Module B

MIB: Global Operations Management

Specimen Exam 2011

Section A

Answer ten questions from this section. Each answer will be worth 5% of the
exam mark.

1. Give three order qualifiers and one order winner for: American express.

2. Where would you place the sandwich chain Subway on the 4 stage
model of operations? Be sure to justify your decision in no more than
three sentences.

3. What type of layout is used by MacDonald’s and state three

advantages of this over other layouts.

4. If a firm is trying to produce 5000 chairs a day on a production line,

what would you recommend as a cycle time?

5. In three sentences explain why line balancing is so important.

6. Propose, and justify with a sentence each, three measures of quality

that can be used in a telephone call centre.

7. Give three problems of using inspection as a means of ensuring

quality.

8. When using an SPC chart, describe, in no more than three sentences,

the actions a firm should take if they find a reading above the UCL.

9. Give three advantages and two potential problems of adopting TQM

rather than ISO9000 as the basis for a quality management system.

10. Which of Garvin’s five definitions of quality is most important to a

medical doctor and state why in 3 sentences?

11. In three sentences, describe the use of the scatter plot, one of the
seven tools of quality.

12. Explain three possible problems and offer three solutions for firms
whose capacity exceeds current demand.

13. What is a good measure of aggregate capacity for Nokia? In three

sentences, what is this measure used for?
 14. Give three things firms can do to alleviate the bullwhip effect.

15. What are three advantages of adopting a multiple source supply

approach?

16. Give three reasons why firms have adopted the approaches contained
in supply chain management.

17. In three sentences, describe the reorder point system of inventory

control.

18. Give three examples of how you would manage a type A inventory.

19. In three sentences, explain the difference between dependent and

independent demand.

20. Place the MRP approach on the volume and variety model stating why
you locate it where you did in three sentences.

Section B

Answer one question from this section. Your answer will be worth 50% of the
exam mark.

1. Discuss the differences between service and manufacturing

operations, with particular regard to the differences in process design.

2. Referring to the theories of focus, sand-cone and stages in operations

management, discus whether operations management is a strategic
activity.

3. Discuss the merits and limitations of JIT and MRP approaches to

managing inventory. To what extent may these approaches be
combined in practice and under what conditions?

4. Compare and contrast the ISO9000 and TQM approaches to quality

control paying particular attention to how each would be introduced into
a large multinational firm.

© Alan Pilkington 2011