BMGT 3510 Exam II Study Guide

Use of special dress, manners, gestures, and vocabulary words when meeting a prospective employer in a job interview are all examples of how people use ________ in daily life.

impression management

The interactive leadership style is characterized by __________.

inclusion and information sharing

Rumors and resistance to change are potential disadvantages often associated with _________.

informal structures

In the discussion of gender and leadership, it was pointed out that some perceive women as having tendencies toward _________, a style that seems a good fit with developments in the new workplace.

interactive leadership

A leader who's actions indicate an attitude of "do as you want and don't bother me" would described as having a(n) ___________ leadership style.

laissez-faire

A manager using force-coercion strategy is most likely relying on the power of ________ to bring about planned change.

legitimacy

When a manager says, "Because I am the boss, you must do what I ask," what power is being put into play?

legitimate

In Porter's five forces model, which of the following conditions is most favorable from the standpoint of industry attractiveness?

low bargaining power of suppliers

When a change leader tries to deal with resistance by trying to covertly influence others, offering only selective information and/or structuring events in favor of the desired change, this is an example of ___________.

manipulation and cooptation

An organization using a _________ structure should expect that more problems will be solved at lower levels and that top managers will have more time free to engage in strategic thinking.

matrix

The "two-boss" system of reporting relationships is both a potential source of problems and one of the key aspects of ___________ structures.

matrix

The bureaucratic organization described by Max Weber is similar to the ____________ organization described by Burns and Stalker.

mechanistic

Among the global strategies that international businesses might pursue, the ________ strategy most directly tries to tailor products to fit local needs and cultures in different countries.

multidomestic

A "tall" organization will likely have a ________ span of control than a "flat" organization with the same number of members.

narrower

An organization that employs just a few "core" or essential full-time employees and outsources a lot of the remaining work shows signs of using a _________ structure.

network

Stories told about an organization's past accomplishments and heroes such as company founders are all part of what is called the _________ culture.

observable

Which organization would likely be a good fit for a dynamic and changing external environment?

organic

A person who is always willing to volunteer for extra work or to help someone else with his or her work is acting consistent with strong ___________.

organizational citizenship

Socialization of newcomers occurs during the _________ step of the staffing process.

orientation

When managers use offers of rewards and threats of punishments to try to get others to do what they want them to do, they are using which type of power?

position power

Product innovations create new goods or services for customers, while ________ innovations create new ways of doing things in the organization.

process

The Kindle e-reader by Amazon and the iPad by Apple are examples of __________ innovations.

product

A new team leader who designs jobs for persons on her work team mainly "because I would prefer to work the new way rather than the old," is committing a perceptual error known as _________.

projection

The basic role of a skunkworks is to __________.

provide special free space in which people work together to achieve innovation

The innovation process isn't really successful in an organization until a new idea is ___________.

put into practice

An employment test that yields different results over time when taken by the same person lacks ____________.

reliability

An organization that is downsizing by cutting staff to reduce costs can be described as pursuing a _______ strategy.

retrenchment

Planned and spontaneous ceremonies and celebrations of work achievements illustrate how the use of _______ helps build strong corporate cultures.

rites and rituals

The personal traits that are now considered important for managerial success include ____________.

self-confidence

__________ is a form of attribution error that involves blaming the environment for problems that we may have caused ourselves.

self-serving bias

The most participative of the planned change strategies is ______________.

shared power

An organization chart is most useful for __________.

showing designated supervisory relationships

The assessment center approach to employee selection relies heavily on ______________ to evaluate a candidate's job skills.

simulations and experimental exercises

The two questions asked by Porter to identify the correct competitive strategy for a business or product line are: 1 - What is the market scope? 2 - what is the ________?

source of competitive advantage

Which is an example of a cooperative strategy?

strategic alliance

How is a person with an authoritarian personality expected to act?

strong tendency to obey orders

Green innovation is most associated with the concept of __________.

sustainability

In Fielder's contingency model, both highly favorable and highly unfavorable leadership situations are best dealt with by a ________________-motivated leadership style.

task

In terms of leadership behaviors, someone who focuses on doing a very good job of planning work tasks, setting performance standards, and monitoring results would be described as ______________.

task oriented

The responses most likely to be associated with use of a force-coercion change strategy are best described as ____________.

temporary compliance

Which statement about the job satisfaction -- job performance relationship is most true based on research?

"A productive worker well rewarded for performance will be a happy worker."

Which phrase is most consistent with a recruiter offering a job candidate a realistic job preview?

"Let me tell you what you might not like once you start work."

Which is the best question to ask when starting the strategic management process?

"What is our mission?"

In the legal context of HRM, which of the following is most likely a safe question for an interviewer to ask a job candidate during a telephone interview?

"What skills do you have that would help you do this job really well?"

Describe the situations in which House's path-goal theory would expect (a) a participative leadership style and (b) a directive leadership style to work best.

(a) -- Participative Leadership works well when performance incentives are low and people need to find other source of need satisfaction. The leader gains knowledge through participation that can help identify important needs and possible ways to satisfy those needs other than through performance incentives. (b) -- Directive Leadership works well when people aren't clear about their jobs or goals. In these cases the leader can step in and provide direction that channels their efforts toward desired activities and outcomes.

Workers following a compressed workweek schedule most often work 40 hours in ___ days.

4

What is the most positive profile of Big Five personality traits in terms of positive impact on work behavior?

All of the Big Five are relevant to the workplace. Basic examples: Extroversion suggests whether or not a person will reach out to relate and work well with others Agreeableness suggests whether or not a person is open to the ideas of others and willing to go along with group decisions. Conscientiousness suggests whether someone can be depended on to meet commitments and perform agreed-upon tasks. Emotional Stability suggests whether or not someone will be relaxed and secure, or uptight and tense, in work situations. Openness suggests whether someone will be open to new ideas or resistant to change.

Why should an organization chart be trusted "only so far"?

An organization chart depicts the formal structure of the organization. It's the official picture of the way that things are supposed to go. However, they become quickly out of date in today's dynamic and fast moving environments. Issues: 1) Whether or not the chart one is viewing actually depicts the current official structure. 2) There is a lot more to the way things work in organizations than what is shown in the organization chart. People are involved in a variety of networks that form an informal structure; an organization chart helps to understand the formal structure, not the informal structure.

When is an employment test or a performance appraisal method reliable?

Any performance assessment should be both valid and reliable. Valid: Must measure accurately what it claims to measure, whether that is some aspect of job performance or personal behavior. Reliable: Must deliver the same results consistently, whether applied by different raters to the same person or when measuring the same person over time. Valid and Reliable assessments are free from bias and as objective as possible.

When you buy music downloads online, the firm selling them to you is engaging in which type of e-business strategy?

B2C

The _______ component of an attitude is what indicates a person's belief about something, while the ________ component indicates a specific positive or negative feeling about it.

Cognitive ; Affective (or emotional)

What core values might be found in high-performance organizational cultures?

Core values found in high-performance organizations include things such things as emphasize performance excellence, innovation, social responsibility, integrity, worker involvement, customer service, and teamwork.

What is the difference between corporate strategy and functional strategy?

Corporate strategy - sets long-term direction for an enterprise as a whole. Functional strategy - sets directions so that business functions such as marketing and manufacturing support the overall corporate strategy.

A/an _________ represents a rather intense but short-lived feeling about a person or a situation whereas a/an __________ describes a more generalized positive or negative state of mind.

Emotion ; Mood

Which leadership theorist argues that one's leadership style is strongly anchored in personality and therefore very difficult to change?

Fred Fielder

How do the graphic rating scale and the BARS differ as performance appraisal methods?

Graphic Rating Scale: Simply asks a supervisor to rate an employee on an established set of criteria, such as quantity of work or attitude toward work. This leaves much room for subjectivity and debate. The Behavioral Anchored Rating Scale (BARS): asks the supervisor to rate the employee on specific behaviors that had been identified as positively or negatively affecting performance in a given job. More specific appraisal approach and leaves less room for debate and disagreement.

How does the halo effect differ from selective perception?

Halo Effect: occurs when a single attribute of a person, such as the way they dress, is used to evaluate or form an overall impression of the person. Selective Perception: occurs when someone focuses in a situation on those aspects that reinforce or are most consistent with his or her existing values, beliefs, or experiences.

The alliances that link together firms in supply chain management relationships are examples of how businesses try to use ________ strategies.

cooperation

____________ are special strengths that an organization has or does exceptionally well and that help it outperform its customers.

core competencies

Porter's model of competitive strategies suggests a firm that wants to compete with its rivals in a broad market by selling a very low prices product would need to successfully implement a _______ strategy.

cost leadership

In the research on leader behaviors, which style of leadership describes the preferred "high-high" combination?

democratic leadership

The __________ purpose of performance appraisal is being addressed when a manager describes training options that might help an employee improve future performance.

developmental

When coke and pepsi spend millions on ads trying to convince customers that their products are unique, they are pursuing a ________ strategy.

differentiation

If Google's top management were to announce that the firm was going to buy Federal Express, this would indicate a growth strategy of _________.

diversification

A manufacturing business with a functional structure has recently acquired two other businesses with very different product lines. The president of the combined company might consider using a _________ structure to allow a better focus on the unique needs of each product area.

divisional

An employee with family problems that are starting to interfere with work would be pleased to learn that his employer had a(n) ____________ plan.

employee assistance

When a person tends to believe that he or she has little influence over things that happen in life, this indicates a/an _________ personality.

external locus of control

The functional chimneys problem occurs when people in different functions ________.

fail to communicate with one another

Which alternative work schedule is identified by Working Mother magazine as being used by all companies on its list of "100 best employers for Working Moms?"

flexible hours

The critical contingency variable in the Hersey-Blanchard situational model of leadership is ____________.

follower maturity

When a team leader must rate 10% of team members as "superior," 80% as "good," and 10% as "unacceptable," this is an example of ___________ approach to performance appraisal.

forced distribution

When an organization chart shows that vice presidents of marketing, finance, manufacturing, and purchasing all report to the president, top management is using a __________ structure.

functional

_________ is a form of attribution error that involves blaming others for problems that they may not have caused for themselves.

fundamental attribution error

Whereas bonus plans pay employees for specials accomplishments, gain-sharing plans reward them for ____________.

helping to increase social responsibility

If a manager allows one characteristic of a person -- say, a pleasant personality -- to bias performance ratings of that individual overall, the manager is falling pretty to a perceptual distortion known as ____________.

the halo effect

Honesty, social responsibility, and customer service are examples of _________ that can become foundations for an organization's core culture.

values

Someone who communicates a clear sense of the future and the actions needed to get there is considered a ________ leader.

visionary

When a job candidate is asked to actually perform on-the-job for a period of time while being observed by a recruiter, this is a selection technique known as _________.

work sampling

Why is a cost leadership strategy so important when one wants to sell products at lower prices than competitors?

If you want to sell at lower prices and make a profit, then you have to have a lower operating costs (profit * revenues = costs). Also operate at lower costs in ways that are hard for your competitors to copy. Always seek ways to lower costs and operate with greater efficiency than anyone else.

What is one of the reasons why employers are hiring more part-time or contingency workers?

It's easy to hire part-timers when you need them, and let them go when you don't.

If you were going to develop a job satisfaction survey, exactly what would you try to measure?

Job satisfaction reflects how people feel about their jobs, work settings, and the people with whom they work. A typical job satisfaction survey might ask people to respond to questions about their pay, co-worker relationships, quality of supervisor, etc. These questions might be framed with a scale ranging from "very satisfied" to "not satisfied at all" for each question or job satisfaction dimension.

How do a manager's responsibilities for change leadership vary among Lewin's three phases of planned change?

Lewin's three phases of planned change: 1) Unfreezing 2) Changing 3) Refreezing The major differences in attention would be as follows: 1) preparing a system for change 2) moving or creating change in a system 3) stabilizing and reinforcing change once it has occurred.

A person with a/an __________ personality would most likely act unemotional and manipulative when trying to influence others to achieve personal goals.

Machiavellian

How does a matrix structure combine functional and divisional forms?

Matrix structure is organized in a traditional functional fashion in the vertical dimension; marketing, HR, finance, manufacturing depts. and etc. Horizontal dimension, however, is organized divisionally based on product or project fashion with a manager heading up each special product or project. Members are then assigned to cross-functional teams for each product or project. They report vertically to their functional bosses and horizontally to their product/project bosses. "Two-Boss" system is at the heart of the matrix organization.

How does mentoring work as an on-the-job training approach?

Mentoring is when a senior and experienced individual adopts a newcomer or more junior person with the goal of helping him or her develop into a successful worker. The mentor may or may not be the immediate supervisor of the new employee. The mentor meets with the individual to discuss problems, share advice, and generally support the individuals attempts to grow and perform. Mentors are very useful for individuals newly appointed to management positions.

Why is an organic design likely to be quicker and more flexible in adapting to changes than mechanistic design?

Organic design is very strong in lateral communication and empowerment. People at all levels are talking and interacting with each other to gather information and solve problems. They don't wait for vertical structure and "bosses" to do these things for them. Environment changes quickly and more likely to be on top of things quickly. Also when problems are difficult or complex they will work with multiple people in various parts of the organization to best deal with them.

Why is orientation important in the HRM process?

Orientation activities introduce the new employee to the organization and the work environment. This is when the individual may develop key attitudes and expectations and reinforces the desired organizational culture. It formally introduces the individual to important policies and procedures that everyone is expected to follow.

Managerial Power = _________ power * _________ power.

Position ; Personal

Why are both position power and personal power essential in management?

Position Power is based on reward, coercion or punishment, and legitimacy or formal authority. Managers need to have more power than that made available to them by the position alone. Thus, they deliver Personal Power through expertise and reference. Personal Power is essential in helping managers get things done beyond the scope of their position power alone.

Use Fielder's terms to list the characteristics of situations that would be extremely favorable and extremely unfavorable to a leader.

Position Power: how much power the leader has in terms of rewards, punishments, and legitimacy Leader-Member Relations: the quality of relationships between the leader and his/her followers. Task Structure: the degree to which the task is clear and well defined, or open ended and more ambiguous. Highly Favorable -- high in position power, good leader-member relations, and have structured tasks. Highly Unfavorable -- low in position power, poor leader-member relations, and have unstructured tasks.

What is the difference between process, product, and business model innovation?

Process Innovation: results in better ways of doing things. Product Innovation: results in the creation of new or improved goods and services. Business Model Innovation: result in new ways of making money for the firm.

What strategy should be pursued for a "question mark" in the BCG Matrix, and why?

Question mark has a low market share in a high growth industry. This means that there is a lot of upside potential, but for now it is uncertain whether or not you will be able to capitalize it. Thus, hard thinking is required. Confident: growth Not confident: retrenchment, and allow resources to become more promising.

Among the Big Five personality traits, ________ indicates someone who tends to be responsible, dependable, and careful in respect to tasks.

conscientious

How do you sum up in two or three sentences the notion of servant leadership?

Servant Leadership is basically "other-centered" or "not self-centered." Servant leader is concerned with helping others to perform well so that the organization or group can ultimately do things for society. They are good at empowering others so that they can use their talents while acting independently to do their jobs in the best possible ways.

What are the possible differences in outcomes for managers using force-coercion and shared power change strategies?

Shared Power Strategies: Managers can expect that others will be more committed and loyal to changes that are brought about through these strategies. Rational Persuasion Strategies can also create enduring effects if they are accepted Force-Coercion Strategies: Tend to have temporary effects only.

What is strategic leadership?

Strategic Leadership - ability to enthuse people to participate in continuous change, performance enhancement, and the implementation of organization strategies.

Vision, charisma, integrity, and symbolism are all attributes typically associated with ______ leaders.

Transformational

_________ change results in a major change of direction for an organization, while _________ makes small adjustments to current ways of doing things.

Transformational ; Incremental

In what ways can informal structures be good for organizations?

Two major ways: 1) help get work done more efficiently and well. Informal contact helps people to get things done or learn how to do something rather than in formal lessons. 2) Being a part of informal groups is an important source of potential need satisfaction.

What is the relationship between personality and stress?

Type A Personality is characteristic of people who bring stress on themselves by virtue of personal characteristics. Tend to be compulsive individuals who are uncomfortable waiting for things to happen, who try to do many things at once, and who generally move fast and have difficulty slowing down. They can be stressful for both the individuals and the people around them. Managers must be aware of Type A Personalities in their own behavior and among others with whom they work. Ideally, this awareness will help the manager take precautionary steps to best manage the stress caused by this personality type.

Job satisfaction is known from research to be a strong predictor of ____________.

absenteeism

In House's path-goal theory, a leader who sets challenging goals for others would be described as using the _________ leadership style.

achievement-oriented

__________ programs are designed to ensure equal employment opportunities for groups historically underrepresented in the workforce.

affirmative action

The main purpose of organizing as a management function is to __________.

arrange people and resources to accomplish work

Human Resource Management is the process of ___________, developing, and maintaining a high-quality workforce.

attracting

If a student in one of your course groups volunteers to gather information for a case analysis and the other members tell him to go ahead and choose the information sources he believes are most important, the group is giving this student __________ to fulfill the agreed-upon task.

authority

A _________ is a criterion that organizations can legally justify for use in screening job candidates.

bona fide occupational qualification

General electric is a complex conglomerate that owns many firms operating in very different industries. The strategies pursued for each of these units within GE would be best called ____________- level strategies.

business

Movie downloads by subscription (Netflix) and advertising revenues from Internet searches (Google) are examples of _________ innovations.

business model

A _________ in the BCG matrix would have a high market share in a low-growth market.

cash cow

An organization with a strong culture is most likely to have __________.

clearly communicated mission

The term for the discomfort someone feels when his or her behavior is inconsistent with a previously expressed attitude is ___________.

cognitive dissonance

When representatives of management and a labor union meet and negotiate the terms of a new labor contract, this process is known as _____________.

collective bargaining

The ability of a firm to consistently outperform its rivals is called __________.

competitive advantage