Deck 9: Teamwork Planning Requires Job Design

Question 1

Training in new process technologies is enhanced by teamwork that starts with a cooperative relationship between the operations management department and the human resource management department.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The U.S.steel industry remains stagnant after years of serious "hard times."

Answer 2

False

Question 3

With cycle-time analysis,the spotlight often shifts from individuals to groups of individuals,or to the combination of people and technology.These are often referred to as "diagnostic observations" instead of "time studies."

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Diagnostic observational methods are well suited for long-cycle jobs,which do not have short-cycle repetitive basic elements following each other in sequence.

Question 5

Simulations and scenarios that imitate real life situations cannot be run by computers.

Question 6

The basic equation relating people and equipment is: Workers + Machines = Process Capabilities.What is lacking in this equation is the fact that people need training and teamwork to use technology effectively.

Question 7

Traditional net present value (NPV) accounting penalizes long-term planning where large income streams will not begin until far in the future.

Question 8

Winning companies use standards as targets to beat and not as goals to meet.

Question 9

The human resources component of the total cost of goods and services is larger in the manufacturing sector than in the service sector.

Question 10

The performance of P/OM systems is not dependent on the participation of people.

Question 11

Cross-training is like training with a flight simulator.

Question 12

Even with the flow shop in place,there has not been growth in the wage rates of indirect labor such as administrative,sales,promotional,clerical,and research personnel.

Question 13

P/OM has included ABC accounting methods when discussing the increasing irrelevance of using labor charges as the guide for allocation of overhead charges,or when discussing capacity planning.

Question 14

Many Japanese companies in the United States regularly screen for team player suitability when hiring workers.

Question 15

Distance learning is like a three-legged stool where the three legs are labeled "anywhere," "anytime," and "anyone."

Question 16

Good relationships between managers and workers characterize globally successful competitors.

Question 17

Distance-learning training can be delivered through the use of all known media.

Question 18

Among the several disadvantages with CBT (computer-based training) are costs of creating computer programs that capture all of the necessary elements of reality.

Question 19

The job observation analyst studies the overall job for the purpose of breaking the job down into basic and extraneous elements.The basic elements,when added together,form the job cycle.

Question 20

Diagnostic production studies,where the worker is observed constantly over a long period,go back in time to the early 1800s.

Question 21

"Time studies" and "time and motion studies" are also called process analysis and cycle-reduction studies.

Question 22

Computers determine and calculate the intervals between successive steps in the process just as if a stopwatch were at work in the hands of the old-fashioned time study observer.

Question 23

A disadvantage of synthetic time standards (as compared to those derived from conventional time study methods) is the slowness of preparing cost estimates,as well as limited reliability.

Question 24

Synthetic time standards provide a solution to problems associated with setting standards for new products a where people are opposed to being studied on the job.

Question 25

In the DVD example,basic element 1 dictated that the left hand place 10 DVD blanks (which are loose but grouped in tens) into a box while the right hand holds and positions the box so that the DVD blanks can be inserted into that box.

Question 26

The estimation of appropriate (r&d) factors is required for computerized observation systems.

Question 27

Learning takes place only part of the time,which is when the operator starts a new shift.

Question 28

In the DVD example,basic element 2 consists of the right hand holding the box while the left hand seals the box with a clear plastic wrapper.

Question 29

Staying within the bounds of each department is equivalent to asking the same person who packed your parachute to inspect it.

Question 30

Stopwatches,the hallmark of a time study observer,are still commonly used for setting standard times.

Question 31

Creative insights have a lower probability of occurring when there are more independent minds cooperating.

Question 32

It is safer to have people with the same points of view as the packer inspect the packing of a parachute,or as it applies to organizations,it is safer to have people with the same point of view involved in strategic planning.

Question 33

The use of time studies for analyzing the performance of individuals has increased as technology has come to play a larger role and labor a smaller one.

Question 34

The common thread for successful teamwork is a comprehensive strategy clearly understood by all of the participants in the organization.

Question 35

Training for teamwork is a systems-wide concern where success is based on having a focused common strategy.

Question 36

The key finding of the Hawthorne effect was that employees responded negatively to management's interest and attention.

Question 37

Leading global companies expect P/OM involvement in the development of advanced training methods. The list of companies to which this applies includes AT&T,Darden,Disney,Dell,FedEx,GM,HP,Honda,IBM,Intel,Motorola,Texas Instruments,and Toyota.

Question 38

In the year 2005,employees will know exactly what is being studied about their performance.They will know when they are being scanned and what data are tabulated.

Question 39

Wage determination is based upon seven factors,one of which is difficulty of jobs performed.

Question 40

Although the names "time studies" and "time and motion studies" are out,old-fashioned,and unloved,similar procedures are still widely used.They are called by other names including process analysis and cycle-reduction studies.They are done in other ways.The difference may be that cycle-time analysis places more stress on the group.

Question 41

United Steel Workers and the companies they have organized have agreed on flexibility in assignments and cooperation,allowing for job rotation and job _____.

A)action learning
B)cross-training
C)team learning
D)team building

Question 42

It is straightforward to predetermine the costs of all of the following factors except

A)materials consumed.
B)energy utilized.
C)overhead expended.
D)space needed.

Question 43

_____ replaces traditional,volume-driven cost accounting methods.

A)Activity-based training
B)Activity-based coating
C)Activity-based costing
D)none of the above

Question 44

_____ personnel play a major role in matching people and jobs.

A)HRM
B)P/OM
C)TQM
D)MIS

Question 45

The repertoire of training techniques has been expanding to include all of the following methods except

A)cross-training.
B)team learning.
C)computer-based training.
D)team teaching.

Question 46

Team learning follows _____,which involves training groups of people to have a common focus.

A)action learning
B)team learning
C)cross-training
D)team building

Question 47

_____ adds to personal learning by emphasizing the interdependencies that exist between people working toward a common goal.

A)Action learning
B)Team building
C)Team learning
D)Cross-training

Question 48

_____ is trading jobs for a period of time.This allows one to stand in the other's shoes.It encourages systems-wide thinking.

A)Cross-training
B)Action learning
C)Team learning
D)Team building

Question 49

Production and operations managers need to know how for all of the following points except one.Which is incorrect?

A)how to foster competence
B)how to obtain commitment
C)how to develop and maintain motivation
D)how to foster competition among workers

Question 50

_____ is the analysis of how long it takes to do specific operations.

A)Time and motion study
B)Cycle-time reduction study
C)Time study
D)Motion study

Question 51

The use of Linear Programming (LP) to determine an optimal product mix requires good measures of _____.

A)labor productivity
B)availability of capacity
C)utilized capacity
D)all of the above

Question 52

Training program effectiveness is determined by all of the following except

A)subjectivity of training goals.
B)design of the training program.
C)delivery system of the training program.
D)measurement of training program effectiveness.

Question 53

Diagnostic production study is an approach that can be compared to _____ percent inspection.

A)99
B)100
C)70
D)80

Question 54

_____ is sampling and recording what workers do to make,finish,or pack a product.

A)Time study
B)Time and motion study
C)Cycle-time reduction
D)Motion study

Question 55

_____ is applauded for the feedback it provides which encourages employees at all levels to improve their performance.

A)Average performance
B)Performance evaluation
C)Production standards
D)Performance standard

Question 56

_____ systems lump (and therefore hide) the charges for resources that have been paid for whether or not they are utilized.

A)Activity-based costing
B)First-in,first-out costing
C)Traditional costing
D)Last-in,last-out costing

Question 57

The best guidelines for deciding upon the correct blend of technology and training include three of the following four points.Which one is incorrect?

A)avoid simplicity
B)count on people for quality outputs,strong productivity,and good ideas
C)provide sufficient training to make both old and new technology work
D)avoid going beyond the limits of technological expertise

Question 58

Actual expenses (AE) for resources (i.e.,charges for materials,energy,direct labor including short-term labor,and overtime) are subtracted from revenues (R) to yield the

A)short-term contribution margin.
B)long-term contribution margin.
C)traditional costing margin.
D)general expenses.

Question 59

Traditional training methods that are widely used include all of the following except one.Which is incorrect?

A)on-the-job training
B)case method
C)simulations and games
D)teaching to learn and learning to teach

Question 60

_____ are defined as the expected output rate from which the costs of the product can be estimated.

A)Production standards
B)Performance evaluations
C)Average performance ratings
D)Team building grades

Question 61

Element has the longest extraneous cycle.Therefore,it constitutes the _____ which is the time necessary to encompass all element cycles that are part of the process.

A)longest common cycle
B)shortest common cycle
C)longest reduction cycle
D)shortest motion time interval

Question 62

The reasons for using job observation methods include all of the following except

A)improving the job.
B)complicating the work.
C)determining expected output rates.
D)calculating each individual's real output rate.

Question 63

The text example used the _____ approach to time each work element

A)snap-back
B)continuous
C)reverse process
D)cycle-reduction

Question 64

_____ underwent a metamorphosis,becoming internalized computer timers that were part of the process equipment.

A)Time studies
B)Time and motion studies
C)Stopwatches
D)Cycle-time reduction

Question 65

Enough product must be run in the job shop to warrant developing

A)optimal production targets.
B)productivity standards.
C)operational standards.
D)timing studies.

Question 66

The success of _____ in companies,where employees are not driven by work standards and where there is little fear of losing one's job,indicates the extent to which improvement can be continuous.

A)intelligent conflict resolution
B)suggestion systems
C)careful wage determination
D)creative job evaluation

Question 67

_____ are used in time studies to convert average working time of the person being observed to normal working time.

A)Normal times
B)Learning curves
C)Leveling factors
D)Production standards

Question 68

_____ can determine with reasonable accuracy the percentage of time workers are engaged in different tasks before and after job design.

A)Work sampling
B)Synthetic time study
C)Time and motion study
D)Productivity sampling

Question 69

_____ can be used to determine the fraction of the time that workers are idle and how these employees spend their time when engaged.

A)Productivity sampling
B)Work sampling
C)Normal time observation
D)Distance learning

Question 70

The _____ is the adjusted average performance where the adjustment is an allowance for rest and delay.

A)optimal productivity
B)time study target
C)productivity standard
D)operation standard

Question 71

_____ is a term used to describe the analysis of a job and its improvement.

A)Job evaluation
B)Wage determination
C)Conflict resolution
D)Suggestion system

Question 72

With consistent repetition,as the job is being learned (for the first time) or relearned,the operator is said to start moving up his or her

A)learning curve.
B)leveling plateau.
C)normal time frame.
D)learning plateau.

Question 73

In the Jay Ray DVD example,the job design was broken down into six elements,but only _____ elements dominated the process.

A)3
B)4
C)2
D)5

Question 74

Job observations include information about everything except

A)the set of operations.
B)materials used.
C)setups required.
D)global warming.

Question 75

_____ for manufacturing and service employees is based upon an assessment of the difficulty of jobs performed,amount of training needed,amount of skill required,and the value of these jobs to the company.

A)Job evaluation
B)Wage determination
C)Conflict resolution
D)Suggestion system

Question 76

In time and motion studies,the process support steps are called

A)extraneous elements.
B)basic elements.
C)process analysis.
D)job cycle.

Question 77

In time and motion study,the main or core process steps are called

A)extraneous elements.
B)process analytics.
C)cycle-reduction steps.
D)basic elements.

Question 78

_____ readings are cumulative and require subtraction to determine element times.

A)Snap-back
B)Continuous
C)Snap-forward
D)Discontinuous

Question 79

Using _____,managers can determine how many people to employ to fill demand.

A)learning curve time
B)normal time
C)production time
D)standard unit time

Question 80

Normal time is multiplied by the rest and delay factor (r&d).The CF(r&d) is always more than _____ percent,yielding standard time.CF stands for "correction for."

A)99
B)70
C)100
D)80