Chapter One: Managers and Managing

The general ability to understand, alter, lead, and control the behavior of other workers is a _____ skill.

Human

_____ is defined as the ability of one organization to outperform other organizations because it produces desired goods or services more efficiently and effectively than its competitors.

Competitive advantage

The ability to analyze and diagnose a situation and to distinguish between cause and effect is a:

Conceptual skill

Daniel, a manager at Joe's Fish Shack, monitors the performance of workers in his department to check if the quality of their work is meeting the performance standards of the company. In doing so, which managerial task is Daniel performing?

Controlling

In which of the following managerial tasks are work relationships restructured to facilitate the interaction and cooperative efforts of organizational members, all of whom strive to achieve organizational goals?

Organizing

Which of the following is an element of planning?

Deciding which goals the organization will pursue and what strategies will achieve those goals

Which of the following is a primary concern of top managers?

Deciding which goods a company should produce

Which of the following does planning involve in an organization?

Developing strategies for how to achieve high performance

_____ is a management technique that involves giving employees more authority and responsibility over how they perform their work activities.

Empowerment

A company with a high level of efficiency and low level of effectiveness is most likely to produce:

a high-quality product that customers do not want.

A company with a low level of efficiency and low level of effectiveness is most likely to produce:

a low-quality product that customers do not want.

A company with a high level of efficiency and effectiveness is most likely to produce:

a product that customers want at a quality and price they can afford.

A company with a low level of efficiency and high level of effectiveness is most likely to produce:

a product that customers want, but that is too expensive for them to buy.

The Art Hub makes and sells paintings, sculptures, and small craft items. Its products meet consumer needs, but are often too expensive to buy. Which of the following is most likely to be true with regard to the company?

It has a high level of effectiveness and low level of efficiency.

Which of the following is true of organizational performance?

It increases with an increase in efficiency and effectiveness.

Robert is the product manager at Digital Digs, LLC, a company that manufactures computer accessories. He is known for his effectiveness and efficiency, qualities that are highly regarded in the company where he works. Which of the following can be fittingly inferred with regard to Digital Digs?

Its products meet consumer needs at a price they can afford

Oceania Unlimited Inc. is a tourism agency that offers special holiday packages in the Pacific region. Every year, as an incentive, the most efficient and effective manager in the network gets an all-expenses-paid trip to one of Oceania's islands. Which of the following managers is most likely to meet these requirements?

Karen, who chooses the right goals to pursue, and makes clever use of resources to achieve them

Jack Sprouts Inc. is a company based in Riverdale that markets canned vegetables. In recent years, Jack Sprouts' business has declined considerably owing to a weak focus on quality. Holding the managers responsible for the declining sales figures, the CEO of Jack Sprouts decided to lay off those who lacked effectiveness and were inefficient. Who among the following is most likely to be laid off by Jack Sprouts' CEO?

Kerry, who spends lavishly on resources and is averse to taking responsibilities

Which of the following managerial tasks does a manager perform when he/she articulates a clear organizational vision for the organization's members to accomplish?

Leading

Which of the following tasks does a manager perform when he/she energizes employees and enables them to understand the part each of them plays in achieving organizational goals?

Leading

_____ is the managerial task that involves managers using their power, personality, influence, persuasion, and communication skills to coordinate people and groups so their activities and efforts are in harmony.

Leading

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

Organizational Performance

Melissa, the HR manager of a publishing house, has been asked to increase the level of efficiency at the workplace. She decides to restructure work relationships within the company and categorize people into departments according to the kinds of job-specific tasks they perform. Which of the following managerial tasks is Melissa performing?

Organizing

In which of the following managerial tasks do managers select appropriate goals for the organization?

Planning

Owing to financial problems in the organization, the top management of an investment bank decided to reduce the number of middle managers by 10 percent. This is an example of _____.

Restructuring

Which of the following is true of top managers?

They have cross-departmental responsibility.

Which of the following is true of first-line managers?

They work in all departments or functions of an organization.

Craig is a highly effective manager. This implies that he:

chooses appropriate goals and then achieves them.

Following an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the CEO of an American petroleum company took the responsibility for correcting the environmental damages caused by his company. According to Mintzberg's typology, in doing so, he is performing the role of a _____.

disturbance handler

The measure of the appropriateness of the goals selected by management for the organization and the degree to which the organization accomplishes these goals is known as _____.

effectiveness

The measure of how productively an organization uses its resources to achieve a goal is known as _____.

efficiency

James, the manager of Andy's Candy, a popular confectioner in Illinois, is in charge of outlining future organizational goals to employees at company meetings and emphasizing the ethical guidelines which employees are expected to follow at work. According to Mintzberg, he is performing the role of a _____.

figurehead

Supervisors are also referred to as _____.

first-line managers

The process of creating new products that customers want is called:

innovation.

Emma is a highly efficient manager. This implies that she:

minimizes the amount of input resources without compromising quality.

Due to declining global sales, Make own Ventures Inc. announced that it would lay off 12 percent of its existing workforce over the next few months. This is an example of:

restructuring.

A group of employees who assume collective responsibility for organizing, controlling, and supervising their own work activities is known as a:

self-managed team

In an interview with a television channel, the Public Relations manager of KP Oil explained what his company intended to do to tackle the threat to marine life caused by an oil spill in the Pacific Ocean. The oil spill was caused by a tanker ship accident carrying crude oil for the company. According to Mintzberg, the PR manager of KP Oil is playing the role of a _____.

spokesperson

Controlling is the managerial task that involves:

taking any corrective actions needed to maintain or improve performance.

Bob was recently promoted to the position of manager of the engineering division in his company because of his knowledge and his ability to perform all the functions required in his field. In this instance, Bob was promoted because of his _____ skill.

technical

Core competency is:

the specific set of departmental skills, knowledge, and experience that allows one organization to outperform another.