MGT 2010 Chapter 2 Practice Test
Quantitative
Management science and operations management are the two branches of which management theory?
avoid the mistakes of others
Managers at Ruth & Fishers Corp. recognize the value of history. The company maintains an extensive archival library of its old documents and records and has also employed a full-time corporate historian. This helps the managers _____.
entropy
Many brick-and-mortar stores are facing challenges from online sales companies. According to systems theory, a primary objective of management at these traditional companies would be to keep pace with these changes in the marketplace in order to avoid _____.
an unpredictable economy that limits growth
One of the most critical challenges facing managers today is _____.
human resources
Robert Owen, a British industrialist and reformer, recognized the importance of an organization's _____.
subsystems
According to the systems perspective, the marketing, production, or finance functions of a company would all be considered _____.
Contingency
Avec runs an organization that is in a rapidly changing environment. Which management perspective should Avec take when planning how to respond to changes in the environment?
management science
Aviva has mathematical models that she relies on at the start of each new project to determine how to allocate the resources within her department. Aviva is making use of _____.
synergy
DynaView produced a cartoon program that became extremely popular. DynaView went on to create toys and games based on the characters in the program, launch a breakfast cereal featuring the program's characters, and start a line of children's clothing. All of these separate divisions within DynaView benefit from the success of the others. In this situation, according to the systems perspective, DynaView is benefiting from _____.
Workers would rather be accepted by the group than make more money.
In an experiment on piecework, what did Mayo and his associates conclude?
Behavioral
In some countries, it is expected that people shake hands when they are introduced. In other cultures, the appropriate action is to bow slightly or to exchange business cards. These are examples of which type of process that vary in a global economy?
Administrative
The need to provide structure and direction to enable a growing group of middle managers to plan, organize, lead, and control calls for which management perspective within the new top management team?
interdependence
The purchasing department at a printing business begins buying higher quality and more expensive paper. This leads to higher costs and cash flow problems identified by the finance department. Marketing notes that prices must be increased slightly, but that customer satisfaction improves, leading to more sales. According to the systems perspective, this scenario is an illustration of a subsystem with _____.
They are grounded in reality.
What is generally true about management theories that are used to build organizations and guide them to their goals?
Corporate governance
What is often at the center of debates on ethics and social responsibility?
The units within an organization are interdependent.
What is the premise of an integrated framework to approaches to management?
Improving quality tends to increase productivity because making higher-quality products generally results in less waste and rework.
What is the relationship between quality and productivity?
Diversity
What is the term that describes differences among people?
Enhancing quality lowers costs
What is true regarding quality as a contemporary management challenge?
Entropy
What might occur to an organization when it does not monitor feedback from its environment and make adjustments as needed?
He was the first to identify the specific managerial functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.
What was Henri Fayol's contribution to the field of management?
The human element is very important in the workplace.
What was the final conclusion of the Hawthorne studies?
The attention on management as a valid subject of scientific inquiry
Which of the following is one of the key contributions of the classical management perspective?
Entropy
Which of the following refers to a normal process leading to system decline?
Higher minimum working age
Which of the following was implemented by Owen?
Classical management perspective
Which perspective consists of two distinct branches, scientific management and administrative management?
Contingency
Which perspective suggests that universal theories cannot be applied to organizations because each organization is unique?
Charles Babbage
Which pioneer in management focused his attention on efficiencies of production?
Soldiering
Which term refers to employees deliberately working at a pace slower than their capabilities?
Scientific
Which type of management deals with improving the performance of individual employees?
The contingency perspective
Anke assumed that, like her, all of her students would want to earn the highest grades possible and that would motivate them to do their best work. She was surprised to discover that many students were happy to just "get by" with an average grade. However, when Anke demonstrated how extra effort on certain coursework could translate into experience that could lead to a better job after graduation, a number of "average" students began to work harder. Anke's experience is consistent with which view of management?
Douglas McGregor
Anke believes that a manager's concern for workers would lead to increased satisfaction. This, in turn, would increase performance. Who's theories would support this view?
it can be applied more directly to managerial situations
Because operations management is less mathematical and statistically less sophisticated than management science, _____.
Management science
Farida, a manager at Pepper Edison Bank, uses mathematical models to figure out how many cashiers need to be on duty at each location at various times throughout the day. Which of the following approaches is used by Farida?
eliminate inefficiency
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth developed several important strategies to _____.
industrial psychology
Geert runs a mid-sized agricultural company and is facing conditions of rapid growth and labor supply shortages. If Geert adopts the principles of behavioral management theory, he is most likely to address his immediate concerns using _____.
As the basis for new, personal theories
How can managers use knowledge of theory and history in contemporary organizations?
Theory Y
Hua believes that people view work as a natural part of their lives. As a manager, he feels that he can get the best out of his staff by creating an environment in which they will seek and accept responsibility and where they will receive personal rewards when they reach certain goals. Hua's management style is informed by which view within the behavioral management perspective?
It does not attempt to identify one best way.
In what way is the contingency perspective different from universal perspectives?
soldiering
Jinhua discovered that many of his employees were deliberately working at a pace lower than their capabilities in order to get more hours. Learning from the work of Frederick W. Taylor, Jinhua implemented a piecework pay system based on output in order to eliminate _____.
Social responsibility
Logan Chemicals has a long history of dumping waste in a local stream. Recently, it has made major efforts to reduce pollution in order to help clean up the environment. Logan Chemicals is responding to what contemporary management challenge?
Management science
Lupita is using computer simulations to determine what will happen to parts produced by her company during extreme temperature changes. What will help Lupita in understanding potential changes?
Theory X
Paramita believes that people naturally do not like work, and as a manager, she must control, direct, coerce, and even threaten her employees to get them to work toward the organization's goals. Paramita's management style is informed by which view within the behavioral management perspective?
The contingency perspective
Raphael believes that a single set of rules should be applied to all employees in all situations, with no variation. Juan, on the other hand, feels that employees and situations are unique. Rules should either be written with options to apply to different situations, or, ideally, they should be flexible. Juan's position is best aligned with which view of management?
Quantitative
Supply chain management and enterprise resource planning are both management concepts that evolved from which management perspective and use of models to solve problems?
two or more subsystems working together to be more successful than working alone
Synergy refers to _____.
Operations management
Teresita is using break-even analysis to help the organization produce products most efficiently. What is Teresita using in this process?
globalization
The availability of natural resources and the variation in government regulation are just two of the challenges posed by _____.
organizational behavior
The contemporary field that focuses on behavioral perspectives on management is known as _____.
attempt to identify the one best way to do something
Universal perspectives _____.
It placed more emphasis on individual attitudes, behaviors, and group processes.
What distinguishes the behavioral management perspective from earlier management theories?
People prefer to be directed and to avoid responsibility.
What is a Theory X assumption?
Other important skills may not be considered.
What is a potential limitation of the quantitative management perspective?
Mathematical model
What is a simplified representation of a system, process, or relationship?
A conceptual framework for organizing knowledge and providing a blueprint for action
What is a theory?
Social responsibility
Whenever Jena's Juice introduces a new flavor, the company donates five cents for each unit sold to fund breast cancer research. Jena's Juice is responding to what contemporary management challenge?
Organizational behavior
Which approach in management acknowledges that human behavior is much more complex than the human relationists realized?
Human relations movement
Which approach to management suggested that workers respond primarily to the social context of the workplace?
Administrative
Which area of classical management should you study to learn more about managing the total organization?
Theory X
Which is a pessimistic and negative view of workers consistent with the views of scientific management, that claims people do not like work and try to avoid it?
A person's potential is often underutilized.
Which is an assumption of Theory Y?
Behavioral
Which management perspective helps contemporary managers recognize the importance of employees as valuable resources instead of mere tools?
They are systems within another system.
Which of the following best defines subsystems?
Historical context of management
Which of the following can be used to provide managers a sense of heritage and avoid the mistakes of others?
System
Which of the following includes inputs, transformation processes, outputs, and feedback in a way that allows them to function as an interrelated set of elements?
Norms
Which of the following influences patterns of work-related behavior and attitudes towards work?
Improved awareness and understanding of complex processes and situations
Which of the following is a contribution of the quantitative management perspective?
It is concerned with improving the performance of individual workers.
Which of the following is a feature of scientific management?
It focuses on decision making, mathematical models, and the use of computers.
Which of the following is a feature of the quantitative management perspective?
Assumptions may not be realistic.
Which of the following is a potential drawback to the quantitative management perspective?
Enhancing quality lowers costs.
Which of the following is a reason why quality is an important management challenge today?
System
Which of the following is an interrelated set of elements functioning as a whole?
Open
Which type of system interacts with its environment?
Hugo Münsterberg
Who is considered to be the key pioneer of industrial psychology because of his application of psychological concepts to industrial settings?
Charles Babbage
Who is considered to be the originator of modern management theory and practice?
Alexander the Great
Who or what could a manager study to see an early example of staff organization used to coordinate activities during military campaigns?
Frederick Taylor
Who was one of the earliest advocates of scientific management?
Plato
Who was one of the first to describe job specialization practices?
Robert Owen
Whose works should you study if you want to understand the origins of the recognition of the importance of human resources and the personal welfare of workers?
The historical context can help managers avoid the mistakes of others.
Why is it important for managers to study history?
The contingency perspective
Zereth recently made a lateral move in the company and now oversees a new department. She mentioned to a friend that the management style she used in her former department is falling flat with her new staff. They do not seem to respond to the same sorts of incentives, and she is looking for new ways to motivate and encourage them. Zereth's experience is consistent with which view of management?
Malcolm Gladwell
_____ wrote the books The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers.