POM exam 1 study questions and
answers7
Briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of automation - ANSWERS -adv- low variability,
no distractions, reduce variability costs
disadvantage- high costs, little flexibility, employees fear job loss
Briefly describe the two main layout types - ANSWERS -product- standardized processing to
achieve smooth high volume flow (repetitive and continuous)
process- designed to handle varied processing requirements (job shop and batch)
13.What is the goal of line balancing? What happens if a line is unbalanced? - ANSWERS -goal-
obtain task groupings that represent equal time at each task
if line is unbalanced- bottlenecks and plenty of time (output is lower)
According to a study by the Alliance of American Insurers, it costs more than three times the
original purchase price in parts and labor to reconstruct a wrecked Chevrolet. Explain the
reasons for this large discrepancy in terms of the processes used to assemble to original car and
those required to reconstruct the wrecked car - ANSWERS -reason for discrepancy- produced by
assembly line which makes cost of car lower because of high volume and low variety
wrecked car- more expensive because its job shop or project
1. Briefly describe the terms operations management and supply chain. - ANSWERS -operations
management- management of systems that create goods and services
supply chain- sequence of organizations involved in producing and delivering goods and services
1. Identify the three major functional areas of business organizations and briefly describe how
they interrelate. - ANSWERS -3 areas of business organizations- finance operations marketing
, how they interrelate- make decisions about quantity and quality, process design, forecasting,
setting schedules, and keeping each other informed
1. Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations manager - ANSWERS -
operations function- producing and providing goods and services
nature of operations manager- guide the system by decision making (oversee capacity planning,
location selection, work management, and quality assurance)
7. What are models and why are they important - ANSWERS -models- simplified representation
of something
importance- simplify complex ideas to increase understanding, tool for evaluation, analyze what
if questions
10. Describe each of these systems: craft production, mass production, and lean production. -
ANSWERS -craft production- highly skilled workers use simple tools for small amount of
customized goods
mass production- low skilled workers use specialized tools for large amount of standardized
goods
lean production- use minimal resources for large number of high quality goods with some
variety
12. Discuss the importance of each of the following: a. Matching supply and demand b.
Managing a supply chain - ANSWERS -match supply and demand- to reduce gap so the desired
level of capacity isn't out of balance
managing supply chain- without management, there's inventory stockout, late deliveries and
quality problems
17. Discuss the term sustainability, and its relevance for business organizations. - ANSWERS -
sustainability- use resources in ways that don't harm ecological systems
relevance- decisions impact stakeholders, implications for outsourcing decisions
answers7
Briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of automation - ANSWERS -adv- low variability,
no distractions, reduce variability costs
disadvantage- high costs, little flexibility, employees fear job loss
Briefly describe the two main layout types - ANSWERS -product- standardized processing to
achieve smooth high volume flow (repetitive and continuous)
process- designed to handle varied processing requirements (job shop and batch)
13.What is the goal of line balancing? What happens if a line is unbalanced? - ANSWERS -goal-
obtain task groupings that represent equal time at each task
if line is unbalanced- bottlenecks and plenty of time (output is lower)
According to a study by the Alliance of American Insurers, it costs more than three times the
original purchase price in parts and labor to reconstruct a wrecked Chevrolet. Explain the
reasons for this large discrepancy in terms of the processes used to assemble to original car and
those required to reconstruct the wrecked car - ANSWERS -reason for discrepancy- produced by
assembly line which makes cost of car lower because of high volume and low variety
wrecked car- more expensive because its job shop or project
1. Briefly describe the terms operations management and supply chain. - ANSWERS -operations
management- management of systems that create goods and services
supply chain- sequence of organizations involved in producing and delivering goods and services
1. Identify the three major functional areas of business organizations and briefly describe how
they interrelate. - ANSWERS -3 areas of business organizations- finance operations marketing
, how they interrelate- make decisions about quantity and quality, process design, forecasting,
setting schedules, and keeping each other informed
1. Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations manager - ANSWERS -
operations function- producing and providing goods and services
nature of operations manager- guide the system by decision making (oversee capacity planning,
location selection, work management, and quality assurance)
7. What are models and why are they important - ANSWERS -models- simplified representation
of something
importance- simplify complex ideas to increase understanding, tool for evaluation, analyze what
if questions
10. Describe each of these systems: craft production, mass production, and lean production. -
ANSWERS -craft production- highly skilled workers use simple tools for small amount of
customized goods
mass production- low skilled workers use specialized tools for large amount of standardized
goods
lean production- use minimal resources for large number of high quality goods with some
variety
12. Discuss the importance of each of the following: a. Matching supply and demand b.
Managing a supply chain - ANSWERS -match supply and demand- to reduce gap so the desired
level of capacity isn't out of balance
managing supply chain- without management, there's inventory stockout, late deliveries and
quality problems
17. Discuss the term sustainability, and its relevance for business organizations. - ANSWERS -
sustainability- use resources in ways that don't harm ecological systems
relevance- decisions impact stakeholders, implications for outsourcing decisions
