Homework answers / question archive / Chapter 3: Business Functions and Supply Chains   TRUE/FALSE        1)   “Productivity tools” are software applications that help workers produce more in less time

Chapter 3: Business Functions and Supply Chains   TRUE/FALSE        1)   “Productivity tools” are software applications that help workers produce more in less time

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TRUE/FALSE

 

     1)   “Productivity tools” are software applications that help workers produce more in less time.

 

 

     2.   Serving customers better and faster, as well as learning more about their experiences and preferences, is facilitated by decision support systems (DSSs).

 

 

     3.   The purpose of marketing is to track every financial transaction within a company, from a few cents to multimillion dollar purchases, from salaries and benefits to the sale of every item.

 

 

     4.   Human Resources ISs are used extensively for managerial purposes, assisting in organizing quarterly and annual budgets for departments, divisions, and entire corporations.

 

 

     5.   A brokerage house can make a profit of several thousand dollars within two minutes of buying and selling several million dollars’ worth of foreign currency.

 

 

     6.   Material requirements planning (MRP) programs use long-range forecasts to put long-lead material on order.

 

 

     7.   Ideally, the ISs of manufacturing organizations and their suppliers would be linked in a way that makes them subsystems of one large system.

 

 

     8.   When the process of marketing products is complete, the next link in the supply chain is shipping.

 

 

     9.   The most important development in software to support SCM has been a technology called radio frequency identification (RFID).

 

 

   10.   Modern CRM systems can help capture the entire customer experience with an organization, from response to an online advertisement to automatic replenishment of products, to proactive service.

 

 

   11.   Through interviews with producers and manufacturers, market researchers collect information on what consumers like and dislike about products.

 

 

   12.   The business research firm Gartner estimates the average invoice-to-payment cycle at 11 days, while online invoice and payment shortens the period by at least six days.

 

 

   13.   Automating the personnel selection process significantly minimizes time and money spent on recruitment and does not even require that a current database be maintained.

 

 

   14.   Most companies insist on receiving paper applications and résumés.

 

 

   15.   With newer technology, such as RFID, you will be aware of who and when information is collected about you.

 

   16.   ERP applications are expensive.

 

MULTIPLE CHOICE

 

     1.   ____ defines the degree to which a goal is achieved.

a.	Efficiency	c.	Enhancement
b.	Productivity	d.	Effectiveness

 

 

 

     2.   ____ is determined by the relationship between resources expended and the benefits gained in achieving a goal.

a.	Efficiency	c.	Productivity
b.	Effectiveness	d.	Enhancement

 

 

 

     3.   ____ specifically refers to the efficiency of human resources.

a.	Efficiency	c.	Enhancement
b.	Productivity	d.	Effectiveness

 

 

     4.   CRM and supply chain management (SCM) systems combined are often referred to as ____.

a.	decision support systems (DSSs)
b.	enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems
c.	business intelligence (BI) systems
d.	geographic information systems (GISs)

 

 

 

     5.   The purpose of ____ is to track every financial transaction within a company, from a few cents to multimillion dollar purchases, from salaries and benefits to the sale of every item.

a.	human resources	c.	accounting
b.	marketing	d.	project management

 

 

 

     6.   Typically, ____ ISs receive records of routine business transactions—such as the purchase of raw materials or services, or the sale of manufactured goods—from transaction processing systems (TPSs).

a.	sales	c.	marketing
b.	human resources	d.	accounting

 

 

 

     7.   ____, used to accumulate data about costs involved in producing specific products, make excellent use of IT to compile pricing data.

a.	ERP systems	c.	Human resources systems
b.	Cost-accounting systems	d.	SCM systems

 

 

 

     8.   The goal of financial managers, including ____ and treasurers, is to manage an organization’s money as efficiently as possible.

a.	controllers	c.	project managers
b.	auditors	d.	supervisors

 

 

 

     9.   Systems that deal specifically with cash are often called ____.

a.	decision support systems (DSSs)	c.	cash management systems (CMSs)
b.	business intelligence (BI) systems	d.	expert systems (ESs)

 

 

 

   10.   The time between generating an idea for a product and completing a prototype that can be mass-manufactured is known as engineering lead time, or ____.

a.	time to sell	c.	time to produce
b.	time to distribute	d.	time to market

 

 

 

   11.   The process of a group of colleagues meeting and working collaboratively to generate creative solutions and new ideas is known as ____.

a.	teleconferencing	c.	group-think
b.	brainstorming	d.	think-tank

 

 

 

   12.   In its fundamental form, a ____ consists of three phases: procurement of raw materials, processing the materials into intermediate and finished goods, and delivery of the goods to customers.

a.	supply chain	c.	supply link
b.	sales chain	d.	sales link

 

 

 

   13.   While ____ participate in physical activities such as cutting and welding, other information systems help to plan and monitor manufacturing.

a.	CAD systems	c.	CAM systems
b.	ERP systems	d.	CRM systems

 

 

 

   14.   MRP programs use ____ to put long-lead material on order.

a.	short-range forecasts	c.	past consumption
b.	long-range demands	d.	long-range forecasts

 

 

 

   15.   The ____ is an important input to MRP applications which includes a list of all raw materials and subcomponent demands.

a.	bill of raw materials (BORM)	c.	economic order quantity (EOQ)
b.	bill of materials (BOM)	d.	convenient order quantity (COQ)

 

 

 

   16.   Some ____ applications are tied to a purchasing IS, to produce purchase orders automatically when the quantity on hand reaches a reorder level.

a.	CAM	c.	MRP
b.	MRP II	d.	MPS

 

 

 

   17.   Successful MRP II systems have made a significant contribution to ____ manufacturing, where suppliers ship parts directly to assembly lines, saving the cost of warehousing raw materials, parts, and subassemblies.

a.	quality	c.	just-in-time (JIT)
b.	ahead-of-time (AOT)	d.	productivity

 

 

 

   18.   ____ tags contain circuitry that allows recording of information about a product.

a.	DI	c.	RFID
b.	IRID	d.	WID

 

 

 

   19.   A(n) ____ tag can include the date of manufacturing, the plant in which the product was made, lot number, expiration date, destination, and many other details that help track its movement and sale.

a.	UPC	c.	EPC
b.	RFID	d.	ID

 

 

 

   20.   Mostly, customer relationship management (CRM) systems support three areas: ____, sales, and customer service.

a.	marketing	c.	manufacturing
b.	human resources	d.	processing

 

 

 

   21.   Casinos embed ____ in betting chips and antennas in betting tables to receive signals from the chips.

a.	UPC tags	c.	labels
b.	bars	d.	RFID tags

 

 

   22.   ____ help to find the populations and regions that are most likely to purchase a new product or service.

a.	Process research systems	c.	Process systems
b.	Market research systems	d.	Expert systems (ESs)

 

 

 

   23.   Computer telephony integration (CTI) is a technique enabling a computer to use the digital signal coming through a telephone line as ____ in a computer system.

a.	output	c.	identification
b.	input	d.	feedback

 

 

 

   24.   The FAQ pages of many companies have been replaced with options for ____; instead of looking up a question that is similar to what you would ask, you can simply type in your question.

a.	questionnaires	c.	forms
b.	open-ended questions	d.	short questions

 

 

 

COMPLETION

 

     1.   ____________________ improves when fewer workers are required to produce the same amount of output.

 

 

     2.   With a(n) ____________________ system, totals of accounts receivable and accounts payable can be automatically transferred to a balance sheet.

 

 

     3.   One common use for a CMS is to execute cash transactions in which financial institutions transfer huge amounts of money using ____________________.

 

 

     4.   ____________________ refers to creating one-of-a-kind products to test design in three dimensions.

 

 

     5.   In retail, the manufacturing phase does not exist, so the term “____________________” refers only to purchasing of finished goods and the delivery to customers of those goods.

 

     6.   The ____________________ of a specific raw material is the optimal quantity that allows a business to minimize overstocking and save cost, without risking understocking and missing production deadlines.

 

     7.   The variables that affect the cost and speed of ____________________ are numerous: length of routes, sequence of loading and unloading, type of shipped materials, fuel prices, road tolls, terrain and restricted roads, and many more.

 

 

     8.   When a pattern of defects is discovered in a product, ____________________ helps pinpoint the plant at which it was produced and the particular lot from which it came.

 

 

     9.   ____________________ systems are designed to support any and all relationships with customers.

 

 

   10.   ____________________ (marketing over the telephone) makes extensive use of IT.

 

   11.   Many salespeople carry laptop computers or ____________________ with all the information they need and that allow them to connect to their organizational information systems through the Internet.

 

 

   12.   ____________________ (intraorganizational networks that support Web applications) help HR managers post position vacancy announcements for employees to peruse and consider from their own PCs.

 

 

   13.   ____________________ software emulates situations in which an employee must act and includes tests and modules to evaluate a trainee’s performance.

 

 

   14.   To optimize employee benefits, some companies use special software, incorporating a(n) ____________________ (IS that emulates human expertise) that determines the optimal health and retirement plans for each employee based on factors such as marital status, age, occupation, and other data.

 

 

   15.   Several enterprise applications, such as ____________________ systems, also serve as SCM systems.

 

 

   16.   Companies can reduce their inventory by communicating to their suppliers through a shared ____________________ system the exact number of units of each item they need and the exact time they need them.

 

ESSAY

 

     1.   What is the purpose of accounting?

 

 

     2.   What are the phases of a supply chain?

 

 

     3.   Discuss the main characteristics of radio frequency identification (RFID).

 

 

     4.   What is privacy, in the context of information?

 

 

     5.   What difficulties do organizations face for implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system?