TAKE HOME FINAL EXAM (due June 8, 2004)
Dr. Greg Magnan
MBA 518, Spring 2004NAME:
- Select the best answer for each multiple-choice question.
- Please ask for clarification if questions are not clear.
- Do NOT make the questions harder than they are!
- The exam has a total of 30 points possible (6 1-point multiple choice, 4 3-point short answer, and 3 4-point short answer).
- If you are submitting the exam as a group (maximum of four people per group), only one submission is necessary. All should complete the Project Rating Form at the end of the exam.
1.Which of the following is not an objective of aggregate planning?
a.minimize production costs.b.maximize customer service
c.maximize inventory costsd.minimize backorders
2.The master production schedule (MPS) usually states the production of a company’s:
a.raw materials
b.work in process inventory
c.components
d.finished goods/end items
e.none of the above
3.Which of the following statements is FALSE:
a.a firm’s supply chain can affect the level of reputation risk faced by a firm
b.e-procurement lowers ordering costs, thereby reducing order quantities
c.the primary competitive priorities are cost, quality, delivery and flexibility
d.MRP systems are the pre-cursors to today’s ERP systems
e.none of the above are false--all are true
4.Material requirements planning (MRP) systems are advantageous in that they:
a.allow firms to purchase most component parts, rather than manufacture them internally.
b.assure that sufficient safety stocks are on hand for unexpected delays from vendors.
c.result in lower negotiated prices from vendors.
d.work to ensure material and component availability, while cutting inventory investment.
5.Which one of the following items experiences dependent demand?
a.Finished products/goods.
b.Sales of ice cream at a local grocery.
c.The printer head on an HP printer.
d.Ford's auto sales to dealers.
e.None of these.
6.Supply chain management (SCM) is characterized by all of the following except:
a.emphasis on joint reduction in channel inventories
b.information sharing
c.coordination between firms in the chain
d.reduced supply base
e.ALL of the above are SCM characteristics
Short Answer Section
This section is worth 24 points in total. Questions 7-12 are worth 3 points and can be answered in about two paragraphs and questions 13-15 are worth 4 points and need a bit more depth. Please type your responses (double-spaced). Be sure to address the questions! [A “paragraph” need not be a full page in length--about 3 or 4 sentences will work. If you want to write more you can, although full credit can be earned with 3-4 sentence paragraphs.]
CHOOSE FOUR 3-POINT QUESTIONS FROM 7-12 [total of 12 points]
7.What is Supply Chain Management? Why is SCM important to businesses in today’s market? What new technologies are helping companies manage their supply chains?
8.From the article by Womack and Jones (“Beyond Toyota…”) what problems were created when Lantech used a process layout to produce their machines? Identify four (4) changes made at Lantech to create a lean process.
9.In what ways are the following conceptually similar? How are they different?
a) From Christopher & Towill (“Developing market specific supply chain strategies,” IJLM, 2002):
“…it is now clear that in the 21st century global strategies must correctly match the pipeline to the requirements of the marketplace?”(page 9, right column) and
b) From Vitasek, Manrodt & Kelly (“Solving the Supply – Demand Mismatch,”SCMR, 2003):
The technique of volume-variability demand profiling.
10.What role does the operations function play in a company (manufacturing or service)? Describe three ways in which operations-related decisions affect the financial statements of a company.
11.From the articles by Zwetsloot (“From Management Systems to Corporate Social Responsibility,”JBE, 2003) and Roberts (“Supply chain specific? Understanding the patchy success of ethical sourcing initiatives,”JBE, 2003):
a)What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?
b)Identify and describe two ways in which the operations function can support CSR initiatives.
12.From Christopher & Towill (“Developing market-specific supply chain strategies,”IJLM, 2002):
a)How are the concepts of “lean” and “agile” different? Do they support different competitive priorities?
b)Identify and describe three differences one would expect to see in a company adopting a lean strategy versus one following an agile strategy (differences do not have to be solely in operations).
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING 4-POINT QUESTIONS (17-19) [total of 12 points]
Questions 17-19 are worth 4 points and should be no longer than three paragraphs. Be sure to address the questions! [Generally, the answers to these questions should be about one page, double-spaced.]
13.In the “Driven by Demand: A Case Study” article, the journey for NMS from MTS to BTO is chronicled. Answer the following:
A)What did the quantitative analysis reveal?
B)What benefits were realized by NMS after they switched to a BTO strategy?
C)What changes were made in the areas below that supported the move to BTO?
- Changes in inventory policy
- Changes on the manufacturing floor
- Changes in the supply chain
14.Describe the relationship between Lean Manufacturing and:
- quality management
- plant layout
- inventory management
- supply chain management
- competitive priorities
15.From Kopczak and Johnson (“The Supply-Chain Management Effect,” Sloan Management Review, 2003):
The six trends identified by the authors address internal-external collaboration (processes and new products), managing demand, and tailoring offerings for specific customer groups. Select FOUR of the trends and discuss the challenges associated with implementation/execution for each.
[end of exam]
PLANT TOUR PROJECT RATING FORM
MBA 518 / Operations Management
Fall, 2003
As noted in the syllabus, you have an opportunity to evaluate the contribution of your teammates on your class project. Be sure to include and rate yourself!
Please evaluate performance by assigning a letter grade (A, B, C, D, F) for each category. All information will remain confidential and may be used to adjust the project score of team members that are consistently rated low.
Company:______Your Name:______
Member Name /Dependability
/ Attitude / Support for Others /Overall contribution
Additional Comments:
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