BA201 1-4 and 14 exam practice

Indra Nooyi, CEO at PepsiCo, believes that as a business, "We have to make sure that corporations do NOT add costs to society." Which of the following statements would most likely be attributed to the PepsiCo CEO?

"Real profit should be assessed as: Revenue less Cost of Goods Sold less Costs to Society."

Which of the following circumstances best exemplifies scientific management in action?

A baseball pitcher gets a large bonus if he pitches more than 200 innings in a season.

One tenet of Weber's ideal bureaucracy is that careers should be based on merit. Which of the following companies best illustrates that tenet?

A delivery company where employees with the best records for on-time delivery receive annual bonuses.

Most organizations need more than managers who simply sit back and tell others what to do. Which manager will most likely be successful in meeting these challenges?

A manager who coaches and supports operating workers.

Which of the following circumstances illustrates a worker who is likely to be affected by safety and security needs?

A woman whose husband was recently injured and cannot work, causing the family to risk losing their home.

What is said to be a foundation of managerial performance?

Accountability

A team is sent to restore an impoverished region following an earthquake. The manager of the team says, "Our primary focus is physiological needs." Which of the following will the team emphasize?

Arranging for clean water and regular food supplies.

Why might a manager be more likely to use quantitative analysis to solve a complex problem rather than a simple problem?

Complex problems may require application of mathematical techniques allowing better problem solving, but these more complicated techniques would likely not be necessary for a simple problem.

What is the second step in dealing with an ethical dilemma?

Get the facts.

After a series of all-day meetings with software vendors, the CEO, COO and CFO of a hospital evaluated their options and decided on a course of action. As they began implementing the new electronic medical records system, hospital staff voiced frustration and delays began adding up. Which is the most effective step the executives can take now?

Get the support of IT managers, physicians and other key staff.

Top executives in a company that relies heavily on Fayol's administrative principles are planning a meeting where they will hash out issues of organization. What are they likely to discuss at the meeting?

Getting the right resources to carry out a plan of action.

A manager with an understanding of the ________ would likely refrain from notifying employees prior to observing their performance. Select answer from the options below

Hawthorne effect

Right Way Advertising is preparing a sales pitch for a new Nike shoe line. On the day of the presentation, the project leader calls in sick. If the project supervisor applies contingency thinking, how would he respond to this situation?

He would ask another project participant to give the presentation.

The decision-making process involves a straightforward series of steps. Which of the following is the first step in the process?

Identify and define the problem.

A wise older manager tells an arrogant young manager, "Watch what you say or you'll create a self-fulfilling prophecy." What does the older manager mean?

If the arrogant manager speaks about employees as if they are irresponsible, they are likely to behave irresponsibly.

Allamander Inks wants to increase its employees' sense of participation in the company as well as trim its budget. Which of the following would be the most effective proposal?

Introduce self-managed teams.

Rebecca manages an investment fund for a charity that provides care to victims of cancer. The charity trusts Rebecca with investment decisions related to the capital that the charity has for long-term operations. Rebecca had an opportunity to invest in a fund that included tobacco companies, yet she chose NOT to do so. In explaining her decision in an update to the charity, what would Rebecca be likely to indicate?

Investing in the fund contradicted Rebecca's sense of ethical behavior.

As an outside consultant, you are brought in to help a company with a very complex decision. The company has defined the problem and evaluated a number of alternatives. At this point, the process has stalled; management continues to gather information and identify all alternatives and consequences. What do you propose the company should do?

Make a satisficing decision.

Construct a piece of general advice for managers based upon McGregor's text, The Human Side of Enterprise.

Make positive assumptions related to human potential, and utilize self-fulfilling prophecy outcomes to your advantage.

A company uses a network of subsystems to create products. Manager 1 oversees inputs, whereas Manager 2 oversees outputs. Which subsystem does each manager work in? Select answer from the options below

Manager 1 works in purchasing and Manager 2 works in marketing.

Charles assumes his employees are willing to work. Which management thinker most likely influenced Charles' understanding?

McGregor

Nate has high levels of emotional intelligence but lacks technical and conceptual skills. What is your prediction for Nate's career?

Nate will not have long-term success at any level of management.

In your assessment, which of the following describes the primary operation of the Maslow hierarchy?

Needs must be fulfilled in a step by step progression, with lower-order needs satisfied before higher-order needs.

A financial services company decided to roll out a new, web-based service for its customers. During the decision-making process, it was NOT known how popular the new service might be. After rollout, usage data showed that the service was much more popular than expected. What would you propose as the reason for the unexpected results and the next step?

Not all consequences were known, and the company should determine why results are better than expected.

According to bureaucracy theory, large organizations run more efficiently with clear hierarchy of authority and strongly defined directing and controlling. Propose a counter-argument to this idea.

Organizations consisting of mature adults can suffer from high levels of authority as workers lose initiative and become less productive.

Which of the following best characterizes the progression principle?

People try to satisfy needs in sequence, from lower-order needs to higher-order needs.

Pete absolutely needed to show that his team met the sales numbers for the quarter. After reviewing the data, Pete recognized that the numbers would be short of the goal. To remedy the situation, Pete created fictitious accounts and created just enough fictitious sales to hit his expected targets. Which would be a valid evaluation of Pete's actions?

Pete is an immoral manager and chose to behave unethically.

What is the fourth step in dealing with an ethical dilemma?

Test each option and ask, "Is it legal, right, and beneficial?"

Sue is offering a recommendation to increase the protections for whistleblowers. What is Sue most likely to recommend?

That federal laws be extended to offer protection for all workers, not just government workers.

Sam is discussing his dreams when he says, "I can't wait until I'm in top management, then I won't have to be accountable to anybody but myself!" Which of the following replies would you propose to Sam?

That's not true, top managers are held accountable by the board of directors.

You belong to the Washington State Trade Commission. At a meeting with executives of a large company, you encourage the executives to consider reshoring jobs to plants in Washington. Which of the following would make a good argument for reshoring?

The cost of living in your area is low and you have recently observed increases in global labor costs.

ISO 14001 sets environmental objectives and targets. It accounts for which of the following regarding an organization's environmental impact?

The impact of activities, products, and services.

Pat is developing ideas to implement for new hires in relation to the company's ethics codes. In order to increase new hire awareness and commitment to the code of ethics, what would Pat most likely require from each new hire?

The new hire must sign and agree to the company ethics code as a condition of employment.

Employees at a clothing factory are characterized as passive and dependent. According to McGregor, which management assumptions may be contributing to their behavior and attitudes?

Theory X

As a manager, Rosa encourages workers to make their own decisions about how they will perform the work. This approach is consistent with which of the following?

Theory Y

What does Weber say about jobs in an ideal bureaucracy?

They are well-defined and workers become highly skilled at performing them.

When evaluating the ethics of a decision, why would a decision maker ask spotlight questions?

To open a decision to public disclosure and the prospect of shame.

How does total quality management differ from evidence-based management?

Total quality management focuses on continuous improvement, whereas evidence-based management focuses on hard facts.

Consumer feedback is important to which of the following processes?

Understanding customer satisfaction with a new line of toys.

Which of the following is likely to characterize a work environment whose managers endorse the perspective of Chris Argyris?

Workers are respected and treated like adults.

A level of equality among team members can be achieved with

a decentralized communication network and distributed leadership.

The members of a project team at XYZ Corp have varying levels of education, are mostly chemists, biologists and mathematicians, and have varying years of industry experience. This illustrates

a heterogeneous team.

A pharmaceutical company makes a decision NOT to buy an early-stage drug from a small company. Another company purchases that drug and turns it into a sales blockbuster. This is an example of Select answer from the options below

a poor cost-benefit analysis.

Some individuals will tell you that they work in difficult, hostile and/or unhealthy conditions indicative of

a poor quality of work life.

An amusement park slows down on cold nights, and the owner knows he will lose money if staff wages make up more than 25% of sales. He watches sales and always sends some employees home if wages are higher than 25% of revenues. This is an example of

a programmed decision.

At MegaCorp, there is a problem on a production line resulting in defective products. It is uncertain whether this error is due to faulty components or a manufacturing problem. What type of team would you propose handle this?

a project team

Ronnie unintentionally disregards the ethics of an act or decision and fails to consider the ethical consequences of actions. What kind of manager does this make Ronnie?

an amoral manager

After analyzing the data surrounding a problem in an uncertain environment, you are unable to make a decision about the best course of action. Which type of think might you consider consulting for help?

an intuitive feeler

The utility and rights ethical criteria are similar in that they both

assess the impact of a decision on many people.

McGregor was interested in the contrast between

authoritarian managers and participative managers.

Emphasis on the human side of the workplace influenced the emergence of ________ management approaches. Select answer from the options below

behavioral

In practice, which management approach often sacrifices efficiency for fairness?

bureaucratic organization

Bill's department is currently beset by personality conflicts and performance issues that are hampering productivity. Given unlimited time, what would be the most effective conflict management strategy to use?

collaboration

Nina's manufacturing department is resisting moving to new equipment. After discussion with the team, they discover there was a misunderstanding as to the benefits in safety and productivity, as well as job security. The team is now in favor of the upgraded equipment. This is an example of

collaboration

A long-standing R&D team is being dissolved, and its personnel, equipment, and office space is to be distributed between two departments that both want it all. What would be the most effective conflict management strategy to use?

compromise

Jenn, a manager at XD Corp, uses ________ skills when she participates in problem-solving.

conceptual

Because of rapidly changing technology, the work environment at the local university is constantly changing. Students, professors, and staff members interact in an increasing number of ways, including in person, through social media sites, and through school-sponsored online discussion boards. What management principle would be most beneficial for teachers in this environment? Select answer from the options below

contingency thinking

Recently, you discovered a large number of defective parts produced. An investigation revealed that managers on the factory floor recognized the problem but failed to take corrective actions. This is an example of inadequate

control.

What should Jessica focus on if she wants to develop her creativity, innovation, judgment, and decision-making skills?

critical thinking

About 10% of an MBA class was caught cheating on a take-home exam. Some experts excused the behavior using a(n) ________ perspective.

cultural relativism

In developing a response to a crisis, one staff member is adamant that the group has NOT yet dug deep enough to make an optimal decision. The employee is concerned that the group

does not adequately understand the conditions under which the crisis must be resolved.

The relationship between the law and ethics is best explained by stating that

ethical beliefs lead to the development of laws and regulations.

An employee has noticed that there has been an error in his weekly pay stub and that the company has unknowingly paid him too much. What type of issue is the employee facing?

ethical dilemma

Which helps employees understand the ethical aspects of decision making?

ethics training

A restaurant has just implemented a new menu. When receipts are printed, customers are offered a free dessert if they participate in a web survey. This is an example of

evaluating results.

In response to a finished parts failing inspection, you worked through the first four steps of the decision-making process. You have now relaxed the quality-control standards. As you begin step 5, you recognize that the results are poor, relative to your expectations. You discover that the issue was actually with the process workers used to machine one of the parts. This is an example of

focusing on the symptoms and not the real problem.

When an entrepreneur goes to the bank for a small business loan, the bank staff will want to see a detailed business plan. A complete business plan indicates that the entrepreneur has completed which managerial duty? Select answer from the options below - Correct!

foresight

Harriet was hired into a division at MegaCorp responsible for developing and producing automated lawnmowers. This is an example of a(n)

formal team.

Karen is part of a project team where members are introducing themselves and establishing ground rules. This illustrates which stage of team development?

forming

Which of the following shows the stages of team development in the correct order?

forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning

Sue has expressed to her mentor that she is frustrated by the invisible barrier that seems to be limiting her career advancement. What is Sue describing?

glass ceiling effect

One core principle of Taylor's scientific management is

hiring workers with the right abilities for the job.

People are social and self-actualizing is the core assumption of which approach to management?

human resource

Netflix experienced severe public backlash after attempting to increase its pricing. Executives later said the decision had been supported by data, but they should also have relied on ________ to help the decide whether to proceed. Select answer from the options below - Correct!

intuition

Your boss, an executive, informs you that the executive committee has decided to reduce the number of the lowest-paid workers so executives can earn their annual bonuses. You are concerned that this decision is

legal, but does not meet the caring criteria.

A team is assembled that will be working together for the next few years, at least. Assuming everything else proceeds as planned, what would you predict to be the effect of a lack of maintenance activities?

lower productivity and effectiveness

Which two terms are often used interchangeably to describe the use of mathematical techniques to solve management problems? Select answer from the options below

management science and operations research

Forty-two percent of workers report that the behavior of their managers is a major influence on an ethical workplace. As a manager looking to create an ethical workplace, you should

model exemplary ethical behavior for your employees to adopt for themselves.

The study of how organizations produce goods and services is known as

operations management.

Richard is naturally good with numbers, and he believes that all problems can be solved using a mathematical model. Richard would be successful in a field of

operations research.

Quentin has been asked to manage a new project at his company. After developing a set of performance objectives, Quentin should next focus on

organizing.

Leila works for a company that has encountered economic difficulties and will be reducing work hours or laying off some workers. She is most likely to be impacted if she falls into which group?

part-time temporary workers

Based upon your understanding of managerial assumptions, what type of employee is "created" by a management style influenced by Theory X? Select answer from the options below

passive and dependent

You are the hiring manager at XYZ Corp., and you are looking to fill a vacant position within the organization. In particular you want someone who actively gathers information and regularly explores future scenarios—in other words a(n)

problem seeker.

Which of the following is an example of an esteem need?

recognition

Where is motivation likely to come from for workers who have already satisfied their lower-level needs?

recognition and creative challenges

As a governor, you are concerned about the vitality of your state's economy. The cost of living in your area is low and you have recently observed increases in global labor costs. You propose to local executives that they should consider

reshoring jobs.

Jan is a business director whose thinking is to approach business decisions with an understanding that economic gains and social progress are interconnected. Jan's approach most closely reflects which of the following concepts?

shared value

Tariq is asked to summarize Follett's principles of management. Which of the following should Tariq's summary include?

social responsibility, respect for workers, and better cooperation

An organizational culture that embraces continuous improvement should Select answer from the options below - Correct!

strive for improvement in efficiency at all times.

Stella, Lola, and Angela work for Thellous Industries and have been charged with redistributing employees after a recent downsize. This group is best described as a

task force.

Carol understands that when building a team, one must consider the mix of skills, experiences, backgrounds, and personalities of the team members. Carol understands the importance of managing

team diversity.

Brenda is an accountant, Cindy is an engineer, and Doug is a financial planner. What do they most likely have in common?

technical skills

Faye manages a team of first-line employees at Gardins Manufacturing. Faye occasionally schedules time with her employees individually to monitor work processes. Faye is pleased that her employees perform as expected during these reviews. What should Faye be careful of?

the Hawthorne effect

The tendency of a person singled out for special attention to perform as expected is known as

the Hawthorne effect.

What is the distinguishing aspect underlying Theory X and Theory Y?

the opposing assumptions that managers hold about their employees' approach to work

The decision-making process is NOT complete until

the results are evaluated.

When evaluating the relationship between Stonyfield Farm's commitment to corporate social responsibility and the fact that Stonyfield Farm is the number-one manufacturer of organic yogurt in the world, it is clear that

the results speak for themselves.

Team process is defined as

the way team members work together to accomplish tasks.

Elements of groupthink is a similarity between

unanimity and mind guarding.