operations questions

Question 1

explain the advantages and disadvantages of flow production

Answer 1

High quantity of products can be produced. This means sales may increase.
Standardised products are made. Therefore it will ensure consistent quality
Machinery can break down and production will stop. This measn customers will be unhappy as orders can be received late
It has a fast rate of production.This means the organisation can cope with demand

Question 2

Explain the advantages of job production

Answer 2

Products meet customer requirements exactly. This means a higher price can be charged.
Staff are more motivated. This means they are more likely to produce high quality products

Question 3

Describe the types of technology which can be used within the operations function

Answer 3

epos used to tell you your inventory levels at any time
emails used to order raw materials from suppliers
database can tell you your inventory levels at any time
GPS can allow an organisation to keep track of deliveries

Question 4

describe methods an organisation can use to ensure quality

Answer 4

using high quality raw materials to produce products.
benchmarking where a business copies the standards of the market leader.
quality control where goods are checked once they have been produced.
training employees to a high standard

Question 5

outline factors that may be considered when chosing a suitable method of production

Answer 5

The size of the business, the product being produced, the finance available, the skilled avaiable

Question 6

Explain the disadvanatges fo overstocking to an organisation

Answer 6

Goods cna deteriorate. Thsi emans there will be higher wastage costs.
Greater chnace of theft. Thsi emans the business will lsoe profit from stolen goods.
There si more stoarge space required. This emans theer may eb less room for production.
There an be more stoarge costs. This emans a business may need to raise their prices

Question 7

Discuss the advanatges and disadvanatges of using batch production

Answer 7

batches can be customised to meet customer recquirements
Lower labour costs as they do not have to be highly skilled.
time delays in cleaning and resettign equipment
if machine breaks down production may stop

Question 8

Describe the possible consequence sof overstocking

Answer 8

There is an increased chnace of deterioration, there si an increased chance of theft., fashuons and trends may change and you will be left with unsellable inventory, there cna be incraesed storage costs

Question 9

Outline the benefits of ethical operations

Answer 9

the organisation image will improve, can atract ethical custiomers, will increase businesses chace of winning awards.

Question 10

Describe the steps an organisation could take to be ethical in production

Answer 10

Delivering finsihed good susing electricla vehicles
Minimising the packaging used
not testing on animals
providing employees with good working conditions

Question 11

How can word processing be sued in the operations department

Answer 11

to create a manual on hwo to check quality

Question 12

How can computer aided manufacturing be used in the operations department

Answer 12

Cna control the machinery in the production process

Question 13

Outline how e-mail can be used in the operations department

Answer 13

Can eb sued to order raw atrials from suppliers

Question 14

Jutify the use of an inventory control diagram

Answer 14

to monitor inventory levels

Question 15

discuss the advantages and disadvamatges of flow production

Answer 15

computer contorlled so can work 24/7 without brekas
lower labour costs
individuals needs are not met
machines can break downa nd stop production

Question 16

Expain factors that could be considerd when choosing a supplier of raw materials

Answer 16

How relaibel the suppler is. Therefore a business will know if goods will be delivered on time
Can the suppleir provide the business with the quantity needed. This means production wont eb inetrupted
The location fo the supplier. This means tranportation costs can eb lower if the suppleir is close

Question 17

Compare job production with batch production

Answer 17

Job production has high labour costs. Whereas batch production has lower labour costs as staff dont have to be highly skilled.
With batch production groups of similar products are made. whereas with job production unique products are made
With job porduction only one product is made at a time. whereas with batch production large amounts of products can be made

Question 18

Outline factors that would eb considered before choosing a supplier

Answer 18

How reliable the supplier is
the quality fo the rw materials
how far away the supplier is located

Question 19

Discuss the methods used to ensure quality

Answer 19

An advanatge to quality control is it avoids faulty products being sold to cutsoemers. However it can lead to high levels of waste
An advanatge to quality assurance is mistakes are found early in the process However thsi can slow doesn production

Question 20

Distingusish between quality control and quality assurnace

Answer 20

quality control is when product quaity si checked at the end only. Whereas quality assurance is when prodcts are checked at each stage fo the production process
Quality control menas mistakes arent found until the end. Whereas quality control means mistakes are found early on
Quality control results in high levels of waste. Whereas quality assurnace leads to lower levels of waste

Question 21

discuss the advantages and disadvanatges of recycling

Answer 21

limits the items ending up in landfills
items can be reused to make new products
recycling may reduce the quality of the products
some items can only be recycled a limited amount of time like paper

Question 22

Describe the advantages of computerised stock control

Answer 22

will avoid overstocking and understocking
can automatically reorde rinventory when reorder level is reached
large amounts of information can be gathered

Question 23

Describe the costs and benefits of having an ethical approach to sourcing and
distribution of products.

Answer 23

more expensive to purchase environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles
cost of using ethical suppliers may be higher
gives the business a better reputation
reduces environmental damage and pollution

Question 24

describe the benefits of acheiving awards

Answer 24

customer loyalty si gained
imporves the reputation fo the business
can attract new customers
can be used as a marketing tool

Question 25

Define computer aided manufacturing

Answer 25

The use of software to control the production process

Question 26

explain the disadvanatges of understocking

Answer 26

production may sotp. this means employees will be paid for doing nothing
customers may receive their orders late. this means the business may lose customers
The business will have to be continuously restocking. This means there will be increased admin and delivery costs

Question 27

Discuss the importance of avoiding wastage

Answer 27

will avoid organisation losing profit from wasted goods
It can slow down production
The business will then have to deal with the waste ethically

Question 28

Explain the advantages and disadvnatges of batch production

Answer 28

Variety of products can be produced
This means it can meet customer specifications to a degree
Equipment must be cleaned between batches. Therefore it can slow down production

Question 29

Explain the importance of being environmentally friendly

Answer 29

some custoemrs are more enviornmentally aware. this means they are more likely to buy
may reduce customer complaints, this means the businesses image will improve
using local suppliers. this means it will reduce carbon footprint