Assigned Reading #1_Chap 1

What two factors have led to the dramatic change in the tasks and responsibilities of managers in recent years? (Select two.)

Advances in information technology Global competition

In order to be effective, managers must have which of the following skills? (Check all that apply.)

Conceptual Human Technical

Which of the following comprise the building blocks of competitive advantage? (Check all that apply.)

Efficiency Responsiveness to customers Innovation Quality

True or false: From a management perspective, there is no advantage to having a diverse workforce.

False

True or false: It is not necessary for managers to possess all three kinds of skills---conceptual, human, and technical. Having just one of these skills ensures success.

False

Which of the following are needed for a company to be an agile competitor?

Speed and flexibility

Which manager establishes organizational goals and decides how departments should interact?

Top managers

Which manager has cross-departmental responsibility and is, therefore, responsible for the performance of all departments?

Top managers

What are some of the top challenges managers face in the global environment? (Check all that apply.)

Utilizing new technologies Building a competitive advantage Maintaining ethical standards

A company that can outperform other organizations due to its ability to provide its goods and services more efficiently and effectively is said to have a _______.

competitive advantage

Because their responsibilities are based around planning and organizing, the most important set of skills for top managers are _______.

conceptual skills

Entrepreneurs and negotiators are most likely to be _______ managers.

decisional

Leading is the essential managerial task in which managers _______.

enable an organization's members so they understand their part in achieving organizational goals

Managers need to master conceptual, technical, and _______ skills.

human

Managers who have the ability to motivate and mold people into a cohesive team are said to possess _______ skills.

human

In order to improve on his company's products, Joe is attempting to find more efficient ways to produce the products themselves. Joe is in the process of _______.

innovation

Employees that engage in entrepreneurial activities within an organizations are known as ______.

intrapreneurs

Jason owns an independent grocery store. He wants to determine how best to use his staff to efficiently run his business and achieve his goals. Jason would do well to develop a(n) _______ which will help him coordinate and motivate members and utilize resources most efficiently.

organizational structure

Placing employees into departments that reflect the types of job-specific tasks they perform falls under the _______ function of management.

organizing

The four building blocks of competitive advantage are superior efficiency, innovation, responsiveness to customers, and _______.

quality

Total quality management is a system used by companies to improve the _______.

quality of production of products, services, and processes

Conceptual managerial skills include which of the following? (Check all that apply)

the ability to distinguish between cause and effect the ability to analyze and diagnose a situation

A central concern of the CEO is _______.

the creation of a smoothly functioning top management team

How can managers help their organization be more efficient?

By minimizing labor and raw materials usage

Which of the following are ways that managers can develop human skills? (Check all that apply.)

By participating in training and education By having subordinates provide feedback on their performance Through experience

The company's most senior and important manager is known as the _______.

CEO

What are the three basic categories of skills needed by managers? (Select three.)

Conceptual Human Technical

John's department has strict quality standards that must be followed. So, periodically John evaluates his department's performance to see if it is meeting its goals. John is performing which management function?

Controlling

Which principal task of management involves establishing accurate measuring and monitoring systems to evaluate how well the organization has achieved its goals?

Controlling

While planning, managers do which of the following? (Check all that apply.)

Develop strategies for achieving high performance Select the appropriate courses of action Identify appropriate organizational goals

How do efficiency and effectiveness differ?

Efficiency measures how productively resources are used; effectiveness measures the appropriateness of selected goals.

Which of the following describes one of the roles of a middle manager?

Evaluates the organization's goals in order to increase performance

True or false: One of the traits of entrepreneurs is to be adverse to taking risks.

False

Which of the following are tasks performed by a middle manager? (Check all that apply.)

Finds the best way to organize human resources Finds ways to better use resources to reduce costs and improve service Supervises first-line managers Evaluates whether organizational goals are appropriate

Which of the following are managerial roles identified by Mintzberg? (Check all that apply.)

Interpersonal Decisional Informational

_________ are employees who work within a company and notice opportunities to develop innovative, new or improved products.

Intrapreneurs

Which one of the essential managerial tasks are managers performing when they articulate a clear vision and energize members to achieve organizational goals?

Leading

______ addresses decisions about planning, organizing and controlling resources, while ____ is noticing an opportunity to satisfy a customer need and deciding how to find the resources to meet that need.

Management; entrepreneurship

How are organizational performance and effectiveness related?

Organizational performance increases in direct proportion to increases in effectiveness.

What is the formal system of task and reporting relationships that must be put in place in order to coordinate and motivate organizational members to work together to achieve organizational goals?

Organizational structure

Which of the following statements is correct regarding planning?

Planning is complex and difficult because it is done under uncertainty.

_______ managerial skills include knowing the specific aspects of the job and what it takes to perform that job.

Technical

Who of the following are part of the top management team? (Check all that apply.)

The CEO The COO Departmental vice presidents

Which of the following are outcomes of the control process? (Check all that apply.)

The ability to measure performance accurately The ability to regulate organizational efficiency The ability to regulate organizational effectiveness

True or false: A critical element in creating a competitive advantage is responsiveness to customers' needs.

True

True or false: Managing a diverse workforce is one of the major challenges that managers face in today's world.

True

_______ management is a management style that helps struggling companies by using new approaches to planning and organizing in order to make better use of those companies resources, allowing them survive and prosper.

Turnaround

What type of management style often employs radical strategies in order help struggling companies make better use of their resources in order to allow them to survive and prosper?

Turnaround management

A company wishing to set itself apart from its competition should strive to gain _______ by producing its goods and services more efficiently and effectively than other organizations.

a competitive advantage

Joe has spent years building his computer networking business. He has developed advanced software and hired highly skilled security engineers, giving his firm an edge over the competition. For Joe, his engineers represent ________.

a core competency

Devon has a plan for expanding his business. However, he needs to decide how this plan fits with his company's overall goals and then decide how to best use company resources to implement his plan to achieve these goals. Devon needs to develop _______.

a strategy

Companies that have speed and flexibility are ______.

agile competitors

While the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the most senior manager, the manager that is next in line and works closely with the CEO is the _______.

chief operating officer

In the aftermath of the BP oil spill, it was crucial to be able to analyze and diagnose the situation to determine what caused the spill and what effect it would have on the company and the environment. These skills are considered _______ skills.

conceptual

Managers are able to accurately measure performance for the organization, employees, and even themselves when they are effective at the essential function of _______.

controlling

When managers establish accurate measuring and monitoring systems to evaluate how well the organization has achieved its goals, they are engaging in the essential task of _______.

controlling

A specific set of departmental skills, knowledge, and experience that allows one organization to outperform its competitors is known as a _______.

core competency

First-line managers are responsible for ______.

daily supervision of nonmanagerial employees

The three steps that are involved in planning include deciding on the goals to be achieved, choosing the strategies to use, and _______.

deciding which resources will be needed and how to use them

A manager who selects appropriate goals for the organization to pursue is said to be _______, while a manager who minimizes the input resources needed to achieve those goals is said to be _______. Multiple choice question.

effective; efficient

A measure of the appropriateness of the goals an organization is pursuing and the degree to which the organization achieves those goals is referred to as _______.

effectiveness

Nathan wonders how appropriate his organization's goals are. Nathan is concerned with _______.

effectiveness

With regard to organizational performance, _______ is a measure of how appropriate the goals are and the degree to which they are achieved.

effectiveness

David wants to know if his company's resources are being used in the best, most productive manner in order to achieve company goals. David wants to know his organization's _______.

efficiency

Organizational cultures that _______ risk taking increase the probability of innovation.

encourage

Gathering resources in order to take advantage of an opportunity to provide customers with new or improved goods and services _______ describes .

entrepreneurship

Deciding which goals the organization will pursue is the _______ step in the planning function.

first

The daily supervision of non-managerial employees is the responsibility of _______ managers.

first-line

The responsibilities and tasks of managers have changed substantially in recent years due to changes in _______.

global competition and advances in information technology

As a manager, Toby is very good at communicating with the people in his department and his supervisors. He has no problems controlling the behavior of the people and work groups in his department. Toby possesses _____ skills.

human

When employees learn how to empathize with other people in the organization, they are using _______ skills

human

In organizations, innovation is generally fostered _______.

in small groups or teams

A firm that is losing market share to a competitor decides it needs to find better ways to produce its goods and services. The process the firm will go through to achieve this goal is referred to as _______.

innovation

Managers using their power, personality, influence, and communication skills to coordinate people and groups so their activities are in harmony defines _______.

leadership

In contrast to Martin who, as a top manager, spends most of his time on tasks crucial to the organization, Susan is a first-line manager who spends her time _______.

leading and controlling

Those who find ways to use resources to reduce manufacturing costs and increase effectiveness are _______ managers.

middle

The manager who helps first-line managers and nonmanagerial employees increase efficiency by finding ways to better use resources is known as a(n) _______.

middle manager

Which of the following are personality characteristics likely to be possessed by entrepreneurs? (Check all that apply.)

openness to experience high self-esteem

The specific managerial task in which managers create work relationships to allow organizational members to achieve organizational goals is _______.

organizing

In today's diverse workforce, more organizations are realizing that their most important resource is their _______.

people

A measure of how effectively and efficiently managers use available resources to satisfy customers and achieve organizational goals is organizational _______.

performance

Some pressure to increase performance can be healthy for an organization because it encourages managers to find new and better ways to _______.

plan, organize, lead, and control

As a top-level manager, Sarah spends the majority of her time _______.

planning and organizing

Planning strategy is complex and difficult, especially because _______.

planning is done under uncertainty

According to the text, the planning task of the management cycle refers to identifying and selecting _______.

proper goals and courses of action

With the essential managerial task of controlling, if standards are not being met, managers _______.

seek ways to improve performance

While responsiveness to customers' needs is important in all organizations, it is particularly important in _______ organizations.

service

A cluster of decisions about what goals to pursue, what actions to take, and how to use resources to achieve these goals is a(n) _______.

strategy

Ultimately, top managers are responsible for the _______.

success or failure of the company

Managers who have excellent _______ managerial skills have job-specific knowledge and know the techniques and technology needed to perform their jobs.

technical

The most important department heads are meeting with the company CEO and COO to determine the company's goals. This group is _______.

the top management team

Conceptual skills are most important at the _______ level of management.

top

The success or failure of a company ultimately rests with _______ managers.

top

Toby is responsible for the performance of his middle managers and must decide how various departments should interact. Toby is a _______ manager.

top

When employees are organized so as to find new and better ways to perform their jobs and are asked to monitor and evaluate the products and services they produce in order to improve product or service quality, the company is using _______.

total quality management

A major challenge for human resources management is to recognize the ethical need and legal requirement to _______. (Check all that apply.)

treat organizational members equitably treat the workforce fairly

An organization's desired future state, which is defined in a short, succinct, and inspiring statement, is known as the organization's _______.

vision

When Starbucks states that it wants "to inspire and nurture the human spirit - one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time," this is Starbucks' _______.

vision

The Chief Operating Officer _______.

works with the CEO to develop good working relationships among the top managers of various departments in the organization