Management China Ch2

10) Strong cultures have more influence on employees than do weak cultures.

T

13) Organizations help employees adapt to the culture through socialization.

T

14) Corporate rituals are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the key values of an organization.

T

17) Giving service-contact employees the discretion to make day-to-day decisions on job-related activities is instrumental in creating in a customer-responsive culture.

T

18) Organizations that emphasize workplace spirituality focus on individual development.

T

4) Conditions of economic inequality illustrate how societal attitudes can constrain managers' decisions and actions.

T

8) An organization's competitors and employees are considered to be stakeholders who are affected by the organization's decisions and actions.

T

F2) The view of managers as omnipotent is consistent with the stereotypical picture of the take-charge business executive who can overcome any obstacle in carrying out the organization's objectives.

T

47) Which of the following statements is true of dynamic and complex environments?A) They are characterized by a high degree of predictability of change.B) There are usually few components in such environments.C) A high need for sophisticated knowledge of components exists in such environments.D) The components in such environments are somewhat similar, but are continually changing.

c

48) In which of the following environments do managers in an organization have the greatest influence on organizational outcomes?A) stable and complex environmentsB) dynamic and simple environmentsC) stable and simple environmentsD) dynamic and complex environments

c

51) ________ has been described as the shared values, principles, traditions, and ways of doing things that influence the way organization members act.A) Corporate hierarchyB) Business configurationC) Organization cultureD) Industrial psychology

c

55) Google has often been cited as a model for employee satisfaction. Google takes extensive care to ensure employees have the best available conditions to perform, ranging from free snack bars, free massages, innovation rooms, spas-on-site, and many more such measures. Which dimension of organizational culture is Google said to emphasize through such measures?A) stabilityB) aggressivenessC) people orientationD) attention to detail

c

56) A company whose managers focus on results, rather than how results are achieved, most likely possesses a high degree of ________.A) people orientationB) team orientationC) outcome orientationD) aggressiveness

c

24) The omnipotent view of management states that ________.A) managers' roles are peripheral and staff manage their own areas of the businessB) managers are directly responsible for an organization's success or failureC) managers should allow employees to take part in decision makingD) managers have little or no responsibility for an organization's success or failure

b

28) The soccer league in England is notorious for the number of team managers fired over the course of a single season, which stands at no fewer than eight managers on average, owing to poor team form and consequently, poor results. It is evident from this information that the league endorses a(n) ________ view of management.A) symbolicB) omnipotentC) laissez-faireD) democratic

b

31) Internal constraints that influence managers' decisions and actions come from ________.A) the attitudes of customersB) the culture of the organizationC) the prevailing political conditionsD) the fluctuations in the stock market

b

57) Which of the following is a characteristic of an organization with a strong culture?A) management strives to delink shared values from behaviors as much as possibleB) culture conveys consistent messages about what is important to the organizationC) the core set of organizational values is zealously guarded by the managementD) emphasis is laid on the future of the organization, rather than acquainting employees with company history or past heroes

b

60) ________ is a process that helps new employees learn the organization's way of doing things.A) ExternalizationB) SocializationC) DeculturationD) Transculturation

b

62) The term ________ refers to repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the important values and goals of the organization.A) organizational cultureB) corporate ritualsC) business ethicsD) employee mentoring

b

67) An innovative organizational culture is characterized by all of the following, EXCEPT ________.A) freedomB) conformityC) debatesD) risk taking

b

1) In the symbolic view of management, managers are seen as directly responsible for an organization's success or failure.

F

11) The shared aspect of culture implies that all employees in an organization approve of the culture.

F

12) In strong organizational cultures, employees have little knowledge of company history or heroes, what is important is present performance.

F

15) In a "ready-aim-fire" culture, managers take action and then analyze what has been done.

F

16) In order to develop an innovative organizational culture, managers must minimize ambiguity and uncertainty and discourage risk-taking.

F

19) Spiritual organizations tend to be intolerant of employees who commit mistakes.

F

20) Organizations that subscribe to workplace spirituality emphasize the importance of employees controlling their expressions and emotions.

F

21) A valid criticism of workplace spirituality is that secular institutions, especially businesses, have no right to impose spiritual values on employees, if spirituality means bringing religion into the workplace.

F

3) The symbolic view of management impact is useful in explaining the high turnover among sports coaches, who can be considered the "managers" of their teams.

F

5) A dynamic environment is characterized by the absence of new competitors, few technological breakthroughs by current competitors, and little activity by pressure groups to influence the organization.

F

6) Environmental uncertainty looks at the number of components in an organization's environment and the extent of the knowledge that the organization has about those components.

F

7) A dynamic and simple environment is characterized by the greatest level of environmental uncertainty.

F

9) Managers of high-performing companies tend to consider the interests of the most profitable stakeholder groups as they make decisions.

F

22) Which of the following represents the two views of managerial impact on the success or failure of the organization?A) omnipotent and symboliB) omnipotent and reflectiveC) symbolic and interactiveD) reflective and interactive

a

27) The ________ view of management is consistent with the stereotypical picture of the take-charge business executive who can overcome any obstacle in carrying out the organization's objectives.A) omnipotentB) symbolicC) democraticD) laissez-faire

a

29) According to the symbolic view, managers have a(n) ________ effect on substantive organizational outcomes.A) limitedB) extensiveC) influentialD) significant

a

30) The symbolic view of management is based upon the belief that managers symbolize ________.A) control and influence in developing plans and making decisionsB) every aspect of an organization's performance, from the top level to the operational levelC) the fluctuating fortunes of the organization as they alternate between profits and lossesD) the take-charge executive who overcomes any obstacle to see that the organization achieves its goals

a

40) ________ is/are called the iGeneration, because they've grown up with technology that customizes everything to the individual.A) Post-MillenialsB) The Silent GenerationC) Baby BoomersD) Gen Y-ers

a

44) Which of the following are the two dimensions of environmental uncertainty?A) degree of change and degree of complexityB) degree of change and degree of volumeC) degree of complexity and degree of impactD) degree of impact and degree of timing

a

54) Which of the following dimensions of organizational culture refers to the degree to which organizational decisions and actions emphasize maintaining the status quo?A) stabilityB) attention to detailC) innovation and risk takingD) people orientation

a

61) Organizational ________ typically contain narratives about significant events or people in the organization.A) storiesB) ritualsC) languageD) material artifacts

a

65) An organization's culture supports the belief that profits can be increased by cost cutting and that the company's best interests are served by achieving slow but steady increases in quarterly earnings. What is the nature of the programs that the organization's managers are likely to follow?A) short-termB) riskyC) innovativeD) expansionary

a

70) A company that aims to develop a strong sense of purpose through meaningful work has a(n) ________ organizational culture.A) spiritualB) authoritarianC) profit-orientedD) outcome-oriented

a

68) Which of the following guidelines should managers follow while building a customer-responsive culture?A) precisely defining employees' normal job requirements and ensuring they perform those actions aloneB) giving service-contact employees continual training on product knowledge, listening, and other behavioral skillsC) designing jobs with rigid rules and procedure that employees should stick to in order to satisfy customersD) preserving the discretion to make day-to-day decisions on job-related activities at the top level of management

b

73) Which of the following is most likely to have a highly spiritual organizational culture?A) a highly aggressive, competitive businessB) a company with high tolerance of employee expressionC) a business that focuses strictly on outcomesD) a business that emphasizes centralized control

b

74) Which of the following is a criticism of spiritual organizational cultures?A) inhibition of employees' expressions and emotionsB) incompatibility between profits and spiritualityC) lack of openness with stakeholders such as customers and suppliersD) absence of employee empowerment

b

23) The current dominant assumption in management theory suggests that ________.A) an organization's success or failure is due to external forces outside managers' controlB) managers' roles are increasingly becoming peripheral and staff manage their own areas of expertiseC) managers are directly responsible for an organization's success or failureD) managers cannot significantly affect an organization's performance because they constrained by the abilities of their employees

c

25) Which of the following most accurately reflects the symbolic view of management?A) Managers are directly responsible for an organization's success or failure.B) Managers have to ensure that every obstacle is overcome on the way to achieving the organization's goals.C) External forces are responsible for an organization's success or failure.D) Employees are directly responsible for an organization's success or failure.

c

32) Which of the following factors is a demographic component of an organization's external environment?A) lifestyles and behaviorB) political stabilityC) geographic locationD) stock market fluctuations

c

33) Which of the following factors is an economic component of an organization's external environment?A) family compositionB) education levelC) disposable incomeD) geographic location

c

34) The ________ component of an organization's external environment is concerned with trends in population characteristics such as age, race, gender, education level, geographic location, income, and family composition.A) economicB) politicalC) demographicD) sociocultural

c

35) Grayson's has been in the publishing business for fifty years. In the past two years, the company has noticed that book sales have been tapering off, as more and more readers prefer formats they can read on e-readers or smartphones. Grayson's needs to analyze the changes in the environment so that it can change its business strategies and meet the needs of the new market. It commissions a market research firm to collect information about the recent changes in reading habits. Which of the following questions is the most irrelevant for this purpose?A) How many books does an individual customer buy in a month?B) What types of books do customers buy in traditional form?C) Which format is more reader-friendly, e-books or traditional books?D) How much do readers spend on e-books in a month?

c

36) Which of the following factors is a sociocultural component of an organization's external environment?A) education levelB) political stabilityC) behavior patternsD) family composition

c

37) The economic environment affects the performance of an organization, as was noted during the recent recession. Which of the following factors is cited as one of the causes of the recent recession triggered in the home mortgage markets in the United States?A) high interest rates on mortgagesB) massive global liquidityC) lack of leverageability for business borrowersD) difficulty in securing housing credit

c

39) Which of the following groups includes individuals who were born between the years 1946-1964?A) the Silent GenerationB) the Gen Y-ersC) the Baby BoomersD) Post-Millenials

c

41) If the components of an organization's environment change frequently, the organization is operating in a ________ environment.A) stableB) secureC) dynamicD) constant

c

42) Which of the following is a characteristic of a dynamic environment?A) high level of predictability of changes in environmental conditionsB) few technological breakthroughs by current competitorsC) the presence of new competitors in the marketD) little activity by pressure groups to influence the organization

c

43) If the components in an organization's environment exhibit minimal change, such an environment is said to be ________.A) volatileB) dynamicC) stableD) active

c

46) Which of the following is NOT true about the environmental complexity of an organization?A) Environmental complexity increases as the number of competitors increases.B) It is measured in terms of the knowledge an organization needs about its environment.C) Complexity decreases as the number of regulatory agencies increases.D) It depends on the knowledge an organization has about the components of its environment.

c

63) Which of the following is an example of a corporate ritual?A) Employees swapping stories about the company's history and past heroes who have made significant contributions to the company.B) Company executives using company-specific jargon or slogans intended to inspire other employees to perform better.C) Companies hosting annual parties to commemorate employee contributions and reward outstanding performance.D) The assortment of material artifacts that characterize an organization, including the layout of its facilities, how its employees dress, and the types of automobiles provided to top executives.

c

64) In an organization whose culture conveys a basic distrust of employees, managers are more likely to use a(n) ________ leadership style.A) participatoryB) democraticC) authoritarianD) laissez-faire

c

69) Workplace spirituality has become important in the contemporary workplace because it ________.A) increases organizational efficiencyB) boosts company profitsC) gives employees a sense of purposeD) brings religion into business

c

72) Which of the following is a characteristic found in spiritual organizations?A) focus on team development, rather than individual developmentB) profit-oriented outlook towards all organizational activitiesC) tolerance towards mistakes and openness with customers and employeesD) emphasis on controlling emotions and feelings

c

26) Elmo Research & Development has been going through a rough patch lately. Turnover has been high and employee morale is at an all-time low. Though employees and competitors hold management responsible for the decline, the CEO does not let the managers go or change the management style. Which of the following could explain this attitude?A) The CEO holds the omnipotent view of management, which believes that external factors have a significant effect on performance outcomes.B) As the organization has an autocratic management style, the employees are responsible for organizational policies.C) The organization has a participative management style and decisions are guided by consensus.D) The CEO holds the view that managers have only limited role in organization success or failure.

d

38) The grassroots slogan of the Occupy movement, "We are the 99%", refers to ________.A) social discontent over the slow recovery of global economiesB) fear of chronic fiscal imbalances in government sectors C) societal acceptance of U.S. values and ways of doing thingsD) the sensitivities surrounding severe income disparities, particularly in the United States

d

45) D&B Designs has been in the landscape design business in Pleasantville for the past twenty years. As the "first mover" in the market, the company has built a strong market share over the years and is the best-known firm in the area. The company strength increased steadily, and now stands at fifty employees. Which of the following, if true, would make the company's business environment more uncertain?A) Homeowners in the area take pride in their gardens and are avid do-it-yourself gardeners.B) Demand for landscaping services dips every autumn and winter.C) A long-time competitor quit the landscape design business last year.D) Zoning laws in the area change as each new city council comes into power.

d

49) Which of the following environments is characterized by the highest level of environmental uncertainty?A) a stable and complex environmentB) a dynamic and simple environmentC) a stable and simple environmentD) a dynamic and complex environment

d

50) The term ________ is used to collectively refer to any constituencies in an organization's environment that are affected by its decisions and actions.A) competitorsB) shareholdersC) unionsD) stakeholders

d

52) Which of the following statements highlights the shared aspect of culture?A) Organizational culture is concerned with how members perceive the culture and describe it, not with whether they like it.B) Organizational culture is not something that can be physically touched or seen, but employees perceive it on the basis of what they experience within the organization.C) The original source of the culture of an organization reflects the vision of the organizaton's founders.D) Even though individuals may have different backgrounds or work at different organizational levels, they tend to describe the organization's culture in similar terms.

d

53) Which of the following most accurately reflects the difference between strong cultures and weak cultures?A) Strong cultures tend to encourage employees to try new approaches to changing conditions, while weak cultures do notB) In strong cultures, organizational values are held by top management, while in weak cultures, values are diffused throughout the organization.C) Strong cultures have less of an influence on employee behavior than do weak cultures.D) Company values are more deeply held and widely shared in strong cultures than in weak cultures.

d

58) Which of the following is a disadvantage of having a strong organizational culture?A) high employee turnoverB) decreased organizational performanceC) low loyalty towards the organizationD) inability to respond to changing conditions

d

59) The original source of an organization's culture usually reflects ________.A) the present conditions in which the organization functionsB) the composition of its productive workforceC) the degree of success that the organization has achievedD) the vision or mission of the organization's founder

d

66) According to Swedish researcher Goran Ekvall, which of the following is a characteristic found in an innovative culture?A) a serious outlook toward workB) intolerance toward uncertainty or ambiguityC) resolution of employee issues based on personal interestD) freedom for employees to express opinions

d

71) Which dimension of the organizational culture is workplace spirituality most closely related to?A) outcome-orientationB) innovation and risk takingC) attention to detailD) people-orientation

d