MGMT 113 Reading Quizzes

An organization is a structured group of people who are all trying to achieve the same goal. Each person in the organization is responsible for completing certain subtasks that contribute to the overall goals of the organization. When an organization achieves its goals, we say that it has high performance. High performance depends on the organization's efficiency and effectiveness. Efficiency refers to the amount of resources needed to meet a goal. For example, an organization that takes one week to hire a new employee is more efficient than an organization that takes eight weeks to hire a similar employee. Effectiveness is about achieving goals. An organization is considered to be effective if it matches the performance goals it sets for itself. For example, suppose an organization set the goal of reducing it's costs by 15 percent in the upcoming year. If it reduces it's costs by 18 percent, it will be effective, but if costs are only reduced by 10 percent, it will not be considered effective. Organizations can be effective, but not efficient, and efficient, but not effective. When considering an organization's performance, it is imperative to look at both efficiency and effectiveness. Which of the following components make up the formal definition of an organization? Check all that apply.

- A structured group - A shared goal - A clear hierarchy

Identify each of the following as a for-profit or a nonprofit manager. 1. Someone who works primarily with company employees. 2. Someone who works primarily with volunteers.

-For-Profit Manager -NonProfit Manager

Two approaches to creating an effective technology-driven workplace are: Check all that apply.

-Platform-Based Organizations -Big Data Analytics

Henry Fayol is associated with which of the following classical management theories?

Administrative management

The unity of command principle was developed as part of which of the following theories?

Administrative management

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of a bossless organization?

Better coordination among departments

If you were hiring a new CEO for your company, he or she should be strongest in which of the following skills?

Conceptual

________ skills require big-picture thinking.

Conceptual

Dmitri is a manager at Best Buy. He knows that his store will be changing rapidly because of new advances in technology. Which of the following actions should Dmitri take in order to motivate his employees?

Dmitri should train his employees and allow them to make decisions about the changes.

Suppose that you are the CEO of a new (virtual reality) VR gaming design company. Your company has plenty of money — an angel investor has seen to that. Your biggest worry right now is to develop a new game that will be much more successful than Minecraft, a popular existing VR game. Your biggest concern right now is with:

Effectiveness

Suppose that one organization is able to create slime for children at a cost of $2 per gallon. A second organization creates the exact same product, but it costs $3 per gallon. The first organization is more ________ Than the second organization.

Efficient

Leading is solely the responsibility of the manager.

False

What are "quants"?

Financial and other managers who rely heavily on mathematical models to manage.

What might be a strategy you would pursue based on the environmental factors he was facing?

Find ways to make the steak and seafood items better suited for takeout and delivery.

is the number one cause of management failure.

Lack of communication skills

HOW DO RESTAURANTS PIVOT IN THE PANDEMIC? Who doesn't love a good restaurant? Nevertheless, there are few sectors of our economy that have been the restaurant industry. Listen to the attached podcast and outline the environmental factors that helped this restaurant owner build his post-pandemic strategy. What were some of the macro-environmental factors that shaped the restauranteur's management of his business in the pandemic? Check all that apply.

Laws, Economy

This technique is used by managers who try to make the manufacturing processes of their organizations run more efficiently though the use of mathematical tools such as forecasting and break-even analysis.

Operations management

This technique was developed during World War II and it uses mathematical modeling to solve management problems.

Operations research

What are the four key management activities used by Jason (and other leaders)?

Planning, Organizing, Leading, Controlling

In this type of organization, the company focuses more on bringing producers and consumers together than it does on producing a good or a service.

Platform-Based Organization

Under this approach, employees are given complete power to make decisions about their work. Managers are either eliminated, or their work is reconfigured to be supportive, not directive.

Radical Decentralization

Which of the following is NOT a management activity, as defined by Peter Drucker?

Reacting to change

Frederick Taylor is associated with which of the following classical management theories?

Scientific management

Which of the following theories says that there is one best way to do work and that workers should be paid depending on how much they produce?

Scientific management

Organizations today want more successful managers. Taking into consideration Linda Hill's research on management evolution, what are companies doing to make their new managers become more effective?

Selecting people to become managers who really want to be managers

Managers today:

need to empower and enable their colleagues to do their best work.

Megan, a human resource manager, recently approved the hiring of five summer interns. She will use _______ to decide which departments would benefit from the interns' employment.

organizing

As production manager, part of Jennifer's job is to determine what raw materials will be needed to meet production needs. Sales forecasts may help Jennifer with this ____________ function of management.

planning

Jim is CEO for a company that produces filing cabinets and office furniture. He uses _________ when determining that in order to increase production by 20% next year, the company will need to hire 10 new employees.

planning

Julia uses ______ to determine how many focus groups will need to be conducted in order to accomplish the company's research goals.

planning

Which of the following IS a management activity, as defined by Peter Drucker?

Developing people

Companies today use this technique when they use software systems to manage projects and track resources. Operations management

Information technology

The term ______________ refers to the idea that devices such as car keys and cell phones can capture data and transmit it.

Internet of Things

Artificial intelligence can bridge the gap between the things of production and the humanity of production because:

It eliminates dull jobs, leaving people free to do more interesting work.

Why is a macro environmental analysis important for managers?

It gives you an understanding of important external factors that influence your business.

This researcher hypothesized that leaders needed to worry about ethics and power, in addition to managing people in a way that helps them do their best.

Mary Parker Follett

Which of the following managers is involved in organizing activities?

Maude, who is making up a work schedule for her team

Neha is the manager of a Burger King store. Which of the following actions would lead you to believe that Neha is not a modern manager?

Neha tells her employees they will receive bonuses if they do their work according to company guidelines.

When a computer analyzes the work environment and sends a manager a reminder of something he or she could do to help employees meet their goals, it is known as:

Nudge management

Effective modern managers are most concerned with:

both the things of production and the humanity of production.

The most critical task for today's managers is:

shaping the culture and conditions of work to empower employees.

A manager who wants to be sure that her employees get along well with their team members is thinking about

the humanity of production

The idea that employees will be more efficient and have higher production if they feel their human needs are being met is an argument for:

the humanity of production.

A manager who worries about how many bottles of Gatorade his factory produces in a day is thinking about

the things of production

Identify the management function associated with each of the following examples of managerial work. 1. At the Ritz-Carlton hotel, employees can spend up to $2,000 per guest, per incident to satisfy customers. But managers at the Ritz-Carlton monitor how much is actually spent, and they know that employees can often satisfy customers for much less than $2,000. 2. Amanda Chu, a Domino's Pizza manager, creates a schedule to determine which employees will be working on New Year's Eve. 3. Pfizer's CEO, Albert Bourla, works with the board of directors to predict the amount of dividends the company will pay in the future. 4. Blake Mycoskie, founder of Toms, encourages social entrepreneurship through the company's slogan "One for One."

-Controlling -Organizing -Planning -Leading

Which of the following are characteristics of a manager with a year or more of experience? Check all that apply.

-Coordinating the work of others -Working interdependently -Acting as a specialist

Which of the following are characteristics of new managers with individual identities? Check all that apply.

-Doing tasks by oneself

An organization's performance must take into account which of the following factors? Check all that apply.

-Effectiveness -Number of managers -Number of employees -Efficiency

Two approaches to creating an effect people-driven workplace are: Check all that apply.

-Employee Engagement -Radical Decentralization

Identify each of the following as a for-profit or a nonprofit manager. 1. Someone who cares about improving free speech for minority groups. 2. Someone who cares about selling more copies of an app for determining birds by their calls.

-NonProfit Manager -For-Profit Manager

Identify each of the following as a for-profit or a nonprofit manager. 1. Someone who cares about an organization's social impact. 2. Someone whose resources come primarily from donors and other forms of variable funding.

-NonProfit Manager -NonProfit Manager

Identify the management function associated with each of the following examples of managerial work. 1. A construction project manager from Iron Horse Construction uses a team of experts to design the development of a new property on the top of a very steep ridge. The team includes geotechnical consultants, erosion control specialists, and contractors. 2. Jessica Lee, vice president of global brand talent at Marriott International, realizes that the mobile app created by a vendor does not integrate with the company's existing software. 3. Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines, talks to a group of reservation agents to acknowledge their contributions to the company's success. 4. Author Simon Rich spends time every day reading. He says, "I try to read about subjects that I'm interested in, and that usually helps me come up with ideas for stories and characters and jokes."

-Organizing -Controlling -Leading -Planning

After attending a management conference, your CEO tells you that he is thinking about changing your company to a bossless organization. Which of the following outcomes will you tell your CEO is likely to result from this change? Check all that apply.

-The company will experience reduced costs, and the money they save can be used to create new products. -The company will become more flexible in responding to consumer needs. -Employees in the company may make better decisions than they did previously.

Which of the following organizations would be most likely to use bosslessness effectively?

A software design organization whose employees frequently work from home

Which of the following is an intangible result likely to be of interest to a nonprofit manager?

Bring justice to victims

Which of the following is a challenge for bossless organizations?

Assigning managerial responsibilities to all employees requires increased employee training

This approach to management gathers information from disciplines such as economics, psychology, sociology, and anthropology to understand human behavior and the best ways to motivate people.

Behavioral Sciences Approach

You've been running a gift store at your local mall for the past 20 years. In the last five years, you've watched your sales drop by 50%. You want to stay in business as long as possible, but you know that to do that requires you to spend every penny wisely. There's not much you can do about declining sales, but you can stretch out your existing money for as long as possible. Your biggest concern right now is with:

Efficiency

________ skills are based on relationships with people.

Human

Emmanuel is the supervisor of an auto repair store. He reports to the store manager, who reports to the regional director for the auto repair company. What skill is Emmanuel most likely to use in his day to day work?

Technical

_________ skills are shown when a technician successfully handles a complicated piece of equipment to do a job.

Technical

Which of the following is a problem when using management science approaches to management?

The managers using these techniques may fail to take factors into account that change the outcomes of mathematical models.

This approach to management says that some managers believe that employees do not want to work, while others believe that employees are self-motivated, and they will work happily if given the opportunity to do so.

Theory X/Theory Y

Effective organizing includes making sure teams are optimally designed.

True

The controlling function should be practiced regularly, not just at the end of the year.

True

Bossless organizations have:

a nonhierarchical organizational structure.

Lucia has a discussion with three of her employees who have been taking extended lunch breaks for several weeks. She is using _________ to explain the company's lunch policy and communicate her expectations of her employees moving forward.

controlling

While reviewing the latest production reports, Diego notices that the company is off of its production goal by 200 units. Diego uses ________ to determine that the production shortage is due to an incorrect speed setting on a piece of machinery.

controlling

When managers empower their employees, they are involved in the task of:

developing people to enable them to do their best work.

Suppose that two office supply stores both have the goal of selling a million dollars' worth of supplies over the next year. One store sells $850,000, while the second store sells $1,120,000. The first store is less _______ Than the second store.

effective

The term ________________ means that workers are committed to their company and they believe in the work they are doing.

employee engagement

A nonprofit manager's primary focus is:

increasing the social impact of their organization.

Nonprofit managers must:

keep costs low.

As CEO, Juan likes to meet all newly hired employees and share the story of how his grandfather started the company 60 years ago. Juan uses __________ to inspire the new employees.

leading

Demetrius has a weekly meeting with his sales staff to review their performance and offer suggestions and strategies for their upcoming sales appointments. Demetrius is ________ his employees to help them achieve their goals.

leading

Which of the following are the number one and number two causes of management failure? Check all that apply.

-Lack of interpersonal skills -Lack of legal knowledge -Lack of communication skills

This approach to management was based on the Hawthorne studies, and suggests that people control the way they work, not money.

Human Relations Movement

Identify the management function associated with each of the following examples of managerial work. 1. Taco Bell CEO, Mark King, considers what the technical and logistical needs would be in order to offer delivery to customers. 2. A marketing manager at Evian decides to work with BETC, an advertising agency in France. The goal is to reduce the cost of advertising by creating a video that goes viral on YouTube. 3. George Steinbrenner transferred his passion for winning to everyone in the New York Yankees organization. His famous quote is, "Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing. Breathing first, winning next." 4. Dow Chemical CEO, Andrew Liveris, checks financial reports to see whether Dow has met its financial goals for the quarter.

-Planning -Organizing -Leading -Controlling

According to this approach, employees within a company should be focused on meeting the needs of the organization, not the needs of an individual.

Bureaucratic management

Once a manager has gained about a year's worth of experience, he or she recognizes that work needs to be done:

as a team

After a product quality test, Meena determines that the latest batch of pens are not meeting quality specifications. Meena will use _______ the function to determine why the pens are not meeting quality specifications and how to fix the problem.

controlling

Some organizations recognize that the traditional manager function is obsolete and that all employees have managerial responsibilities. This approach is especially effective when employees are working from home with limited contact to a manager. Bossless organizations are more flexible when employees are more committed and make decisions faster and better than traditionally managed organizations. Assigning managerial responsibilities to every employee requires extra training and the right organizational culture that supports the bossless environment. Today's managers must lead by:

empowering employees to do their best work.