Question 1

What are the four levels of customization and at what place does each occur in the supply chain?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the four levels of customization...

Question 2

As the degree of service customization decreases, managers have more opportunity to focus on cost and productivity.

Accepted Answer

When there is less customization, there is less need for individual attention and therefore, more emphasis can be put on reducing costs and increasing productivity.

Question 3

Capability variety is the difference in how customers view an identical service outcome. What some customers might view as economical and thrifty others might view as cheap and poor value.

Accepted Answer

Capability variety refers to the range of different abilities and skills that a company or an individual possesses, not to the difference in customer perceptions of a service outcome. Customer perceptions of value are more related to perceived quality and value for money rather than capability variety.

Question 4

The back room refers to the part of the service process where the customer is not visible to the other customers waiting for service.

Accepted Answer

The back room refers to the part of the service process where the customer is not involved and cannot see what is happening, not where the customer is not visible to other customers.

Question 5

The greater the emphasis on intangible activities, the more management's attention will be directed to:
A)buildings and property.
B)training employees.
C)truck fleets.
D)material costs.

Accepted Answer

Intangible activities refer to non-physical assets like intellectual property, branding, software, etc. Therefore, the management's attention will be directed towards training employees to improve their skills and productivity in these intangible areas rather than focusing on physical assets like buildings, property, truck fleets, or material costs.

Question 6

In a service blueprint, the two layers the customer is involved with are the ________ and the ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In a service blueprint, the two layers...

Question 7

The ________ includes all the value-added physical and intangible activities that a service organization provides to the customer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ________ includes all the value-added physical...

Question 8

In a service package the greater the emphasis on intangible activities is, the more critical is the training and retention of skilled employees and the development and maintenance of the firm's knowledge assets.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Intangible activities in a service package, such as expertise, knowledge, and skills, rely heavily on the quality of employees and the development and maintenance of the firm's knowledge assets. Therefore, the training and retention of skilled employees become more critical.

Question 9

A complete makeover by Jose Eber on daytime TV for an unemployed daytime TV viewer that has pretty much given up probably scores:
A)low on customization and high on intangible activities.
B)high on customer contact and high on physical activities.
C)high on customization and high on intangible activities.
D)low on customer contact and low on intangible activities.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A complete makeover by Jose Eber on...

Question 10

The point where the customer interfaces directly with the service organization is:
A)the front room.
B)the back room.
C)onstage.
D)the floor.

Accepted Answer

The point where the customer interfaces directly with the service organization is referred to as "the front room." This term is used to distinguish the areas of service delivery that are visible and directly interact with the customer from those that are not (the back room).

Question 11

Service positioning is based on the three axes of contact, customization, and cost.

Accepted Answer

Service positioning is typically based on the three axes of service delivery, which are service intensity (level of service), customization, and judgment (level of expertise or skill required). Cost is a factor in positioning but not one of the primary axes in the classic model of service positioning.

Question 12

The three dimensions of service positioning are the nature of the service package, the degree of customization and the degree of customer contact.

Accepted Answer

The statement is true. The nature of the service package refers to the core benefits offered by the service, and the supporting features that enhance the service experience. The degree of customization refers to how much flexibility the service provider offers in tailoring the service to individual customer needs. The degree of customer contact refers to how much interaction customers have with service providers during service delivery.

Question 13

A mass lecture for 500 freshmen in the College of Business probably scores:
A)low on customization and high on intangible activities.
B)high on customer contact and low on intangible activities.
C)high on customization and high on intangible activities.
D)low on customer contact and low on intangible activities.

Accepted Answer

Mass lectures, especially for a large group like 500 freshmen, are typically standardized (low on customization) and focus on delivering knowledge or information (high on intangible activities).

Question 14

A legal service in a corporate acquisition probably scores:
A)low on customization and high on physical activities.
B)high on customer contact and low on intangible activities.
C)high on customization and high on intangible activities.
D)low on customer contact and low on intangible activities.

Accepted Answer

Legal services in a corporate acquisition require a high degree of customization as each acquisition is unique and requires tailored legal advice. Additionally, legal services in this context involve mostly intangible activities such as advising on legal issues, drafting documents, and negotiating terms. Customer contact may be limited as most communication may occur between attorneys and representatives of the acquiring company.

Question 15

As the degree of customer contact decreases, more of the service package is provided by the ________ room.

Accepted Answer

The answer of As the degree of customer contact decreases,...

Question 16

The service package continuum ranges from immediate to delayed.

Accepted Answer

The service package continuum actually ranges from highly tangible goods with minor service elements to highly intangible services with minor goods elements, not from immediate to delayed.

Question 17

Define the term service package and describe management's focus for each activity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Define the term service package and describe...

Question 18

Service operations compete and position themselves in the marketplace based on the three dimensions - ________, ________, and ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Service operations compete and position themselves in...

Question 19

An independent study for a graduate student in the College of Business probably scores:
A)low on customization and high on intangible activities.
B)high on customer contact and low on intangible activities.
C)high on customization and high on intangible activities.
D)low on customer contact and low on intangible activities.

Accepted Answer

An independent study for a graduate student in the College of Business would most likely involve high levels of customization as the study would be tailored to the specific interests and goals of the student. Additionally, the study would likely involve high levels of intangible activities such as research, literature reviews, and data analysis.

Question 20

In a service blueprint, the line of internal interaction falls between the customer and the onstage service provider.

Accepted Answer

In a service blueprint, the line of internal interaction separates the onstage activities (visible to the customer) from the backstage activities (not visible to the customer), not between the customer and the onstage service provider.

Quiz 3: Process Choice and Layout Decisions in Manufacturing and Services

What are the four levels of customization and at what place does each occur in the supply chain?

As the degree of service customization decreases, managers have more opportunity to focus on cost and productivity.

Capability variety is the difference in how customers view an identical service outcome. What some customers might view as economical and thrifty others might view as cheap and poor value.

The back room refers to the part of the service process where the customer is not visible to the other customers waiting for service.

The greater the emphasis on intangible activities, the more management's attention will be directed to:

In a service blueprint, the two layers the customer is involved with are the and the .

The ________ includes all the value-added physical and intangible activities that a service organization provides to the customer.

In a service package the greater the emphasis on intangible activities is, the more critical is the training and retention of skilled employees and the development and maintenance of the firm's knowledge assets.

A complete makeover by Jose Eber on daytime TV for an unemployed daytime TV viewer that has pretty much given up probably scores:

The point where the customer interfaces directly with the service organization is:

Service positioning is based on the three axes of contact, customization, and cost.

The three dimensions of service positioning are the nature of the service package, the degree of customization and the degree of customer contact.

A mass lecture for 500 freshmen in the College of Business probably scores:

A legal service in a corporate acquisition probably scores:

As the degree of customer contact decreases, more of the service package is provided by the ________ room.

The service package continuum ranges from immediate to delayed.

Define the term service package and describe management's focus for each activity.

Service operations compete and position themselves in the marketplace based on the three dimensions - , , and .

An independent study for a graduate student in the College of Business probably scores:

In a service blueprint, the line of internal interaction falls between the customer and the onstage service provider.