BA 206 Management Fundamentals, Ch. 7 Organizing for Action

A system that calls for subassemblies and components to be manufactured in very small lots and delivered to the next stage of the production process as they are needed is referred to as: Select one: a. formalization. b. just-in-time. c. mass customization. d. continuous processing. e. standardization.

b

A type of organization in which top management ensures that there is consensus about the direction in which the business is heading is known as a: Select one: a. learning organization. b. high-involvement organization. c. mechanistic organization. d. network organization. e. matrix organization.

b

Cambridge Computer Installations Inc. has separate company-wide marketing, production, design, and research departments. Thus, it is a divisional organization. Select one: a. True b. False

b

Differentiation refers to a manager's legitimate right to make decisions and to tell other people what to do. Select one: a. True b. False

b

In the context of the fundamentals of organizing, which of the following depicts the positions in a firm and the way they are arranged? Select one: a. Formalization b. Mutual adjustment c. Strategic alliance d. Organization chart e. Value chain

d

A process in which different individuals and units perform different tasks is known as: Select one: a. mutual adjustment. b. formalization. c. standardization. d. specialization. e. span of control.

d

In _____ organizations, more decisions are made at lower levels. Select one: a. centralized b. formal c. mechanistic d. decentralized e. narrow

d

In a _____ organization, jobs (and departments) are specialized and grouped according to business functions and the skills they require. Select one: a. product b. geographical c. matrix d. functional e. customer

d

A _____ is composed of temporary arrangements among members that can be assembled and reassembled to meet a changing competitive environment. Select one: a. modular network b. matrix organization c. divisional organization d. functional organization e. enterprise network

a

A broker is a person who assembles and coordinates participants in a network. Select one: a. True b. False

a

An organization skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge as well as at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights is known as a: Select one: a. learning organization. b. high-involvement organization. c. mechanistic organization. d. network organization. e. matrix organization.

a

An organization with departmentalization that groups units around products, customers, or geographic regions is known as a: Select one: a. divisional organization. b. centralized organization. c. matrix organization. d. functional organization. e. virtual organization.

a

Authority is directly related to the three broad levels of the organizational pyramid, commonly known as _____. Select one: a. hierarchy b. value chain c. coordination d. specialization e. division of labor

a

Computer-integrated manufacturing supports the production of high-variety and high-volume products at the same time. Select one: a. True b. False

a

In decentralized organizations, more decisions are made at lower levels. Select one: a. True b. False

a

In general, coordination methods include standardization, plans, and mutual adjustment. Select one: a. True b. False

a

In the context of organizational integration, _____ refers to a situation when interdependent units are required to meet deadlines and objectives that contribute to a common goal. Select one: a. coordination by plan b. communication c. standardization d. formalization e. collaboration

a

In the context of organizational integration, the presence of rules and regulations governing how people in the organization interact is known as: Select one: a. formalization. b. accountability. c. responsibility. d. authority. e. standardization.

a

In the context of technology configurations, a small clinic with one physician, one nurse, and one bookkeeper is an example of a: Select one: a. job shop. b. large batch technology. c. continuous process. d. value chain. e. module.

a

In the context of the vertical structure of a firm, a wide span of control builds a _____ organization with fewer reporting levels. Select one: a. flat b. narrow c. tall d. bureaucratic e. formal

a

In the context of the vertical structure of a firm, authority refers to: Select one: a. the legitimate right to make decisions and to tell other people what to do. b. the procedures that link the various parts of the organization. c. the assignment of new or additional responsibilities to a subordinate. d. the expectation that staff will take corrective action when necessary. e. the reporting structure and division of labor in an organization.

a

Large organizations are typically less organic and more bureaucratic than small ones. Select one: a. True b. False

a

Learning organizations share ideas throughout the organization via reports, information systems, informal discussions, site visits, education, and training. Select one: a. True b. False

a

One of the most important contributions to total quality management has been the introduction of statistical tools to analyze the causes of product defects, in an approach called: Select one: a. six sigma quality. b. total quality integration. c. ISO 9001. d. modular network. e. just-in-time.

a

Organizations with an organic structure are much less rigid than mechanistic organizations. Select one: a. True b. False

a

Robin works in the human resources department of a retirement community. Therefore, he works for a staff department rather than a line department. Select one: a. True b. False

a

The ISO 9001 standards apply to management systems at any organization and address eight principles. Select one: a. True b. False

a

The assignment of a task that an employee is supposed to carry out is known as: Select one: a. responsibility. b. authority. c. coordination. d. accountability. e. span of control.

a

To be successful, partners in a strategic alliance must pay attention to human relationships. Select one: a. True b. False

a

Total quality management reorients managers toward involving people across departments in improving all aspects of the business. Select one: a. True b. False

a

Use the information given to answer the questions that follow.Scenario B. At a business convention, you meet the managers of many organizations. You find that they hold different job titles. Phil is the vice president for production at his company and Sherry is the regional vice president for eastern United States at her firm. Jerry is the coordinator for sales and he reports to his marketing supervisor as well as to his department supervisor. In the context of the above scenario, Phil works for a _____ organization. Select one: a. functional b. flexible c. high-involvement d. virtual e. matrix

a

Which of the following is true of delegation? Select one: a. The manager should delegate to the subordinate enough authority to get the work done. b. The subordinate must not be allowed to take credit for the results of the assignment. c. The subordinate need not report to his or her boss about the status of the assignment. d. The subordinate should be allowed to work unencumbered by frequent checks. e. The manager should use delegation as a means of developing skills and knowledge.

a

Which of the following types of information is conveyed by a traditional organization chart? Select one: a. The work performed by each unit in the organization. b. The products manufactured by the organization. c. The way in which decisions are made in the organization. d. The location of the organization. e. The way in which the organization will interact with the external environment.

a

Gabriella recently accepted a job with a large insurance company as an internal auditor. She found that her job was quite different from the internship she had done. Her company had strictly defined job responsibilities and lines of communication. For every decision she needed to make, approval had to be obtained from upper management. Overall, she found the atmosphere to be quite formal. Gabriella's organization has a: Select one: a. wide span of control. b. high degree of centralization. c. decentralized authority. d. matrix design. e. ineffective staff.

b

In a _____ organization, top managers make all the decisions and pass them down to lower levels for implementation. Select one: a. informal b. centralized c. organic d. decentralized e. horizontal

b

In the context of the vertical structure of a firm, all the stockholders are directly involved in managing the firm. Select one: a. True b. False

b

The expectation that employees perform a job, managers take corrective action when necessary, and employees report upward on the status and quality of their performance is known as: Select one: a. responsibility. b. accountability. c. authority. d. coordination. e. span of control.

b

The functional structure of an organization is most appropriate in complex and changing environments. Select one: a. True b. False

b

The organization chart depicts the locations of the board offices in corporate headquarters. Select one: a. True b. False

b

The unity-of-command principle states that a person should have multiple managers who give subordinates a unified message. Select one: a. True b. False

b

Which of the following is a characteristic of a high-involvement organization? Select one: a. Employees work with and are mentored by more experienced employees. b. The organization has a flat, decentralized structure built around a service. c. They identify and implement the best practices of other organizations. d. They discourage employees who try to expand their skills beyond their job profile. e. Much of the work is done independently by experts.

b

In the context of integration, which of the following is true of the findings of Lawrence and Lorsch? Select one: a. The more highly differentiated the firm, the lesser the need for integration among its units. b. Focusing on integration may speed up innovation for a while in an organization. c. Highly differentiated firms were more likely to fail in a complex environment if they failed to integrate their activities adequately. d. Companies with more structural integration were more likely to introduce new products soon after acquisition. e. Highly differentiated firms were successful if they had low levels of integration.

c

In the context of the fundamentals of organizing, coordination refers to: Select one: a. the expectation that employees will perform a job and take corrective action when necessary. b. a process in which different individuals and units perform different tasks. c. the procedures that link the various parts of the organization to achieve the organization's overall mission. d. the legitimate right to make decisions and to tell other people what to do. e. departmentalization that groups units around products, customers, or geographic regions.

c

In the context of the vertical structure of a firm, narrow spans of control build a _____ organization with many reporting levels. Select one: a. flat b. wide c. tall d. decentralized e. informal

c

In the context of total quality management, which of the following is one of Deming's "14 points" of quality? Select one: a. Strive for short-term improvement rather than long-term profit. b. Ensure compliance by punishing those who deviate from process. c. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and arbitrary targets. d. Use numerical quotas. e. Mass inspection is the best way to ensure quality.

c

Which of the following is an advantage of delegation? Select one: a. It helps managers develop skills and knowledge. b. It reduces accountability of the manager. c. It conserves managers' most valuable asset: time. d. It increases managers' influence over their subordinates. e. It improves the ethical climate of organizations.

c

Which of the following is true of flexible factories? Select one: a. They use centralized scheduling, in which decisions are made on the shop floor. b. They move parts down the line from one location in the production sequence to the next. c. They are organized around products, in work cells or teams. d. They generate high volumes of a standardized product. e. They have long production runs.

c

Which of the following statements about matrix organization is true? Select one: a. It is a structure in which each worker reports to one boss, who in turn reports to one boss. b. It is a collection of independent, mostly single-function firms that collaborate to produce a good or service. c. It is composed of dual reporting relationships in which some managers report to two superiors. d. It is composed of temporary arrangements among members that can be assembled and reassembled. e. It refers to establishing common routines and procedures that apply uniformly to everyone.

c

In the presence of which of the following factors should the optimal span of control be wide? Select one: a. The work is not clearly defined and instructions are ambiguous. b. Subordinates are poorly trained and have limited access to information. c. The manager has recently taken up his post. d. Jobs are similar, and performance measures are comparable. e. Subordinates prefer close supervisory control to autonomy.

d

Scenario A. You have been promoted to a managerial position in Cookie Capers, a private company selling bakery products. You are pleased with your new job but are concerned about some problems you have been facing. You are required to determine the leave schedules of employees. However, the owner of the company overrides your decisions. Consequently, your subordinates do not respect your position as a manager. Also, the owner holds you responsible when subordinates fail to perform satisfactorily. In the present situation at Cookie Capers, you will have to rely more on _____ to get your work done. Select one: a. accountability b. responsibility c.authority d. informal influence tactics e. span of control

d

Sports International manufactures and distributes clothing, sporting equipment, and protective sports gear worldwide. They are departmentalized by products sold to serious athletes, products sold to "weekend" athletes and products sold to sports teams. Which approach to departmentalization does the company follow? Select one: a. Geographic b. Functional c. Matrix d. Customer e. Product

d

The first step in the delegation process, defining the goal, requires a manager to: Select one: a. identify the employee he or she favors the most. b. understand the nature of each employee. c. recognize the most responsible employee. d. clearly understand the outcome he or she wants. e. identify a tedious assignment that can be given.

d

Which of the following is an advantage of functional departmentalization? Select one: a. Managers care more about their respective functions. b. Employees are able to focus exclusively on customer satisfaction. c. It encourages managers to become generalists. d. Economies of scale can be realized. e. There is increased coordination between different functions.

d

Hot Tamales Inc. manufactures and distributes sauces, pickles, and spices. The company has separate divisions responsible for developing and marketing each item. Thus, the company has a _____ approach to departmentalization. Select one: a. geographic b. functional c. matrix d. customer e. product

e

In the context of horizontal structure of a firm, _____ deal directly with the organization's primary goods or services; they make things, sell things, or provide customer service. Select one: a. geographical divisions b. customer divisions c. staff departments d. organic structures e. line departments

e

In the context of technology configurations, which of the following is true of large batch technologies? Select one: a. Goods or services are provided in very low volume. b. Its structure tends to be organic. c. Decision making tends to be decentralized. d. Emphasis is on mutual adjustment among people. e. Hierarchical authority is more prominent.

e

Which of the following is true of effective delegation? Select one: a. Once the task has been delegated, the manager need not be available. b. The manager should select a person who is most devoted to him or her. c. The manager should give as little time as possible for completion of the task. d. The ideas of the subordinate should not be taken into consideration. e. Throughout the delegation process, the manager and the subordinate must work together.

e