Deck 23: Job Design Work Measurement

Question 1

Sociotechnical systems is an approach to job design that focuses on the interaction between technology and the work group.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Extensive use of temporary workers can have an effect on job design.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

One of the behavioral considerations in job design includes job enrichment.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Specialization of labor does not appear to have serious adverse effects on workers.

Question 5

Mental fatigue is a reason workers should be given some extra time to do their jobs.

Question 6

One objective in managing people is to make them work as hard as possible so that the value of their output will exceed the cost of employing them.

Question 7

Requiring little or no education is one of the advantages for management in adopting specialization of labor as a job design principle.

Question 8

The fundamental purpose of work measurement is to set time standards.

Question 9

Job design is defined as the function of specifying the work activities of an individual or group in an organizational setting.

Question 10

When the textbook presented the topic of job design decisions,the "what" of these decisions concerned the tasks to be performed.

Question 11

If the time it takes for equipment breakdowns is significant,it should not be factored into a time study analysis in determining the standard time for a job.

Question 12

You need a standard time to determine normal time in a time study analysis.

Question 13

"Informating" ordinary workers means using electronic methods to give them instructions.

Question 14

Time study is usually performed by using a predetermined benchmark for a standard.

Question 15

Work measurement can be used to determine how physically hard the work should be to be performed by labor.

Question 16

A coffee break can be a reason workers should be given some extra time to do their jobs.

Question 17

One of the major conclusions in job design is that task variety and skill variety are important job design principles.

Question 18

One of the behavioral considerations in job design includes the degree of labor specialization.

Question 19

One of the disadvantages of adopting specialization of labor as a job design principle for labor is boredom.

Question 20

Job enrichment generally entails adjusting a specialized job to make it more interesting to the jobholder.

Question 21

The sociotechnical systems approach to job design attempts to develop jobs that adjust the needs of the production process technology to the needs of the worker and work group.

Question 22

Research suggests that employees derive frustration from using a number of skill levels.

Question 23

Behavioral considerations in job design include which of the following?

A)Judgment of upper management
B)The social strata and ethnicity of the labor pool
C)Degree of labor specialization
D)The economic stability of the industry
E)Potential for workforce unionization

Question 24

Job design decisions are being affected by which of the following trends?

A)Forecasting methods
B)Automatic guided vehicles
C)Automation of heavy manual work
D)Automated storage and retrieval systems
E)Global economic cycles

Question 25

Empowerment refers to workers being given authority to call a supervisor to stop a production line if there is a quality problem.

Question 26

Which of the following is not a reason that time standards are necessary?

A)To allocate capacity
B)To provide an objective basis for measuring worker performance
C)To evaluate performance on existing contracts
D)To focus the supervisor on performance improvement
E)To provide benchmarks for improvement

Question 27

In job design,an attempt must be made to provide an optimal variety of tasks within each job.

Question 28

Job design decisions are not being affected by which of the following trends?

A)Cross-training workers to perform multi-skilled jobs
B)Geographic dispersion of industry
C)Employee involvement and team approaches to designing and organizing work
D)Extensive use of temporary workers
E)Quality control becoming part of the job

Question 29

Work measurement and standards have proven ineffective because management regularly sets standards that cannot be achieved.

Question 30

Methods Time Management (MTM)and Most Work Measurement System (MOST)are proprietary examples of Predetermined Motion-Time Data Systems (PMTS).

Question 31

Work groups can handle many production problems better than management if they are permitted to make their own decisions on scheduling and work allocation.

Question 32

Job enrichment broadens workers' influence by giving them some managerial powers over their own activities.

Question 33

Leading organizations use job enrichment and sociotechnical systems to improve the quality of jobs.

Question 34

An objective of job design could be to develop a logically integrated pattern of work activities for individuals or work groups.Which of the following is not a job design principle relevant to this objective?

A)Task variety
B)Skill variety
C)Feedback
D)Partnership with management
E)Task autonomy

Question 35

When the textbook presented the topic of job design decisions,the "what" of these decisions concerned which of the following?

A)Time of day
B)Tasks to be performed
C)Mental and physical characteristics of the workforce
D)Method of performance and motivation
E)The organizational rationale for the job

Question 36

Work sampling involves observing a portion or sample of worker activities.

Question 37

Employees should be able to exercise some discretion and decision making in doing their work.

Question 38

In designing a job it has been concluded that individuals or work groups require a clearly defined,visible and meaningful set of work activities.This refers to which of the following job design principles?

A)Automation of manual tasks
B)Task identity
C)Quality at the source
D)Temporary labor use
E)"Informating" ordinary workers

Question 39

Some of the advantages for labor to increasing specialization of labor in job design include which of the following?

A)Rapid training of the workforce
B)Little or no education required to obtain work
C)Low wages due to ease of substitutability of labor
D)Close control over work flow and workloads
E)Ease in recruiting new workers

Question 40

Some of the advantages for labor to increasing specialization of labor in job design include which of the following?

A)Boredom
B)Job satisfaction and gratification
C)Control over the workplace
D)Enhanced opportunity to progress to a better job
E)Ease in learning the job

Question 41

Which of the following is not an advantage of work sampling over time study?

A)Several work-sampling studies may be conducted simultaneously by one observer
B)No timing devices are required
C)Work of a long cycle time may be studied with fewer observer hours
D)Work sampling gives more precise results
E)The study may be temporarily delayed at any time with little effect

Question 42

What are the four basic methods for measuring work and setting standards?

Question 43

Which of the following is not a reason that work measurement is used to set time standards?

A)To schedule work
B)To provide an objective basis for motivating the workforce
C)To bid for new contracts
D)To identify and eliminate lower performing employees
E)To provide benchmarks for improvement

Question 44

The text discusses eight current trends that are affecting job design decisions.What are they?

Question 45

An advantage that work sampling has over time study is:

A)Observers can develop a repetitive route of travel
B)Provides more accurate information when the work cycle is short
C)Effects of short-term variations are minimized
D)Results are available more promptly
E)A union is less likely to dispute the results

Question 46

Which of the following is one of the primary reasons for work sampling?

A)To exploit the Hawthorne effect
B)To measure performance
C)Re-sequencing tasks on an assembly line
D)To keep the work force alert
E)To try out different jobs

Question 47

Describe some of the benefits and drawbacks to specialization of labor from the perspectives of management and from the perspective of labor?

Question 48

If the normal time for a job is 15 minutes and the allowances for the job include 10 percent for personal needs,5 percent for unavoidable work delays and 3 percent for work fatigue,which one of the following comes closest to the standard time for this job?

A)10 minutes
B)15 minutes
C)18 minutes
D)24 minutes
E)35 minutes

Question 49

Which of the following is not a disadvantage of specialization?

A)Low wages due to ease of substitutability of labor
B)Difficulty in controlling quality because no one has responsibility for entire product
C)Boredom stemming from repetitive nature of work
D)Worker dissatisfaction leading to hidden costs
E)Little gratification from work itself because of small contribution to each item

Question 50

What are the four reasons that time standards are necessary as given in the text?

Question 51

Describe the distinction between horizontal and vertical form of job enlargement.Under what conditions would you use either?

Question 52

A time study was made of a job to develop new time standards.A worker was observed for 30 minutes.During that time,40 units were produced.The analyst rated the worker as performing at a 120 percent performance rate.What is the normal time for this task?

A)0.80 minutes
B)0.90 minutes
C)1.00 minutes
D)1.20 minutes
E)1.33 minutes

Question 53

A worker was producing a product for which the standard time was one minute per unit.During an eight hour workday,the worker produced 520 units.What would be the worker's pay for that day if the basic pay rate was $10.00 per hour and the piece rate bonus was $2.00 per unit above standard?

A)$80.00
B)$96.00
C)$120.00
D)$160.00
E)$180.00

Question 54

A time study was made of a job to develop new time standards.A worker was observed for 30 minutes.During that time,40 units were produced.The analyst rated the worker as performing at a 120 percent performance rate.Allowances for rest and personal time are 20 percent.What is the standard time for this task?

A)0.75 minutes
B)0.98 minutes
C)1.00 minutes
D)1.08 minutes
E)1.33 minutes

Question 55

If the normal time for a job is 20 minutes and the allowances for the job are 25 percent of normal time,which one of the following comes closest to the standard time for this job?

A)5 minutes
B)22 minutes,30 seconds
C)24 minutes
D)25 minutes
E)35 minutes

Question 56

If the normal time for a job is 4 minutes and the allowances for the job are 10 percent of normal time,which one of the following comes closest to the standard time for this job?

A)4 minutes
B)4 minutes,6 seconds
C)4 minutes,24 seconds
D)5 minutes,24 seconds
E)6 minutes,6 seconds

Question 57

Which of the following are not used as reasons to justify time allowances in a time study analysis?

A)Going to the washroom
B)Unavoidable work delays
C)Worker fatigue
D)Worker illness
E)Coffee breaks

Question 58

In work sampling,which one of the following main issues must be decided before undertaking the study?

A)How much money will be saved
B)How many observations are necessary
C)What is the ratio of time to money savings
D)Whether a stop watch or video camera should be used
E)What data shall be collected

Question 59

Which of the following is not a reason to choose time study rather than work sampling?

A)When the cycle time is short
B)When a complete a breakdown of elements is desired
C)When results are not required quickly
D)When the observers develop a repetitive route of travel
E)When the system is in the process of change

Question 60

If the normal time for a job is 30 minutes and the allowances for the job include 10 percent for personal needs,5 percent for unavoidable work delays and 3 percent for work fatigue,which one of the following comes closest to the standard time for this job?

A)14 minutes
B)24 minutes
C)32 minutes
D)35 minutes
E)38 minutes

Question 61

Work measurement is necessary to set time standards for a job.Why are such standards needed?