Question 1

OSCM is concerned with management of the trickiest parts of the system that produces a good or delivers a service.

Accepted Answer

OSCM (Operations and Supply Chain Management) is concerned with the design, operation, and improvement of the systems that create and deliver a firm's primary products and services, not just the "trickiest parts."

Question 2

The supply network as can be thought of as a pipeline through which cash, material and information flows.

Accepted Answer

False

Question 3

"Supply chain" refers to processes that move information and material to and from the manufacturing and service processes of the firm.

Accepted Answer

Supply chain involves the movement of both information and material to and from the manufacturing and service processes of a firm.

Question 4

OSCM is a functional field of business with clear line management responsibilities.

Accepted Answer

OSCM (Operations and Supply Chain Management) involves the management of various operations and supply chain activities within an organization. It is a functional field of business that focuses on delivering products and services efficiently to meet customer demands. In OSCM, line management is responsible for overseeing and managing daily operations, ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently, and making strategic decisions that impact the overall performance of the organization.

Question 5

The supply chain processes mentioned in the textbook are planning, sourcing, delivering, and returning.

Accepted Answer

The supply chain processes typically include planning, sourcing, making, delivering, and returning.

Question 6

A worker can be efficient without being effective.

Accepted Answer

Efficiency is the ability to do a task with minimum waste of time, effort or resources. Effectiveness is the ability to produce a desired result. Therefore, a worker can be efficient in completing a task quickly and without wasting resources, but may not produce the desired result or outcome, making them not effective.

Question 7

"Supply chain" includes only inbound freight and inventory.

Accepted Answer

Supply chain includes not only inbound freight and inventory, but also production, distribution, and outbound transportation.

Question 8

It is critical that a sustainable strategy meet the needs of shareholders and employees first, and then focus on preserving the environment.

Accepted Answer

A sustainable strategy should prioritize the preservation of the environment first and then consider the needs of shareholders and employees. This is because without a healthy environment, there can be no sustained success for a business or economy.

Question 9

Supply networks cannot be constructed for every product or service.

Accepted Answer

Supply networks can be constructed for virtually every product or service, as they represent the chain of processes and entities involved in the production, delivery, and sale of a product or service.

Question 10

"Operations" refers to manufacturing and service processes used to transform resources employed by a firm into products desired by customers.

Accepted Answer

The definition of operations is accurate and reflects the transformation of resources into products for customers.

Question 11

A doctor completes a surgical procedure on a patient without error.The patient dies anyway.In operations management terms, we could refer to this doctor as being efficient but not effective.

Accepted Answer

Efficiency in operations management refers to performing tasks correctly and with minimal waste, while effectiveness is about achieving the desired outcome. In this case, the doctor performed the surgery without error (efficient) but did not achieve the desired outcome of saving the patient's life (not effective).

Question 12

Central to the concept of operations strategy are the notions of operations focus and trade-offs.

Accepted Answer

Operations focus refers to the specific areas of operation that a company chooses to prioritize, while trade-offs refer to the sacrifices a company must make in certain areas in order to prioritize others. These are both central concepts in operations strategy.

Question 13

A process can be effective without being efficient.

Accepted Answer

Effectiveness refers to achieving desired outcomes or goals, whereas efficiency is focused on achieving those outcomes or goals with minimum wasted effort, time, or resources. Therefore, a process can be effective in achieving the goal but may not be efficient in terms of minimizing wasted resources or time.

Question 14

The term "value" refers to the relationship between quality and the price paid by the consumer.

Accepted Answer

The term "value" indeed refers to the relationship between the quality of a product or service and the price paid by the consumer. A good value represents a fair balance between these two elements.

Question 15

Operations and supply chain management is defined as the design, operation, and improvement of the systems that create and deliver the firm's primary products and services.

Accepted Answer

This definition accurately describes operations and supply chain management.

Question 16

Although planning involves determining how the various supply chain processes (sourcing, making, delivering, and returning) will be met, planning itself is not considered a supply chain process.

Accepted Answer

Planning is considered a crucial supply chain process as it involves the strategic design and management of all supply chain activities. It encompasses the determination of how resources will be allocated across the supply chain to ensure efficiency and meet customer demand.

Question 17

Attempting to balance the desire to efficiently use resources while providing a highly effective service may create conflict between the two goals.

Accepted Answer

The desire to efficiently use resources may lead to cutting corners or taking shortcuts that compromise the quality of service provided, creating conflict with the goal of providing a highly effective service.

Question 18

Effectiveness means doing the right things to create the most value for the company.

Accepted Answer

Effectiveness is about choosing the right tasks and activities that align with the company's goals and objectives and bring the most value to the organization. It is focused on achieving desirable results, whereas efficiency is about doing things right in the most optimal way possible.

Question 19

Planning is where a firm must determine how anticipated demand will be met with available resources.

Accepted Answer

Planning involves forecasting demand and then developing strategies to allocate resources to meet that demand.

Question 20

Efficiency means doing the right things to create the most value for the company.

Accepted Answer

Efficiency refers to doing things in the most economical way, minimizing waste of resources, while effectiveness is about doing the right things to achieve the desired outcome.

Quiz 1: Introduction