The Production and Operations Manager at a Large Shoe Factory

question 220

Multiple Choice

The production and operations manager at a large shoe factory in Fall River, Massachusetts, notices that the total number of hours worked by production employees has increased 12 percent, while the number of pairs of shoes ready for shipping has dropped 6 percent this year over last year.This indicates that

• A) the inflation rate is unchanged.
• B) demand for shoes is decreasing.
• C) the manager's calculations cannot be correct.
• D) productivity has decreased.
• E) the gross national product has increased by 6 percent.

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Definitions:

Behavioral Contrast

A phenomenon where a change in conditions results in an opposite change in behavior, often observed in operant conditioning experiments.

Habituation

A decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations, indicating a form of learning that involves becoming accustomed to the stimulus.

Sensitization

An increase in behavioral response after exposure to a stimulus.

Higher-order Conditioning

A form of conditioning in which a stimulus is paired with a previously conditioned stimulus, leading to the acquisition of the same conditioned response without being directly paired with the unconditioned stimulus.