Free Essay

Discuss Questions

In: Business and Management

Submitted By jtaylor822
Words 993
Pages 4
Discussion Questions (Week 6)

THE GOAL Chap 1 – 15
1. Do you perceive that the people at the Bearington plant were like most manufacturing people in most companies? 2. Do you feel that the Bearington plant has the right equipment and technology to do the job? 3. What is the “Goal”? How is it related to the three performance measurements: NP, ROI & CF? Why does Alex need another set of measurement: Throughput, Inventory, OE? 4. How is "productivity" defined traditionally? How does Jonah define "productivity"? 5. How does Jonah define "Throughput", "Inventory", and "Operating Expense"? How are these definitions different from traditional definitions? 6. Using the robots as an example, explain: (1) How the standard cost system defines "efficiency" (2) How high efficiency could lead to local optimum 7. What are those three questions that Jonah asked Alex about the productivity of the robots? 8. Using the analogy between the hiking and a manufacturing operation, explain the phenomena of “dependent events” and “statistical fluctuations”. Explain what a “balanced plant” is and explain why it would not work. 9. Using the dice game to explain the phenomena of “dependent events” and “statistical fluctuations”. Explain why a “balanced plant” would not work. 10. Explain another real-life example to describe the phenomena of “dependent events” and “statistical fluctuations”? 11. The hiking did not go very well first, why? What did Alex do to improve the pace of the hiking? Why did he ask Herbie to lead the hiking? Did it work? 12. Explain the analogy between the hiking troop and a manufacturing operation in terms of Throughput, Inventory, OE, Dependent Events, Statistical Fluctuations, and Balanced Plant.

1

Discussion Questions (Week 7)

THE GOAL Chap 16-30
1. 2. 3. Using the robot as an example, explain the effects of statistical fluctuations and dependent events in chapter 17. Why did Jonah suggest “balance the flow with demand” instead of “balance capacity with demand”? How does Jonah define "bottleneck resource"? Is a bottleneck a bad thing to have? How did Alex identify the bottleneck resources in his plant? Why was he not able to compare the demand with the capacity to determine bottlenecks? What did Jonah suggest to deal with the two bottlenecks that Alex and his managers discovered? How did Jonah calculate the value of a "bottleneck part"? How is his approach different from conventional standard cost systems? Based on Jonah’s discussion in Chapter 19, provide examples of why the “efficiency” mindset could lead to negative effects. Explain how some corporate policies could be the bottleneck for making improvement? What did Alex and his managers do to increase the capacity or the efficiency of the bottleneck resource? Are any of these approaches contradictory to conventional practices? Are they expensive/difficult to implement? Explain the red and green tags system that Alex and his managers developed. What was the purpose of this tag system? How did the system work? Evaluate the decisions of bringing back Zmegma and engineering changes (p. 193) based on the T, I, and OE measurement.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

10. Use the robot example to explain why “the sum of local optimums is not equal to the global optimum”. Explain a similar example from an organization? 11. Understand the “drum” and “rope” ideas that Alex’s kids provided to solve his production problems. In addition, what did Ralph suggest to use the ideas to release materials for both bottleneck and non-bottleneck resources? What was the negative of applying this method in terms of efficiency? 12. Even with the improvement, Peach still threatened to close down Alex’s plant. Why? What did Jonah suggest to achieve even more improvement? From the perspective of traditional measurement system, what are the negatives of Jonah’s suggestion? Be sure to read and understand the conversation between Alex and Julie on pages 239-240. 13. Define "lead time". What are the four elements included in lead time? How are these four elements affected (increase or decrease) if batch size is reduced in half? 14. How does the batch size reduction in non-bottleneck resource affect T, I and OE? 15. What did Alex promise Johnny Jons in order to get more business for his plant? What changes did he have to make in his production systems to deliver his promise?

2

Discussion Questions (Week 8)

THE GOAL Chap 31 – 40
1. For any organizations that you are aware of, identify an outdated policy that had a good intention in the first place but has become a bottleneck to prevent the organization from making improvement. 2. Give examples from Alex’s company to illustrate the notion of “common sense is not common at all.” 3. Do you feel that Socratic approach, “Don’t give the answers, just ask the questions!”, is an effective way to teach or to overcome the resistance to change? Why did Julie suggest that Alex needs to learn more Socrate’s method from Jonah? 4. Explain the discussion in Chapter 33 that reducing inventory could lead to negatives. 5. Define “capacity constraint resources” (CCR). Are they the same as bottlenecks? Why are they critical? 6. What did Alex and his managers decide as to the first thing Alex should do in his new position? Why was Mendeleev’s classification involved in the discussion? What was the benefit when Mendeleev began to arrange elements on a periodic table? What did Alex and his manager learn from this example? 7. What is the fallacy of the “product cost concept”? What did Alex do to obtain more orders? 8. Was the observation in Chapter 39 regarding “the bottlenecks are moving all the time” correct? What was the real cause for the whole mess? 9. Describe the five-step improvement process in relation to specific changes that the Bearington plant managers made in their plant. As an example, what exactly did they do corresponding to Step #1 – Identify system constraint(s)? 10. What are the three questions in the thinking process?

3

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Read the Scenario Below, and Then in a Short Paper (1-2 Pages, Typed, 12 Point Font, 1’’ Margins) Discuss and Answer the Following Question Thoroughly and Thoughtfully, Applying Class Concepts When Possible:

...Cross-Cultural psychology GE261 Assignment 2 Kwan Adams Read the scenario below, and then in a short paper (1-2 pages, typed, 12 point font, 1’’ margins) discuss and answer the following question thoroughly and thoughtfully, applying class concepts when possible: 1- What values of childrearing are represented by Lynn’s parenting of her son? (In other words, what parenting practices are considered acceptable in her culture and why? What is expected of children in her culture?) 2- How well do Lynn’s values of childrearing fit with the parenting values found in the United States? Be specific. 3- In your opinion, is it ever appropriate to interfere with someone else’s cultural practices? Why or why not? 4- Why do you think education and affluence serve to decrease physical punishment across cultures? Do you think that it is likely that Lynn will continue to use physical punishment while living here in the U.S.? Why or why not? As Lynn headed out to go shopping, she already knew her four-year-old son was in a bad mood. All that day he had been doing all that he could to frustrate her. First, he chose not to eat breakfast and then he spilled apple juice all over the carpet. He categorically refused to put on his red jacket and continuously tried to unbuckle his seatbelt in the car. Since they had arrived at the shopping mall, he had been whining continuously for 20 minutes and demanding they go to the toy store immediately. The mother’s patience finally ran out...

Words: 611 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Health and Clinical Psychology

...to answer four questions; two questions from the topic of Forensic Psychology and two questions from the topic of Health and Clinical Psychology. This means you will have about 20 minutes of writing time per question, plus a little bit of thinking time. This is not a long time to maximise your marks, so there are some simple exam techniques to follow below. Each question will be worth 25 marks and be divided into two parts; part (a) and part (b). Part (a) asks you to demonstrate descriptive skills and is worth 10 marks, whilst part (b) asks you to display evaluative skills and is worth 15 marks. General Exam Technique/Advice * Choose the right questions A mistake made by some students is answering questions on a topic they haven’t studied! So ensure you firstly locate the two sections of the paper that you can answer questions on; Forensic and Health/Clinical. In each of these two sections, there will be a choice of four questions. You will only choose two questions per section, so pick which questions you are going to answer and cross out the others. Choosing which questions to answer may be difficult than it first appears because some questions may sound similar. You need to become familiar with the layout and wording of questions prior to your exam. * Know your timings For each question you should allow more time to answer part (b) than part (a) because part (b) carries more marks. Try to divide your time equally between all four questions on the paper in...

Words: 1979 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

The Declaration Today

...Shaped a Generation (continued) Homework: Journal response – The Sixties March 03 The Sixties journal response due Discuss Machiavelli/Jefferson essay prompt Man and the State: Machiavelli on Political Power Discuss rhetorical and critical reasoning implications Homework: World of Ideas – “Government Introduction: (14-19) Machiavelli’s “The Qualities of the Prince” (36-53) Journal response – Machiavelli text Prereading Questions (39); Questions for Critical Reading 1-5 (50) Define the terms ends and means, and explain why they are important. Compare Machiavelli’s advice with the behavior of a specific politician – past or present. Under what political circumstances might the ends justify the means? 05 The Old Globe 10 Machiavelli packet due Group presentation and discussion – Machiavelli Discuss rhetorical and critical reasoning implications Homework: World of Ideas – Jefferson’s “The Declaration of Independence” (76-84) Journal response to the Jefferson text Prereading Questions (80); Questions for Critical Reading1-5 (84) How does the document seem to define independence? Use this definition as a basis for your own...

Words: 691 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Zipcar

...have an answer to following question, or have your own self-prepared questions and comments. Teams use the questions and comments to prepare the case posters. The point is not that you follow any particular opinion, but being aware of opinions and, more importantly, facts surrounding the opinions you must find in scholarly articles and verify them – and develop you own opinion on the subject matter. Find scholarly opinions in academic articles, state their opinions and comment on them (have your own opinion). 1. What is your opinion about the phrase: NO ONE OWNS A CAR! (find the phrase in the case) Give a genuine answer in 5 seconds and record it (write it down – it is data collection). 2. Read the Fortune article: “Zipcar - The best new idea in business” 1) Why do Hertz and Ford want in? (prepare: How? Why? Do a SWOT, Porter’s 5 fores, etc.) * Find out how scholars and others sources in academic articles, magazines, online, etc. argue. Think about following paragraph in the article: After all, drivers who give up their cars and switch to Zipcar say they save an average of $600 per month. Car sharers report reducing their vehicle miles traveled by 44%, according to Susan Shaheen of the University of California at Berkeley, and surveys in Europe show CO2 emissions are being cut by up to 50% per user. Discuss following question: 2) Record below, if and/or how your opinion changed from you answer at Question 1. 3. Read the Fortune...

Words: 492 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Organizational Behavior

...CONFIDENTIAL BM/APR 2011/MGT534/532/531 UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA FINAL EXAMINATION COURSE COURSE CODE EXAMINATION TIME ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR / ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOR MGT534/532/531 APRIL 2011 3 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES 1. This question paper consists of two (2) parts : PART A (4 Questions) PART B (5 Questions) 2. Answer ALL questions from PART A and any three (3) questions from PART B in the Answer Booklet. Start each answer on a new page. Do not bring any material into the examination room unless permission is given by the invigilator. Please check to make sure that this examination pack consists of: i) the Question Paper ii) an Answer Booklet - provided by the Faculty 3. 4. DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO This examination paper consists of 4 printed pages © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARA CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PART A CASE STUDY 2 BM/APR 2011/MGT534/532/531 You are in charge of a small department and have three subordinates - Mudzfir, Ammar and Amzar. The key to the success of your department is to keep these employees as motivated as possible. Here is a brief summary profile of these subordinates. Mudzfir is the type of employee who is hard to figure out. His absenteeism record is much higher than average. He greatly enjoys his family and thinks they should be central to his life. The best way to describe Mudzfir is to say that he is a kind of a character who believes deeply in the family values...

Words: 922 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Business Law

...Assignment Questions Introduction Students may be concerned that writing and referencing a law academic paper is ‘different’ to other types of academic papers. This is not correct except that perhaps the level of analysis required may be greater and more reliance on primary sources (e.g. precedent cases and legislation) and secondary sources (textbooks, articles) may be required. But the basic fundamentals are still the same: a well-structured piece of work that leads the reader through a discussion of a particular problem or issue. There should be an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Inevitably, either you will be required to put up arguments for hypothetical parties dealing with a hypothetical business problem or you may be asked for your view about a particular legal issue. It is essential that you base your arguments and views on legal principles and cases and thus reliance on what others have written is necessary. This guide attempts to provide you with some assistance in writing and referencing law academic papers. Some basic resource materials are also noted. [NB: This guide is a starting point only.] There are two types of Law Academic Papers Students who take the Business Law Major will inevitably be expected, at some stage, to answer at least two different styles of legal questions: legal case studies and essays. Legal case studies These are questions based on a set of hypothetical facts. The purpose of legal case study questions is both...

Words: 1487 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Nordstorm

...responding to the questions. 2. The introduction should be one paragraph describing what your report will discuss. This is NOT an introduction to the company. 3. The conclusion should be a one paragraph summary (100 words) of your findings. No new points should be mentioned here. 4. Lead your responses by explaining the key terms. e.g. If you are asked about corporate strategies as they apply to a company, define "corporate strategy" - using your own words. Then indicate the strategy being used. Describe this type of strategy. Then, support your choice by using facts from either the case or your research. 5. Your responses to each question should be a minimum of 250 words (one page 11 pt. font, 1.5 spacing). 6. Your report should have the following elements: cover page, table of contents, introduction to your report, responses to each question, 100 word conclusion, and a reference page. Ensure you insert page numbers to align with your table of contents. 7. Each report must be submitted through Turn-it-in prior to handing in and include the Turnitin results. (Instruction available in the D2L course site.) 8. If you have any questions...please ask me! Case Assignment 1 USA Fashion Invasion Note: This is a group assignment and must be handed in as one document. You must have an introduction to your report (1-2 paragraphs describing what you will be discussing) and a conclusion (1-2 paragraphs summarizing your findings). Note: Do not discuss answers to questions in your introduction...

Words: 826 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Kiugilugiugb

...(15 marks) Part A is compulsory for all students Question 1: Case study This is a general essay question using the case study material to support your answer. The case study is on BHP. The material is to be loaded shortly but you are of course welcome to use readings used in class and other materials to support your response. It will not be a specific question on any one document’s contents. Reading the case study material and studying the work from tutorials / lectures and readings will prepare you for addressing this question. You can bring the case study materials (and any other materials) in to the exam with you (with the exception of electronic devices). Tutors have been instructed not to discuss BHP or any case study material with students, so please don’t ask! Of course you can discuss it with each other in study groups. We are happy to clarify your understandings around sustainability reporting and the related theories in general discussion. PART B: (30 marks) Answer any two questions from part B (15 marks each) Question 2: Regulation Question 3: Directors’ / Executive remuneration Question 4: Carbon accounting Question 5: Systems oriented theory Question 6: Critical theory Question 7: AIN – the usual 4 ain questions with an article which could be addressed using several different topics. Remember topics are interrelated, always have a back up plan in case you don’t like the question you’re targeting, and acknowledge the connectedness of...

Words: 271 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Aar Lesson

... |NUMBER |TITLE |DATE |PARA/ | | | | |PAGE | | | | |NO. ALL | |TC 25-20 |A Leader’s Guide To After Action Reviews |Sept 93 |All | |TC 25-10 |A Leader’s Guide To Lane Training |Aug 96 |Chapter 5 | Student Provide Slides to students one day prior to the start of class. Students Study must be prepared to discuss the Slides during class. Scan TC 25-20. Assignments Instructor One instructor, familiar with TC 25-20, Requirements Additional None Personnel Requirements Equipment Overhead Projector, Screen Required Materials INSTRUCTOR MATERIALS: After Action Review Transparencies Required STUDENT MATERIALS: None Classroom, One Standard Classroom Training Area, and Range Requirements Ammunition None Requirements Instructional Note: Before presenting this lesson, instructors must thoroughly prepare by...

Words: 4137 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Study

...flashcards may be used in test preparation. Flashcards are like portable tests questions. On one side you could write the questions, on the other side the answers. Create flash cards regularly as the term progresses. 6. T/F When a classmate asks the instructor a question, one should not consider that the question might appear on the test. 7. Short Answer. Explain how studying with people can be effective. Studying with friends is fine, but if your common interests are pizza and jokes, you might find it hard to focus. 8. List three suggestions for forming a study group and five suggestions for conducting a study group. To Form a study group: • Choose a focus for your group • Look for dedicated students • Hold a planning session To conduct a study group: • Set an agenda for each meeting • Assign roles • Teach each other • Test one another • Compare notes 9. Fill-in-the-blank. For test preparation, one should arrive _early________ so he/she has time to do a __relaxation____________ exercise. 10. Multiple Choice. Which should one answer first? a. essay questions b. short answer c. hardest questions d. easiest questions 11. T/F Absolute qualifiers generally indicate a false statement. 12. Short Answer. List five key words used in true/false test questions. • Always • Never • All • Most •...

Words: 1145 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Effective Communication

...Multiple-Choice and True/False questions. Choose only one,the best answer. Each question is worth .5 point for a total of 6 points: 1. Organizations have both formal and informal structures. True or false? 2. Team approach provides the building blocks for today’s organization. True or false? 3. Chain of command horizontally links all positions in an organization. True or false? 4. Team effectiveness includes which of the following factors? a. Team size b. Membership characteristics c. Team Diversity d. All of the above 5. Which of the following is NOT a part of team orientation? e. Clearly defined roles f. Formal structure g. Open communication system h. Resilience 6. Which of the following should team leaders and managers do to help build positive norms? i. Act as a role model j. Induce agreement on team goals k. Increase membership homogeneity l. Decrease team size Short Answer Below are 2 Short Answer questions. Each question is worth 1 points for a total of 2 points: 8. In the ____Performing________ ___Stage___, team members are able to deal in creative ways with both complex tasks and interpersonal conflicts. 9. The system of tasks, workflow, reporting relationships and communication channels that link an organization is called _Organization______ ___Structure____________. Essay * Below are 4 Essay questions. Select ONLY 2 and answer...

Words: 326 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Guidelines in Panel Discussion

...present information and discuss personal views. A panel discussion may help the audience further clarify and evaluate their positions regarding specific issues or topics being discussed and increase their understanding of the positions of others. How to Proceed 1. Identify, or help participants identify, an issue or topic that involves an important conflict in values and/or interests. The issue or topic may be set forth as a topical question, a hypothetical incident, a student experience, an actual case, etc. 2. Select panelists who are well informed about and have specific points of view regarding the issue or topic. A panel discussion that includes three to five panelists is usually most workable. Select a leader or moderator. 3. Indicate to panelists the objectives the panel discussion is designed to promote and allow-time for panel members to prepare for the discussion. In some situations ten or fifteen minutes may be sufficient time for preparation while in other situations, panel members may need to prepare several weeks in advance of the scheduled discussion. 4. Decide upon the format the panel discussion will follow. Various formats are appropriate. The following procedures have been used effectively: a. The leader or moderator introduces the topic and the panelists present their views and opinions regarding the issue or topic for a set amount of time. b. The panelists discuss the issue or topic with each other by asking questions or reacting to the views...

Words: 464 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Jd Power Case Paper

...1) Discuss the decision problems (discovery-oriented and strategy-oriented) that managers currently face in this industry. A discovery-oriented decision problem typically seeks to answer "what" or "why" questions about a problem/opportunity; with the focus often being to generate useful information. A strategy-oriented decision problem typically seeks to answer "how" questions about a problem/opportunity. The focus is generally on selecting alternative courses of action. Managers have to constantly face both discovery-oriented decision problems and strategy-oriented decision problems in the industry. They face these decisions both internally with employees and externally with the direction of the brand. The manager might want to know why sales have dropped in the most recent month. In order to answer that question he or she must conduct the proper research and gather relevant data to answer the question. The “how” question is very important as well. To dig deeper into consumer behavior and understand the root of the consumer decision-making process is essential. With this information a manager can find out how these customers are viewing the products, for example. Trying to solve a strategy-oriented decision problem before addressing the discovery-oriented problems is like trying to build a house without a blue print. It is very difficult to strategize an effective ground game if the mission is not clear and concise. 2) Based on the JD Power study, explain the relationship...

Words: 621 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Analysis of Amazon.Com's

...Arab Open University Faculty of Business Studies B301A – Making Sense of Strategy (I) Fall Semester 2012 -2013 Tutor-Marked Assignment, TMA This tutor-marked assignment draws mainly on Blocks 1 & 2, “Readings for Blocks 1 & 2”, Units 1 & 2 of Block 3, and the first 6 Readings of “Readings for Block 3”. It consists of five (5) questions and accounts for 20% of the total grade assigned to the course. This assignment will be graded out of 100 marks, of which 80% of these marks will be allocated to your answer for the different questions. The remaining 20% will be distributed among the following criteria: * 5% for proper referencing * 5% for presentation of ideas and organization of the answer * 5% for adherence to specified word count * 5% for the use of the E-library/External resources. In this TMA, you are expected to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the importance of the business environment for strategic management and for acquiring and improving the market position of organizations. You are also, required to apply various learned concepts in strategic positioning, strategy process, knowledge management, resource-based approaches of competitive advantage. In addition, you should be able to recognize how the strategic choices made by organizations are influenced by a school of thoughts or a particular theory. In your answer, your workis expected to show critical, analytical and justification skills of the subject matter...

Words: 446 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Psychology

...would not be available in the conscious mind. The hypnotist will place the patient/ client in a hypnotic state and then proceed to ask a series of questions that may trigger memory. There are few problems with hypnosis in clinical psychology, but poses some in forensic psychology. My paper will be asking the question, “ Is hypnosis a valid tool in a court of law?” Forensic psychology uses hypnosis in eyewitness testimony. This can be a positive investigative tool if the hypnotists do an ethical job. There are problems that exist, such as, leading questions. This works similar to a leading question in a court case. In this setting the client is in a vulnerable state of mind, which makes it easier to give false testimony. Another problem that exists is debate in the ability of the conscious mind to be present during hypnosis. Some psychologists say an individual will not say things they don’t want to hypnotize or not. Does hypnosis increase or increase the error rate of a testimony? This is another question raised in forensic psychology. I would also like to explore the judicial laws on hypnosis. The United States have 2/3 of the states legislatively against the use of hypnotism in a court of law. This still leads to conflict as far as individuals Constitutional Rights. As a whole in this paper I would like to discuss the role of hypnosis in forensic psychology. I would also like to explain the role it plays in clinical psychology, so that I can portray a better...

Words: 339 - Pages: 2