Management quiz for chapter 9,10,11 and 12

Computer peripherals provider Ascent plans to enter a new market in another country. Which of the following represents a threat for Ascent?

Ascent will have to plan its entry carefully as the laws in the country do not favor foreign businesses.

Which of the following is a negative aspect of group norms?

Being part of a group has the ability to increase an individual's antisocial actions.

is the degree to which decision making takes place at upper levels of the organization.

Centralization

After extensive job cuts to reduce costs, upper level managers are spending significant amounts of time solving problems in the production units. Lower level managers are resentful that they cannot make decisions for their own units. What recommendation would you make for this firm?

Decentralize; give authority to the lower level managers regarding events in their own units.

takes place when a company combines with other companies in different, but associated, industries.

Related diversification

At Ronald's fast food business for five years the French fries are its most popular product. During the past year, its profits have suffered because the farm that supplies it with potatoes has increased its prices drastically. What should Ronald's do to control its production costs?

Ronald's should buy out the farm and become its own supplier.

involves predicting which applicants will be successful if hired.

Selection

conflict relates to the content and goals of the work.

Task

Turnover is high among new hires at Stewart's company. At one exit interview, Stewart asked the departing new hire why she was leaving so soon. Which of the following statements is the most likely response?

The higher level employees repeatedly overemphasize the company's positive points while interviewing candidates.

When Beverly administers the math test to accounting clerk candidates, the average score is 65%. But when Carol administers the same test, the score average is 83%. What does this indicate about the test?

The test is unreliable.

Helen, the owner of Crazy Cupcakes, is conducting a SWOT analysis of her company. Which of the following represents an opportunity for expansion?

There has been a trend toward personalized cupcakes for a variety of occasions.

AI Rubber is one of four suppliers of molded rubber products and has a 45% market share. The market for its products is shrinking. AI Rubber is part of a larger corporation that includes a total of seven different companies. In the BCG matrix, AI Rubber would be considered

a cash cow

A firm that is "stuck in the middle" cannot develop

a cost or differentiation advantage

Marcus was asked to represent the cardiac unit as part of a Total Quality Management (TQM) initiative that is aimed at improving the overall quality of care at his hospital. Other departments, such as orthopedics, neurology, oncology, and pediatrics also have representatives on this team. This TQM team is an example of

a cross-functional team

Bill manages the quality department. His people check parts made by the production departments to assure all specifications are met. Bill is

a staff manager

It was amazing the team accomplished anything at all. It seemed they were always bickering and cross with each other but their final output stunned management. Which of the following might have contributed to their success?

clear goals

Which of the following suggestions will help reduce the effect of social loafing in groups?

clearly identify individual responsibilities

Organizations grow by using strategies of

concentration, integration, or diversification

Which of the following methods of performance appraisal allows the evaluator to focus on vital behaviors that separate effective work performance from ineffective work performance?

critical incident

Strato Engineering, a technology product company, formed a team to develop the next generation of the company's model CVF-D. The team is composed of employees from various functional areas. This is a ________ team.

cross-functional

It is Black Friday. Several people are waiting outside the popular electronics store for someone to unlock the doors. These people constitute a(n) _

crowd

What kind of departmentalization would be in place in a government organization where different public service responsibilities are divided into activities for employees, children, and the disabled?

customer departmentalization

Bob works in a mid-sized organization with other skilled workers who all pitch in to do what needs to be done to satisfy the customer. It is likely Bob works in a ________ organization.

decentralized

According to the traditional view, managers could not � and should not � directly supervise more than ________ subordinates.

five or six

Ferrari sells very expensive, stylish, high-quality cars to very wealthy people. Ferrari follows a ________ strategy.

focus

Which of the following strategies involves a cost advantage or a differentiation advantage in a narrow segment?

focus strategy

The ________ stage in the group development process is complete when members begin to think of themselves as part of a group

forming

The first group meeting is in progress. The five attendees are exchanging contact information and getting acquainted. This group is in the ________ stage.

forming

A disadvantage of ________ departmentalization is poor communication across the different groups.

functional

"Slow down, Mary. You're making us all look bad." These comments likely came from a worker concerned about

group norms

The fact that Monica's signature is required on all documents and her word is the last word on all decisions relating to her department suggests that

her employer has a centralized structure

In ________, a company grows by combining with competitors.

horizontal integration

Because Quentin is the only male worker in a group of women, other male employees have made jokes about his gender identity. The jokes have affected Quentin's motivation to work and he is absent more often. This situation may constitute

hostile environment sexual harassment

The process by which managers ensure that they have the right number and kinds of capable people in the right places and at the right times is known as

human resource planning

When Bryan is offered a chance to help direct the efforts of some employees assigned to his work group, he sees this new assignment as a(n)

increase in his responsibility

The ________ of conflict management argues that some conflict is absolutely necessary for effective organizational performance.

interactionist view

A ________ states the minimum qualifications that a person must possess to successfully perform a given job.

job specification

Recruitment is the process of

locating, identifying, and attracting capable applicants

A cost leadership strategy requires a firm to

maintain the lowest cost structure

Ben operates a farmer's market. Every year he offers the same vegetables to the same customers and faces the same rivalry from other truck farmers. A(n) ________ would best fit Ben's situation.

mechanistic design

Custom Leather CEO Standish is considering doubling the size of his workforce in conjunction with expanding the number of retail outlets that carry Custom Leather products. He should expect the organization to become ________ as a result of this change.

more mechanistic

During an economic recession,

more qualified candidates are available to fill fewer open positions

In this meeting, the group is discussing a code of conduct to be observed by all members, such as arriving on time and not interrupting the speaker. This group is in the ________ stage.

norming

The ________ stage of group development is complete when the group structure solidifies and the group has assimilated a common set of expectations of what defines correct member behavior

norming

The ________ stage of group development is complete when the group structure solidifies and the group has assimilated a common set of expectations of what defines correct member behavior.

norming

The ________ stage of the group development process is one in which close relationships develop and the group becomes cohesive.

norming

A study of the external environment allows a manager to understand the ________ and ________ for the organization.

opportunities; threats

If a firm wants to become more adaptive and flexible, which of the following organizational structures is it likely to prefer?

organic

Many of Custom Leather's employees are experienced artisans. The jobs most of them perform are not highly standardized. They take great pride in their craft and require few formal rules and little direct supervision. These traits are most typical of a(n) ________ organization.

organic

Which of the following steps in human resource management helps retain competent and high-performing employees?

performance management

Tim is a candidate for an automotive mechanic's position. He is asked to deconstruct and reconstruct part of an engine motor to demonstrate his skill. This is an example of a(n)

performance-simulation test

If a bank estimates the capabilities of its employees who provide customer service prior to implementing a new training program designed to change their method of providing customer service, it is

performing an internal analysis

The group could not agree on what needed to be done. Some thought they were to research and present data; others thought they were to make recommendations. This is an example of ________ conflict.

process

An organization's financial, physical, human, and intangible assets are known as its

resources

A ________ strategy is used to deal with minor performance problems. It helps an organization stabilize operations, revitalize organizational resources and capabilities, and prepare to compete once again.

retrenchment

What is a strategic disadvantage of being a first mover?

risk of competitors imitating innovations

A team has been established to solve a problem with an industrial adhesive used by the firm. The three members are the installer, an engineer, and the sales representative for the adhesive manufacturer, but the team does not have a specific leader. This team can be called a ________ team.

self-managed

A ________ system rewards employees for the job competencies they demonstrate.

skill-based pay

Steve recommends that employees should be compensated according to their competencies, rather than their designations. Employees should be financially rewarded when they gain more knowledge and learn new processes that are relevant to the job, even if the employee is at a lower level. This implies that Steve favors a

skill-based pay system

Large organizations tend to have more ________ than smaller organizations.

specialization

As the number of employees in an organization grows, structure tends to become more

specialized

In the beginning, all employees at Tom's Welding performed whatever task was needed. Now the employees have gravitated to specific sets of tasks. Some use only stick welders; some weld only on aluminum. We can infer that as his business has grown, it has become more

specialized

Tom's Welding has been supplying frames to the mobile home industry for many years. His business has remained steady despite the entry of other firms into the industry. Tom's is likely pursuing a ________ strategy.

stability

In the BCG matrix, a ________ enjoys a high anticipated growth rate and a high market share.

star

She was the matriarch of the department, the most senior employee. She always sat immediately to the right of the manager in all department managers. No one dared take her chair. That chair was a symbol of her

status

For a new project, Eldon forms a team of individuals from various functional departments. After a few days Eldon observes conflicts within the group over who will control it and what the group needs to be doing. This team is now in the ________ stage of group development.

storming

In an organization, the single independent businesses which formulate their own competitive strategies are known as

strategic business units

Every summer ABC Corp. hosts a picnic for employees and their families. The group that plans and makes all the arrangements for this event would be called a

task group

Which of the following is a technology-based training method?

videoconferencing/teleconferencing

Willard has been assigned to a project development team in addition to his regular duties as a quality engineer. During this assignment he will report to both the project manager and his quality department manager. This situation

violates unity of command

Casey realizes that she has a personal characteristic that suggests she is not comfortable interacting with strangers. She interprets this as a(n) ________ if she is to get a job as a salesperson.

weakness

In the early 20th century, automobiles were made one at a time by craftsmen who could perform every operation necessary to build the car. Henry Ford decided to limit the number of tasks each worker performed so each person could become expert in his position. With this practice, Ford introduced

work specialization

The two types of orientations are

work unit orientation and organization orientation

Asch's experiment, which used lines of varying lengths to test group behavior, has shown the existence of

workplace conformity

The ________ method utilizes feedback from supervisors, employees, and coworkers.

360-degree appraisal

Sam, a human resources manager, wants to let potential candidates know about the minimum qualifications that they should possess in order to successfully perform the jobs they have applied for. What should he do?

He should create a job specification.

is an example of a high-performance work practice.

Increasing employee access to information

Which of the following is true about the effectiveness of individual decision making over group decision making?

Individual decisions are made faster than group decisions

How can an organization develop strategic flexibility?

It should have multiple alternatives when making strategic decisions.

A low-to-moderate level of task conflict consistently has a positive effect on group performance. What is the reason for this

It stimulates discussion of ideas that help groups be more innovative.

A low-to-moderate level of task conflict consistently has a positive effect on group performance. What is the reason for this?

It stimulates discussion of ideas that help groups be more innovative.

are teams from the same department or functional area involved in efforts to improve work activities, though they are rarely given the authority to implement any of their suggested actions.

Problem-solving teams

Wayne hosts his first regional sales meeting. During which he meets individually with his employees and shows them a chart of their sales numbers for each month compared to their budgeted quota for the year to date. Additionally, Wayne and each employee set mutually agreed-upon budget goals for the remaining six months of the fiscal year. Wade is utilizing the ________ method of performance appraisal.

MBO

is the process of introducing a new employee to his/her job and the organization.

Orientation

Elizabeth was hired as a customer care executive by a telecommunication provider during a period when they were extremely short-staffed. Her employers soon realized that she was impatient, easily irritated, and lacked motivation. They even began to receive complaints about her behavior from angry customers. In hiring Elizabeth, her employers were guilty of a(n)

accept error

In which stage of group development does the group focus its attention on wrapping up activities instead of task performance?

adjourning

In comparison to large groups, small groups

are faster at completing tasks

In which of the following decruitment methods does an organization refrain from filling the openings created by voluntary resignations or normal retirements of its employees?

attrition

Wilson is offered a chance to help direct the efforts of some employees assigned to his work group. This is a chance for Wilson to experience

authority

Conflicts can be resolved by withdrawing from them or suppressing them. This conflict management technique is known as

avoiding

Hendricks Ceramics sells items it buys from ceramic factories. If it were to purchase one of these factories, it would be engaging in

backward vertical integration

A ________ describes the rationale of how a company is going to make money.

business model

In the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix, a business unit that has a low anticipated growth rate but a high market share is known as a

cash cow

In the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix, a business unit that has a low anticipated growth rate but a high market share is known as a _

cash cow

Melanie has noticed that everyone is very concerned about the line of authority within the hospital. This implies that the employees at the hospital are worried about the

chain of command

The line of authority that extends from upper organizational levels to lower levels, clarifying who reports to whom, is known as the

chain of command

Which of the following traditional organizational designs focuses on results by holding division managers responsible for what happens to their products and services

divisional structure

Which of the following traditional organizational designs focuses on results by holding division managers responsible for what happens to their products and services?

divisional structure

The final step in the strategic management process allows an organization to understand the

effectiveness of the strategies used

To help survivors of downsizing cope with the stress, managers provide

employee counseling

Gareth is in charge of recruiting at Eowin Systems, and is expected to enhance the diversity of the workforce. Which of the following recruiting sources should Gareth avoid if he is to achieve the stated aim of a more diverse workforce?

employee referrals

Which of the following training methods involves employees participating in role playing, simulations, or other face-to-face types of training?

experiential exercises

Patrick expects that each person he hires for his online business to be involved in studying trends involving new technology, competitors, and customers. These employees are involved in

external analysis

Larry is in charge of recruitment for entry-level positions at Merlin Infosystems. He believes that job interviews should include a realistic job preview. Which of the following is Larry likely to do during job interviews?

tell the employee about possible overtime

Eric works with a team that includes production workers as well as marketing specialists to design the latest products the company was planning to offer. This implies

that Eric is a part of a cross-functional team

Michelle is very concerned about the formal framework by which job tasks are divided, grouped, and coordinated within her unit. This implies that she is concerned about

the organizational structure

When the price of beef skyrockets, consumers switch to pork and chicken. This demonstrates

the threat of substitutes

Which of the following is most likely to be included in family-friendly benefits provided by organizations?

time off for school functions

The ________ view of conflict management argues that conflicts must be avoided as it indicates a problem within the group.

traditional

In which of the following traditional training methods are employees made to work at different jobs in a particular area in order to get exposure to a variety of tasks?

training by job rotation

All candidates for entry level engineering positions are given the mechanical aptitude test. Those who scored well and were hired later earned high scores on their performance evaluations. Those who scored less well and were hired earned lower scores on performance evaluations. This indicates that the test is ________.

valid