Chapter 5 Management

__ are defined as the standards used to guide judgments and decisions. Standing plans Purpose statements Decision criteria Judgement liens

c. Decision criteria

___ occurs when a group member must wait to share an idea because another member is presenting an idea to the group. Dialectal inquiry Groupthink Satisficing Production blocking

d. Production blocking

In the context of the planning process, which of the following is most likely to be useful when conceived goals turn out not to be achievable? Maintaining flexibility when making plans Developing commitment to goals Developing long-term action plans Tracking progress toward goal achievement

A. Maintaining flexibility when making plans

_____ are defined as a cushion of extra resources that can be used with options-based planning to adapt to unanticipated changes, problems, or opportunities. Slack resources Strategic groups Secondary firms Standing plans

A. Slack resources

The most popular approach to increase goal commitment is to: minimize employee involvement in planning. encourage employee participation while setting goals. ask the top management to assign goals. develop less challenging goals.

B. encourage employee participation while setting goals.

In an organization, _____ are responsible for the creation of tactical plans. chief financial officers first-level managers middle managers top managers

C. middle managers

An organization's _____ is defined as a more specific goal than the organization's purpose that unifies company-wide efforts, stretches and challenges the organization, and possesses a finish line and a time frame. vision statement single-use plan strategic objective mission statement

C. strategic objective

_____ is defined as the determination to achieve an objective. Goal setting Satisficing Groupthink Goal commitment

D. Goal commitment.

_____ is defined as the process of choosing a goal and developing a method or strategy to achieve that goal. Controlling Organizing Leading Planning

D. Planning

In the context of tracking progress toward goal achievement, which of the following is a difference between proximal goals and distal goals? Proximal goals are referred to as primary goals, whereas distal goals are referred to as subgoals. Proximal goals define the final objective to be achieved, whereas distal goals define the steps that should be taken to achieve the final objective. Proximal goals can be procrastinated because they have low immediacy, whereas distal goals cannot be procrastinated because they have high immediacy. Proximal goals are short-term goals, whereas distal goals are long-term goals.

D. Proximal goals are short-term goals, whereas distal goals are long-term goals..

In the context of maintaining flexibility while planning, unlike traditional planning, options-based planning: involves committing people and resources to a particular course of action. involves making large investments in many alternative plans over a long period of time. reduces flexibility. involves maintaining slack resources.

D. involves maintaining slack resources.

In the context of planning from top to bottom, the top management is responsible for developing _____. standing plans tactical plans operational plans strategic plans

D. strategic plans

The main objective of _____ is to keep choices open by making small, simultaneous investments in many alternative plans. strategic planning options-based planning static planning traditional planning

B. options-based planning

A drawback of planning is that it: fails to provide direction to managerial activities. causes detachment, which leads planners to plan for things they do not understand. discourages employees to put in additional efforts when following a plan. decreases persistence among employees, and leads to slackness.

B.causes detachment, which leads planners to plan for things they do not understand.

Management by objectives is a management technique often used by middle managers to develop and carry out _____. strategic plans standing plans operational plans tactical plans

D. tactical plans

___ refers to the emotional reactions that can occur when disagreements become personal rather than professional. A-type conflict C-type conflict Channel conflict A cognitive conflict

a. A-type conflict

_____ is a barrier to good decision making caused by pressure within a group for members to agree with each other. Groupthink Group polarization In-group favoritism Groupshift

a. Groupthink

In the context of rational decision making, which of the following is a difference between maximizing and satisficing? Maximizing is choosing the best alternative, whereas satisficing is choosing a good-enough alternative. Maximizing is possible when limited resources are available, whereas satisficing is possible when ample resources are available. Maximizing is recommended when there are memory and expertise problems, whereas satisficing is recommended when there are no problems. Maximizing involves being fast rather than thorough, whereas satisficing involves being thorough rather than fast.

a. Maximizing is choosing the best alternative, whereas satisficing is choosing a good-enough alternative.

In the context of operational plans, which of the following is a difference between single-use plans and standing plans? Single-use plans cover unique, one-time-only events, whereas standing plans handle frequently recurring events. Single-use plans use quantitative planning, whereas standing plans use qualitative planning. Single-use plans include policies and procedures, whereas standing plans include rules and regulations. Single-use plans are operational plans, whereas standing plans are tactical plans.

a. Single-use plans cover unique, one-time-only events, whereas standing plans handle frequently recurring events.

During the annual performance appraisal, Andre's supervisor sets her own standards against which Andre is rated for his performance. In this scenario, Andre's supervisor most likely uses _____ to make a rational decision. absolute comparisons relative comparisons dissonant correlation illusory correlation

a. absolute comparisons

In an organization, _____ are responsible for developing and carrying out operational plans. lower-level managers middle managers top managers board of directors

a. lower-level managers

In the context of decision making, a _____ is a gap between a desired state and an existing state. problem benchmark condition of certainty minimum threshold

a. problem

A _____ is a type of operational plan that saves managers' time because once the plan is created, it can be used repeatedly to handle frequently recurring events. standing plan budget plan single-use plan tactical plan

a. standing plan

___ is defined as the process of choosing a solution from available alternatives. Production blocking Decision making Evaluation apprehension Dialectical inquiry

b. Decision making

In the context of using groups to improve decision making, which of the following is true of the nominal group technique (NGT)? It forces decision makers to state the assumptions of a proposed solution and then generate a solution that is the opposite of the proposed solution. It closes with a second quiet time in which group members independently rank the ideas presented. It involves a panel of experts who respond to questions and to each other until they reach agreement on an issue. It is known to conclude in hostility, anger, and resentment among the participating group members.

b. It closes with a second quiet time in which group members independently rank the ideas presented.

___ are standing plans that indicate the specific steps that should be taken in response to a particular event. Policies Procedures Single-use plans Options-based plans

b. Procedures

____ is a systematic process of defining problems, evaluating alternatives, and choosing optimal solutions. Options-based planning Rational decision making Benchmarking Profiling

b. Rational decision making

In the context of using groups to improve decision making, which of the following is a difference between c-type conflict and a-type conflict? Unlike a-type conflict, c-type conflict undermines team effectiveness. Unlike c-type conflict, a-type conflict often results in anger and resentment. Unlike c-type conflict statements, a-type conflict statements focus on issues and ideas. Unlike a-type conflict, c-type conflict refers to the emotional reactions that can occur when disagreements become personal.

b. Unlike c-type conflict, a-type conflict often results in anger and resentment.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of electronic brainstorming? Incorrect Response It creates evaluation apprehension. Ideas do not remain anonymous. Outgoing individuals can find it difficult to express themselves in writing. It causes production blocking when one has to wait to present an idea.

c. Outgoing individuals can find it difficult to express themselves in writing.

In the context of operational plans, which of the following is a difference between policies and procedures? Policies are single-use plans, whereas procedures are standing plans. Policies are plans that cover one-time-only events, whereas procedures are plans that can be used for recurring events. Policies indicate the general course of action that managers should take in response to a particular event, whereas procedures indicate the specific steps that managers should take in response to a particular event. Policies are strategic plans that are developed and carried out by the lower-level managers of a company, whereas procedures are tactical plans that are developed and carried out by the middle management of a company.

c. Policies indicate the general course of action that managers should take in response to a particular event, whereas procedures indicate the specific steps that managers should take in response to a particular event.

_____ is a decision-making method in which members of a panel of experts respond to questions and to each other until reaching agreement on an issue. Dialectical inquiry The nominal group technique The Delphi technique The devil's advocacy approach

c. The Delphi technique

In the context of structured conflict, which of the following is a difference between the devil's advocacy approach and dialectical inquiry? The devil's advocacy approach involves assigning an individual the role of critic, whereas dialectical inquiry involves generation of a solution that is the opposite of a proposed solution. The devil's advocacy approach does not lead to improved decision quality, whereas dialectical inquiry leads to improved decision quality. The devil's advocacy approach results in the creation of a-type conflicts, whereas dialectical inquiry results in the creation of c-type conflicts. The devil's advocacy approach uses a panel of experts to respond to questions and to each other until reaching agreement on an issue, whereas dialectical inquiry involves group members who quietly write down and evaluate ideas to be shared with the group.

c. The devil's advocacy approach results in the creation of a-type conflicts, whereas dialectical inquiry results in the creation of c-type conflicts.

An organization's _____ is defined as a more specific goal than the organization's purpose that unifies company-wide efforts, stretches and challenges the organization, and possesses a finish line and a time frame. vision statement single-use plan strategic objective mission statement

c. strategic objective

Which of the following is a benefit of planning? It fixes all organizational problems. It ensures the existence of a company. It gives direction to managerial efforts. It encourages change in an organization.

c.It gives direction to managerial efforts.

In the context of rational decision making, which of the following is a difference between absolute comparisons and relative comparisons? Unlike in absolute comparisons, in relative comparisons, each criterion is compared with a standard. Unlike in absolute comparisons, in relative comparisons, each criterion is ranked on its own merits. Unlike in absolute comparisons, in relative comparisons, each criterion is compared directly with every other criterion. Unlike in absolute comparisons, in relative comparisons, each criterion is assigned a fixed weight based on its relevance.

c.Unlike in absolute comparisons, in relative comparisons, each criterion is compared directly with every other criterion.

In the context of operational plans, which among the following is the most specific type of standing plans? Policies Procedures Single-use plans Rules and regulations

d. Rules and regulations

Which of the following statements is true of electronic brainstorming? One of the disadvantages of electronic brainstorming over face-to-face brainstorming is production blocking. A disadvantage of electronic brainstorming is evaluation apprehension. It does not allow ideas that are shared to remain anonymous. Studies show that electronic brainstorming is much more productive than face-to-face brainstorming.

d. Studies show that electronic brainstorming is much more productive than face-to-face brainstorming.

In the context of group decision making, which of the following is a difference between the nominal group technique (NGT) and the Delphi technique? Unlike the NGT, the Delphi technique requires all panel members to gather together in one place. Unlike the Delphi technique, the NGT produces better decisions than the devil's advocacy and dialectical inquiry approaches. Unlike the Delphi technique, the NGT increases a-type conflicts. Unlike the NGT, the Delphi technique involves creating a series of open-ended questions for group members.

d. Unlike the NGT, the Delphi technique involves creating a series of open-ended questions for group members.

In the context of using groups to improve decision making, unlike a-type conflicts, c-type conflicts: disqualify the use of critics. often result in anger and resentment. can be created by using the devil's advocacy approach. involve the use of statements that focus on individuals.

d. involve the use of statements that focus on individuals.

A laptop manufacturer has created a set of methods to deal with specific technical issues raised by customers. In this scenario, this set of methods represents a _____. tactical plan visionary plan single-use plan standing plan

d. standing plan