Chapter 11 Connect Questions

Critics of business process reengineering claim that it promotes Multiple choice question. - powerful labor unions. - downsizing. - overhiring. - inefficient company structures.

downsizing.

In general, employee incentive compensation should be tied to Multiple choice question. - effective implementation of business strategies. - incentives similar to those paid by other companies. - the prime interest rate. - the rate of executive salaries.

effective implementation of business strategies.

Which of the following changes helped General Electric improve product delivery from its circuit-breaker division? Multiple select question. - instituting an automated design system - introducing a more streamlined management system - consolidating manufacturing areas - developing individualized custom-designed products

- instituting an automated design system - introducing a more streamlined management system - consolidating manufacturing areas

Organizational units that assume a larger strategic role owing to new strategic plans nearly always need which of the following? Multiple select question. - more people - new equipment - downsizing of staff - budget tightening

- more people - new equipment

Statistical information is generally the most useful if it is provided Multiple choice question. - in real time. - in confidence. - at annual meetings. - at no charge.

in real time.

True or false: New strategic initiatives require increased budgets and a larger allocation of resources to succeed.

False

Which of the following are likely outcomes if a new strategic business initiative has too much funding and an overabundance of resources? Multiple select question. - The new strategic initiative will be sure to succeed. - Financial performance will be reduced and suffer. - Progress will be delayed. - Organizational resources will be wasted.

- Financial performance will be reduced and suffer. - Organizational resources will be wasted.

One way well-conceived policies and operating procedures facilitate strategy execution is by providing top-down guidance regarding how things need to be done. This top-down guidance includes which of the following? Multiple select question. - It aligns the actions and behavior of personnel in an efficient manner. - It restricts ineffective independent action and keeps the focus on supporting the plan. - It provides guidelines to channel individual and group efforts along a strategy-supportive path. - It encourages personnel to resist newly formed policies and practices and to continue with old policies.

- It aligns the actions and behavior of personnel in an efficient manner. - It restricts ineffective independent action and keeps the focus on supporting the plan. - It provides guidelines to channel individual and group efforts along a strategy-supportive path.

Eliminating differences in the operating practices of different factory locations accomplishes which of the following? Multiple choice question. - It guarantees that some of the factory locations will fail. - It fails to recognize the unique skills and abilities of each factory location. - It helps to create a work climate that facilitates innovative and bold, new strategies. - It helps to ensure and enforce consistency in how execution-critical activities are performed.

- It helps to ensure and enforce consistency in how execution-critical activities are performed.

A new strategic initiative has been announced at Uptown Software, but it must be implemented without adding to company expenses. Jake, a manager, must do which of the following to execute the plan? Multiple select question. - Jake will need to hire freelancers and pay them under the table. - Jake should shift resources to higher-priority activities. - Jake will need to study the existing budget and look for ways to trim costs. - Jake should personally take on more work.

- Jake should shift resources to higher-priority activities. - Jake will need to study the existing budget and look for ways to trim costs.

Which of the following are likely outcomes if a new strategic business initiative has insufficient resources and too little funding? Multiple select question. - Employees will rise to the challenge to work harder and more efficiently. - Organizational units will not be able to efficiently execute their roles. - Organizational units will waste their resources and funding. - Progress will be slowed.

- Organizational units will not be able to efficiently execute their roles. - Progress will be slowed.

Helping to ensure consistency in how execution-critical activities are performed is one of the ways policies and procedures facilitate good strategy execution. Which of the following statements about how to enforce consistency in strategy-critical activities are true? Multiple select question. - Policies and procedures allow different company locations to implement their own processes. - Policies and procedures help coordinate the strategy execution efforts of personnel throughout the organization. - Policies and procedures allow independent thinking and freedom in how activities are performed. - Policies and procedures improve the quality and reliability of strategy execution.

- Policies and procedures help coordinate the strategy execution efforts of personnel throughout the organization. - Policies and procedures improve the quality and reliability of strategy execution.

When existing ways of doing things pose a barrier to strategy execution initiatives, management must establish and enforce new policies and operating practices. Which of the following statements explain why this is useful? Multiple select question. - The action aligns behavior of personnel with the requirements for good strategy execution. - People who are resistant to change can understand the importance of following company policies and will adapt. - People will try not to violate company policy. - The action allows personnel to take ownership of their roles and provides freedom to act independently.

- The action aligns behavior of personnel with the requirements for good strategy execution. - People who are resistant to change can understand the importance of following company policies and will adapt. - People will try not to violate company policy.

Which of the following should be applied to a company's existing policies and procedures when a new strategy is put into action? Multiple select question. - A company's policies and procedures should only be altered by the board of directors. - The company's policies and procedures should be revised to reflect the new strategy. - Policies and procedures that are incompatible with the new strategy should be discarded. - Management should create an entirely new set of policies and procedures.

- The company's policies and procedures should be revised to reflect the new strategy. - Policies and procedures that are incompatible with the new strategy should be discarded.

Structured use of benchmarking, total quality management, and Six Sigma techniques can lead to Multiple select question. - a corporate culture of operating excellence. - a decreasing focus on worker competency. - abuse of executive power. - a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

- a corporate culture of operating excellence. - a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Which of the following are nonmonetary rewards used to boost employee performance? Multiple select question. - cash bonuses for performances - a friendly work environment - desirable fringe benefits - awards and acknowledgments

- a friendly work environment - desirable fringe benefits - awards and acknowledgments

Major drawbacks to the Six Sigma approach include which of the following? Multiple select question. - a reduction in creativity and innovation. - the expense of training employees and implementing changes. - shareholder dissatisfaction and criticism. - an undisciplined approach that can lead to management problems.

- a reduction in creativity and innovation. - the expense of training employees and implementing changes.

For factory workers, incentive payments are generally based on which of the following? Multiple select question. - avoiding work stoppages - stock price performance - company credit rating - meeting production deadlines - cost of manufacturing

- avoiding work stoppages - meeting production deadlines - cost of manufacturing

Well-conceived policies and operating procedures facilitate strategy execution in which of the following three ways? Multiple select question. - by requiring the hiring of union contractors to engage in strategy-critical tasks - by promoting the creation of a work climate that facilitates good strategy execution - by providing top-down guidance regarding how things need to be done - by helping enforce consistency in how strategy-critical activities are performed

- by promoting the creation of a work climate that facilitates good strategy execution - by providing top-down guidance regarding how things need to be done - by helping enforce consistency in how strategy-critical activities are performed

Which of the following are nearly always necessary when a company adopts a new strategic plan? Multiple select question. - performance review of all existing employees - venture capital funding - changes in budget allocations - adjustment of resources

- changes in budget allocations - adjustment of resources

Emerging businesses can facilitate rapid growth by Multiple select question. - creating flexible infrastructures geared to handle expansion. - avoiding expenditures on employee training until absolutely necessary. - putting efficient human resource systems in place. - placing their focus on sales and advertising rather than internal structures.

- creating flexible infrastructures geared to handle expansion. - putting efficient human resource systems in place.

Which of the following are important factors of effective incentive compensation? Multiple select question. - rewarding the efforts of those who try to reach performance goals whether or not they succeed - fair and objective administration - prompt payment upon accomplishment of a goal - realistic performance goals

- fair and objective administration - prompt payment upon accomplishment of a goal - realistic performance goals

A company's policies and procedures facilitate good strategy execution and Multiple select question. - help to set the tone of a company's work climate. - are subject to change on a quarterly basis. - allow managers to change or ignore them based on their work preferences. - contribute to a common understanding of the company culture.

- help to set the tone of a company's work climate. - contribute to a common understanding of the company culture.

A recommended tool in monitoring the performance of empowered employees in self-managed work groups is Multiple choice question. - a laissez-faire policy. - closed-circuit video. - the threat of termination. - peer review.

- peer review.

Many successful companies use ______ to track a variety of company activities. Multiple choice question. - yearly board meetings - external blogs - computer hackers - real-time data monitoring

- real-time data monitoring

Which of the following policies encourage the development of a workforce committed to quality? Multiple select question. - promoting individual responsibility by separating departments and tasks as much as possible - instituting immediate punishment for lapses in quality performance - screening applicants for their attitudes about workplace excellence - providing valuable employee training experiences

- screening applicants for their attitudes about workplace excellence - providing valuable employee training experiences

Which of the following are motivational practices that facilitate good strategy execution? Multiple select question. - sharing information with employees about financial performances and strategy - hiring outside consultants to supervise employees - inviting and acting on ideas and suggestions from employees - promoting from within whenever possible

- sharing information with employees about financial performances and strategy - inviting and acting on ideas and suggestions from employees - promoting from within whenever possible

Business statistical information systems are chiefly geared to tracking data concerning which of the following? Multiple select question. - health insurance abuses - suppliers and strategic partners - covert foreign operations - employees - customers

- suppliers and strategic partners - employees - customers

True or false: Companies today use only positive approaches to employee motivation, such as an effective reward structure, and reject applying pressure or negative consequences to employees for poor work performance.

False

Which of the following is a recommended guideline for designing incentive compensation? Multiple choice question. - Performance payoffs should be less than 10% of base salary. - Bonuses should be paid not to employees but to their supervisors to motivate greater worker output. - Performance targets should be based on outcomes that individuals or their team can affect directly. - The payoff for only average performers and for below-average performers should be the same.

Performance targets should be based on outcomes that individuals or their team can affect directly.

Which of the following best explains why existing policies and procedures should be carefully reviewed when a company adopts a new strategy? Multiple choice question. - A new strategy often results in a reduction of the workforce, and policies and procedures should be revised when there are layoffs. - When a company adopts a new strategy, some changes in work practices are usually needed, and these are addressed in policies and procedures. - Policies and procedures are typically out of date, so reviewing them when implementing a new strategy is simply good housekeeping. - New policies and procedures are needed in order to establish credibility and generate enthusiasm for the new strategy.

When a company adopts a new strategy, some changes in work practices are usually needed, and these are addressed in policies and procedures.

In order to be successful, any quality-building program must be integrated with Multiple choice question. - an external consulting company. - a radical program of cutbacks and downsizing. - a company's overall business strategy. - online consultation with a Six Sigma "black belt."

a company's overall business strategy.

Which of the following is the most likely to lead to competitive advantage in the marketplace? Multiple choice question. - across-the-board salary increases for all employees of a company - a long-range plan dedicated to building an understanding of the - importance of excellence on every level of business activity - a thorough "housecleaning" in which all workers who do not demonstrate a commitment to excellence are downsized - exacting standards of excellence that are rigorously enforced from the top down

a long-range plan dedicated to building an understanding of the importance of excellence on every level of business activity

Incentive compensation systems are based on the idea that Multiple choice question. - employees should not expect to be rewarded for performing at high levels. - all employees should be rewarded for high levels of performance. - employers should aim to decrease the pressure to perform in their workplace. - employees in high positions should be rewarded only for the performance excellence of their subordinates.

all employees should be rewarded for high levels of performance.

What type of organization combines incremental improvements in operating efficiency with an open mind toward developing new ways of offering value to customers? Multiple choice question. - ambidextrous - TQM - multifunctional - R&D

ambidextrous

Successful businesses often seek to attract Multiple choice question. - hyper-intense employees who have trouble getting along with others - ambitious employees who enjoy a challenge. - employees who have good boundaries about limiting their workload. - laid-back employees who will be satisfied in low-level jobs.

ambitious employees who enjoy a challenge.

Computerized procedures that track company processes are referred to as Multiple choice question. - benchmarking activity programs. - business activity monitoring. - cloud control. - Amazon media.

business activity monitoring.

Employers can avoid heavy-handed scrutiny of employees by Multiple choice question. - closely monitoring day-to-day operating data. - instituting a careful hiring process. - working to develop the trust of their workers. - establishing an open-door policy.

closely monitoring day-to-day operating data.

An ambidextrous organization allows research and development to explore innovation while also Multiple choice question. - implementing clear rules for R&D. - removing the focus on quality culture. - continually improving operating processes. - tightening the budget.

continually improving operating processes.

Six Sigma and TQM are examples of____________________, Incorrect Unavailable-improvement programs.

continuous

In order for a business incentive program to achieve the desired results, Multiple choice question. - the program should apply only to those at a high management level. - the program must be entirely voluntary. - the rate and requirements of incentive pay must be kept confidential. - employees must understand how incentive pay is calculated.

employees must understand how incentive pay is calculated.

Macy works at an ice cream store. She needs to use a store-issued scoop, dip the scoop into 100-degree water for 2 seconds, scoop using a back-to-front motion, and weigh each serving. This is an example of which of the three ways policies and procedures facilitate strategy execution? Multiple choice question. - providing top-down guidance regarding how to solve problems - helping to overcome resistance to change - promoting the creation of a work climate that facilitates good strategy execution - helping to ensure consistency in how execution-critical activities are performed

helping to ensure consistency in how execution-critical activities are performed

Continuous-improvement programs like Six Sigma focus on which of the following? Multiple choice question. - gains of 30% or more - no gains - quantum gains - incremental gains

incremental gains

Total Quality Management is distinguished from other approaches to promoting excellence by Multiple choice question. - its primary focus on customer service. - its focus on improvement in every area of work. - its primary focus on upper management. - the rapid results achieved by its methods.

its focus on improvement in every area of work.

Six Sigma's highly specialized processes of statistical analysis are especially useful for Multiple choice question. - companies that are already operating at maximum efficiency. - companies that need immediate results. - small companies that cannot afford outside consultation. - large companies with wide variations in performance.

large companies with wide variations in performance.

Successful Total Quality Management is demonstrated by Multiple choice question. - a corporate culture based on production bonuses. - dramatic reductions in the workforce needed. - increased automation of all processes. - limited, but regular, daily improvement.

limited, but regular, daily improvement.

Companies such as FedEx and Amazon have risen to the top of their industries because Multiple choice question. - they have reduced their operations to providing one simple service with excellence. - they have resisted the unionization of labor. - they have outsourced as many systems as possible to external experts. - they have developed efficient internal systems to facilitate each of their activities.

they have developed efficient internal systems to facilitate each of their activities.

Which of the following is a primary goal when creating new policies or procedures? Multiple choice question. - to consult all company personnel for input about how to change policies and procedures - to make the new policies and procedures as different from the old policies and procedures as possible - to keep personnel from noticing any changes in policies and procedures - to catch the attention of personnel and prompt them to quickly adopt and execute the new policies and procedures

to catch the attention of personnel and prompt them to quickly adopt and execute the new policies and procedures