Principles of Management Chapter 9

It involves increasing the number of tasks and giving workers authority and control over their jobs.

Which of the following best describes job enrichment? a. It involves increasing the number of tasks and giving workers authority and control over their jobs. b. It occurs when a job is composed of a small part of a larger task or process. c. It involves periodically moving workers from one job to another to give them more variety. d. It occurs when the number of different tasks that a worker performs in a job is increased.

Customer departmentalization

Amberlind Inc. is a manufacturer of grooming products. It has two product lines—HE range of products for men and SHE range of products for women. The company has separate production units for both series of products. In the given scenario, which of the following methods of departmentalization is followed by Amberlind Inc.? a. Structural departmentalization b. Functional departmentalization c. Customer departmentalization d. Matrix departmentalization

end conflicts between product managers of different departments.

Cygen Inc. reorganized its operations to minimize the complexity of running various projects at the same time. While reorganizing, it abandoned matrix departmentalization. In the given scenario, Cygen's restructuring will most likely help it to: a. encourage more cross-functional interaction. b. avoid duplication of its products or services. c. ensure that every employee has at least two reporting managers. d. end conflicts between product managers of different departments.

Matrix departmentalization

FlyWagon, an automobile manufacturing company, has a department that focuses on sales and information systems. It also has another department that focuses on the manufacturing and assembly of its automobiles. Which of the following is the departmentalization method adopted by FlyWagon? a. Matrix departmentalization b. Product departmentalization c. Functional departmentalization d. Customer departmentalization

work and workers into separate units responsible for particular business operations or areas of expertise

Functional departmentalization involves organizing: a. work and workers into separate units responsible for doing business in particular geographic areas. b. work and workers into separate units responsible for particular business operations or areas of expertise. c. work and workers into separate units responsible for producing particular products or services. d. work and workers into separate units responsible for particular kinds of customers.

It is the degree to which a job is perceived to have a substantial impact on others inside or outside the organization

In the context of the job characteristics model, which of the following defines task significance? a. It is the degree to which a job, from beginning to end, requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work. b. It is the degree to which a job is perceived to have a substantial impact on others inside or outside the organization. c. It is the number of different activities performed by employees in their respective jobs. d. It is the amount of information a job provides to workers about their work performance.

Job enlargement

Jeff works as a garbage collector. His boss recently asked him to pick up garbage from an additional location near his current route and also to pick up the recycling bins in addition to the trash bins. In the given scenario, it is evident that Jeff's boss has followed _____. a. job enlargement b. job enrichment c. job rotation d. job specialization

delegation of authority

Jena manages the art department of a small publishing company. She is normally responsible for preparing the department's monthly budget. For the upcoming month, however, Jena has assigned the budgeting task to Miriam, one of her subordinates. Jena has informed Miriam that she is free to contact people and collect all the necessary information required to prepare the budget. Miriam is now completely responsible for preparing the budget. By assigning her work to Mirian, Jena has exhibited _____. a. job specialization b. delegation of authority c. centralization d. procedure standardization

decentralization of authority

Marleya corp. is a large multinational company. Every employee in the company is responsible for his or her own work, and any problems that arise during work are fixed by the employees who are closest to the problems. The given scenario exemplifies _____. a. specialization of tasks b. decentralization of authority c. violation of the chain of command d. centralization of authority

employee boredom

One of the disadvantages of job specialization is that it can lead to _____. a. employee boredom b. complicated processes c. decentralization of power d. loss of standardization

broadly defined jobs and responsibilities.

Organic organizations are characterized by: a. specialized responsibilities and projects. b. precisely defined, unchanging roles. c. a rigid chain of command. d. broadly defined jobs and responsibilities

Job enrichment

Patrick works as a senior customer support representative at TellySupport Inc. His routine work includes answering calls and troubleshooting and reporting customer's problems. His manager, however, has recently assigned new tasks such as material procurement and inventory management to him and has given him complete autonomy to perform these tasks. Which of the following job design approaches has been adopted by Patrick's manager? a. Job enrichment b. Job rotation c. Job enlargement d. Job abasement

delegated the task

Peter, the marketing manager of a company that manufactures furniture, has been given the task of increasing the sale of the company's office furniture line in the upcoming quarter. As Peter has other tasks lined up, he gives his assistant the full responsibility and authority to develop a mailing campaign that would target all the offices in the entire state. In other words, Peter has _____. a. exercised staff authority b. delegated the task c. centralized the task d. created a staff position

departmentalization

Selvig and Anzer, a military weapons manufacturer, is divided into different organizational units—the S&A Logistics, which handles the inventory; the S&A Engineering, which handles engineering work such as designing and prototyping; the S&A Production, which manufactures the weapons; and the S&A sales, which handles the sale of the weapons. It is evident that Selvig and Anzer has adopted the _____ approach. a. job enrichment b. departmentalization c. centralization d. job rotation

internal motivation

The central concern of the job characteristics model is _____. a. task enlargement b. external synergy c. task identification d. internal motivation

vertical line of authority that clarifies who reports to whom throughout the organization

The chain of command can be best defined as the: a. horizontal line of authority that indicates which level of management an individual belongs to. b. vertical line of authority that negotiates conflicts between different managers at the same level. c. vertical line of authority that clarifies who reports to whom throughout the organization. d. horizontal line of authority that requires very little coordination throughout various departments.

They let companies share costs, and they are fast and flexible.

Which of the following is true of virtual organizations? a. They outsource business activities other than the core activities to outside companies. b. They have a slow decision-making process because of their rigid organizational structure. c. They let companies share costs, and they are fast and flexible. d. They keep a high degree of control when key business activities are outsourced.

can lead to duplication of resources

The primary disadvantage of geographic departmentalization is that it: a. does not help companies respond to the demands of different markets. b. can lead to duplication of resources. c. does not follow a chain of command. d. can lead to a flatter organizational structure.

it requires a high degree of coordination.

The primary disadvantage of matrix departmentalization is that: a. unity of command is not possible as employees do not have to report to a boss. b. duplication is likely to occur as employees work in different departments. c. it requires a high degree of coordination. d. it is not ideal for complex tasks.

centralization of authority

The students of a university criticize the institution because all the decisions about cultural and sports events are made by the dean, and the students have to consult him to make even small decisions. In this case, the students are criticizing the university because it supports _____. a. the violation of chain of command b. centralization of authority c. specialization of tasks d. decentralization of authority

It is an activity that contributes directly to creating or selling a company's products.

Which of the following best describes a line function? a. It is an activity that contributes directly to creating or selling a company's products. b. It is an activity that does not contribute directly to creating or selling a company's products but instead supports line activities. c. It is the right to command only immediate subordinates in the chain of command. d. It is the right to advise but not command others who are not subordinates in the chain of command.

Job rotation

Thomas works as a car cleaner at CleanSupreme. He was previously working as a tire changer in the same company. His tasks are scheduled to change every two months, and he works on six different tasks every year. Which of the following best exemplifies Thomas's job design? a. Job enlargement b. Job specialization c. Job enrichment d. Job rotation

It is the collection of activities that transform inputs into outputs that customers value

Which of the following best defines an organizational process? a. It is a system that allocates responsibilities for different functions and processes to different entities. b. It is the collection of activities that transform inputs into outputs that customers value. c. It is a system that determines which individuals get to participate in which decision-making processes. d. It is the vertical and horizontal configuration of departments within a company.

It is a radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance.

Which of the following best defines organizational reengineering? a. It means permanently passing decision-making authority and responsibility from managers to workers. b. It is an approach in which workers closest to problems are authorized to make the decisions necessary to solve the problems on their own. c. It is a radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance. d. It is an approach that seeks to formulate jobs in such a way that workers are highly specialized in one particular job.

Job enlargement

_____ increases the number of different tasks that a worker performs within one particular job. a. Job enlargement b. Job rotation c. Job specialization d. Job enrichment

Empowerment

_____ is a feeling of intrinsic motivation in which workers perceive their work to have meaning and perceive themselves to be competent, having an impact, and capable of self-determination. a. Self-esteem b. Involvement c. Empowerment d. Self-actualization

Job design

_____ is the number, kind, and variety of tasks that individual workers perform in doing their jobs. a. Job structure b. Job system c. Job design d. Job composition

Empowering workers

_____ means permanently passing decision-making authority and responsibility from managers to workers. a. Worker substitution b. Energizing workers c. Empowering workers d. Worker enrichment

Job specialization

Jeremy is a tool operator at Sato Mechanical Works. He is assigned the task of making M12 bolts, which would eventually be used to attach a silencer to a motorcycle. Which of the following best exemplifies Jeremy's job design? a. Job specialization b. Job rotation c. Job enrichment d. Job enlargement

departmentalization

Kasiez corp. is a leading automobile manufacturer. It has specialized teams for manufacturing, assembling, and sales and marketing. From the given information, it is clear that Kasiez corp. follows _____. a. job rotation b. departmentalization c. job enrichment d. centralization

It is the right to command immediate subordinates in the chain of command.

Which of the following best describes line authority? a. It is an activity that contributes directly to creating or selling a company's products. b. It is the right to advise but not command others who are not subordinates in the chain of command. c. It is an activity that does not contribute directly to creating or selling a company's products but instead supports line activities. d. It is the right to command immediate subordinates in the chain of command.

InsureClef Inc., an insurance company, has a business unit that focuses on major commercial businesses, and it also has a smaller second unit that focuses on the different products that the company offers.

Which of the following companies has adopted matrix departmentalization? a. InsureClef Inc., an insurance company, has a business unit that focuses on major commercial businesses, and it also has a smaller second unit that focuses on the different products that the company offers. b. Durawear Corp., a company that manufactures plastic storage and serving containers, has different factories and warehouses for manufacturing and storing small, medium, and large containers. c. Quad Fibre Works, a company that manufactures electrical wiring, has divided its departments into fabrication, assembly, and packaging. d. Buzzband Inc., an Internet service provider, has divided its operations according to cities and has an office in every city where it provides its services.

Matrix departmentalization

Which of the following forms of departmentalization violates the principle of unity of command? a. Product departmentalization b. Functional departmentalization c. Matrix departmentalization d. Customer departmentalization

A member of a company's finance department who provides advisory assistance to the marketing department

Which of the following individuals performs a staff function? a. A salesperson who is responsible for selling his or her company's products in a particular territory b. A member of a company's finance department who provides advisory assistance to the marketing department c. A supervisor who is in charge of overseeing the manufacture of his or her company's products d. A foreman who is responsible for casting and forging metal tools in a company

Unlike functional departmentalization, product departmentalization organizes work and workers into separate units responsible for producing particular services.

Which of the following is a difference between functional departmentalization and product departmentalization? a. Unlike in functional departmentalization, cross-department coordination is easy in product departmentalization. b. Unlike functional departmentalization, product departmentalization inhibits managers and workers from specializing in one area of expertise. c. Unlike functional departmentalization, product departmentalization organizes work and workers into separate units responsible for producing particular services. d. Unlike in functional departmentalization, the decision-making process is slow in product departmentalization.

It hinders cross-department coordination.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of functional departmentalization? a. It inhibits allocation of work to highly qualified specialists. b. It increases costs because it leads to increased duplication of resources. c. It complicates communication among employees in the same department. d. It hinders cross-department coordination.

They require high managerial skills to make a network of independent organizations work together.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of virtual organizations? a. They require high managerial skills to make a network of independent organizations work together. b. They have a rigid organizational structure, and hence, the decision-making process is slow. c. They are less responsive toward customer needs. d. They favor a highly centralized organizational structure with numerous vertical levels.

They cost significantly less to run than traditional organizations.

Which of the following is an advantage of modular organizations? a. They cost significantly less to run than traditional organizations. b. They provide better products and services in all respects. c. They are fast and flexible because members can quickly combine their efforts to meet customers' needs. d. They get a high degree of control when key business activities are outsourced.

Line authority is the right to command immediate subordinates, whereas staff authority is the right to advise but not command others who are not subordinates

Which of the following is the key difference between line authority and staff authority? a. Line authority is the right to advise but not command immediate subordinates, whereas staff authority is the right to command others who are not subordinates. b. Line authority can only be exercised by employees at the lower levels of the chain of command, whereas staff authority can be exercised by employees at every level. c. Line authority is the right to command immediate subordinates, whereas staff authority is the right to advise but not command others who are not subordinates. d. Line authority gives all employees the right to advise those who are not subordinates, whereas staff authority is generally exercised by employees at managerial levels.

It results in a loss of control when key business activities are outsourced to other companies.

Which of the following is true of a modular organization? a. It results in a loss of control when key business activities are outsourced to other companies. b. It is part of a network in which many companies share skills and markets with each other. c. It costs significantly more to run than traditional organizations. d. It has unstable and temporary relationships with the outside organizations it does business with.

. It involves periodically moving workers from one job to another to give them more variety

Which of the following is true of job rotation? a. It occurs when a job is composed of a small part of a larger task or process. b. It involves increasing the number of tasks and giving workers authority and control over their jobs. c. It involves periodically moving workers from one job to another to give them more variety. d. It occurs when the number of different tasks that a worker performs in a job is increased.