BA 350 ch1

Firms that apply a __________ strategy strive to be the lowest cost producer in the industry for a particular level of product quality. a. cost leadership b. differentiation c. specialization d. growth e. self-sabotaging

a

Which of the following is used to measure potentially dysfunctional behavior in an organization? a. Absenteeism b. Job satisfaction c. Job dissatisfaction d. Organizational commitment e. Employee engagement

a

__________ suggests individuals and situations interact continuously to determine individuals' behavior. a. Interactionalism b. Contextualism c. Universalism d. Individualism e. Systems theory

a

A manager who recognizes how various tasks within an organization interrelate and contribute toward achieving broad corporate goals is demonstrating strong a. problem-solving skills. b. diagnostic skills. c. technical skills. d. conceptual skills. e. interpersonal skills.

d

To gain a competitive advantage, a company must offer a. the fewest product options. b. the most product options. c. the lowest prices. d. superior value for the price. e. superior customer service.

d

A __________ provides an organization an edge over rivals. a. cultural privilege b. business bias c. personal talent d. competitive advantage e. monopoly

d

Which management perspective states that one leadership style will not always be effective in enhancing employee satisfaction and job performance in every circumstance? a. Situational perspective b. Classical perspective c. Behavioral perspective d. Interactional perspective e. Universal perspective

a

Which of the following are outcome variables in organizations? Select all that apply. a. Individual-level behaviors b. Group-level behaviors c. Team-level behaviors d. Surface-level behaviors e. None of these are correct

b

Which of the following is NOT a dysfunctional behavior? a. Absenteeism b. Asking for a raise c. Turnover d. Sabotage e. Rudeness

b

Which of the following is NOT a facet of human resource management? a. Developing incentives to motivate employees b. Developing plans to use fewer employees c. Creating programs to develop employees' skills d. Developing incentives to retain employees e. Attracting high-quality employees

b

When managers strive to motivate employees to work together toward the organization's goals, they are performing which of the following managerial functions? a. Synergizing b. Controlling c. Leading d. Planning e. Organizing

c

A manager's ability to develop optimal solutions to problems is evident by her a. conceptual skills. b. time management skills. c. diagnostic skills. d. interpersonal skills. e. technical skills.

c

__________ is known as the "guru of quality management." a. Porter b. Hofstede c. Deming d. Geert e. None of these are correct

c

Organizations pursuing a differentiation strategy often try to develop a competitive advantage based on product a. intervention. b. integration. c. initiation. d. innovation. e. integrity.

d

Which of the following is an example of a conceptual skill? Select all that apply. a. Selecting which of two mutually exclusive market opportunities to pursue b. Deciding whether to undertake a risky acquisition c. Developing a new product idea that will help your organization dominate a competitive market d. Persuading an employee to take on additional work during a busy shift e. Determining which of three CEO candidates has the vision that is most compatible with the needs of the company

a, b, c, d

Businesses that use a __________ strategy focus on a narrow market segment or niche. a. cost leadership b. differentiation c. specialization d. growth e. psychological

c

After World War I, organizations shifted their attention away from scientific management to understanding the role of __________ . a. managerial corruption b. law and politics c. gender and sexual harassment d. religion and spirituality e. human factors and psychology

e

Evaluating employee performance is an example of the managerial function of a. leading. b. decision making. c. organizing. d. planning. e. controlling.

e

An organization can gain a competitive advantage through which of the following sources? Select all that apply. a. Innovation b. Speed c. Cost d. Quality e. All of these are correct

e

By focusing on organizational behavior, a business seeks to understand how a. organizational systems shape employee behavior. b. organizational structures shape employee behavior. c. organizational processes shape employee behavior. d. organizational decisions shape employee behavior. e. All of these are correct.

e

Walmart is famous for exemplifying the cost leadership strategy. Which of the following is Walmart likely NOT to do? a. Keep prices as low as possible b. Keep expenses as low as possible c. Rely heavily on low-wage employees d. Automate as few jobs as possible e. Automate as many jobs as possible

d

What is the term for a written prediction specifying expected relationships between certain variables? a. Hypothesis b. Theory c. Prophecy d. Correlation e. Statistic

a

Investing in developing organizational behavior (OB) skills will do all of the following EXCEPT a. prepare one to be a more effective employee. b. prepare one to be a more effective manager. c. prepare one to be a more effective leader. d. help one move up faster in any organization. e. help one improve technical skills.

e

What is the total statistical correlation range? a. 0 to 10 b. 1 to 10 c. 0 to 100 d. -10 to 10 e. -1 to 1

e

The __________ variable in an experiment is the criterion, which researchers expect is affected by another factor. a. dependent b. independent c. codependent d. interdependent e. control

a

The effective management of __________ is key to the creation of a competitive advantage as well as business strategy execution. a. people b. financial resources c. raw materials d. distribution channels e. communication channels

a

What letter is used to refer to a correlation? a. r b. f c. p d. n e. c

a

Following a systems approach, the profit Walmart receives from its services is identified as a type of a. technology. b. output. c. input. d. transformation. e. contingency.

b

If a company creates a corporate culture that encourages employees to suggest new ideas, it is applying a strategy that focuses on a. cost leadership. b. differentiation. c. specialization. d. growth. e. sabotage.

b

John, a middle manager in a high-tech firm, is able to identify which of the organization's products in development are most likely to appeal to consumers because of his strong a. diagnostic skills. b. conceptual skills. c. technical skills. d. interpersonal skills. e. All of these are correct

b

Organizational behavior can best be described as a. simple. b. complex. c. confusing. d. insignificant. e. effortless.

b

Successful business strategies enable organizations to create and maintain a competitive advantage that is a. inflexible. b. sustainable. c. volatile. d. intangible. e. All of these are correct.

b

A manager fulfills the primary role of a leader by a. choosing the best resources to most effectively and efficiently produce the organization's product or service. b. verifying the quality of resources that pass through the organization. c. determining how organizational resources will be released in the environment. d. encouraging workers to increase productivity. e. identifying the various suppliers the organization will utilize to acquire resources

d

A person's __________ is a relatively narrow indicator of efficiency measured by the employee's products or services created per unit of input. a. productivity b. absenteeism c. turnover d. profitability e. cost-effectiveness

a

An organization with a competitive advantage due to product innovation would likely seek a core workforce of research and development employees who have a. an entrepreneurial mindset. b. a shorter-term focus. c. a low tolerance for ambiguity. d. conservative values. e. a high aversion to taking risks.

a

Deming's __________ cycle of continuous improvement identifies fourteen principles that make any organization efficient and capable of solving problems. a. plan-do-check-act b. check-research-study-do c. act-interpret-evaluate-plan d. do-understand-analyze-plan e. research-analyze-evaluate-understand

a

Organizations pursuing a strategy of keeping costs and prices low usually try to develop a competitive advantage using which of the following? a. Operational excellence b. Differentiation c. Cost analysis d. Employee training e. Product innovation

a

Studies show that listening to employees and building trust with them does what? a. Improves organization's earnings b. Increases the number of product lines c. Lowers prices d. Decreases the number of product lines e. Raises prices

a

The systems approach is beneficial to managers because it a. underscores the importance of the organization's environment. b. provides a set of procedures to make decisions. c. enables them to eliminate interactions among various elements of the organization. d. reduces the risk of human error. e. shifts the focus from outside the company to inside the company

a

The systems perspective defines a system as a. an interrelated set of elements that function as a whole. b. a procedure for fair and impartial performance appraisals. c. a collection of independent organizations. d. the central technology of the organization. e. the ideal process to complete any organizational task.

a

What type of relationship is indicated by a correlation of +0.90? a. A strong, positive relationship b. A weak, positive relationship c. No relationship d. A weak, negative relationship e. A strong, negative relationship

a

Which of the following is an example of a hypothesis? a. Setting a goal will be positively related to the number of products assembled. b. A researcher found a 0.8 correlation between goal setting and productivity. c. Personally, I am more productive when I set goals. d. I wonder if there is a relationship between goal setting and productivity. e. There is no way to determine whether goal setting is positively or negatively related to productivity.

a

Which perspective argues there's "one best way" to solve a problem in any organization? a. The universal perspective b. Behavioral organization theory c. The systems perspective d. The interactional perspective e. The contingency perspective

a

__________ management is based on the belief that productivity is maximized when organizations are rationalized with precise sets of instructions based on time-and-motion studies. a. Scientific b. Sociological c. Straightforward d. Strategic e. Stratospheric

a

A __________ is a collection of verbal and symbolic assertions that specify how and why two or more variables are related, and the conditions under which they should and should not relate. a. hypothesis b. theory c. data set d. fact e. statistic

b

A manager who groups jobs into units is performing which of the following functions of management? a. Planning b. Organizing c. Controlling d. Supervising e. Leading

b

Planning is the process of a. designing jobs, grouping jobs into units, and establishing patterns of authority between jobs and units. b. determining the organization's desired future position and deciding the best way to achieve the desired outcome. c. motivating the organization's members to work together toward the organization's goals. d. monitoring and correcting the actions of the organization and its members to keep them directed toward their goals. e. utilizing organizational resources with the ultimate goal of attaining organizational goals efficiently and effectively.

b

The __________ variable in an experiment is the predictor, which researchers expect is affecting another factor. a. dependent b. independent c. codependent d. interdependent e. measured

b

Which of the following is an example of a diagnostic skill? Select all that apply. a. Designing a new logo for a major advertising client b. Figuring out why the number of quality applicants to a five-star restaurant is decreasing c. Deciding whether or not to undertake a risky acquisition d. Providing negative feedback to an employee in a way that will correct her behavior without discouraging her e. Writing software code for a new search engine

b

Which of the following terms refers to behaviors of individuals that make a positive overall contribution to the organization? a. Organizational commitment b. Organizational citizenship c. Affective commitment d. Normative commitment e. Subjective responsibility

b

A researcher studying the relationship between age and diversity awareness finds a negative correlation. What do the researcher's results suggest? a. As age increases, diversity awareness increases. b. As age decreases, diversity awareness decreases. c. As age increases, diversity awareness decreases. d. A person's age doesn't affect his or her level of diversity awareness. e. The study was inconclusive.

c

Maximizing the efficiency of the manufacturing or product development process in order to minimize costs is referred to as a. managerial skill. b. business superiority. c. operational excellence. d. maintenance strategy. e. differentiation.

c

Organizational behavior (OB) typically includes the study of which basic component? a. Financial reporting b. Research and development c. Human actions and interactions within organizations d. The task environment e. Customer retention

c

Organizations pursuing a specialization strategy often try to develop a competitive advantage based on a. market concentration. b. profit margin. c. customer intimacy. d. brand recognition. e. product placement

c

Seline runs a small company that sells medical software. She has devised a process that enables her company to develop new versions of the software quickly and with almost no bugs. However, Seline believes that the success of this process hinges on her company's unique makeup and the type of product it produces; she does not believe that most software companies would be able to use her process to any great effect. Seline's views embody which of the following perspectives? a. Scientific b. Universal c. Situational d. Interactional e. Pessimistic

c

The __________ effect occurs when people improve an aspect of their behavior or performance because they are aware they are being assessed. a. Hamilton b. Henricks c. Hawthorne d. Hampton e. Hoover

c

A researcher hypothesizes that the age of employees influences their awareness of diversity. In this example, age is the __________ and diversity awareness is the __________. a. factor, control b. theory, correlation c. correlation, theory d. independent variable, dependent variable e. dependent variable, independent variable

d

Scientific management achieved which of the following? a. It decreased the monotony of work. b. It was eagerly accepted by workers. c. It gave workers control over their jobs. d. It increased productivity. e. It saw wide use for more than a century.

d

The __________ method relies on systematic studies that identify and replicate results using a variety of methods, samples, and settings. a. philosophical b. statistical c. mathematical d. scientific e. humanist

d

Turnover occurs when employees a. are called to jury duty. b. feign illness. c. are fired. d. resign from their jobs. e. are promoted.

d

When organizations focus on the "softer" side of business, including organizational behavior factors, it can lead to a. weaker leadership. b. loss of trust among employees. c. better relationships with vendors. d. more motivated and more engaged employees. e. less motivated and less engaged employees.

d

Which of the following strategies focuses on company expansion, either organically or through acquisitions? a. Differentiation b. Cost leadership c. Specialization d. Growth e. Domination

d

When dealing with people at work, managers must have an understanding of all of the following EXCEPT a. leadership. b. decision making. c. organizational structure and design. d. organizational culture. e. long-term plans of marketplace competitors.

e

Which of the following is NOT a factor that affects the nature of organizational behavior? a. The environment surrounding the organization b. Individuals' expectations and goals c. The organization itself d. Formal organizational policies and procedures e. Product price levels

e

Which of the following is an example of a technical skill? Select all that apply. a. Identifying which employee survey responses are likely to predict subsequent turnover b. Figuring out why the number of quality applicants to a five-star restaurant is decreasing c. Coming up with a new product idea that will help your organization dominate a competitive market d. Persuading an employee to take on additional work during a busy shift e. Ensuring that a piece of medical software is in compliance with HIPAA regulations

e

A __________ reflects the size and strength of the statistical relationship between two variables. a. correlation b. mean c. mode d. standard deviation e. range

a

A manager who schedules regular department meetings to provide relevant information to employees is demonstrating strong a. interpersonal skills. b. technical skills. c. diagnostic skills. d. conceptual skills. e. leadership skills.

a

Which of the following questions could NOT be answered as a result of organizational behavior research findings? a. What goal level will best motivate my employees? b. How important is employee satisfaction to job performance? c. Should I seek a promotion with a competing firm? d. Is stress always bad? e. When are different leadership approaches most effective?

c

Which of the following is an example of a company employing a specialization strategy? Select all that apply. a. Walmart decides to pressure its suppliers to keep costs as low as possible. b. Apple decides to create a phone that is unlike any other phone on the market. c. Harley Davidson decides that it will only manufacture motorcycles, not cars or other types of vehicles. d. Dunkin' Donuts decides to focus on selling donuts, rather than a variety of baked goods. e. Starbucks decides against opening any type of store location other than a coffee shop

c, d, e

All of the following are inputs an organization receives from its environment EXCEPT a. money. b. materials. c. people. d. employee behaviors. e. information.

d

Which of the following is NOT a type of resource organizations use when pursuing corporate goals and objectives? a. Human b. Financial c. Physical d. Invisible e. Information

d

Which of the following is an example of an interpersonal skill? Select all that apply. a. Designing a new logo for a major advertising client b. Figuring out why the number of quality applicants to a five-star restaurant is decreasing c. Coming up with a new product idea that will help your organization dominate a competitive market d. Persuading an employee to take on additional work during a busy shift e. Writing software code for a new search engine

d

An engineer who can solve complex mathematical equations is demonstrating strong a. interpersonal skills. b. problem-solving skills. c. conceptual skills. d. diagnostic skills. e. technical skills.

e

An understanding of organizational behavior (OB) is likely to help organizations prevent all of the following EXCEPT a. unhappy employees. b. weak leadership. c. lack of direction. d. stagnating profits. e. loss of market share.

e

__________ is a statistical technique used to combine the results of many different research studies conducted in a variety of organizations and for a variety of jobs. a. Standard deviation b. Path analysis c. Analysis of variance d. Regression e. Meta-analysis

e