BUSA 206 midterm
Which of the following statements is true about management science? a. It is part of the classical management perspective. b. It relies on bureaucratic techniques proposed by Max Weber. c. It focuses on mathematical representations of reality. d. It is concerned with improving the performance of individual workers. e. It introduced the piecework pay system.
It focuses on mathematical representations of reality.
_____ is a systematized procedure for collecting and recording information about jobs within an organization. a. Job analysis b. Job evaluation c. Job specialization d. Job enrichment e. Job enlargement
Job analysis
_____ decisions deal with unique situations that have never occurred before.
Nonprogrammed
_____ is a planned effort that is organization-wide, managed from the top, and intended to increase organizational effectiveness and health through planned interventions in the organization's process, using behavioral science knowledge.
Organization development
The _____ of the general environment is made up of the methods available for converting resources into products or services.
Technological Dimension
Weber's perspective suggests that a(n) _____ is a model of organization design based on a legitimate and formal system of authority.
Weberian Perspective
_____ is an employee's disclosure of illegal or unethical conduct by others within the organization. a. Lobbying b. Influence peddling c. Whistle-blowing d. Source criticizing e. Reconnaissance
Whistle-blowing
Which of the following would supply capital to a business? a. Employment agencies b. Regulators c. Banks d. Board of directors e. Employees
banks
A(n) _____ is a model of organization design based on a legitimate and formal system of authority. a. adhocracy b. bureaucracy c. entropy d. autocracy e. theocracy
bureaucracy
When managers are aware of all the alternatives in a decision-making situation and the conditions associated with each alternative, they are said to be making the decision under a state of _____.
certainty
A written statement of what values and ethical standards guide a firm's actions is known as its _____.
code of ethics
A _____ worker is a person who works for an organization on something other than a permanent or full-time basis.
contingent
A(n) _____ strategy helps the organization focus on its operations simultaneously across several industries and several markets.
corporate-level
During the maturity stage of a product life cycle: a. demand is maximum. b. companies must sacrifice product quality. c. sales are the highest. d. demand comes to a halt. e. product differentiation concerns are still important.
demand comes to a halt.
The idea that the manufacturing costs per unit decrease as the number of units produced increases is known as _____. a. economy of scale b. venture capitalism c. Reed's law d. the first-mover advantage e. the network effect
economy of scale
Alpha Motors Inc. was affected by the recession in 2008. The company had to make extensive changes to its organizational structure and design. This scenario illustrates how _____ forces affect organizations. a. technical b. external c. managerial d. legal e. internal
external
A firm that exploits a marketing opportunity ahead of its competitors is said to have a(n) _____.
first-mover advantage
A mechanistic organization is most likely to: a. have the least level of job specialization. b. have a flexible structure. c. have centralized authority. d. have an informal organizational design. e. operate in an unstable environment.
have centralized authority
According to the results of a classic study, employee participation: a. reduces the need for communication. b. encourages employees to resist change. c. increases productivity and satisfaction. d. increases turnover rates. e. creates a centralized structure.
increases productivity and satisfaction
Which of the following is a part of an organization's external environment? a. Board of directors b. Physical work environment c. Inflation d. Organization's culture e. Labor unions
inflation
A(n) _____ is a decision-making group or team in which members openly discuss, argue about, and agree on the best alternative.
interacting group
Behavioral aspects of decision making include political forces, _____, escalation of commitment, risk propensity, and ethics.
intuition
Job enrichment: a. does not increase the number of tasks that workers perform. b. requires the organization to be highly centralized. c. requires delegation of authority. d. requires workers to perform a single task. e. involves workers moving from job to job in a predetermined manner.
involves workers moving from job to job in a predetermined manner.
As an internationalization strategy, the typical use of maquiladoras by U.S. firms is a form of _____. a. strategic alliance b. licensing agreement c. direct investment d. joint venture e. franchising
joint venture
_____ is the process of dealing with employees who are represented by a union.
labor relations
Standards of behavior that guide individual managers in their work are called _____.
managerial ethics
A person who purchases stock in a company becomes a(n) _____ of the company. a. member of the board of directors b. customer c. strategic partner d. owner e. regulator
owner
Sandra places orders for supplies for her bakery every month. This is an example of a(n) _____ decision.
programmed
In international trade, the _____ amount is typically designed to ensure that domestic competitors will be able to maintain a certain market share. a. benefaction b. royalty c. tariff d. quota e. minimum hourly wage
quota
_____ is the process of attracting qualified persons to apply for jobs that are open. a. Mentoring b. Recruiting c. Job analysis d. Job evaluation e. Validation
recruiting
_____ is the extent to which a decision maker is willing to gamble when making a decision.
risk propensity
One important part of a business plan is the entrepreneurs' estimate of the amount of business they expect, also called a(n) _____.
sales forecasts
When a manuscript is written by an author, edited, and sent to a printer for printing, this process represents _____ interdependence.
sequential
Pet care salons, skin clinics, and day care centres are all examples of businesses operating in the _____ industry. a. retail b. service c. manufacturing d. construction e. finance
service
An independently owned and operated enterprise with relatively little influence over its environment is defined in the text as a(n) _____.
small business
Durban Cafe takes one order at a time and customizes the coffee as per the customer's requirement . The cafe uses _____ technology. a. small-batch b. mass-production c. continuous-process d. standardized process e. large-batch
small-batch
Organizations that provide resources to other organizations are known as: a. suppliers. b. competitors. c. regulators. d. interest groups. e. importers.
suppliers
_____ consists of the conversion processes used to transform inputs into outputs.
technology
When organizational change involves planned alteration of work sequence or work activities, the change primarily occurs in the area of _____. a. people b. technology and operations c. social responsibility d. strategy e. organizational structure and design
technology and operations
A _____ is simply a conceptual framework for organizing knowledge and providing a blueprint for action.
theory
_____ managers set overall organizational goals and determine strategy and operating policies.
top managers
A group of small investors seeking to make profits on companies with rapid growth potential is called a(n) _____.
venture capitalists
_____ is the stage of the innovation process at which an organization introduces new products or services to the marketplace. a. Innovation development b. Application launch c. Innovation application d. Application growth e. Innovation maturity
Application launch
_____ is the radical redesign of all aspects of a business to achieve major gains in cost, service or time.
Business process change
_____ skills refer to the manager's abilities both to effectively convey ideas and information to others and to effectively receive ideas and information from others.
Communication skills
_____ strategy is the set of strategic alternatives from which an organization chooses as it operates in a particular industry or market. a. Business-level b. Corporate-level c. Operational-level d. Divestiture e. Anti-competitive
Corporate-level
A _____ is a form of group decision making in which a group arrives at a consensus of expert opinion.
Delphi group
_____ is a large-scale information system for integrating and synchronizing the many activities in an extended enterprise.
Enterprise resource planning
_____ is a normal process that leads to system decline. a. Economy of scale b. Synergy c. Entropy d. Contingency e. Symbiosis
Entropy
The term _____ refers to behavior that conforms to generally accepted social norms.
Ethical Behavior
The first stage in the organizational innovation process is _____.
Innovation Development
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act forbids discrimination against workers above which of the following ages? a. 40 b. 45 c. 50 d. 55 e. 65
40
Which of the following is a discussion process between a union and management that focuses on agreeing to a written contract that will cover all relevant aspects of their relationship? a. Job evaluation b. Collective bargaining c. The grievance procedure d. Certification e. Arbitration
Collective bargaining
The _____ is charged with enforcing Title VII as well as several other employment-related laws.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Which of the following statements is true in the context of effectively managing diverse workforces? a. Tolerance is not required to effectively function in a diverse workforce. b. A diverse workforce can be managed effectively by not acknowledging the differences among people. c. Organizations can more effectively manage diversity by following practices and procedures that are based on flexibility. d. Any effort to treat everyone the same, without regard for their fundamental human differences, will reduce problems. e. Limiting communication among different ethnic groups is an effective way of handling conflicts in a diverse organization.
Limiting communication among different ethnic groups is an effective way of handling conflicts in a diverse organization.
Which of the following draws from psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, and medicine? a. Organizational behavior b. Scientific management c. Administrative management d. Systems perspective e. Contingency perspective
Organizational behavior
Ralph Corp. and Swan Inc. are strategic partners. In this context, which of the following statements is most accurate? a. Ralph and Swan produce the same goods and share the same market. b. Ralph procures and provides all the raw materials and labor used by Swan for production. c. Ralph purchases raw materials from Swan in large volumes and uses it to manufacture its products for retail sale. d. Ralph sells Swan's merchandise at its stores and Swan promotes Ralph stores in its advertisements. E. Ralph has been using the media to call attention to the negative impact of using Swan's products.
Ralph sells Swan's merchandise at its stores and Swan promotes Ralph stores in its advertisements.
A marketing manager decides to launch a new product because it is the first product that came to his mind, even if there are several better products to be explored. Which of the following is illustrated in the scenario? a. Escalation of commitment b. Rational decision making c. Bounded rationality d. Satisficing e. Optimization
Satisficing
Which of the following statements is true about small businesses in the United States? a. Small businesses hire at a slower rate than big companies. b. Technology is the only sector in which small firms have no presence. c. Small businesses are the last to lay off workers during economic downswings. d. There are very few small firms in the United States. e. Most U.S. workers are employed by small firms.
Small businesses hire at a slower rate than big companies.
Which of the following laws limits union power and specifies management rights during union-organizing campaign? a. The National Labor Relations Act b. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 c. The Fair Labor Standards Act d. The Labor Management Relations Act e. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
The Labor Management Relations Act
Which of the following is a disadvantage of buying an existing business? a. Potential buyers have less clarity on what to expect from the venture. b. The entrepreneur may suffer the ill effects of a prior owner's errors. c. The task of predicting sales becomes more difficult. d. The task of identifying customers becomes more difficult. e. The risks involved are higher.
The entrepreneur may suffer the ill effects of a prior owner's errors
In the reengineering process, the first step involves: a. setting goals and developing a strategy. b. emphasizing top management's commitment to reengineering. c. implementing the chosen strategy across the organization. d. optimizing top-down and bottom-up perspectives. e. creating a sense of urgency among managers.
The first step is setting goals and developing a strategy for the changes
Which of the following statements is true about organic organizations? a. They are similar to bureaucracies. b. They are formal and rigid. c. They have centralized authority. d. They operate in unstable environments. e. They have an inflexible organizational design.
They operate in unstable environments.
A hospital refuses to employ male nurses. This illustrates _____. a. confirmatory bias b. affirmative action c. a direct form of discrimination d. equal employment opportunity e. employment at will
a direct form of discrimination
During a job interview, Sarah asked the HR manager if the company would provide her a family insurance or a retirement plan. She was discussing the _____ that companies generally offer. a. benefits b. intangible benefits c. incentives d. wages e. progressions
benefits
The model of decision making that is prescriptive and assumes that managers make rational and logical decisions is called the _____ model.
classical
Zen Electricals Inc. has internal experts who help executives learn about how others see them and improve their performance in the future. The company is using the organization development technique called _____. a. technostructural activities b. process consultation c. team building d. coaching and counseling e. third-party peacemaking
coaching and counseling
The form of organization design that is used by an organization made up of a set of unrelated businesses is the _____ design.
conglomerate H-form
The _____ perspective states that effective managerial behavior in one situation cannot always be generalized to other situations. a. behavioral b. scientific management c. contingency d. administrative management e. systems
contingency
Two employees in an organization commit the same offense, and the manager realizes that she will have to take a different approach to correcting the behavior of each employee. In this scenario, the manager understands the concept of the _____ perspective.
contingency
While matching human resource supply and demand, managers can handle predicted shortfalls by _____. a. avoiding the employment of new employees b. convincing individuals who are approaching retirement to stay on c. not replacing people who have quit d. laying off employees e. reducing the benefits provided to employees
convincing individuals who are approaching retirement to stay on
An American company is in a joint venture with an overseas Asian company. The U.S. managers are particular about time management and appointments for conference calls and meetings. However, their overseas Asian counterparts are not conditioned the same way and don't necessarily adhere to schedules. This variation in time management is an aspect of their _____ environment. a. legal b. cultural c. technological d. political e. economic
cultural
The process of choosing one alternative from among a set of alternatives is called _____. a. rational ignorance b. altruism c. bounded rationality d. decision making e. groupthink
decision making
_____ skills refer to a manager's ability to correctly recognize and define problems and opportunities and to then select an appropriate course of action to solve problems and capitalize on opportunities.
decision-making skills
In Asia, consumers have historically had an aversion to debt. However, in recent years credit card use has grown significantly, supported by aggressive marketing and government policies in the region to promotegrowth in the region.This example comprises the _____ dimensionof an organization's general environment. a. economic b. technological c. sociocultural d. political-legal e. task
economic
The top management at Phoenix Inc. planned to shift their corporate office to a bigger and better facility about four streets away from the current location. The top managers knew that their decision would meet with considerable employee resistance, so they informed all the employees well in advance of the advantages of moving to the new office. This minimized the employees' resistance. Which of the following techniques of overcoming resistance is illustrated in the scenario? a. Risk propensity b. Education c. Specialization d. Micromanagement e. Deskilling
education
Development of guidelines and codes of conduct is one of the most common ways through which an organization ensures _____. a. risk management b. technological specification c. philanthropic giving d. ethical compliance e. export restraint agreements
ethical compliance
The process of studying a change situation to see which factors support and which factors hinder the change process and then trying to eliminate or at least minimize the forces that will hinder change is known as _____ analysis.
force field
In most change situations, there are factors that make the change process more difficult and others that seem to ease the process. The process by which a manager identifies these factors and then tries to tip the balance so that the factors facilitating the change outweigh those hindering the change is called _____. a. facilitation b. implementation c. force-field analysis d. participative development e. education
force-field analysis
The _____ design is an arrangement based on the job purpose approach to departmentalization.
functional
The set of broad dimensions and forces in an organization's surroundings that determines its overall context is called the: a. task environment. b. general environment. c. physical work environment. d. regulatory environment. e. ethical environment.
general environment
The most important element of a business plan's financial plan is the cash budget, which shows: a. how many units must be sold to recover start-up costs. b. the tangible assets owned by the firm. c. how much money is needed to start the business and keep it operating. d. the salary which the entrepreneur will earn. e. how many business units should be opened and the annual tax payment to be made.
how much money is needed to start the business and keep it operating
A company has built a new manufacturing plant to increase production. This scenario illustrates which step in the Lewin model of organization change? a. Unfreezing b. Entropy c. Reengineering d. Implementation e. Refreezing
implemantation
The top executives at Delta Inc. have decided to reorganize the corporation from product divisions into geographic sectors. This is a(n) _____ force for change. a. internal b. technical c. political d. external e. environmental
internal
One of the benefits of job specialization is that: a. it makes employees proficient at a task. b. it significantly increases employee satisfaction. c. it offers new challenges and stimulation to the workers. d. it decreases boredom and absenteeism among workers. e. it eliminates job monotony and fatigue.
it makes employees proficient at a task
In the context of the GE Business Screen, a determinant of an organization's competitive position is: a. capital requirements. b. market growth. c. government policies. d. market size. e. product quality.
market size
A company has recently undergone a transformation from using a highly centralized approach to a much more decentralized approach for managing its operations. This change represents a change in the area of _____. a. technology b. work sequences c. work processes d. organization structure e. enterprise resource planning
organization structure
Which of the following is a Theory X assumption? a. People will both seek and accept responsibility. b. Managers are harsh on their employees. c. People have little ambition. d. People are internally motivated. e. People do not naturally dislike work.
people have little ambition
Modifying the benefits system on a yearly basis to maintain employee satisfaction is most likely to be a _____ change. a. reactive b. planned c. contingency d. legal e. general environmental
planned
In the Hawthorne Studies, workers who overproduced were branded as _____. a. operators b. squealers c. rate busters d. chiselers e. producers
rate busters
A(n) _____ provides the applicant with a real picture of what it would be like to perform the job that the organization is trying to fill.
realistic job preview
According to the Lewin model of organization change process, refreezing involves _____. a. recognizing why the change is necessary b. informing people about the change c. the implementation of the change d. reinforcing the change so that it becomes a part of the system e. repeating the organization change process at frequent intervals
reinforcing the change so that it becomes a part of the system
How an organization distributes its resources across the areas in which it competes is called _____.
resource deployment
_____ is an organization's set of social obligations to protect and enhance the social context in which it operates.
social responsibility
A(n) _____ plan is a general plan outlining decisions about resource allocation, priorities, and action steps necessary to reach the goals set by the top managers. a. recovery b. contingency c. operational d. tactical e. strategic
strategic
The top managers of Dietizza, a large low-fat pizza chain, plan to increase the profitability of all its outlets by 15 percent in a period of two years. This is a(n) _____ goal. a. tactical b. operational c. nonspecific d. divestiture e. strategic
strategic
A(n) _____ is a comprehensive plan for accomplishing an organization's goals.
strategy
When people float from project to project with little or no underlying functional authority in organizational units, a(n) _____ organization design is said to exist.
team
When decision making is under a condition of uncertainty: a. the alternatives are not known. b. no ambiguity is involved. c. errors are least likely to occur. d. the consequences of solutions are known. e. the decision situation is simple.
the alternatives are not known
The management of a company prevents its employees from meeting in groups of three or more. Which of the following would best describe these restrictions imposed by the management? a. Legal b. Unethical c. Illegal d. Ethical e. Racist
unethical