Question 1

Unique attributes of firms that give them a competitive edge are called ______________.

Accepted Answer

A)  Functional strategies
B)  Balanced scorecards
C)  Supply chains
D)  Core competencies
E)  Sustainable initiativesF) A) and C)
G) C) and D)

Question 2

A characteristic that was once an order winner may become an order qualifier, and vice versa.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Traditional strategies of business organizations have tended to emphasize cost minimization or product differentiation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 4

The majority of our textbook deals with tactical operations that support established functional strategies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

A firm pursuing a strategy based on customization and variety will tend to structure and manage its supply chain to accommodate more _____________ than a firm pursuing a strategy based on low-cost and high-volume.

Accepted Answer

A)  Variation
B)  Streamlined flow
C)  Quality
D)  Capacity
E)  ProductivityF) B) and E)
G) All of the above

Question 6

In an assembly operation at a furniture factory, six employees assembled an average of 450 standard dining chairs per 5-day week.What is the labor productivity of this operation?

Accepted Answer

A)  90 chairs/worker/day
B)  20 chairs/worker/day
C)  15 chairs/worker/day
D)  75 chairs/worker/day
E)  none of the aboveF) C) and E)
G) None of the above

Question 7

Which of the following is considered to be a cause of poor U.S.global competitiveness?

Accepted Answer

A)  the tendency to view labor as a cost factor to be minimized
B)  decision-making based on short-term horizons
C)  weaknesses in technological practice
D)  powerful trading partners
E)  all of the aboveF) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 8

Years ago in the overnight delivery business, providing package tracking capability gave some firms a competitive advantage.Now, all firms must offer this capability simply to be in this line of business.This is an example of ______________ becoming ____________ over time.

Accepted Answer

A)  Tactical implications; strategic
B)  Strategic implications; tactical
C)  Order winners; order qualifiers
D)  Profitability factors; productivity factors
E)  Order qualifiers; order winnersF) A) and E)
G) B) and C) C

Question 9

Scheduling personnel is an example of an operations management:

Accepted Answer

A)  mission implementation
B)  operational decision
C)  organizational strategy
D)  functional strategy
E)  tactical decisionF) A) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 10

If people would only work harder, productivity would increase.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Global competition really only applies to multi-national organizations.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Improving efficiency will guarantee a similar improvement in productivity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 13

Environmental scanning is a search for events or trends that present either threats or opportunities to the organization.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

The Balanced Scorecard is an attractive tool to use in the formation of strategy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

A mission statement should provide a guide for the formulation of strategies for the organization.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

National productivity is determined by averaging the productivity measures of various companies or industries.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Services often don't fit simple yield measurements.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Tracking productivity measures over time enables managers to judge organizational performance and decide where improvements are needed.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Productivity is expressed as:

Accepted Answer

A)  output plus input
B)  output minus input
C)  output times input
D)  output divided by input
E)  input divided by outputF) C) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 20

Which of the following is not a reason for poor performance of our organization in the marketplace?

Accepted Answer

A)  placing too much emphasis on product/service design and too little on process design
B)  failing to take into account customer wants and needs
C)  putting too much emphasis on short-term financial performance
D)  taking advantage of strengths/opportunities, and recognizing competitive threats
E)  none of the aboveF) None of the above
G) A) and D)

Exam 2: Competitiveness, Strategy, and Productivity

Unique attributes of firms that give them a competitive edge are called ______________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A characteristic that was once an order winner may become an order qualifier, and vice versa.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Traditional strategies of business organizations have tended to emphasize cost minimization or product differentiation.

Correct AnswerverifiedTrue

The majority of our textbook deals with tactical operations that support established functional strategies.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A firm pursuing a strategy based on customization and variety will tend to structure and manage its supply chain to accommodate more _____________ than a firm pursuing a strategy based on low-cost and high-volume.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In an assembly operation at a furniture factory, six employees assembled an average of 450 standard dining chairs per 5-day week.What is the labor productivity of this operation?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is considered to be a cause of poor U.S.global competitiveness?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Years ago in the overnight delivery business, providing package tracking capability gave some firms a competitive advantage.Now, all firms must offer this capability simply to be in this line of business.This is an example of ______________ becoming ____________ over time.

Correct AnswerverifiedC

Scheduling personnel is an example of an operations management:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If people would only work harder, productivity would increase.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Global competition really only applies to multi-national organizations.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Improving efficiency will guarantee a similar improvement in productivity.

Correct AnswerverifiedFalse

Environmental scanning is a search for events or trends that present either threats or opportunities to the organization.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Balanced Scorecard is an attractive tool to use in the formation of strategy.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A mission statement should provide a guide for the formulation of strategies for the organization.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

National productivity is determined by averaging the productivity measures of various companies or industries.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Services often don't fit simple yield measurements.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Tracking productivity measures over time enables managers to judge organizational performance and decide where improvements are needed.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Productivity is expressed as:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is not a reason for poor performance of our organization in the marketplace?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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True

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Years ago in the overnight delivery business, providing package tracking capability gave some firms a competitive advantage.Now, all firms must offer this capability simply to be in this line of business.This is an example of __ becoming over time.

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C

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False

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