91.
Problems with which of the following are most likely to result in products going out of
stock and consumers choosing alternatives?
92.
_____ tags help boost logistics efficiency and speed in the distribution system and even at
some retailers.
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93.
A system that calls for subassemblies and components to be manufactured in very small
lots and delivered to the next stage in the production process as they are needed is known
as a ____.
94.
Perfect quality, elimination of waste, value-added manufacturing, and employee
involvement are all components of ____.
95.
_____ engineering refers to a design approach in which all relevant functions cooperate
jointly and continually in a maximum effort aimed at producing high-quality products that
meet customers’ needs.
Scenario A. At Mindful Manufacturing Inc., Pran is the chairman and Paul is the HR
manager. The company is going through difficult times and Paul has been told that they
need to layoff some people in order to maintain business and try to regain lost market
share. Pran has been assigned with the task of estimating the appropriate size at which
the company can perform. Paul has been assigned with the task of enabling efficient
downsizing.
96.
Pran’s task of successfully achieving an appropriate size at which the company can
perform most effectively is known as ____.
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97.
Paul has been assigned with the task of efficient downsizing. Which of the following
should Paul avoid while performing this task?
Scenario B. Three students—Juan, Kirsten, and Ben—are discussing how to improve
efficiency in a manufacturing context. Juan says that the company must work toward
achieving lower costs per unit of production. Ben believes that the company should use
the same resources to make more related products. And Kirsten holds that avoiding the
costs of growing too large and creating waste will improve efficiency.
98.
In Scenario B, Juan refers to
99.
In Scenario B, Ben talks about
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100.
According to Kirsten, efficiency can be improved by avoiding
Scenario C. Recently, the president of Cheerio Cricket Bats received a large amount of
customer mail. They indicated their displeasure with the firm’s use of wood from
Southeast Asian rain forests for bats used by English cricket players. For this reason, the
company is reviewing its entire process. A manager is appointed to assess how the
company gets the wood used to make the bats and the process used in making them. The
manager should also determine what professional cricket players are looking for in the
products. Moreover, the players are very demanding and specific when it comes to the
design of their bats.
101.
When the manager at Cheerio Cricket Bats wants to assess where the company gets the
wood used to make the bats, the part of the value chain is he most likely to look at is
____.
102.
When the manager at Cheerio Cricket Bats wants to review the process of producing the
actual bats, the part of the value chain he is most likely to look at is ____.
103.
When the manager considers the players’ requirements, the part of the value chain is he
most likely looking at is ____.
104.
One aspect that Sheri considered was to be sure that the firm focused on its
competitiveness and managed its core capabilities to obtain competitive advantage. Which
of the following should Sheri recommend to her boss to best accomplish this goal?
105.
Sheri was considering forming a strategic alliance to enter a new market. In order to be
successful at doing so, Sheri recommended that before making a decision to move forward
with the strategic alliance, her boss must first
106.
Sheri then turned her attention to the technology changes that could help her organization
to become more agile. Which of the following technology changes could her boss use
successfully in this scenario?
Scenario E. Fussy Food Inc. is a cat food manufacturer. The top management of the
company sits down for an annual meeting. The company’s chairman, Leland, wants to
create processes that will help the company interact with customers and gather
knowledge of their wants, needs, and buying patterns. He also wants to improve internal
quality management by using some ideas from Deming’s “14 points” theory. The president
of the company, Drew, wants to use an approach to management that helps to attain
customer satisfaction through tools that deliver high-quality goods. The senior managers
agree with Drew and say that the company should adopt a method to analyze the causes
of defects in products that need to be eliminated to improve customer satisfaction.
107.
Which of the following best describes what Leland was referring to in the meeting?
108.
Which of the following is a point from Deming’s “14 points” theory that the company can
use?
109.
Which of the following best describes what Drew was referring to in the meeting?
110.
Which of the following should the company use to analyze the causes of product defects
and eliminate them to improve customer satisfaction?
Essay Questions
111.
The organic structure stands in stark contrast to the mechanistic organization. Explain.
Answers will vary.
112.
Explain how organizing around core capabilities increases organizational agility.
Answers will vary.
113.
Describe the difference between a learning organization and a high-involvement
organization.
Answers will vary.
114.
Explain a few activities that a firm can do to become a high-involvement organization.
Answers will vary.
115.
Size creates economies of scale and economies of scope. Explain these two advantages of
larger size. What are diseconomies of scale? Give an example.
Answers will vary.
116.
Discuss the advantages of a small organization over a large one.
Answers will vary.
117.
How are downsizing and rightsizing related? How are they different?
Answers will vary.
118.
List out five positive practices that firms can engage in to ease the pain and increase the
effectiveness of downsizing.
Answers will vary.
119.
Provide a comparison between customer relationship management and total quality
management.
Answers will vary.
120.
Describe the sequence of activities in a value chain and how each step can add value to
the product or service.
Answers will vary.
121.
Explain Edward Deming’s “14 points” approach to quality.
Answers will vary.
122.
Discuss the important features of six sigma quality.
Answers will vary.
123.
Compare the three types of technology configurations. Give an example of each.
Answers will vary.
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124.
Explain how computer-integrated manufacturing assists with mass customization.
Answers will vary.
125.
Briefly discuss the key organizational elements of time-based competition.
Answers will vary.