MGMT 309 ch6

Who is likely responsible for planning cost-cutting programs and inventory control systems?

Operations managers (middle management)

Horizontal consistency of goals means that _____.

goals should be consistent from one department to the next

Which of the following is a function of a planning staff?

To go beyond pet projects and particular departments

What is one of the reasons why an organization would have organizational goals?

To set a unified direction for employees

Which of the following is the starting point of ensuring commitment to the goal-setting process for organizational goals and plans?

Top management support and communication (must start at top; why they have adopted the program, what they think it will do, and that they have accepted and are committed to formal goal setting.)

What does proper execution of tactical plans depend on?

Vertical and horizontal communication

Paramita has made the decision that all her operations will get 75 percent of their energy from renewable sources by the year 2035. She has directed all of her managers to develop plans how to implement that goal in each of their facilities. Which type of plan has Paramita established for her organization?

What is the first step in developing contingency plans?

Who establishes the corporate mission and strategy?

Board of directors

How can organizations make the best use of goal setting and the goal-setting processes?

By understanding the purpose of goals and planning (recognize there are limits to the effectiveness of setting goals and making plans.)

Who is considered to be the single most important person or entity in any organization's planning process?

Chief executive officer

Zereth uses management by objectives with her employees. Her employees are evaluated and rewarded based on how their performance relates to the achievement of those objectives. What does management by objectives allow Zereth and her staff to accomplish that other goal-setting methods do not?

Concurrent goal-setting and planning processes (MBO; formal goal-setting programs for managing the goal-setting and planning processes concurrently to ensure both are done effectively).

Which type of planning process requires a manager to determine alternative courses of action that can be taken if the intended plan becomes inappropriate?

Contingency (alternative courses of action to be taken if an intended plan of action is unexpectedly disrupted or rendered inappropriate).

In the event of a disaster or other unexpected calamity, where can a plan with procedures for handling the disaster be found?

Crisis management

Mikel is a middle-level manager who is in the process of determining goals and objectives for his managers. He has set goals he feels are necessary to achieve the strategic goals given to him. Which of the following will these goals focus on?

How to operationalize actions

Jewel often uses standing plans while managing inventory levels and ordering within her organization. Why are standing plans effective for this process?

Inventory and ordering occur regularly. (standing plans are used for activities that recur regularly over a period of time. standing plans can greatly enahce efficiency by making decision making routine.)

What is true of a tactical plan? a. It has a longer time horizon than a strategic plan. b. It is developed to implement specific parts of a strategic plan. c. It is primarily concerned with deciding what to do. b. It involves front-line managers.

It is developed to implement specific parts of a strategic plan. (tactical plan is aimed at achieving tactical goals and is developed to implement parts of a strategic plans)

Which types of events are used in the contingency planning process?

Only those that will impact the organization (after action point 3, organization monitors indicators identified. if the situation dictates, a contingency plan is implemented.)

Which type of goals are set by and for lower-level managers?

Operational

What is a standing plan that specifies the organization's general response to a designated problem or situation?

Policy (specifies the organization's general response to a designation problem or situation)

Aviva and her department are planning an elaborate six-month campaign to distribute samples to a wide variety of retail and restaurant outlets for the purpose of increasing brand identity. Which type of single-use plan will Aviva's department use to accomplish this goal?

Program (a single-use plan for a large set of activities. It might consist of identifying procedures for introducing a new product line, opening a new facility, or changing the organization's mission).

Hua has developed a list of monthly production goals, and he has now broken those down by production levels that must be reached each week. However, a key piece of equipment broke down, and Hua must now readjust his plans. Which type of plan will be required for Hua to make these adjustments?

Reaction (allow to react to an unforeseen circumstance)

In order for a tactic to be successful, what must it include?

Specific resources and time frames

Which of the following is developed for activities that recur regularly over a period of time?

Standing plan

Rebeya is setting goals with the executive team of her organization. These goals include financial and productivity goals, as well as environmental and sustainability goals. Which type of goals is Rebeya establishing?

Strategic

Which type of plans are set by the board of directors and top management?

Strategic

What are the primary inputs for developing tactical goals?

Strategic goals

Marah has been tasked with the job of outlining decisions about resource allocation, priorities, and action steps that are necessary to reach one of her company's strategic goals. What is Marah developing?

Strategic plans (general oulining about resource allocation, priorities, and action steps needed to reach strategic goals.)

Which type of plans are an organized sequence of steps designed to execute strategic plans?

Tactical (sequence of steps designed to execute strategic plans)

Carduci Corporation is a food processing company that specializes in a complete line of artisan sausage products. The top leaders in the organization have established a strategy that involves increasing the marketing budget to grow sales. Neal is the head of the marketing department, and it is his job to develop a plan that flows from and is consistent with the strategic plan. Which type of plan will Neal work to develop?

Tactical (state which resources are to be used and a time line for completion. They are devised by middle managers to carry out a strategic plan that is set by top management.)

Ahmed is responding to a situation that does not happen often. He talked with a colleague about how to resolve the issue. When a colleague suggested Ahmed change his tactical plan, he did not. Why wouldn't Ahmed change his tactical plan to resolve this situation?

Tactical plans address several goals.

How do tactical plans differ from strategic plans?

Tactical plans focus on people and action. (strategy focuses on resources, environment, and mission, whereas tactics focus primarily on people and action.)

What is used to outline the organization's purpose, premises, values, and directions?

The mission

What does the ultimate success of a tactical plan depend on?

The way it is carried out

Why do operational plans tend to be narrowly focused with short time horizons?

They support tactical goals. (operational plans are derived from tactical plans and are aimed at achieving operational goals.)

As part of Sushil's performance review, she was given a list of goals and objectives. How will her work on these goals affect her in the future?

They will serve as a mechanism for performance evaluation.

Which organizations are more likely to successfully weather a crisis?

Those with strong leadership (organizations with strong culture, strong leadership, and a capacity to deal with the unexpected stand a better chance of successfully weathering a crisis than do other organizations.)

Decision making is the process of _____.

adopting one course of action as opposed to others (decision making is catalyst that drives planning process)

Smiles and Rainbows, a not-for-profit organization, defines the reason for its existence as follows: "To provide effective vocational education for underprivileged children throughout the United States." This is an example of an organization's _____.

mission

A line manager at a brewery sets a target for the minimum number of beer cartons that must be shipped out by the end of each day. This is an example of a(n) _____.

operational goal (shorter-term issues associated with the tactical goals

A program is a_____.

plan for a large set of activities (single-use)