Management Exam 1

Bottom of the pyramid

A concept that proposes that corporations can alleviate poverty and other social ills, as well as make significant profits, by selling to the world's poorest people

Hero

A figure who exemplifies the deeds, character, and attributes of a strong culture

Long-term orientation

A greater concern for the future and high value on thrift and perseverance

Story

A narrative based on true events and is repeated frequently and shared among organizational employees

Ethnocentrism

A natural tendency of people to regard their own culture as superior and to downgrade or dismiss other cultural values

Supply chain

A network of multiple businesses and individuals that are connected through the flow of products or services

Slogans

A phrase or sentence that succinctly expresses a key corporate value

Ceremony

A planned activity at a special event that is conducted for the benefit of an audience

Collectivism

A preference for a tightly knit social framework in which individuals look after one another and organizations protect their members' interests

Role

A set of expectations for a manager's behavior

Organization

A social entity that is goal directed and deliberately structured

Joint venture

A strategic alliance or program by two or more organizations

Organizational ecosystem

A system formed by the interaction of a community of organizations in the environment

Individualism

A value for a loosely knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of themselves

Symbol

An object, act, quality, or event that conveys meaning to others

Which of the following best describes organizing?

Assigning responsibility for task accomplishment

Organizing

Assigning tasks, grouping tasks into departments, delegating authority, and allocating resources across the organization

Top managers

At the top of the hierarchy and are responsible for the entire organization

Because nonprofit organizations do not have a conventional ______________, managers my struggle with the question of what constitutes results and effectiveness.

Bottom line

Merger

Combination of two or more companies into a single firm

James, a casino manager, defines and uses signals and symbols to influence corporate culture by communicating central values to employees. As such, James can be described as what type of leader?

Cultural

Resource allocator role

Decide who gets resources; schedule, budget, set priorities

Cultural leader

Defines and uses signals and symbols to influence corporate culture

Power distance

Degree to which societies accept the idea that inequalities in the power and well-being of their citizens are due to differences in individuals' physical and intellectual capabilities and heritage

Informational roles

Describe the activities used to maintain and develop an information network

Leader role

Direct and motivate subordinates; train, counsel, and communicate with subordinates

Adaptability culture

Emerges in an environment that requires fast response and high risk decision making

Involvement culture

Emphasizes an internal focus on the participation of employees to adapt rapidly to changing needs from the environment

Global outsourcing

Engaging in the international division of labor so as to obtain the cheapest sources of labor and supplies, regardless of country. Sometimes called offshoring

Types of decisional roles

Entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, negotiator

Strategic issues

Events or forces either inside or outside an organization that are likely to alter its ability to achieve its objectives

The level of corporate culture that cannot be seen but can be discerned from how people explain and justify what they do is:

Expressed values and beliefs

Organizational environment

Factors outside an organization that affects its operation

Types of interpersonal roles

Figurehead, leader, liaison

Calvin Strine is the office manager of a local accounting firm. His level in the management hierarchy is that of a(n)

First-line manager

Disseminator role

Forward information to other organization members; send memos and reports, make phone calls

The ________ environment represents the outer layer of the environment and affects organizations __________

General; indirectly

A figure who exemplifies the deeds, character, and attributes of a strong culture is referred to as a:

Hero

Planning

Identifying goals for future organizational performance and deciding on the tasks and use of resources needed to attain them

Natural dimension

Includes all elements that occur naturally on Earth, including plants, animals, rocks, and natural resources such as air, water, and climate

Sociocultural dimension

Includes demographic characteristics, norms, customs, and values of a population within which the organization operates

Internal environment

Includes elements within the organization's boundaries, such as employees, management, and corporate culture

Task environment

Includes entities that directly affect a firm on a constant basis and include competitors, suppliers, and customers

Legal-political dimension

Includes government regulations at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as political activities designed to influence company behavior

Political instability

Includes riots, revolutions, civil disorders, and frequent changes in government

To meet the needs of the organization, all managers carry out the three major categories of roles. They are: ____, ____, and ____ roles.

Informational; interpersonal; decisional

Entrepreneur role

Initiate improvement projects; identify new ideas, delegate idea responsibility to others

Leading

Inspiring and motivating workers to work hard to achieve organizational goals

One of the things managers enjoy doing most is:

Leading Others

Boundary spanning

Links to and coordinates the organization with key elements in the external environment

Liaison role

Maintain information links inside and outside the organization; use e-mail, phone, meetings

Types of informational roles

Monitor, disseminator, spokesperson

Controlling

Monitoring employees' activities, determining whether the organization is moving toward its goals, and making corrections as necessary

International dimension

Of the external environment represents events originating in foreign countries as well as opportunities for U.S. companies in other countries

Technological dimension

Of the general environment includes scientific and technological advances in society

Competitors

Organizations in the same industry or type of business that provide goods or services to the same set of customers

Customers

People and organizations in the environment that acquire goods or services from the organization

Labor market

People in the environment who can be hired to work for the organization

Suppliers

People that provide the raw materials that the organization uses to produce its output.

Figurehead role

Perform ceremonial and symbolic duties such as greeting visitors, signing legal documents

Interpersonal roles

Pertain to relationships with others and are related to the human skills

Decisional roles

Pertain to those events about which the manager must make a choice and take action

When senior managers at Gap, Inc. decided to become the number one service-quality clothing company in the world, they were engaging in the management function of:

Planning

Masculinity

Preference for achievement, heroism, assertiveness, work centrality, and material success

Femininity

Reflects the values of relationships, cooperation, group decision making, and quality of life

Negotiator role

Represent team or department's interests; represent department during negotiation of budgets, union contracts, purchases

Economic dimension

Represents the general economic health of the country or region in which the organization operates

Project manager

Responsible for a temporary work project that involves the participation of people from various functions and levels of the organization, and perhaps from outside the company as well

Middle managers

Responsible for business units and major departments

Functional managers

Responsible for departments that perform a single functional task and have employees with similar training and skills

First-line managers

Responsible for production of goods and services

General managers

Responsible for several departments that perform different functions

Monitor role

Seek and receive information; scan Web, periodicals, reports; maintain personal contacts

Regina, owner and operator of a small restaurant, believes that her most important task as manager is establishing goals for the restaurant and deciding what must be done to achieve them. This involves which aspect of what managers do?

Setting objectives

________ is a growing tool for managers to enhance communication and collaboration in support of empowered or bossless work environments.

Social media

Which dimension of the general environment represents the demographic characteristics, norms, customs, and values of the population within which the organization operates?

Sociocultural

Achievement culture

Suited to organizations concerned with serving specific customers in the external environment, but without the intense need for flexibility and rapid change

An object, act, or event that conveys meaning to others is referred to as a:

Symbol

Distrubance handler role

Take corrective action during conflicts or crises; resolve disputes among subordinates

Global mind-set

The ability of managers to appreciate and influence individuals, groups, organizations, and systems that represent different social, cultural, political, institutional, intellectual, and psychological characteristics

Human skills

The ability to work with and through other people and to work effectively as a group member

Efficiency

The amount of resources used to achieve an organizational goal

Conceptual skills

The cognitive ability to see the organization as a whole and the relationships among its parts

Exporting

The company maintains its production facilities within the home nation and transfers its products for sale in foreign countries

Uncertainty avoidance

The degree to which societies are willing to tolerate uncertainty and risk

Effectiveness

The degree to which the organization achieves a stated goal

General environment

The economic, technological, sociocultural, and political/legal trends that indirectly affect all organizations

Globalization

The extent to which trade and investments, information, social and cultural ideas, and political cooperation flow between countries

______ represents people in the environment who can be hired to work for the organization

The labor market

Culture

The set of key values, beliefs, understandings, and norms shared by members of an organization

Technical skills

The understanding of and proficiency in the performance of specific tasks

Consider the following three managers from Outrageous Outfitters, Ink. Tiffany Blanchard is the president, Timothy Thompson is the director of marketing, and Karen Baxter is a maintenance supervisor. Which of the following statements is true?

Tiffany Blanchard does more planning than Karen Baxter

Spokesperson role

Transmit information to outsiders through speeches, reports

Multinational corporation

Typically receives more than 25 percent of its total sales revenues from operations outside the parent's home country

Consistency culture

Uses an internal focus and a consistency orientation for a stable environment

If a company emphasizes that "no purchase is complete until the customer is satisfied," then it's:

Using a slogan to present its values to customers and employees

Time management

Using techniques that enable you to get more done in less time and with better results, be more relaxed, and have more time to enjoy your work and your life

Which of the following would be considered a part of the task environment of Ford Motor Company? a. The inflation rate b. Chrysler c. Suppliers d. Customers e. The government

b. Chrysler

Which of the following roles are assumed by people and/or departments that link and coordinate the organization with key elements in the external environment? a. Figurehead b. Liaison c. Boundary spanning d. Disturbance handler e. Leader

c. Boundary spanning

Which of the following is an informational role, according to Mintzberg? a. Entrepreneur b. Leader c. Monitor d. Disturbance handler e. Figurehead

c. Monitor