Deck 16: Sustainable Operations Managementpreparing for the Future

Question 1

Lean systems thinking in operations management can extend to sustainability in what way?

A)Its focus on improving product quality.
B)Its focus on delivering products to customers faster.
C)Its focus on reducing waste of all types.
D)Its focus on product innovation.

Answer 1

Its focus on reducing waste of all types.

Question 2

The "triple bottom line" suggests that efforts should be devoted to assessing the impact of activities on:

A)People, profit, processes.
B)Profit, profit, profit.
C)People, planet, profit.
D)Profit, planet, processes.

Answer 2

People, planet, profit.

Question 3

Which of the following environmental initiatives/programs deals most specifically with building design and construction?

A)The Kyoto Protocol
B)Responsible Care
C)ISO 14000
D)LEED certification

Answer 3

LEED certification

Question 4

A specific analysis of the total greenhouse gases caused directly or indirectly by a product is called:

A)Carbon footprinting.
B)Life cycle analysis.
C)Life cycle waste assessment matrix.
D)Cap and trade.

Question 5

BMW has introduced a program of covered scheduled maintenance for its cars. That is, when you bring in your vehicle for maintenance at a BMW dealership, BMW will cover the costs of everything (except for worn-out tires). This practice specifically targets which stage of the product life cycle?

A)Extraction
B)Packaging/transportation
C)Usage
D)Disposal

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a stakeholder, as considered from the P-People perspective of sustainability?

A)Customers
B)Government
C)Workers
D)Investors

Question 7

Over which stage of the product's life cycle does operations management have the greatest amount of direct control?

A)Extraction
B)Packaging/transportation
C)Usage
D)Disposal

Question 8

Which of the following statements most accurately represents the challenge of being environmentally sustainable?

A)The choices facing the firm are clear, and the obvious candidates for improvement can be easily identified.
B)It is not easy to be environmentally responsible since the choices facing management involve trade-offs.
C)This is a decision that firms must move on since the demand for environmental responsibility is driven by forces that cannot be ignored-governmental regulations, decreasing resource levels, and changing customer demands.
D)Being environmentally responsible is simply a matter of complying with governmental regulations.

Question 9

From an operations standpoint, sustainability means that:

A)Profit is not an important goal.
B)A company should focus its efforts on reducing pollution.
C)Firms should pursue profit without damaging the environment or the well-being of future generations.
D)The firm must improve how it manages its people resources since these are important to the long-term survival of the firm.

Question 10

Which of the following environmental initiatives/programs is an example of an industry-specific program aimed at improving environmental performance?

A)The Kyoto Protocol
B)Responsible Care
C)ISO 14000
D)LEED certification

Question 11

Which of the following programs/initiatives strives to improve the lives of suppliers and their families?

A)ISO 14000
B)Responsible Care
C)LEED
D)FairTrade

Question 12

Which of the following phrases BEST defines the concept of sustainability, as set out by the United Nations Brundtland Commission:

A)To reduce, minimize, and ideally eliminate pollution, thus preserving the planet and its resources for the benefit of not only today's generation but also the future.
B)To meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
C)To ensure that business and the community work together to preserve limited resources while also ensuring that business is appropriately rewarded for its efforts.
D)To foster an environment that satisfies the requirements of the triple bottom line-namely people, profit, and the planet-the keys to our future survival.

Question 13

Which of the following approaches provides management with an appropriate tool for assessing the full impact from "seed to sewer" (from creation to disposal)?

A)Life cycle analysis
B)Total cost of ownership
C)Trade-off analysis
D)Cost of quality analysis

Question 14

Downcycling, as described in the chapter, is a critical consideration during which stage of the product life cycle?

A)Extraction
B)Packaging/transportation
C)Usage
D)Disposal

Question 15

Which of the following sustainability issues has a significant impact on supply chain relationships?

A)Culture
B)Common usage of lean systems
C)Location
D)Governmental regulations and tariffs

Question 16

When people and profit intersect, from a sustainability perspective, which of the following areas is most impacted?

A)Equitability
B)Sustainability
C)Bearability
D)Viability

Question 17

The following environmentally responsible process/material matrix was developed for Zanda Corp. Zanda has determined that a score of 50 is its goal at this time, but efforts to lower its score will continue regardless. What is Zanda's current score, and what is your conclusion?

A)47, and Zanda has met its goals-no further actions are necessary.
B)47, but Zanda must do something about solid residue during extraction now.
C)53, and Zanda has not met its goals.
D)15, (from manufacture) and Zanda has met its goals-no further actions are necessary.

Question 18

Walmart has announced that suppliers must attempt to improve their efforts in environmental management. In this announcement, Walmart could have included a requirement that suppliers meet the standards of:

A)ISO 9000.
B)ISO 2011.
C)ISO 9002.
D)ISO 14000.

Question 19

The following environmentally responsible process/material matrix was developed for Zanda Corp. Zanda has determined that a score of 40 is its goal at this time, but efforts to lower its score will continue regardless. What is Zanda's current score, and what is your conclusion?

A)53, Zanda is doing better than its goal.
B)53, Zanda is doing worse than its goal.
C)47, Zanda, is doing better than its goal.
D)47, Zanda is doing worse than its goal.

Question 20

Which of the following environmental initiatives/programs deals most specifically with the firm's environmental management system?

A)The Kyoto Protocol
B)Responsible Care
C)ISO 14000
D)LEED certification

Question 21

Which of the following best describes organizational culture?

A)Organizational culture is easy to change.
B)Organizational culture is readily identified.
C)Organizational culture is becoming less important in today's environment (due to factors such as downsizing and outsourcing).
D)Organizational culture is critical to long-term success.

Question 22

Which of the following statements best describes the role of sustainability measurement and reporting in many of today's firms?

A)Sustainability reporting is becoming more important, with its structure being determined by governmental regulations and requirements.
B)Sustainability reporting focuses on those issues where the reporting firm has the greatest degree of control.
C)Sustainability reporting is becoming more important with more metrics being provided by different organizations.
D)Sustainability reporting, while important, is plagued by problems involving its development and deployment and with concerns over appropriate standards.

Question 23

As technology and cultures evolve, the best approach for operations managers is to:

A)Work harder.
B)Adapt their business models.
C)Retire.
D)Make their processes more efficient.

Question 24

Which of the following terms best describes the impact of sustainability initiatives on the business model?

A)Sustainability affects primarily the capabilities offered by the supply chain.
B)Sustainability helps the firm to change its value proposition.
C)Sustainability impacts primarily the customers that we serve.
D)Sustainability affects the entire business model.

Question 25

Zanda Corp. has always operated within one country. It is contemplating opening production facilities in another country. Zanda should realize:

A)Production processes used domestically should work well in a different country.
B)The means of motivating the workforce domestically may not work well in a different country.
C)The technology used domestically is often the best to use in a different country.
D)The same business model that is used domestically should apply to the foreign country.

Question 26

Which of the following factors was most responsible for the breakdown of the Daimler-Benz/Chrysler merger?

A)Technology incompatibility
B)Lack of sustainability
C)Cultural incompatibility
D)Different languages