MGMT 339 Exam 1
Raul is a manager who wants to make sure his subordinates know how he will determine whether an objective has been reached. On which guideline for establishing objectives is Raul focusing?
Pinpointing expected results
Determining which tasks must be performed to attain organizational goals is part of which management function?
Planning
Which management function precedes and is the basis for other management functions?
Planning
Which term refers to developing action programs for the purpose of accomplishing business objectives?
Planning
Which term refers to the process of determining how an organization can get where it wants to go, and what it will do to accomplish its objectives?
Planning
_______ skills involve the ability to apply specialized knowledge and expertise to work-related techniques and procedures.
Technical
What are the three skills identified by Katz as important for successful management performance?
Technical, human, and conceptual
A plan that outlines a series of related actions that must be taken to accomplish a particular task is called a ________.
procedure
Roberta has created a plan to create a new office space for her organization. This is the planning type of ________.
program
The __________ is a scheduling tool that emphasizes the interrelationship of tasks and shows both the estimates of time necessary to complete each activity and the sequence of activities that must be followed to complete a project.
program evaluation and review technique
A manager is concerned with the degree to which the information she has related represents what is actually occurring. This manager is primarily concerned about information _______.
quality
The primary factors that govern the value of information within an organization include information appropriateness, timeliness, quantity, and _______________.
quality
The amount of information a manager has that is decision-related is called information _______.
quantity
A standing plan that indicates what an organizational member should or should not do and allows no room for interpretation is known as a(n) ________.
rule
A ________ is a plan that designates specific required action.
rule
A sales forecasting technique that predicts future sales by analyzing the opinions of salespeople as a group is known as the _________________.
salesforce estimation method
Which of the following is the first step in the MBO process?
Review organizational objectives
Information is best defined as ________.
a set of conclusions derived from data analysis
Which of the following is the fundamental purpose of planning?
To help the organization reach its objectives
At which step would a manager develop strategic and tactical plans in the planning process?
When developing plans to pursue the chosen alternative
The higher the proportion of total organizational resources that contributes to productivity during the manufacturing process, the more __________ the manager.
efficient
Management _____ skills refer to a person's ability to gain and maintain a career as a manager.
employability
Gymtastic was able to serve large crowds of customers and then adjust operations to serve very few customers thanks to their competitive capability related to
flexibility
The process of predicting future environmental issues is primarily accomplished through _________.
forecasting
Essentially, the role of managers is to ________.
guide organizations toward goal accomplishment
During the ________ stage of the product life cycle, sales are primarily based on the need to replace products.
saturation
If "every process and every person in an organization has customers," then
some customers are external and some are internal.
At the Holiday Hotel, maids are told they need to completely clean a room in 5 minutes or less for their performance to be considered adequate. This specific time limit would best be described as a ________.
standard
A(n) _______________ is the established level of performance to serve as a model for evaluating an employee's success.
standard
Which term refers to the process of predicting the likelihood of uncertain events or outcomes that will influence the operation of the organization?
Forecasting
Which of the following is NOT a stage in the product life cycle?
Formation
What is the affirmative purpose of planning?
Increasing organizational success
Motivating, leading, directing, and actuating are all words that describe which management function?
Influencing
____________ refers to details about a project or the set of conclusions resulting from data analysis.
Information
_________ determines the relevance of information when a manager faces a decision-making situation.
Information appropriateness
Which of the following is NOT one of the four primary factors that determine the value of information? A. Information quantity B. Information quality C. Information appropriateness D. Information timeliness E. Information power
Information power
When management outlines its commitment to new methods of operation, what type of objective is being set?
Innovation
Which of the following scenarios illustrates an order winner?
Ken had always been fascinated by shiny objects, so he plucked the chrome-plated thermos from the shelf and raced to the nearest checkout line.
Which of the following is NOT one of the key areas in which Drucker advised managers to set management system objectives?
Tradition
When setting objectives for where a firm would like to be in comparison to competitors, what key area of objectives is being considered?
Market standing
What is the first step in the controlling process?
Measuring performance
What step in the management by objectives process involves the manager and the worker checking to see whether the objectives are being reached?
Monitor progress
What is the third step of the MBO process?
Monitoring progress
Which term refers to a target toward which an open management system is directed?
Organizational objective
Which term refers to the target toward which the open management system is directed?
Organizational objective
Which term describes what an organization exists to do, given a particular group of customers and customer needs?
Organizational purpose
Which type of power increases as organization members perceive that the manager's level of expertise is significant?
Personal
Which of these comes from a manager's relationship with subordinates?
Personal power
The _______________ management function is focused on collecting data on employee performance and comparing it to previously set standards.
controlling
Managerial activity aimed at bringing organizational performance up to the level of performance standards is called ________.
corrective action
Facts or statistics crucial to the controlling process are called ________.
data
In a career, an individual should be primarily focused on _____.
developing skills to qualify for the next planned job
Roderick has a significant amount of power due to his strong personal relationships with his subordinates. This type of power is known as _______.
personal power
General Electric (GE) has _____, which include the type of training programs that GE employees should undergo to expand their skill set.
personnel development standards
The function that precedes and forms the basis for other management functions is ________.
planning
The process of determining how an organization can get where it wants to go, and what it will do to accomplish its objectives is known as _________.
planning
A ________ is a standing plan that furnishes broad guidelines for taking action consistent with reaching organizational objectives.
policy
A _________ is a plan that furnishes broad guidelines for taking action consistent with reaching organizational objectives.
policy
The power that a person gains from holding a particular position in the organization is known as ________ power.
position
Total power is made up of two types of power: _______ and _________.
position, personal
Robert is a manager who is able to convince his employees to work late. This is an example of Robert using ________.
power
In market analysis, the needs assessment step identifies
product/service attributes.
Activities that include short term planning and monitoring performance are examples of _____.
task-related activities
Which of the following is a FALSE statement regarding the advantages of planning?
Planning eliminates risk.
Ann's of Austin produces a premium Passion Fruit sorbet for local restaurants. Ann has unit costs of $1.60 per gallon (labor, 80 cents; materials, 70 cents; and overhead, 10 cents) and she sells the product for $2.00 per gallon. What is her multifactor productivity?
1.25 = $2/$1.6
A process produces 6,000 units of output that yield $5.00 per unit. Resources contributed to this output are 200 hours of labor at $15.00 per hour, materials at $750, and overhead at $250. What is the labor productivity (in units per labor-hour)?
30Unit/hour = 6000units/200hours
The Fine Feline Co. produces decorative collars for cats. Last week employees worked 320 hours and produced 32,000 cat collars. This week the workers worked the same 320 hours, but produced 33,600 cat collars. Labor productively increased by _______ over last week.
5% = (33,600-32,000)/32,000
Which type of plan supplies broad guidelines for action that support organizational objectives?
A policy
To increase personal power in an organization, a manager should focus on developing all of the following attitudes or beliefs in other organization members EXCEPT: _______. A. A belief that the manager is an expert in the organization B. The perception that they depend on the manager C. A sense of obligation toward the manager D. A sense of competitiveness with other managers E. A sense of identification with the manager
A sense of competitiveness with other managers
A manager who performs personal favors for other employees is likely attempting to develop which of the following attitudes among other organizational members?
A sense of obligation toward the manager
Which of the following is an example of a standing plan?
A sustainability policy
Which of these activities is not a major component of the initial phase of planning and managing projects? A. Analyzing time/cost tradeoffs B. Defining the scope and objectives C. Selecting the organizational structure D. Selecting the project manager and team
A. Analyzing time/cost tradeoffs
There are four major phases in a project life cycle. Which of the following is NOT included? A. Maturity B. Planning C. Close out D. Execution
A. Maturity
Which two management functions have been called the "Siamese twins of management" because they are so closely linked? A. Planning and controlling B. Influencing and planning C. Planning and organizing D. Controlling and organizing E. Organizing and influencing
A. Planning and controlling
Student tuition at Boehring University is $150 per semester credit hour. The state supplements school revenue by $90 per semester credit hour. Average class size for a typical 3-credit course is 55 students. Labor costs are $4,400 per class, materials costs are $22 per student per class, and overhead costs are $26,000 per class. The multifactor productivity ratio currently is 1.25 and the labor productivity ratio is $176.79 per hour if the instructors work on an average of 14 hours per week for 16 weeks for each 3-credit class of 55 students. Coach Bjourn Toulouse led the Big Red Herrings to several disappointing football seasons. Only better recruiting will return the Big Red Herrings to winning form. Because of the current state of the program, Boehring University fans are unlikely to support increases in the $192 season ticket price. Improved recruitment will increase overhead costs to $33,000 per class section from the current $26,000 per class section. The university's budget plan is to cover recruitment costs by increasing the average class size to 75 students. Labor costs will increase to $6,500 per 3-credit course. Material costs will be about $30 per student fo
A. multifactor productivity ratio = [(200+90)*3*75]/[33,000+30*75+6,500] =1.56 B. labor productivity ratio = [(200+90)*3*75]/(20*16) = $203.91 / hour
Student tuition at Boehring University is $150 per semester credit hour. The state supplements school revenue by $100 per semester credit hour. Average class size for a typical 3-credit course is 50 students. Labor costs are $4,000 per class, materials costs are $20 per student per class, and overhead costs are $25,000 per class. The multifactor productivity ratio currently is 1.25 and the labor productivity ratio is $167.41 per hour if the instructors work on an average of 14 hours per week for 16 weeks for each 3-credit class of 50 students. Coach Bjourn Toulouse led the Big Red Herrings to several disappointing football seasons. Only better recruiting will return the Big Red Herrings to winning form. Because of the current state of the program, Boehring University fans are unlikely to support increases in the $192 season ticket price. Improved recruitment will increase overhead costs to $30,000 per class section from the current $25,000 per class section. The university's budget plan is to cover recruitment costs by increasing the average class size to 75 students. Labor costs will increase to $6,500 per 3-credit course. Material costs will be about $25 per student f
A. multifactor productivity ratio = [(300+100)*3*75]/[30,000+25*75+6,500] =1.76 B. labor productivity ratio = [(200+100)*3*75]/(20*16) = $210.94 / hour
Which one of the following statements is false? A. If one of the activities on the critical path is delayed, the entire project will be delayed. B. The critical path is the sequence of activities between a project's start and finish that takes the shortest time to complete. C. There may be more than one critical path in a project network. D. The activities along the critical path determine the completion time of the project.
B. The critical path is the sequence of activities between a project's start and finish that takes the shortest time to complete.
On which of the following topics should effective project tracking systems collect information? A. budget conformance, schedule status, and activities successfully crashed B. open issues, risks, and schedule status C. budget conformance, management support, and activities successfully crashed D. schedule status, personnel status, budget status
B. open issues, risks, and schedule status
The organizational structure that simplifies the lines of authority and is particularly effective for large projects is A. matrix. B. pure project. C. functional. D. departmental.
B. pure project.
When the latest start time is known, total slack for an activity may be determined using A. latest finish time. B. earliest finish time. C. earliest start time. D. activity time.
C. earliest start time.
Suppose that the normal time for activity C is 10 weeks with a normal cost of $6,000. We can crash it to only 4 weeks at a total cost of $12,000. The total activity cost if we crash it to 7 weeks will be A. $11,000. B. $8,000. C. $9,000. D. $6,000.
C. $9,000.
Projects have a life cycle that consists of all of the following major phases except: A. definition and organization B. close out C. crashing D. planning
C. crashing
Total project costs are the sum of A. labor costs, overhead costs, and material costs. B. overtime costs, personnel costs, and equipment costs. C. direct costs, indirect costs, and penalty costs. D. labor costs, material costs, and any other costs directly related to project activities.
C. direct costs, indirect costs, and penalty costs.
In the "facilitator" role, the project manager must A. specify how the team will make decisions. B. frequently communicate with the project team to get the best performance. C. resolve conflicts between departments to ensure that the project has appropriate resources. D. determine the timing of reports to senior management.
C. resolve conflicts between departments to ensure that the project has appropriate resources.
Which of the following was NOT a network planning method developed in the 1950s? A. the program evaluation and review technique (PERT) B. the critical path method (CPM) C. the network project analysis technique (NPAT)
C. the network project analysis technique (NPAT)
Crash time is defined as A. the difference between earliest start time and earliest finish time. B. the time necessary to complete an activity under abnormal conditions. C. the shortest possible time to complete an activity. D. the activity time associated with any management intervention.
C. the shortest possible time to complete an activity.
Which type of organizational resource is described as machines used during the manufacturing process?
Capital
Which term refers to a sequence of work-related positions occupied by a person over the course of a lifetime?
Career
______ activities are management efforts aimed at modifying organizational components.
Change-related
According to the contemporary view of management skills, which set of activities is focused on modifying organizational components such as monitoring the organization's external environment?
Change-related activities
There are six steps in the planning process. What is step 4?
Choosing the best alternative for reaching objectives
As a manager moves from lower-level management to upper-level management, which skill becomes more important?
Conceptual skills
A credit card-processing firm would be likely to list the following competitive priorities for its external customers:
Consistent quality
Which management function is involved with ensuring that an event occurs as it was intended to occur?
Controlling
Yuan is currently looking for information on the recent productivity of his work group. Which management function is he involved with?
Controlling
The project duration in a network can be determined by the largest value of which variable associated with the critical path? A. Activity time B. Earliest start time C. Slack time D. Earliest finish time
D. Earliest finish time
A risk management plan should A. identify risks. B. identify risks, predict their impact, prescribe ways to circumvent them, and provide a fail-safe point after which the project should not be cancelled. C. identify risks and predict their impact on the project. D. identify risks, predict their impact, and prescribe ways to circumvent them.
D. identify risks, predict their impact, and prescribe ways to circumvent them.
Which of the following considerations is not involved in developing a corporate strategy?
Developing a staffing plan for the upcoming production period
Which of the following outcomes is not a direct result of a market analysis?
Development of core competencies
Which of the following is NOT a step in the planning process?
Discarding the alternatives after objectives have been clearly stated and a plan is formed
Which of the following refers to the managerial activity aimed at getting organizational performance up to the level of performance standards? A. Organizing B. Planning C. Influencing D. Control E. Corrective action
E. Corrective action
During which career stage do individuals who are about 25 to 45 years old start to become more productive or higher performers?
Establishment
At the end of a particular operating period, suppose Brenda (the manager) sits down with Ethan (the employee) and they meet to determine how well Ethan's performance has met the objectives set by Brenda. Which step in the MBO process would this be?
Evaluate performance
Individuals at which career stage are generally about 15 to 25 years old and are involved in some type of formal training, such as college or vocational education?
Exploration
Which evolutionary stage of a career occurs at the beginning of a career and is characterized by self-analysis and the exploration of different types of available jobs?
Exploration
Suppose you wanted a planning tool to schedule resources, including human resources and the use of machinery over time, and you wanted it in bar graph form. Which of the following would be the best tool?
Gantt chart
Which of the following is the final step in the MBO process?
Give rewards
_______ skills build cooperation within the team being led.
Human
Which of the following skills helps build cooperation within a team being led?
Human skills
Which of the following does NOT describe the management process?
Implementing a series of activities to achieve long term returns on investments
Which of the following is a behavior that makes the controlling process more effective? A. Restricting knowledge of the control process to managers B. Focusing on general organizational activities C. Using threats of employee termination D. Implementing timely corrective action E. Using controlling processes for only one type of goal
Implementing timely corrective action
Which of the following guidelines for establishing objectives focuses on helping a worker to be better motivated in carrying out an objective?
Let the people responsible for attaining the objectives have a voice in setting them.
Sarah is planning a department expansion and is meeting with her staff to discuss the most effective ways to handle the change. This is an example of which step in the planning process?
Listing alternative ways of reaching objectives
Which of the following is the second step in the planning process?
Listing alternative ways of reaching objectives
Which management effort would most likely help women focus on important organizational issues?
Making sure that women know the top three strategic goals for the company
Which term refers to the process of reaching organizational goals by working with and through people and other organizational resources?
Management
Which of the following refers to the ability to carry out the process of reaching organizational goals by working with and through people and other organizational resources?
Management skill
Which of the following refers to management's use of resources, such as raw materials and capital, in meeting goals?
Managerial effectiveness
Which statement best summarizes how managers influence organizations?
Managers influence all phases of the modern organization.
________ includes determining tasks and groupings of work.
Organizing
Which of the following are characteristics of service provider operations?
Perishable outputs
Monique has strong relationships with her subordinates, which allows her to have significant influence on how they do their jobs and engage in work-related behaviors. This is an example of which type of power?
Personal
Which term is used to describe any factor within an organization that is a barrier to organizational goal attainment?
Problem
Which term refers to any factor within an organization that is a barrier to an organizational goal?
Problem
_______ are the fundamental activities that organizations use to do work and achieve their goals.
Processes
_______ standards address how much different segments of an organization should produce.
Productivity
Which term describes a single-use plan designed to carry out a special project within an organization?
Program
Green Lawn Inc., a lawn care company, has been working on a plan to more efficiently mow customer lawns. The company has a chosen plan and is now implementing it. This is an example of which step in the planning process?
Putting the plans into action
Which of the following is the final step in the planning process?
Putting the plans into action
Which managerial activity is LEAST relevant to the success and effectiveness of the control process? A. Ensuring that the control process is appropriate to the activity being considered B. Applying the control process to different kinds of organizational goals C. Implementing corrective action quickly to eliminate control problems D. Regulating control systems to minimize their impact on organization standards E. Explaining how the control process functions to the individuals involved
Regulating control systems to minimize their impact on organization standards
Which type of forecast is focused on how many products will be sold to consumers over a specified time period?
Sales forecast
________ involves developing a list of activities and following time tables for the purpose of attaining an objective.
Scheduling
Which of the following is an advantage of using an MBO approach?
Securing employee commitment to reaching organizational goals
Which of the following is the first step in evaluating the quality of organizational information? A. Comparing the expected value with the expected cost of obtaining the information B. Reducing the expected value of the information by the amount of the benefit gained C. Analyzing data to determine the expected value of the information D. Selecting the data to be analyzed and then determining the value of the information E. Determining who can have access to the information
Selecting the data to be analyzed and then determining the value of the information
Which of the following is the first step in the planning process?
Stating organizational objectives
Which of the following steps in the planning process would include examining the overall economy when forming objectives?
Stating organizational objectives
Julie is the manager of Terrance and they have engaged in the Management by Objectives process. Julie is currently checking on Terrance's work and how well he is reaching his objective. This corresponds to what step in the MBO Process?
Step 3: Monitor progress
Which of the following is a characteristic of most MBO programs?
The MBO process secures employee commitment to attaining organizational goals.
Which method of sales forecasting is based on the informal but informed opinions of managers?
The jury of executive opinion method
Which of the following best describes the role of management?
To guide organizations toward goal accomplishment
The degree to which information is relevant to the current decision being made is called information _______.
appropriateness
When taking steps to increase power, the perception can be created that the employees are dependent on the manager. The strategy is to convey clearly the amount of _____ the manager has over organizational _____.
authority, resources
Core competencies reflect the collective learning of the organization. Core competencies include
a well-trained, flexible workforce.
The finance function influences operating decisions about
capacity expansion.
When managers go out of their way to ensure that employees know exactly what details are required to increase the quality of a controlling subsystem, managers are most likely ____________.
communicating the mechanics of the control process
Darren is the supervisor in a manufacturing facility that produces desks and chairs. Control of quality and output is his responsibility. To ensure that he is following the controlling process, after measuring the performance of his employees, he must _____, and then take any corrective action necessary.
compare measured performance to standards
A manager with _______ skills is able to understand how various functions of the organization complement one another, how the organization relates to its environment, and how changes in one part of the organization affect the rest of the organization.
conceptual
The ability to understand how a change in one part of the organization affects the rest of the organization is primarily a(n) _____ skill.
conceptual
he closer an organization comes to achieving its goals, the more ________ its managers are considered.
effective
he third stage in career evolution is the _______ stage.
he third stage in career evolution is the _______ stage.
Bethany finds that she doesn't get information far enough ahead of time to use it successfully. This situation best shows a lack of _______.
information timeliness
When setting organizational objectives, a(n) _____ objective is intended to be achieved in one to five years.
intermediate
Juan is a CEO who has created a new plan for his organization that is targeted to be achieved in 3 years. This timeline makes it what kind of objective?
intermediate-term objective
The _____________ method involves specific managers in an organization gathering to discuss their opinions on what will happen to sales in the future.
jury of executive opinion
Steven is currently 52 years old. In his job, Steven has stabilized performance and has little career progress. Steven is most likely in the career evolution stage of: __________.
maintenance
An electronics company is currently looking at the share of total sales it has compared to competitors. This is an example of a ________standard.
market position
Drucker recommended eight key areas where managers should set system objectives, including setting objectives indicating where the company would like to be vis-à-vis its competitors. This is referred to as ________.
market standing
Although women and men make up roughly the same proportion of the workforce, __________.
men hold a disproportionate number of higher paying jobs
Decisions that relate to ensuring that specific organizational tasks are carried out correctly are called _______ decisions.
operational control
The foundation for managing processes and value chains is
operations strategy.
The three mainline functions of any business are
operations, marketing, and finance.
Which core process includes the activities required to produce and deliver the service or product to the external customer?
order fulfillment process
Cellular Solutions is a company that sells smart phones to consumers. The smart phone as a product is in a market where most people who want the product have it and people only buy a new one due to their old one wearing out. In the product life cycle, the stage that best fits this situation is ________.
saturation
A manager is making a decision related to the future objectives of the organization as a whole. This would likely be characterized as a(n) _______ decision.
strategic planning
Decisions that tend to focus on the entire organization, cutting across departmental lines, and have long-term consequences are called
strategic.
An indicator that an issue or weakness exists is known as a(n) _______.
symptom
When Will tries to boot up his work computer, it loads very slowly. This is a ______ that suggests his computer may have a major issue such as a virus.
symptom
Information ___________ refers to the extent to which the receipt of information allows decisions to be made and action to be taken to the benefit of the firm.
timeliness
The idea that an organization must have the information it requires soon enough that it can be used to take action and gain the related benefit is referred to as information _______.
timeliness
Management principles are ________.
universal
When setting organizational objectives, a(n) ________ objective is intended to be achieved in five to seven years.
long-term