Assignment:
1. What is job design, and why is it important?
2. What are some of the main advantages and disadvantages of specialization from a management perspective? From a worker's perspective?
3. a. Contrast the meanings of the tenns job enlargement and jab enrichment.
b. What is the purpose of approaches such as job enlargement and job enrichment?
4. a. What is ergonomics and why is it important in job design?
b. Explain how it can relate to quality of work life.
5. Explain the term knowledge-based pay system.
6. What are self-directed work teams? What are some potential benefits of using these teams?
7. Some Japanese firms have a policy of rotating their managers among differentmanagerial jobs. In con¬trast, American managers are more likely to specialize in a certain area (e.g., finance or operations). Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of these approaches. Which do you prefer? Why?
8. What are motion study principles? How are they classified?
9. Name some reasons why methods analyses are needed. How is methods analysis linked to produc¬tivity improvements?
10. How are devices such as flow process charts and worker-machine charts useful?
11. What is a time standard? What factors must be taken into account when developing standards?
12. What are the main uses of time study information?
13. Could perfomiance rating be avoided by studying a group of workers and averaging their times? Explain briefly.
14. If an average worker could be identified, what advantage would there be in using that person for a time study? What are some reasons why an average worker might not be studied?
15. What are the main limitations of time study?
16. Comment on the following: "At any given instant, the standard times for many jobs will not be strictly correct."
a. Why is this so?
b. Does this mean that those standards are useless? Explain.
17. Why do workers sometimes resent time studies?
18. What are the key advantages and disadvantages of:
a. Time-based pay plans?
b. Incentive plans?
19. What is work sampling? How does it differ from time study?
0....)What are the trade-offs in the following?
a Using self-directed teams instead of a more conventional approach with occasional use of teams. b. Deciding how often to update standard times due to minor changes in work methods.
c. Choosing between time study and work sampling for work measurement.
o uses the results of work measurement in an organization, and how do they use them? (!)ht what ways does technology have an impact on job design?
Healthy Hots, a fast-food restaurant that offers heart-healthy food, is experiencing several difficul¬ties with operations. Although customers like the idea of heart-healthy foods, and surveys indicate that customers find the food to be tasty and appealing, business has fallen off in recent weeks. At this point, the restaurant is not making a profit. Customers have complained about slow service, and employee turnover is high.
Explain briefly how techniques described in this chapter could be used to improve operations. Be specific about which techniques could be used, how they could be used, and why you think those techniques would be helpful.
2. Identify an unethical behavior for each of the five major topics in this chapter, and indicate which ethical principle (see Chapter I) each violates.