MGT Chapter 7

What type of standing plan specifies what an organization should do when one of its employees files a grievance?

A procedure

To sell 2% more air conditioners and 5% more refrigerators in 2014

Not Result-Oriented

To acquire a car by October 31

Not Specific

We will reduce our environmental footprint and continually seek out renewable resources to use in our products.

strategic

The strategic goals of an organization are also called

official goals

To envision the full range of emergencies or setbacks their organization could experience, managers engage in ___________, envisioning possible future events that might be disruptive.

Scenario Building

To be the best restaurant in Atlanta by September 2014

Not Measurable

A nonprofit organization has piloted a new approach to designing and building long-term care facilities that take into account the needs of elderly residents. Based on the success of their pilot attempt, the organization has now decided to standardize its construction plans. From now on, all their facilities are going to be similarly built. Which management action does this represent?

Adopting a new standing plan

As a department manager, Aoki worked out a plan with her team and helped set goals for each of her employees to increase their productivity. However, each employee ended up with at least 15 goals. Which of the following criteria for effective goal setting did she violate?

Goals should cover only the key result areas

Any veteran that asks me for a dog will have one within one month of the request.

goal

I can get dogs from the pound. There are so many abandoned animals, it will be quicker, less expensive, and easier than trying to get dogs from breeders.

plan

Kelsa, a retail store manager, sets goals for her employees. During performance reviews, she can tell them which goals they are meeting and where they fall short because goals and plan

set a standard of performance

How would you describe the best type of goal?

Clear and specific

Which of the following are advantages of management by objectives?

Employees can see how their jobs and performance contribute to the business Performance can be improved at all levels of the company, not just in individuals

Promoting cross-silo cooperation is a major part of coalitional management.

False

Using your knowledge of SMART goals, select the best goal.

I will hire three new salespeople prior to our next product release.

Which of the following is a characteristic of an organizational strategy map?

It shows how an organization's specific goals and plans are linked.

Which of the following illustrates a limitation of planning?

Jake follows through on his work plan but is hindered but an unforeseen event.

Developing an action plan

Liam will spend one hour each weeknight and three hours every Saturday and Sunday studying GMAT practice questions.

A solar energy manufacturing company is expecting new innovations to change its equipment and processes over the next few years. To achieve this goal, the company provides rigorous training to all its employees that is specific to the new technology. Which of the following actions illustrates that the company's managers know how to keep employees on track toward accomplishing their final goal?

Meeting biannually for evaluating employee progress

To increase Ford SUV sales in Dubai by 300%

Not Time-Bound

Suppose your team wants to encourage people to collect and sell as many overstuffed chairs as possible next year. Which of the following actions are most likely to make that goal a reality?

Offer everyone in the group a reward if he or she does his or her best work collecting and selling overstuffed chairs. You don't want to give out specific goals, as people do better when they don't have a stopping point for their work.

We will increase production by 10 percent per week to meet holiday demand.

Operational

A student who has good study habits while in college will likely do which of the following as a new manager?

Prepare an agenda and notes before a meeting with executive management

Bonnie has set the goal of completing a four-year college degree. This goal should be helpful to her because of all the following reasons except

She doesn't want to work under a deadline.

Kia has set a new operational goal for her work group to eliminate overtime. What operational plan should Kia implement to achieve this goal?

She should discover daily and weekly scheduling roadblocks.

In some years, weather patterns have caused there to be few fish in local lakes, and anglers have gone elsewhere. Also, invasive carp are threatening the lakes and may someday cause fish stocks to drop indefinitely. How should these facts impact Dave and Betsy's planning?

They should develop a contingency plan in case few anglers book rooms.

How does the management by means (MBM) approach differ from the management by objectives (MBO) approach?

Unlike MBM, the MBO method makes success or failure to achieve goals part of the appraisal system.

Which of the following study habits may not be a good predictor of your planning approach as a new manager?

You frequently focus on the facts and details because you rarely see the overall picture.

Richard, owner of a small accounting firm, sets a goal to hire another CPA this year so he can take on more clients and increase his company's income. Richard knows that this goal will act as

a guide to action

When Brad John talks about the fact that he is going to have to create different financial plans depending on the amount of business the company is bringing in, he is referring to ___________ planning.

contingency

is used to tackle issues when an organization faces a situation in which its continued existence may be in question

crisis planning

A ______________ specifies the way in which an outcome will be achieved and can include the actions to be taken, the resources to be used, and the time frame for accomplishment

plan

I'll train the dogs myself. That way, I can have them ready for placement more quickly.

plan

A rule that prohibits the use of company computers for personal communications:

standing plan

We will develop advertising campaigns to promote our community focus.

tactical

We will reduce our marketing budget by $10,000.

tactical

Reed is a division head at a multinational corporation (MNC) that specializes in ergonomical chairs and fitness training equipment. Recently, the top management at the MNC has decided to contribute to better employee health and the fitness of at least 10 million people around the world. To realize this goal, Reed breaks down the top management's goals into smaller units and defines specific goals for his division. In this case, Reed is defining a _____.

tactical goal

As the Board of Governors of the American Red Cross considers planning, one option is to make strategic plans and then direct managers to align tactical and operational plans accordingly. Another option is to have planning specialists help managers across the organization make their own plans. Why might this organization's executives opt for the latter approach?

-When managers come up with their own plans, they are likely to be more committed to following through on them. -The environment is a dynamic one, and department and frontline managers can come up with more responsive plans than can central leadership.

Professor Chan has been teaching management for State University for over 20 years. During this time, he also helped place students into internships and positions after college graduation. One day in Professor Chan's Management 101 class, a student asked him what traits he noticed that successful graduates had in common. Professor Chan said "their ability to plan and prepare ahead-whether for a test or a job interview." Which of the following student traits best match Professor Chan's statement?

A student asks questions about a lecture to see how concepts fit in with the bigger picture of the course.

Reviewing progress

After studying for a month, Liam takes a practice test and scores 40 points higher than he did on his first practice test.

Setting a goal

Based on the average test scores of students at his target schools, Liam decides he wants to earn a 710 on the GMAT

Which of the following problems might Brad John encounter as a result of his goal setting?

Brad could believe that he knows more about the future than he actually does. Brad might become so committed to his plan of growth that he doesn't change it, even when the company's environment changes.

What advantages can Brad John expect to get from establishing goals?

Brad's goals will help people allocate resources more effectively. Brad's goals will help motivate people by reducing uncertainty and clarifying what they should accomplish. Brad's goals will establish performance standards so people know what they are expected to achieve.

Which of the following is not a reason to set goals?

Goal-setting takes too much discipline.

Using your knowledge of SMART goals, select the best goal.

Our division will increase profits by 10% by the end of 2013.

After some discussion, the group agrees that they want to create an ongoing, sustainable organization that eliminates at least 50,000 pounds of waste and raises at least $10,000 to pay for organizational expenses. Now that the team has a good idea for a strategic goal, it is important for them to identify a strategic plan that can be used to achieve the goal. What time-frame should the group consider for this plan?

Short-term (One year or less)

Which of the following is a question that you should ask during the development of strategic goals for the organization?

Should our company focus more on giving things away, or on selling things for a reduced price to those in need?

The entry on your to-do list to "buy a cake for Susan's going away party":

Single use plan

What can simultaneously be considered the best feature and, from some employees' viewpoint, the worst characteristic of stretch goals?

Stretch goals are beyond the current levels of organizational capability.

Which of the following is at the top of an organization's goal hierarchy?

The mission statement

Appraising performance

appraising performance

As a manager, you have been asked to work with your employees to develop goals. What can you expect from this process? Check all that apply.

one of the drawbacks of plans is that they can create a false sense of security When deciding whether goals and plans will be beneficial, managers should consider whether the environment is more stable or more dynamic. A benefit of goals is that they help motivate employees.

We will install new refrigeration units to maintain the freshness of our ingredients

operational

Scientists have discovered that the influenza virus often modifies its genetic material and protein structure. In order to tackle the seasonal changes in the influenza virus, vaccine manufacturers have decided to produce a new influenza vaccine every six months. This is an example of a(n)

operational goal.

An operational plan provides a detailed road map of the steps necessary to achieve operational goals (sometimes referred to as objectives). Although there are many specific types of operational plans, they can be broadly characterized as either single-use plans or standing plans. A ________ is designed to be used once, while a _________ is designed to be used repeatedly.

single-use plan standing plan

We seek to partner with farms located in the regions in which we are located

strategic

Top management develops_________ to define the resources the organization as a whole will use to move toward its desired future state.

strategic plan

Brad John's goal of becoming "the travel authority throughout the world" can be seen as a ______ goal

stretch

When Paul O'Neill joined Alcoa as CEO, he set a __________, that there would be zero workplace accidents. A lot of people in the organization thought this was impossible given how dangerous some aluminum-manufacturing jobs are, but Alcoa's safety record improved tremendously.

stretch goal