COB 300 OPERATIONS EXAM #1
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
service package - Answer-a bundle of goods and services that is provided in some
environment
five features of a service package - Answer-supporting facility, facilitating goods,
information, explicit services, implicit services
customer contact - Answer-the physical presence of the customer in the system
Creation of the service - Answer-the work process involved in providing the service itself
extent of contact - Answer-the percentage of time the customer must be in the system
relative to service time
Difference for facility location between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
operations must be near the customer
Low: operations may be placed near supply, transport or labor
Differences for facility layout between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
should accommodate customer's physical and psychological needs
Low: should focus on production efficiency
Differences for product design between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
environment and physical product define the nature of the service
Low: customer is not in service environment so product can be defined by fewer
attributes
Differences for process design between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
stages have a direct, immediate effect on the customer
Low: customer is not involved in most steps
Differences for scheduling between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
customer is in the schedule and must be accommodated
Low: customer is concerned mainly with completion dates
Differences for production planning between high and low contact systems - Answer-
High: orders cannot be stored so smoothing production flow will result in loss of
business
Low: both backlogging and production smoothing are possible
Differences for worker skills between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
major part of service so they must be able to interact well with public
, Low: direct workforce only needs to have technical skills
Differences for quality control between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
variable bc of customer's opinions
Low: fixed bc they are generally measurable
Differences for time standards between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
depends on customer needs
Low: performed on customer surrogates so time standards can be tight
Differences for wage payment between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
variable output requires times-based wages
Low: "Fixable" output permits output-based wage systems
Differences for capacity planning between high and low contact systems - Answer-
Same for both. To avoid lost sales capacity must be set to match peak demand
6 common alternatives for service encounters - Answer-mail contact, internet, phone
contact, face-to-face tight specs, face-to-face loose specs and face-to-face total
customization
Face-to-Face tight specs - Answer-situations where there is little variation in the service
process
Ex: fast food restaurants or disneyland
face to face loose specs - Answer-situations where the service is generally understood
but there are options in how it will be preformed
Ex: Full service restaurant and car sales agencies
Face-to-face total customization - Answer-service encounters whose specifications
must be developed through some interaction between customer and server
Ex: legal and medical services
The five basic types of variablity - Answer-arrival, request, capability, effort and
subjective preference
Arrival variability example - Answer-the time when customers come into a restaurant
may be inconsistent with average demand so they could over or understaff at times
Request variability example - Answer-travelers requesting a room with a view at a
crowded hotel
effort variability example - Answer-shoppers not putting their carts in the designated
area in a parking lot
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
service package - Answer-a bundle of goods and services that is provided in some
environment
five features of a service package - Answer-supporting facility, facilitating goods,
information, explicit services, implicit services
customer contact - Answer-the physical presence of the customer in the system
Creation of the service - Answer-the work process involved in providing the service itself
extent of contact - Answer-the percentage of time the customer must be in the system
relative to service time
Difference for facility location between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
operations must be near the customer
Low: operations may be placed near supply, transport or labor
Differences for facility layout between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
should accommodate customer's physical and psychological needs
Low: should focus on production efficiency
Differences for product design between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
environment and physical product define the nature of the service
Low: customer is not in service environment so product can be defined by fewer
attributes
Differences for process design between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
stages have a direct, immediate effect on the customer
Low: customer is not involved in most steps
Differences for scheduling between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
customer is in the schedule and must be accommodated
Low: customer is concerned mainly with completion dates
Differences for production planning between high and low contact systems - Answer-
High: orders cannot be stored so smoothing production flow will result in loss of
business
Low: both backlogging and production smoothing are possible
Differences for worker skills between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
major part of service so they must be able to interact well with public
, Low: direct workforce only needs to have technical skills
Differences for quality control between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
variable bc of customer's opinions
Low: fixed bc they are generally measurable
Differences for time standards between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
depends on customer needs
Low: performed on customer surrogates so time standards can be tight
Differences for wage payment between high and low contact systems - Answer-High:
variable output requires times-based wages
Low: "Fixable" output permits output-based wage systems
Differences for capacity planning between high and low contact systems - Answer-
Same for both. To avoid lost sales capacity must be set to match peak demand
6 common alternatives for service encounters - Answer-mail contact, internet, phone
contact, face-to-face tight specs, face-to-face loose specs and face-to-face total
customization
Face-to-Face tight specs - Answer-situations where there is little variation in the service
process
Ex: fast food restaurants or disneyland
face to face loose specs - Answer-situations where the service is generally understood
but there are options in how it will be preformed
Ex: Full service restaurant and car sales agencies
Face-to-face total customization - Answer-service encounters whose specifications
must be developed through some interaction between customer and server
Ex: legal and medical services
The five basic types of variablity - Answer-arrival, request, capability, effort and
subjective preference
Arrival variability example - Answer-the time when customers come into a restaurant
may be inconsistent with average demand so they could over or understaff at times
Request variability example - Answer-travelers requesting a room with a view at a
crowded hotel
effort variability example - Answer-shoppers not putting their carts in the designated
area in a parking lot
