MGMT 4303 - Chapter 10
The percentage of European and Japanese-based expatriate managers who fail to adjust to a host country's social and business environment is
6% or less
Which of the following is NOT an essential ingredient of TQM?
Action planning
Executives with a particular mix of skills and experiences may be classified as an executive type and paired with
a specific corporate strategy
All of the following reflect characteristics of a successful integration manager EXCEPT
ab ability to hire like-minded people
The strategy implementation tool used to determine what actions are going to be taken, by whom, during what time frame, and with what expected results is called a(n)
action plan
Which of the following is NOT an essential ingredient of TQM?
action planning
Which of the following statements is true concerning the career life cycle for top executives?
all of the above
The percentage of US-based expatriate managers who fail to adjust to a host countrys social and business environment is
approx 35%
When Admiral was acquired by Maytag Corporation, the Admiral employees were willing to accept the dominance of Maytag's strong quality-oriented culture. This demonstrates which approach to managing culture?
assimilation
Which method of managing disparate cultures involves one organization's domination over another willing organization?
assimilation
Which of the following practices was not identified by Black and Gregersen in companies that do a good job of managing foreign assignments?
they offer assignments to those who want to return home early to share their experiences
What did a study of 173 firms over a 25-year period reveal about CEOs of successful corporations?
they tended to have the same functional specialization as the former CEO
"TQM" refers to
total quality management
A good retrenchment strategy can be implemented well in terms of organizing, but poorly in terms of staffing.
true
A professional liquidator was the executive type called in to Montgomery Ward when the declared bankruptcy for the second time.
true
An action plan states what actions are going to be taken, by whom, during what time frame, and with what expected results.
true
Analyzers tend to have CEOs with a marketing/sales background.
true
Because an organization's culture can exert a powerful influence on the behavior of all employees, it can strongly affect a company's ability to shift its strategic direction.
true
Communication is the key to the effective management of change.
true
Companies that pursue related diversification strategies through internal development make greater use of interdivisional transfers of people than do companies that grow through unrelated acquisitions.
true
Downsizing refers to the planned elimination of positions or jobs.
true
Executive succession is the process of replacing a key top manager.
true
IHOPs CEO, Julia Stewart, built a reputation as a turnaround specialist.
true
Implementation involves leading through coaching people to use their abilities and skills most effectively and efficiently to achieve organizational objectives.
true
One component of an effective action plan is the determination of the expected financial and physical consequences of each action.
true
One objective of TQM is better, less variable quality of the product and service.
true
Research indicates that a multinational corporation performs at a higher level when its CEO has international experience.
true
Research indicates that companies undertaking cost-cutting programs are four times more likely than others to cut costs again, typically by reducing staff.
true
Staffing issues can involve hiring new people with new skills, firing people with inappropriate or substandard skills, and/or training existing employees to learn new skills.
true
Staffing requirements are likely to follow a change in strategy.
true
Succession planning has become the most important topic discussed by boards of directors.
true
TQM is an operational philosophy committed to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.
true
There is a very strong connection between strategy and training at Motorola.
true
To improve organizational learning, many multinational corporations are providing their managers with international assignments as long as five years.
true
To successfully downsize, companies must invest in the remaining employees.
true
Training and development can be especially important for organizations implementing an overall low cost or differentiation strategy, but not for those in retrenchment.
true
When Boeing created a separate unit to house the newly acquired operations of McDonnell-Douglas, they were managing the different cultures through separation
true
Research suggests that boards of directors tend to look outside the firm for the next CEO under which following circumstance?
when the company is in trouble
Strategic goals can be accomplished through defining an action plan. Which one of the following is NOT one of the components which make up an action plan?
where the action will be done
Integration involves the disintegration of one company's culture resulting from unwanted and extreme pressure from the other to impose its culture and practices.
false
TQM links organizational objectives and the behavior of individuals.
false
If a planned strategy is not compatible with the company's current culture, and management is not willing to make major organizational changes required to manage around the culture, what should the organization do?
find a joint venture partner or contract with another company to carry out the strategy
Which one of the following is NOT one of the characteristics possessed by companies that have made successful major culture changes?
if the vision is difficult, the CEO immediately terminates the goal
Which of the following is NOT one of TQM's objectives?
increased alignment of employee goals with managements objectives
When Hewlett Packard searches for executive leadership, all of the following represent its broad competency of achieving results EXCEPT
increasing stock price
When Renault purchased a controlling interest in Japan's Nissan Motor Company, which approach to managing culture was employed?
integration
Which method of managing disparate cultures involves a relatively balanced give-and-take of cultural and managerial practices between the merger partners, and no strong imposition of cultural change on either company?
integration
According to the text, assessment centers have been able to accurately predict subsequent
job performance and career success
To ensure employees are gaining the appropriate mix of experience to prepare employees for future responsibilities, many corporations move people from one job to another utilizing the technique of
job rotation
Which is NOT one of the competencies Hewlett Packard uses for identifying potential executives?
manage around the external environment
What does "MBO" stand for?
management by objectives
Successful analyzer firms tend to be headed by CEOs with backgrounds in the areas of
marketing/sales
If a planned strategy is NOT compatible with the current culture, but the culture can be easily modified to make it more compatible with the new strategy, what should the organization do?
move forward very carefully by introducing a set of culture changing activities
According to a study of downsizing in the automobile-related industry, which one of the following is NOT a problem associated with inappropriate downsizing?
produced long-term benefits
According to the text, which one of the following is NOT one of the dangers of using primarily foreign nationals to staff managerial positions in subsidiaries?
promote anger and jealousy within the nationalistic host government
Which one of the following is NOT part of the process of Management By Objectives (MBO)?
reinforcing rules and regulations
Successful prospector firms tend to be headed by CEOs with backgrounds in the areas of
research/engineering and general management
Downsizing is often used to implement a(n) ________ strategy.
retrenchment
Which one of the following is NOT one of Malekzadeh and Nahavardi's four general methods of managing disparate cultures?
segmentation
Which method of managing disparate cultures is characterized by a separation of the two companies' cultures because of their differences?
separation
The hiring of new people with new skills, firing of people with inappropriate or substandard skills, and/or training existing employees to learn new skills are included the process of
staffing
European multinational corporations seldom use people with an international orientation to staff their management positions.
false
Firms in trouble seldom choose outsiders to lead them.
false
For each $1 spent on training, Motorola estimates it receives _____ in productivity gains within three years.
$30
According to the text, a complete package for an executive working in another country costs
300,000 to 1mill annually
Motorola provides each employee with at least ________ hours of training per year.
40
Which one of the following is NOT one of the activities and techniques typically used in an assessment center to evaluate a persons suitability for advancement?
IQ tests
Action plans are important for several reasons. Which one of the following is NOT one of the reasons?
If the action plan is implemented properly, it ensures that the strategy will be a success
Which of the following is NOT descriptive of the purpose of Management By Objectives (MBO)?
MBO operates independently and requires very little supervision
Which type of chief executive officer with a conservative style, a production or engineering background, and experience with controlling budgets, capital expenditures, inventories, and standardization procedures would be appropriate for a corporation following a stability strategy?
cautious profit planner
According to the text, what is the "key" to effective management of change in culture?
communication
When AT&T acquired NCR Corporation, which management strategy was employed in terms of culture?
deculturation
Which method of managing disparate cultures is the most common and most destructive method of dealing with two different cultures because one company imposes its demands at the expense of another company's culture?
deculturation
Which type of chief executive officer with a great deal of experience in that particular industry would be appropriate for a corporation following a concentration strategy emphasizing vertical or horizontal growth?
dynamic industry expert
One of the big common mistakes by corporations sending executives on global assignments is NOT
educating executives about customs and values in other countries
According to the text, the process of replacing a key top manager is called
executive succession
A dynamic industry expert is someone with an analytical mind who is highly knowledgeable in other industries and can manage diverse product lines.
false
According to Hofstede's dimensions of national culture, uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which a society accepts an unequal distribution of power in organizations
false
According to Hofstede's dimensions of national culture, uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which a society accepts an unequal distribution of power in organizations.
false
An essential ingredient of MBO is that an employee must be just as concerned with pleasing the internal customer as the external customer.
false
Assimilation involves the relatively balanced give-and-take of culture and managerial practices between the merger practices.
false
Chandler proposed that the most appropriate CEO for a firm remains constant as the company proceeds through its life cycle.
false
Corporate culture does not necessarily have to support the strategy of the firm.
false