ____________ management.


A. outsourcing; supply chainB. offshoring; leanC. downsizing; total qualityD. optimizing; inventoryE. internationalization; interculturalSupply chain management takes a more systemic view of the firm, its operations, and its suppliers.

66. Operations and sales are the two ________ functions in businesses.

A. strategicB. tacticalC. supportD. value-adding

E. line

Others are support functions.

67. Marketing depends on operations for information regarding ___________.

A. productivity

B. lead time

C. cash flowD. budgetingE. corporate intelligenceMarketing uses lead time information to make promises to customers.

68. Two widely used metrics of variation are the __________ and the _________.


A. mean; standard deviationB. productivity ratio; correlationC. standardized mean; assignable deviationD. randomized mean; standardized deviationE. normal distribution; random variationThe mean and standard deviation summarize important facets regarding the variation in a process.

69. Which of the following statements about variation is FALSE?

A. Variation prevents a production process from being as efficient as it can be.B. Some variation can be prevented.C. Variation can either be assignable or random.

D. Any variation makes a production process less productive.

E. Random variation generally cannot be influenced by managers.The choice to offer customers greater variety might increase variation but increase productivity even more.

70. Which of the following is essential to consider with respect to managing a process to meet demand?

A. strategyB. demand forecastsC. capacityD. random variability

E. all of the above


All of these play a role in determining whether a process can meet demand.