Intro to Business (Week 8)

The organizing function of management entails:

- assigning tasks, grouping tasks into departments, delegating authority, and allocating resources across the organization.

Which of the following best reflects an authoritarian management style?

- A manager who retains decision-making control and disregards the input of subordinates.

Which of the following statements accurately describes how planning helps an organization reach its goals?

- plans allow for effective organization, leading, and controlling.

Different levels of management generally perform different functions with an organization. Which of the following accurately describes the primary functions of middle management?

-Their primary role is to oversee front-line managers and report back to top-level managers about the progress, problems, or needs of the first-line managers.

Peter Drucker suggests that operational objectives should be:

- SMART

Different types of plans play different functions within an organization. Which of the following statements accurately reflects the function of the stated plan?

- Strategic plans translate the company mission into a set of long-term goals and short-term objectives.

An accomplished manager is one who can adapt his or her management style to the situation. A democratic management style would be best suited to which of the following situations?

- When managing in an organization udergoing a transition such as a merger or consolidation.

The current understanding of management functions is based in large part on Fayol's theories, although some duties have been reclassified over time. Current theory identifies ________ management functions, including: ________.

-6:planning, organizing, staffing, leading, controlling, and motivating

A business's choice of organization structure is based on business scale, priorities and characteristics such as culture and the nature of the business. Identify the statement that best describes the fit of structure to operating dynamics.

-A business that values specialization and operational efficiency would benefit most from a functional organizational structure.

The primary role of middle managers is to:

-Allocate resources, oversee first-line managers, and develop and implement activities.

In summary, Frederick Taylor theorized that production and profits will be maximized by:

-Analyzing how to do the job, selecting the right person for the job and providing training, planning and management oversight.

Philip is a new manager of a 15 person manufacturing operation. His predecessor has handed him a complete annual plan, including budget, objectives and organization chart. Philip has presented the company's strategic plan to his staff and met with each person individually to establish rapport. After a month on the job, the owner approaches him and asks for a briefing on performance relative to plan. Philip is unable to respond. He has failed to attend to which of the 4 management functions?

-Controlling

The Gilbreths used a combination of time and motion studies to:

-Create a standardized best practice.

Which of the following examples illustrates the use of human skills in a management context?

-Delivering the keynote or opening speech at the organization's annual kickoff meeting. -a combination of social, interpersonal, and leadership skills

Cranks, Inc., a medium sized car parts manufacturer has been purchased and is merging with a larger car parts company. Cranks, Inc. is entering into the transition period and the "usual way" of doing things now requires adaptation and adjustment for all of the employees. What would be the most effective style of management for the Cranks managers to use in this transition period?

-Democratic style of management.

Which of the following examples illustrates use of conceptual skills in a management context?

-Development of a mission statement for a new business venture. -it is generally considered to be the ability to formulate ideas or mental abstractions. When combined with information and a measure of creativity, conceptual thinking can result in new ideas, unique strategies, and innovative solutions.

Auto manufacturing workers typically perform tasks that are overseen by their managers. This arrangement is which one of Taylor's scientific management principles?

-Divide work nearly equally between managers and workers, so that the managers apply scientific management principles to planning the work and the workers actually perform the tasks.

Fayol's five duties of management were as follows:

-Foresight: Create a plan of action for the future. -Organization: Provide resources to implement the plan. -Command: Select and lead the best workers through clear instructions and orders. -Coordinate: Make sure the diverse efforts fit together through clear communication. -Control: Verify whether things are going according to plan and make corrections where needed.

Using films of worker's activities to identify areas for improvement, is the essential description of whose work?

-Frank and Lillian Gilbreth

Commanding and coordinating are considered to be part of which management function?

-Leading

Fred Frumple is known for his planning ability as a manager. Every task and resource is carefully accounted for. However, Fred is unable to communicate or inspire employees. Which of the six management functions is Fred lacking?

-Motivating

________ is the process of thinking about and organizing the activities needed to achieve a desired goal.

-Planning

Peter Drucker suggests that operational objectives should be:

-SMART.

The process of establishing an overall course of action for the company and aligning it to the company's mission and values is known as:

-Strategic planning

A tornado has touched down in a town not far from a manufacturing company and it is moving toward the plant. The president of the company needs to get everyone to leave the building and get into the tornado shelter for safety. What style of management should the company president use to be the most effective in this situation?

-The autocratic management style.

Heather is the president of a small company, BrainZ, consisting of 20 highly skilled software engineers. BrainZ takes on projects for other companies who do not have the expertise to create internal programs to help run their businesses. What style of management would be an effective management style for Heather to use in this situation?

-The laissez-faire management style.

The management control function is essential to:

-The management control function is essential to:

Leadership styles not only reflect a leader's personality, they also shape an organization's culture and define how business is done. Which of the following statements exemplify transactional leadership?

-Theres a focus on maintaining the status-quo and associated performance standards.

In business, the title "manager" refers most to:

-Three distinct sets of roles, responsibilities, and activities.

In a management context, technical skills are defined as:

-a learned capacity in just about any given field of work, study, or even play.

A leader sends out a directive that employees will work by rules set forth solely by the leader suggests which type of leadership style?

-autocratic leadership

Tactical plans:

-break down strategic plans into manageable, shorter-term components.

When developing SMART operational objectives, it is important to get employee input during the process, because it may be:

-challenging for employees to understand or accept them after they're set.

Your local pool service company has been the only service in town for 20 years. You learn of a new competitor entering the area and immediately call a meeting of your marketing team to discuss the situation and changes to your strategy. This is an example of applied:

-conceptual skills.

James has a leadership style that is sometimes described as "hands off" or laissez-faire management because he:

-delegates the tasks to the employees while providing little or no direction.

An approach of open communication and collaborative decision making suggests which type of leadership?

-democratic leadership

In a functional structure, communication generally occurs within each functional department and is transmitted across departments through:

-department heads.

A good organizational structure is ________ for the expansion of business activities.

-essential

A mining executive and engineer, Fayol's management theories were developed after observing an incident that he judged to be a management failure. His most significant contribution to the field of management theory is his identification of the duties of management, which include:

-foresight, organization, command, coordinate, control

At the company where Cindy works, everyone works in units with people who perform similar jobs. All of Cindy's accounting colleagues work in one department. All the marketing and sales people work in one department, as do all the people involved in producing the company's apparel products. What type of organization is this?

-functional organizatoin

A manager who exhibits effective control:

-has a process in place to measure performance relative to an established target

Ability to lead is a ________ management skill.

-human

A SWOT analysis model provides a framework for analyzing an organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, classified as either internal and external factors. Which of the following is an accurate description of an aspect of the model?

-internal factors include strengths and weaknesses

Until a business has determined what its ________ is, planning cannot begin.

-mission

The arrangement of people within an organization is known as:

-organizational structure.

The external factors include opportunities and threats that are ________ the organization.

-outside

Narcissistic leaders are known for being:

-overly critical and prone to making harsh statements to employees.

The key functions of management are considered to be:

-planning, organizing, staffing, leading, controlling, and motivating

Reducing customer complaints, employee frustration, and waste are outcomes attributed to which characteristic of the controlling function?

-proactive

Henri Fayol felt that successful organizations, and therefore successful management, were linked to:

-satisfied and motivated employees.

The first three steps in the controlling process include:

-setting standards; measuring performance; comparing performance to standards.

The SWOT analysis examines an organization's:

-strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

A manager outlining the steps he or she will take to implement a control process would list:

-take corrective action as/if necessary

Skills you need to master in order to perform specific tasks are:

-technical skills.

Managers with a transactional leadership style:

-tend to tell employees what is expected of them and hold them accountable.

James has just started working for a company that does not tell their employees what to do, how to do it or when things are due. This type of freedom is an example of a company that does not utilize:

-the process of control

Conceptual skills are most essential for:

-top-level managers.

Mentoring subordinates, working one-on-one to develop their team members professionally, and providing opportunities for challenge and growth are characteristics of which leadership style?

-transformational

The work of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth focused on:

-work motions to improve the process.

SMART is an acronym that summarizes the objective-setting approach recommended by management consultant and author Peter Drucker. The acronym translates as:

Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time constrained