MNB1601 May/Jun 2014 exam paper — questions

Every question, by topic

1. Question 1 · Quality, failure and maintenance · 1 mark

   Refer to the extract from Case Study 7, 'Air traffic operations excellence', which explains that the importance of production and operations management (POM) and the operations system becomes obvious when a person's life depends on it, since no airline passenger wants to know that some airlines, airports or aircraft are of poor standard while others are good - there should only be one standard of excellence, especially when a plane is airborne. In the airline industry, operations systems are extremely important because passengers' lives depend on them, and operational failures are often catastrophic. Which one of the following is a mechanism used to detect such failures?Show the full questionShow less

2. Question 2 · Quality, failure and maintenance · 1 mark

   Continuing with the airline case study extract about the importance of operations systems, there are many critical events that determine whether a flight reaches its destination safely. If a specific type of aircraft experiences a problem where the landing gear becomes stuck after take-off, this would be regarded as a certain type of failure. Identify the correct type of failure from the options given.Show the full questionShow less

3. Question 3 · Operations objectives and performance · 1 mark

   Sarah owns a factory that produces fine quality chocolate. Since signing a large contract with Woolworths, the factory's operations have fallen behind and it has been unable to meet the demand created by Woolworths' big orders. Sarah needs to dramatically improve her operations if she is to honour the contract. Match the performance standard she can use to evaluate overall performance (Column A) with the correct description (Column B). Column A lists: a. Historical performance standards; b. Target performance standards; c. Competitors' performance standards; d. Absolute performance standards. Column B lists: i. Sarah's present performance is compared to that of Nestle Chocolates; ii. Sarah's performance is compared to the standards set by Woolworths that serve as a guideline for supplier performance; iii. Sarah compares her present performance to that of the previous year; iv. Sarah compares her current performance to the maximum achievable performance standards set for the chocolate industry; v. Sarah compares her past performance to the maximum achievable performance standards set for the chocolate industry. Select the option that correctly matches each letter in Column A to the corresponding numeral in Column B.Show the full questionShow less

4. Question 4 · Process types and layout · 1 mark

   Identify which type of operations system a jeweller is an example of, by selecting the most appropriate term from the options provided.Show the full questionShow less

5. Question 5 · Design of products and services · 1 mark

   Thabo works for a company that supplies various airlines with blankets that passengers can use during flights to stay warm. The company has designed a new pillow it wishes to introduce to airlines, and Thabo is responsible for developing a prototype of the pillow, which will then be tested by various airlines. Determine which stage in the design of a product this scenario illustrates.Show the full questionShow less