Operations (DONE)

Question 1

What qualities to customers consider?

Answer 1

Physical appearance.

Durability and reliablility.

Aftersales service.

Companies reputation.

Value for money.

Question 2

What is quality of standards?

Answer 2

Guidlines they must adhere to when producing products and services. These guidlines are created by the business.

Question 3

Why is quality important to an organisation?

Answer 3

Good Reputation.

May be a legal requirment.

Retailers will be happy.

Remain competitive.

Priced higher.

More durable so fewer returns.

Few customer complaints.

Reduces waist.

Workable quality system.

Question 4

What methods are there for ensuring quality.

Answer 4

Quality control.

Quality Assurance.

Quality Management.

Quality Circles.

Benchmarking.

Mystery Shopper.

Question 5

What is quality control?

Answer 5

This is when the product quality is inspected at the end of the production process.

Question 6

What is quality assurance?

Answer 6

When the products quality is checked at various points in the production.

Question 7

What is quality management?

Answer 7

This is when the entire organisation has a responisibility for the management and preservation of quality.

Question 8

What are the important features of a QM policy?

Answer 8

Setting and sticking to quality standards.

Continious improvement.

Team working.

Through constant checking at all stages of assembly.

Quality policy.

Question 9

What are quality circles?

Answer 9

Groups of workers who come together at regular intervals to discuss problems and suggest improvments.

Question 10

Advantages of quality circles?

Answer 10

Team work is encouraged.

Employees feel more positive and valued.

It allows employees to learn new skills.

It harmonises the workplace.

Question 11

Disadvantages of quality circles?

Answer 11

When employees are meeting they are not producing.

A steering comittee need to be set to oversee the entire programme and team leaders need to be appointed.

Everyone must show commitment.

Organisations need to account for time being needed for resoloutions to be achieved.

Question 12

What is benchmarking?

Answer 12

This is when one organisation is compared to another , often it will be a comparison to the market leader.

Question 13

Advantages of benchmarking?

Answer 13

Studying competitors can identify opportunities for other functions to be improved.

Could be used to motivate employees and show them how to make their jobs easier.

It can help monitor change within the organisation more easily.

Question 14

Disadvantages of benchmarking?

Answer 14

It’s not always easy to gather information, might be closely guarded.

What’s best for one organisation might not be best for another.

Benchmarking can reveal the standards to strive for but not always the full story.

Organisations need to make sure they don’t become complacent.

Question 15

What is a mystery shopper?

Answer 15

This involves employing some to pose as a customer and report back to to customer service about their experience.

Question 16

Advantages of mystery shopper?

Answer 16

It should give an impartial account of the quality of the experience.

Procedures could be improved from the feedback provided.

It should motivated employees and ensure that customers are treated with respect.

Question 17

Disadvantages of mystery shopper?

Answer 17

For this method to be ethical, staff must be informed of mystery shoppers being used from time to time.

Some staff might feel threatened.

It can be expensive.

Question 18

What is labour intensive?

Answer 18

Products created by human effort.

Question 19

Advantages of labour intensive?

Answer 19

Customised products are easier to make.

Less expensive machinery costs.

Humans can use their own initiative and problem solve

Workers are often more motivated.

Question 20

Disdvantages of labour intensive?

Answer 20

Quality of products can vary due to expertise of the worker and there is increased risk of human error.

Skilled workers take time to train.

Skilled workers will be paid more than unskilled workers.

Workers require breaks and holidays which may lead to loss of production.

Question 21

What is capital intensive?

Answer 21

When products are made mainly using technology.

Question 22

Advantages of capital intensive?

Answer 22

Can make a large number of identical products.

Machinery can work 24/7

Quality will be consistent as it is programmed..

Question 23

Disadvantages of capital intensive?

Answer 23

Individual requirements cant be met.

Breakdowns can be very costly.

Employees managing machinery may be unmotivated.

Question 24

What is automation?

Answer 24

This is when labour has been completely replaced by machinery.

Question 25

Advantages of automation?

Answer 25

Production time is quicker. Accuracy is far greater. No requirement for workers. Work environment is safer as employees will not be in automated work places.

Question 26

Disdvantages of automation?

Answer 26

No flexibility. Adds to poloution. Causes unemployment. MAchinery breakdowns are very expensiver.

Question 27

What is mechanisation?

Answer 27

When production requires a mix of both machinery and labour.

Question 28

Advantages of mechanisation?

Answer 28

Standarisation can be pre programmed so production can be consistent. Using labour allows for production issues to be flagged up quickly. Labour can be trained into experts at operating machinery. Machinery improves the accuracy and completes difficult tasks for the worker.

Question 29

Disadvantages of mechanisation?

Answer 29

Initial setup costs are high. Machinery can break down. Machinery needs to be updated and upgraded. Labour needs to be trained.

Question 30

What is job production?

Answer 30

When a product is completed from start to finish by a single worker or a team of workers.

Question 31

Advantages of job production.

Answer 31

Can be personalised for the customer. Customers can still make changes to the product during the production process. Quality can be checked on a regular basis. Due to the degree of skill and time spent higher prices can be charged.

Question 32

Didvantages of job production.

Answer 32

Labour costs are high. Specialist tools may be required. As the products are custom ordered bulk buying is not possible. The finished product is expensive. Time-consuming.

Question 33

What is batch production?

Answer 33

When a group of identical or similar products needs to be produced at the same time.

Question 34

Advantages of batch production?

Answer 34

Organisations can take advantage of bulk buying discounts. As the same machinery is used for each batch savings can be made. Highly skilled workers are not required. There is a possibility to change the specifications of the product but the entire batch will be altered.

Question 35

Disadvantages of batch production?

Answer 35

Staff motivation is lower due to the repetitiveness of the job. Machinery can be very expensive. Holding large stocks of raw materials can be expensive to store. If only small batches are produced then running costs are high.

Question 36

What is flow production?

Answer 36

Flow production is also known as continuous production. It enables a product to be created in a series of stages on an assembly line.

Question 37

Advantages of flow production?

Answer 37

Allows for large quanitites of products to be produced. Machinery can reduce the costs of human error and labour. Raw materials can be bulk bout so economies of scale can be an advantage. Quality can be checked as the item moves along the assembly line.

Question 38

Disadvantages of flow production?

Answer 38

Technology will have to be updated which can be expensive. Iniital costs of machinery are high. No personalisation is possible. Job satisfaction is low because employees have routine low skilled duties.