chap 1 and 2 Flashcards
They are expected to perform a variety of tasks depending on their specialization and job level
Engineers
the stone bladed axe which was a very useful tool; and the irrigation system used to promote crop growing
6000 to 3000 B.C
the pyramids of Egypt
3000 to 600 B.C
road building by the Romans
600 B.C. to A.D.
400
the production of paper and gunpowder by the
Chinese
100 A.D. to 1600 A.D
the production of steam engine and the spinning and weaving machinery
1601 A.D. to 1799
A.D.
where the engineer is engaged in the process of learning about nature and codifying this knowledge into usable theories.
Research
where the engineer undertakes the activity of turning a product concept to a finished physical item.
Design and development
where the engineer works in a unit where new products or parts are tested for work. ability.
Testing
where the engineer is directly in charge of production personnel or assumes responsibility for the product.
Manufacturing
this is where the construction engineer (a civil engineer) is either directly in charge of the construction personnel or may have responsibility for the quality of the construction process.
Construction
where the engineer assists the company’s customers to meet their needs, especially those that require technical expertise.
Sales
where the engineer works as consultant of any individual or organization requiring his services.
Consulting
where the engineer gets employment in a school and is assigned as a teacher of engineering courses. Some of them later become deans, vice presidents, and presidents.
Teaching
where the engineer is assigned to manage groups of people performing specific tasks.
Management
where the engineer may find employment in the government performing any of the various task in regulating, monitoring, and controlling the activities of various institutions, public or private
Government
those with minimal engineering jobs like retailing firms.
Level One
From the viewpoint of the engineer, organizations may be classified according to the degree of engineering jobs performed:
- Level one
-Level two
-Level three
those with a moderate degree of engineering jobs like transportation companies
Level Two
those with a high degree of engineering jobs like construction firms.
Level Three
In level two firms, the engineer may be assigned to _____. The need for management skills will now be felt by the engineer manager.
head the engineering division
Management is a process consisting of
planning. organizing, directing (or leading), and controlling.
the engineer will have a _____ of becoming the general manager or president of level one, unless of course, he owns the firm.
slim chance
Level three firms provide the biggest opportunity for an engineer to become the _______.
president or general manager
refers to the activity combining *technical knowledge with the ability to organize and coordinate worker power, materials, machinery, and money.”
Engineering management
may be defined as the “creative problem solving-process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling an organization’s resources to achieve its mission and objectives.”
Management
Depending on the type of products or services a firm produces, the engineer manager must have the following qualifications:
- a bachelor’s degree in engineering from a reputable school; In some cases, a master’s degree in engineering or business management is required;
- a few years experience in a pure engineering job;
- training in supervision;
- special training in engineering management.
refers to the capacity of an engineer manager to achieve organizational objectives effectively and efficiently.
Managerial ability
Kreitner indicates at least three general preconditions for achieving lasting success as a manager. They are as follows:
- ability
- motivation to manage, and
- opportunity
according to _____, refers to a description of “whether objectives are accomplished”
Effectiveness, Higgins
Many people have the desire to work and finish specific tasks assigned by superiors, but not many are motivated to manage other people so that they may contribute to the realization of the organization’s objectives.
Motivation to Manage
is a description of the relative amount of resources used in obtaining effectiveness.
efficiency
Successful managers become possible only if those having the ability and motivation are given the ____ to manage
opportunity
______ must be made at various levels in the workplace. They are also made at the various stages in the management process.
Decisions
The opportunity for successful management has two requirements:
- Obtaining a suitable managerial job, and
- Finding a supportive climate once on the job.
is a responsibility of the engineer manager. It is understandable for managers to make wrong decisions at times.
Decision-making
according to Nickels and others, “is the heart of all the management functions.”
Decision-making
engineer manager must adapt a certain procedure designed to determine the
best option available to solve certain problems
Decision-making
may be defined as “the process of identifying and choosing alternative courses of action in a manner appropriate to the demands of the situation.”
Decision-making
Rational decision-making, according to David H.
Holt,” is a process involving the following steps”:
- diagnose. problem
- analyze environment
- articulate problem or opportunity
- develop viable alternatives
- evaluate alternatives
- make a choice
- implement decision
- evaluate and adapt decision results
If a manager wants to make an intelligent decision, his first move must be to ______
identify the problem
A ______ exists when there is a difference between an actual situation and a desired situation.”
problem
The environment where the organization is situated plays a very significant role in the success or failure of such an organization.
Analyze the Environment
The environment consists of two major concerns:
- internal and
- external.
environment that refers to organizational activities within a firm that surrounds decision-making.°
internal environment
environment that refers to variables that are outside the organization and not typically within the short-run control of top management.
external environment
INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ASPECTS
Organizational aspect
Marketing aspect
Personnel aspect
Production aspect
Financial aspect
like recruitment practices, incentive system, etc.
Personnel aspect
like org, structure, policies, procedures, rules, ability of management etc.
Organizational aspect
like product strategy, promotion strategy, etc.
Marketing aspect
like plant facility, layout, inventory control, etc.
Production aspect
like liquidity, profitability, etc.
Financial aspect
Oftentimes, problems may be solved by any of the solutions offered.
Develop Viable Alternatives
The best among the alternative solutions must be considered by management. This is made possible by using a procedure with the following steps:
- Prepare a list of alternative solutions.
- Determine the viability of each solutions.
- Revise the list by striking out those which are not viable.
After determining the viability of the alternatives and a revised list has been made, an ______ of the remaining alternatives is necessary.
evaluation
After the alternatives have been evaluated, the decision-maker must now be ready to _____
make a choice
______ suggests that “each alternative must be analyzed and evaluated in terms of its value, cost, and risk characteristics.”
Souder
refers to the process of selecting among alternatives representing potential solutions to a problem.”
Choice-making
_______ advises that” particular effort should be made to identify all significant consequences of each choice”
Webber
After a decision has been made, _______. This is necessary, or decision-making will be an exercise in futility.
implementation follows
refers to carrying out the decision so that the objectives sought will be achieved. To make implementation effective, a plan must be devised.
Implementation
In implementing the decision, the results expected may or may not happen. It is, therefore, important for the manager to use control and feedback mechanisms to ensure results and to provide information for future decisions.
Evaluate and Adapt Decision Results
refers to the process which requires checking at each stage of the process to assure that the alternatives generated, the criteria used in evaluation, and the solution selected for implementation are in keeping with the goals and objectives originally specified.
Feedback
refers to actions made to ensure that activities performed match the desired activities or goals, that have been set
Control
This term refers to evaluation of alternatives using intuition and subjective judgment.
Qualitative Evaluation
This term refers to the
evaluation of alternatives using any technique in a group classified as rational and analytical.
Quantitative evaluation.
Stevenson states that managers tend to use the qualitative approach when:
- The problem is fairly simple
- The problem is familiar.
- The costs involved are not great. I low cost
- Immediate decisions are needed.
The types of quantitative techniques which may be useful in decision-making are as follows:
- inventory models
- queuing theory
- network models
- forecasting
- regression analysis
- simulation
- linear programming
- sampling theory
- statistical decision theory
models consist of several types all designed to help the engineer manager make decisions regarding inventory.
Inventory models
Inventory models consist of several types all designed to help the engineer manager make decisions regarding inventory. They are as follows:
Economic order quantity model
production order quantity model
back order inventory model
quantity discount model
this one is used to calculate the number of items that should be ordered at one time to minimize the total yearly cost of placing orders and carrying the items in inventory
Economic order quantity model
this is an economic order quantity technique applied to production orders.
Production order quantity model
an inventory model used to minimize the total cost when quantity discounts are offered by suppliers.
Quantity discount model
this is an inventory model used for planned shortages.
Back order inventory model
is one that describes how to determine the number of service units that will minimize both customer waiting time and cost of service.
Queuing Theory
These are models where large complex tasks are broken into smaller segments that can be managed independently
Network Models
The two most prominent network models are
- The Program Evaluation Review Technique
(PERT) - The Critical Path Method (CPM)
this is a network technique using only one time factor per activity that enables engineer managers to schedule, monitor, and control large and complex projects
The Critical Path Method (CPM)
a technique which enables engineer
managers to schedule, monitor, and control large and complex projects by employing three time estimates for each activity.
The Program Evaluation Review Technique
(PERT)
There are instances when engineer managers make decisions that will have implications in the future
Forecasting
is a forecasting method that examines the association between two or more variables
It uses data from previous periods to predict future events
The regression model
_________ may be simple or multiple depending on the number of independent variables present.
Regression analysis
defined as “the collection of past and current information to make predictions about the future.
Forecasting
is a model constructed to represent reality, on which conclusions about real-life problems can be used. It is a highly sophisticated tool by means of which the decision maker develops a mathematical model of the system under consideration.
Simulation
The ______ selects the decision alternative having the maximum expected payoff, or the minimum expected loss if he is working with a loss table.
Bayes criterion
is a quantitative technique that is used to produce an optimum solution within the bounds imposed by constraints upon the decision.
Linear Programming
is very useful as a decision-making tool when supply and demand limitations at plants, warehouse, or market areas are constraints upon the system.
Linear Programming
is a quantitative technique where samples of populations are statistically determined to be used for a number of processes, such as quality control and marketing research.
Sampling Theory
refers to the “rational way to conceptualize, analyze, and solve problems in situations involving limited, or partial information about the decision environment.”
Statistical Decision-Theory
