MGMT 309 Exam #2 Review Sheet

The Bose Corporation's ______ is based on the high technology of its products.

distinctive competence

By not recognizing her _______ , Debbie repeatedly took her 8-year-old laptop for repairs, even though the repair costs were greater than the price of a brand-new, faster laptop with much more memory.

escalation of commitment

select the dimension of quality that this service value addresses: I understand my role in achieving the Key Success Factors, embracing Community Footprints and creating The Ritz-Carlton Mystique.

features

which kind of layout: org is creating a few very large and complex products

fixed position layout

Big and Tall Stores serve customers who wear large sizes. Its targeted customer base indicates that the chain is using a ______to gain a competitive advantage.

focus strategy

Zombiesmith manufactures gaming miniatures. Its highly specialized products and targeted customer base indicates that Zombiesmith is using a(n) ________ to gain a competitive advantage.

focus strategy

UNIQLO anticipates that demand will be very high for its patent-protected clothing line, particularly given climate concerns in its core markets. With an expected $10 billion in U.S. sales by the year 2020, which stage of the product life cycle is the company in?

growth

Which productivity improvement approach is the priority when new equipment is installed? improve operations or increase employee involvement

improve operations

Which method to improving productivity is in use when formal cooperation agreements are devised between management and labor? improve operations or increase employee involvement

increase employee involvement

Which productivity improvement approach is at the heart of employee bonus plans? improve operations or increase employee involvement

increase employee involvement

Michael often makes decisions based on _____ ; he decides quickly, effortlessly, and based on his past experiences.

intuition

economies of scale

larger facilities result in lower costs (ex costco, sams)

Jaime is considering how to best design the _____ of the manufacturing facility. She has to include space for organizing materials, manufacturing, and storage.

layout

Categorize this goal by its level: We seek to provide a 14% or greater annualized return of investment for our shareholders.

level 2

Categorize this goal by its level: We seek to expand by opening 150 new restaurant locations in the next 10 years.

level 3

Categorize this goal by its level: We seek to improve efficiency by implementing a new computerized payment system.

level 4

Which manager is responsible for setting goals like this: Operational goals

lower managers

multi domestic strategy for international business

managing a corporation as a collection of independent operating subsidiaries frees a firm to customize its products, its marketing campaigns, and operating techniques to meet local customer needs. unique for each country's demands/needs

UNIQLO tries to monitor its competitors' actions, but notices that one of these competitors seems to shift strategies often and does not anticipate trends in the environment. Which type of strategy does the competitor appear to have? A. Defender B. Reactor C Analyzer D. Prospector

D. Prospector

what are the five criteria for setting effective goals?

1. specific and measurable 2. cover key result areas 3. challenging, but realistic 4. defined time period 5. linked to rewards

A ____ __ ______ is when a decision maker knows with reasonable certainty what the alternatives are and what conditions are associated with each alternative.

A state of certainty

Craig manages the books for the Silver Spoon restaurant. In the past, he's hand-entered charges and payments into his accounting ledger. When his accountant reviewed his records, she found several errors. Which process should Craig seek to use to address this problem? A. Automation B. Robotics C. Computer-aided manufacturing D. Computer-aided design

A. Automation

Which term refers to the level of productivity achieved by a single company? A. Company productivity B. Aggregate productivity C. Unit productivity D. Industry productivity

A. Company productivity

When giving advice to employees, managers might use the expression, "Work smarter, not harder." Businesses can raise productivity by investing more hours in production (either by having more employees working or having employees working more hours, respectively) or producing more in the same period through innovative advances in process. Which of the answers that follow best explains why this mantra is relevant for managing productivity? A. This mantra suggests that employees have some control over production by identifying process improvements (rather than simply working more or working faster). B. This mantra refers to managers who feel that their employees are not as involved as they should be in the improvement of quality and productivity. C. Managers use this statement as a criticism of employees who ask for overtime to make production quotas.

A. This mantra suggests that employees have some control over production by identifying process improvements (rather than simply working more or working faster).

_______tries to maintain its current business and to be somewhat innovative in new business, combines elements of prospectors and defenders.

Analyzer strategy

As a team member on a team of subject matter experts in the management of engineering projects, you need to organize team discussions in a way that facilitates the ability for all of the team experts to contribute to the discussion. Which team decision-making approach will be best in ensuring input from the team experts? A. Focus group technique B. Delphi group technique C. Interacting group approach D. Nominal group technique

B. Delphi group technique

______is the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs.

Quality

When starting to formulate a strategy, the first tool used is often a _____ analysis, which helps the company identify aspects of its business and the environment that it might exploit, neutralize, avoid, or correct.

SWOT

If you are managing inventory of work in process, which source of control should you use? Shop floor control systems high level production scheduling systems purchasing models and systems transportation and distribution control systems

Shop floor control systems

One of your company's major competitors recently filed for bankruptcy, which has caused many of its customers to look for a new supplier. This presents your company with an ____

organizational opportunity

Which term refers to the level of productivity achieved by all the firms in a particular industry? A. Company productivity B. Aggregate productivity C. Unit productivity D. Industry productivity

D. Industry productivity

A group comes together to contribute Individual ideas of alternatives that are winnowed down through a series of rank-ordering of the alternatives to reach a decision. Discussion is limited. A. Focus group technique B. Delphi group technique C. Interacting group approach D. Nominal group technique

D. Nominal group technique

In your role as communications manager, you state that the company communicates to its stakeholders directly, not through requests for quotes from journalists. What type of plan is this? A. Program B. Project C. Standard operating procedure D. Policy

D. Policy

One of your company's major competitors recently filed for bankruptcy, which has caused many of its customers to look for a new supplier. This presents your company with an _____

organizational opportunity .

Some aspects of UNIQLO's strategy appear to be in line with Porter's differentiation strategy, while others are more aligned with overall cost leadership. Having a large amount of relatively few products can help to increase economies of scale. This tactic is associated with

overall cost leadership .

Target and Walmart sell athletic clothing at a lower price than specialty retailers. These stores operate under a

overall cost leadership strategy .

Total factor productivity

overall indicator of how well an organization uses all of its resources, such as labor, capital, materials, and energy, to create all of its products and services.

compliance

people conform to others expectations or behaviors in the hope of acquiring rewards or avoiding punishment

A ______ technique used by Proctor & Gamble is meant to minimize risk by selling a large number of diverse products.

portfolio management

coalition

positive or negative political force in decision making which consists of an informal alliance of individuals or groups formed to achieve a goal

which kind of layout: create or process a variety of products

process layout

which kind of layout: appropriate when large quantities of a single product are needed

product layout

is this a programmed or nonprogrammed decision? For the past 5 years, you and your best friend have gone for pizza at the same restaurant every Friday night. You just received a text message saying your friend is running late and to go ahead and order the pizza. Without fail, you always get a medium pizza, half with everything on it and half vegetarian, so that is what you tell the waiter. Your decision about what to order is a:

programmed

is this a programmed or nonprogrammed decision? Greg arranges for new employees to have computer and phone access set up before their first day on the job. Based on the new person's job title, Greg communicates to the IT department what access is permitted according to the new person's job title. Greg's arrangements for a new employee who begins next week are a:

programmed

The total quality management (TQM) tool that assesses all activities, material flows, and paperwork to determine their relative contribution to value is called a benchmarking value-added analysis . outsourcing

value-added analysis .

As a team member on a team of subject matter experts in the management of engineering projects, you need to organize team discussions in a way that facilitates the ability for all of the team experts to contribute to the discussion. Which team decision-making approach will be best in ensuring input from the team experts? A. Focus group technique B. Delphi group technique C. Nominal group technique D. Interacting group approach

B. Delphi group technique

You are working as part of a team tasked with identifying potential problems in the company's code of ethics. It's important that flaws in the code be discovered before it is finalized and that means the team should be willing to disagree with each other as the code is discussed. Which team decision-making approach will be best for ensuring the members can openly discuss, argue about, and agree on the best outcome? A. Nominal group technique B. Interacting group approach C. Focus group technique D. Delphi group technique

B. Interacting group approach

At Hair's Why, your employees specialize in different services. Some provide only nail services. Others provide only hair services. Which layout will be most efficient for you given this kind of employee specialization? A. Fixed-position layout B. Process layout C. Product layout D. Automated layout

B. Process layout

Which term refers to the level of productivity achieved by a country A. Company productivity B. Aggregate productivity C. Unit productivity D. Industry productivity

B. aggregate productivity

Intuition is defined as: A. reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity. B. an innate belief about something, without conscious consideration. C. reasoning that is not influenced by personal feelings or opinions. D. an acquired belief about something, with conscious consideration.

B. an innate belief about something, without conscious consideration.

Suppose your business is located about 30 miles from the next major town. If you evaluate whether to open a second salon, what kind of decision is this? A. A facilities decision B. A product-service mix decision C. A location decision D.A capacity decision

C. A location decision

The most common form of decision-making group which consists of an existing group or newly formed team interacting and then making a decision A. Focus group technique B. Delphi group technique C. Interacting group approach D. Nominal group technique

C. Interacting group approach

If you are concerned about groupthink negatively influencing your team's decisions, which tactic could you use to minimize the potential for groupthink? A. Refrain from setting a deadline. B. Encourage talkative team members to lead the discussion. C. Plan for follow-up meeting where divergent opinions can be expressed. D. Make your own opinion known.

C. Plan for follow-up meeting where divergent opinions can be expressed.

In the planning process, what is the role of strategic goals and plans? A. Guides day to day activities B. Links strategy and operations C. Sets company direction D. Sets purpose of business

C. Sets company direction

Which term refers to the level of productivity achieved by a single department? A. Company productivity B. Aggregate productivity C. Unit productivity D. Industry productivity

C. Unit productivity

Which term refers to the level of productivity achieved by a single person? A. Company productivity B. Aggregate productivity C. individual productivity D. Industry productivity

C. individual productivity

When conducting a SWOT analysis, budgets, ratios, and sales reports can be used to identify: Environmental opportunities and threats Environmental strengths and weaknesses Company opportunities and threats Company strengths and weaknesses

Company strengths and weaknesses

During the first 10 months of 2014, spending-per-customer declined at UNIQLO's stores in Japan. As a result, beginning in October 2014, top management changed the focus of the company's marketing. Instead of emphasizing low prices, the company began highlighting its use of high-quality materials. Which type of strategy is UNIQLO using? A. Prospector B. Defender C. Reactor D. Analyzer

D. Analyzer

When conducting a SWOT analysis, information about turnover, profit margins, and staff quality can be used to identify: A. Environmental opportunities and threats B. Company opportunities and threats C. Environmental strengths and weaknesses D. Company strengths and weaknesses

D. Company strengths and weaknesses

You are developing a plan for your department to use when replenishing supplies needed to accomplish ongoing activities. What type of plan should you create? A. Program B. Policy C. Project D. Standard operating procedure

D. Standard operating procedure

Which of the following factors is necessary for the proper execution of a tactical plan? Monitoring results and not ongoing activities derived from the plan Developing strategies independent of the strategic goal Withholding information from each decision maker involved in making the plan Evaluating every possible course of action in light of the goal it is intended to reach

Evaluating every possible course of action in light of the goal it is intended to reach

Brian was asked to analyze businesses by classifying them as winners, losers, question marks, average businesses, and profit producers. He was most likely using the ____.

GE Business Screen

If you are managing inventory of finished goods, which source of control should you use? shop-floor control systems purchasing models and systems High-level production scheduling systems transportation and distribution control systems

High-level production scheduling systems

Horizontal consistency of goals means that: a. strategic, tactical, and operational goals must agree with one another. b. goals should be consistent from one department to the next. c. goals should have a definite timeline. d. goals should be agreed upon by all levels of management.

b. goals should be consistent from one department to the next.

Which of the following is true of a planning task force? It is created to address a special circumstance. It is used to select a competent chief executive officer. It establishes the corporate mission and strategy. It coordinates the daily activities of operational staff.

It is created to address a special circumstance.

Categorize this goal by its level: We seek to operate a chain of restaurants that prepares high-quality food on a timely basis for a reasonable price.

Level 1

When you're making a decision and don't know all alternatives, the risks, or consequences you are in a ____ __ ____

a state of uncertainty

Weather Watches, a watch manufacturing company, faces a lot of problems while planning and setting goals as its competitors' technology is constantly developing. It too has to upgrade the technology it uses to keep up with its competitors. Which of the following barriers to goal setting and planning does Weather Watches face? a. A dynamic and complex environment b. Reluctance to establish goals c. An improper reward system d. Resistance to change

a. A dynamic and complex environment

_____ is the process of designing work so that it can be completely or almost completely performed by machines. a. Automation b. Benchmarking c. Outsourcing d. Conformation

a. Automation

_____, a dimension of quality, refers to the degree to which a product's design and operating characteristics meet established standards. a. Conformance b. Performance c. Serviceability d. Durability

a. Conformance

_____ are the physical locations where products or services are created, stored, and distributed. a. Facilities b. Margins c. Designs d. Backgrounds

a. Facilities

Which of the following is true of technology? a. It is used to convert resources into products. b. It is the physical locations where products are created. c. It is only used by service organizations. d. It is the arrangement of equipment within facilities.

a. It is used to convert resources into products.

_____ is the total set of managerial activities used by an organization to transform resource inputs into products, services, or both. a. Operations management b. Transformational management c. Participative management d. Total quality management

a. Operations management

Which of the following areas does a well-conceived strategy address? a. Resource deployment b. Financial capability c. Motivation approaches d. Management dynamics

a. Resource deployment

_____ are primary inputs for developing tactical goals. a. Strategic goals b. Operational goals c. Tactical plans d. Operational plans

a. Strategic goals

Decision making is the process of: a. adopting one course of action as opposed to others. b. carrying out multiple courses of action as opposed to one. c. monitoring day-to-day activities and progress of an organization. d. reviewing the finances of an organization.

a. adopting one course of action as opposed to others.

The _____ establishes the corporate mission and strategy. a. board of directors b. line management c. planning task force d. executive committee

a. board of directors

Satisfactoriness refers to: a. how well an alternative fulfills the conditions of a decision situation. b. how much a particular alternative will cost an organization. c. what extent a particular alternative is within the realm of probability and practicality. d. what extent a particular alternative influences an organization.

a. how well an alternative fulfills the conditions of a decision situation.

A line manager at a brewery sets a target for the minimum number of beer cartons that have to be shipped out by the end of each day. This is an example of a(n) _____ goal. a. operational b. contingency c. synergistic d. strategic

a. operational

Grandpa's Special is a culinary arts training center. Due to its popularity, a large number of people want to join the center. Since Grandpa's Special will not be able to train a large number of people due to insufficient resources, it decides to grant admission only to ladies between the ages 18 and 25. This is an example of a _____. a. policy b. rule c. project d. program

a. policy

A condition in which a decision maker knows with reasonable surety what the alternatives are and what conditions are associated with each alternative is called a _____. a. state of certainty b. state of threat c. state of risk d. state of uncertainty

a. state of certainty

what are the two types of statistical quality control

acceptance sampling and in process sampling

select the dimension of quality that this service value addresses: I am proud of my professional appearance, language, and behavior.

aesthetics

It is difficult to imitate a distinctive competence because: a. it will lead to a competitive disadvantage. b. its nature might not be understood by competing firms. c. its application will lead to competitive parity. d. it might not be applicable to a competing firms' products.

b. its nature might not be understood by competing firms.

transnational strategy for international business

attempting to combine the benefits of scale efficiencies pursued by a global corporation, with the benefits and advantages of local responsiveness of a multi domestic corporation.

Omar decides to buy a pair of running shoes from a store. He likes three pairs of running shoes at the store. Following the steps of rational decision-making process in deciding which pair to buy, which of the following should be Omar's next step? a. He should immediately buy one of the three pairs of running shoes. b. He should evaluate the feasibility of each pair of running shoes. c. He should select one of the three pairs of running shoes based on his intuition. d. He should reconsider whether he actually needs to buy a pair of running shoes.

b. He should evaluate the feasibility of each pair of running shoes.

_____ are decision-making groups or teams in which members openly discuss, argue about, and agree on the best alternative. a. Delphi groups b. Interacting groups c. Nominal groups d. Titular groups

b. Interacting groups

Which of the following is the importance of operations management? a. It makes a number of decisions for managers about products and services, starting with how many and what kinds to offer. b. It creates value and utility of one type or another, depending on the nature of the firm's products or services. c. It increases the amount of work that can be done. d. It gathers information and compares it to preset standards.

b. It creates value and utility of one type or another, depending on the nature of the firm's products or services.

Which of the following is true of quality? a. It is the amount of products that can be produced by an organization. b. It is relevant for both products and services. c. It provides materials needed to make products. d. It increases an organization's investment in storage space.

b. It is relevant for both products and services.

Which of the following is true of satisficing? a. It suggests that decision makers use complete and perfect information to arrive at decisions. b. It suggests that decision makers search only until they find an alternative that meets some minimum standard of sufficiency. c. It suggests that decision makers weigh and evaluate a large number of alternatives until they arrive at the best alternative. d. It suggests that decision makers go through the six steps of decision-making process before they finalize on the best option.

b. It suggests that decision makers search only until they find an alternative that meets some minimum standard of sufficiency.

_____ refers to the set of processes involved in creating or determining the strategies of an organization. a. Strategy assimilation b. Strategy formulation c. Strategy enunciation d. Strategy implementation

b. Strategy formulation

Which of the following is true of strategic goals? a. They are set by lower-level managers. b. They focus on broad, general issues. c. They are set by and for middle managers. d. They are concerned with short-term issues.

b. They focus on broad, general issues.

Unlike multidomestic firms, global corporations: a. have home-country biases. b. assume that customers are the same regardless of nationality. c. concentrate decision-making responsibilities in a handful of local companies. d. produce goods that are highly diversified.

b. assume that customers are the same regardless of nationality.

The purpose of work-in-process inventories is to _____. a. provide the materials needed to make a product b. enable overall production to be divided into stages of manageable size c. provide ready supply of products on customer demand and enable long, efficient production runs d. distribute products to customers

b. enable overall production to be divided into stages of manageable size

A weakness of the single-product strategy is that the: a. marketing of a product is poor. b. firm using it will suffer if its product is replaced by a new one. c. firm using it will require excessive capital. d. cost of production is high.

b. firm using it will suffer if its product is replaced by a new one.

A _____ is a strategy in which an organization concentrates on a specific regional market, product line, or group of buyers. a. reactor strategy b. focus strategy c. overall cost leadership strategy d. prospector strategy

b. focus strategy

An organization that implements a defender strategy focuses on: a. enhancing creativity and innovation. b. protecting its market from new competitors. c. increasing costs to improve the performance of its current products. d. taking numerous risks to enhance sales.

b. protecting its market from new competitors.

Ji-hun works at a manufacturing firm where he is in charge of the inventory for raw materials. The purpose of this inventory is to: a. provide a ready supply of products on customer demand. b. provide materials needed to make products. c. distribute products to customers. d. enable long, efficient production runs.

b. provide materials needed to make products.

The focus of _____ is on how to operationalize actions necessary to achieve the strategic goals. a. short-term goals b. tactical goals c. operational goals d. long-term goals

b. tactical goals

Friendly Faces, a not-for-profit organization, sets a target to feed 100 children every day for one year. Rehaan, the local resources manager, is given the responsibility of achieving this goal. In keeping with the guidelines of tactical planning, Rehaan plans to first identify 100 children who could benefit from this project. Rehaan's plan is an example of a _____. a. contingency plan b. tactical plan c. single-use plan d. long-range plan

b. tactical plan

four tools for managing total quality (TQM)

benchmarking, outsourcing, reducing cycle time, and statistical quality control

Which manager is responsible for setting goals like this: mission statement

board of directors

economies of scope

broad product lines

is this a business-level or corporate-level strategy? At Apple, managers ask, "Should our next iPad product be innovative and new, so we can charge a higher price for it, or should we consider going down one more size, so people with less money can purchase an iPad?"

business level

is this a business-level or corporate-level strategy? PepsiCo makes and sells large numbers of products, from Pepsi Cola to Lay's potato chips to Cap'n Crunch cereal. Last Tuesday, PepsiCo analyzed the sales of Near East Rice Pilaf mix. Looking at the increase in sales for foreign foods, and considering the large amount of money PepsiCo has in its coffers, managers decided to continue selling Near East Rice Pilaf and advertise it more heavily.

business level

When setting a _____ , the company is primarily trying to decide how it will compete against competitors. corporate-level strategy business-level strategy

business-level strategy

Which of the following is a similarity between rules and regulations and standard operating procedures (SOPs)? a. Both specify responses to nonrecurring situations. b. Both are single-use plans. c. Both are relatively narrow in scope. d. Both focus on a large set of activities.

c. Both are relatively narrow in scope.

_____ helps an organization perceive, or even generate, new opportunities in its environment. a. Parity b. Integration c. Creativity d. Flexibility

c. Creativity

Which of the following is the first step in evaluating alternatives in rational decision making? a. Determination of influences of the alternatives b. Determination of consequences of the alternatives c. Determination of feasibility of the alternatives d. Determination of satisfactoriness of the alternatives

c. Determination of feasibility of the alternatives

Which of the following is true of the BCG matrix? a. It suggests that slow-growing markets have more stable and attractive business opportunities for an organization's products. b. It helps in restructuring the structure of an organization. c. It helps managers understand how strategic business units contribute to an overall organization. d. It divides the market into low-, medium-, and high-growth markets.

c. It helps managers understand how strategic business units contribute to an overall organization.

Which of the following is true of the product-service mix? a. It is choosing the amount of products and services that can be produced by an organization. b. It is transforming resources into an intangible output. c. It is determining how many and what kinds of products or services to offer. d. It is creating time or place utility for customers.

c. It is determining how many and what kinds of products or services to offer.

Which of the following is true of the just-in-time method? a. It is concerned with buying the materials and resources needed to create products and services. b. It is used for creating a few very large and complex products. c. It reduces an organization's investment in storage space for raw materials. d. It centralizes each type of conversion task in a single workstation or department.

c. It reduces an organization's investment in storage space for raw materials.

Which of the following is true of total factor productivity? a. It provides insights into how a change in different resource inputs affects productivity. b. It uses only one category of resource. c. It requires all inputs to be expressed in the same terms. d. It shows direct results of a specific managerial action.

c. It requires all inputs to be expressed in the same terms.

Which of the following is true of bounded rationality? a. It suggests that decision makers base their decisions on logic with conscious consideration. b. It suggests that decision makers need to form an informal alliance of individuals to achieve a common goal. c. It suggests that decision makers are limited by their values and unconscious reflexes, skills, and habits. d. It suggests that decision makers make decisions after attaining complete information and knowledge.

c. It suggests that decision makers are limited by their values and unconscious reflexes, skills, and habits.

Lana, the owner of a high-end boutique, claims she selects items for her boutique purely on a hunch. Based on Lana's claim, which of the following is true of Lana's decision-making process? a. Lana uses ethical judgment in her decision-making process. b. Lana uses rationality in her decision-making process. c. Lana uses intuition in her decision-making process. d. Lana uses the Delphi technique in her decision-making process.

c. Lana uses intuition in her decision-making process.

Which of the following must occur for an organization to support differentiation? a. Organizational culture must limit creativity and innovation. b. Manufacturing must emphasize the reduction of costs. c. Marketing and sales must emphasize the high-value image of an organization's products. d. Accounting and finance must control funds to discourage the need to develop new products.

c. Marketing and sales must emphasize the high-value image of an organization's products.

Which of the following is a major tool for managing diversification? a. Ethical congruence b. Synergies c. Organization structure d. Mergers

c. Organization structure

_____ is an economic measure of efficiency that summarizes the value of outputs relative to the value of the inputs used to create them. a. Outsourcing b. Serviceability c. Productivity d. Benchmarking

c. Productivity

_____ is concerned with buying the materials and resources needed to produce products and services. a. Materials control b. Inventory management c. Purchasing management d. The just-in-time method

c. Purchasing management

The manager of Follicle, a salon and spa, believes that the techniques they have followed for generations are superior to the latest techniques that are scientifically proven to be more effective. He fears that the use of new techniques may lead to failure and continues to use the existing techniques. In this scenario, which of the following barriers to goal setting and planning is most evident? a. Improper reward system b. Reluctance to establish goals c. Resistance to change d. Inappropriate goal setting

c. Resistance to change

_____ is the process of managing operations control, resource acquisition, and inventory so as to improve overall efficiency and effectiveness. a. Just-in-time management b. Product-service mix c. Supply chain management d. Flexible manufacturing system

c. Supply chain management

Which of the following is true of nominal groups? a. The members do not see one another. b. The members only communicate ideas in writing. c. The members do not freely interact with each other. d. The members represent a group in the true sense.

c. The members do not freely interact with each other

An organization has a _____ when it is not implementing valuable strategies that are being implemented by competing organizations. a. strategic redundancy b. distinctive incompetency c. competitive disadvantage d. competitive parity

c. competitive disadvantage

A fire broke out in a well-reputed hospital in a city. Despite the fire fighters arriving within ten minutes of the occurrence, over a hundred people were severely injured. This was due to insufficient equipment necessary to evacuate people during an emergency. This was clearly a case of the hospital management's faulty _____. a. tactical planning b. operational planning c. contingency planning d. strategic planning

c. contingency planning

Selena fractures the radial bone in her forearm. Her surgeon advises her to undergo a surgery in which a steel plate would be inserted to support the bone. He explains to her that after the surgery there would be only a 70 percent chance of regaining complete movement in the arm and a 30 percent chance of completely losing arm functionality. Selena decides to proceed with the surgery. In this scenario, Selena's decision making process is an example of _____. a. decision making under a state of security b. decision making under a state of uncertainty c. decision making under a state of risk d. decision making under a state of certainty

c. decision making under a state of risk

The final step in the decision-making process requires that mangers: a. recognize and define a decision situation. b. identify the alternatives to address a problem. c. evaluate the effectiveness of their decision. d. select from a set of potential alternatives.

c. evaluate the effectiveness of their decision.

Decentralizing power in the hands of a local subsidiary: a. allows single units of a firm to accept lessons from other units. b. promotes the unbridled pursuit of global efficiency and multimarket flexibility. c. may make it difficult to transfer learning from one subsidiary to another. d. prevents the subsidiary from rejecting outside information.

c. may make it difficult to transfer learning from one subsidiary to another.

A _____ is the most general form of a standing plan that specifies an organization's general response to a designated problem or situation. a. regulation b. procedure c. policy d. rule

c. policy

A group of laborers decide to form a union to demand higher wages. This is an example of the behavioral element of _____ in decision making. a. escalation of commitment b. intuition c. political forces d. risk propensity

c. political forces

Unlike programmed decisions, nonprogrammed decisions are: a. relatively structured and recur with high frequency. b. based on predetermined rules regarding the decision-making process. c. relatively unstructured and occur much less often. d. used for standard organizational transactions.

c. relatively unstructured and occur much less often.

In order to further an organization's goal of increasing sales by a large margin, the managers coordinate the acquisition of a number of retail outlets in smaller cities. These acquisitions represent the implementation of a(n) _____ plan. a. contingency b. single-use c. tactical d. operational

c. tactical

The _____ is an international strategy in which a company attempts to combine the benefits of global scale efficiencies with the benefits and advantages of local responsiveness. a. global strategy b. multidomestic strategy c. transnational strategy d. home replication strategy

c. transnational strategy

Pablo is assessing how the company can be more efficient and effective. He's planning a redesign of the operations system, so he will be making decisions about____ , which is the amount of products, services, or both that can be produced.

capacity

At Bogle Vineyards, the wines produced follow a similar flow path, as wine moves from barrels into bottles, and bottles into boxes. Bogle should use a____ layout for its configuration.

cellular

type of layout where families of products can follow simliar flow paths

cellular layout

is this a business-level or corporate-level strategy? A company's managers ask, "Does it make sense for our vacuum-cleaner company to buy a company that manufactures space heaters?"

corporate level

is this a business-level or corporate-level strategy? Cisco managers sat down recently to review the portfolio of their company. They looked at all of the businesses the company had acquired in the last year and determined how much money each acquisition was making for Cisco. They then decided which companies to keep and which to spin off.

corporate level

A company is creating a ______ when it asks, "What business are we in?" corporate-level strategy business-level strategy

corporate-level strategy

_____ refers to an organization's beginning of the business activities formerly conducted by its customers. a. Backward vertical integration b. Unrelated diversification c. Related diversification d. Forward vertical integration

d. Forward vertical integration

Which of the following is an advantage of the interacting group decision-making method? a. Political processes can play a major role. b. Groupthink can help the group make the optimum decision. c. One person can interact with the entire group and influence their opinions. d. Interaction among people can spark new ideas.

d. Interaction among people can spark new ideas.

In-transit inventories are controlled by: a. high-level production scheduling systems in conjunction with marketing. b. shop-floor control systems. c. purchasing models and systems. d. transportation and distribution control systems.

d. transportation and distribution control systems.

Which of the following is an importance of productivity? a. It determines how a product looks, feels, tastes, and smells. b. It partially measures the life of a product and a product's basic functioning characteristics. c. It helps a product's design and operating characteristics to meet established standards. d. It partially determines people's standard of living within a particular country.

d. It partially determines people's standard of living within a particular country.

_____ is a form of business that combines and transforms resources into tangible outcomes that are then sold to others. a. Advertising b. Logistics c. Hospitality d. Manufacturing

d. Manufacturing

Which of the following dimensions of quality refers to a product's primary operating characteristic? a. Aesthetics b. Features c. Serviceability d. Performance

d. Performance

Which of the following is an organizational strength? a. A strong trade union b. A large number of middle-men c. Impersonal relations among workers d. Surplus capital

d. Surplus capital

_____ exists among a set of businesses when the businesses' economic value together is greater than their economic value separately. a. Integrity b. Congruence c. Parity d. Synergy

d. Synergy

Harriet is very quiet by nature. Recently, she participated in a team discussion in her office to decide their monthly goal. Even though Harriet had some good suggestions and wanted to speak, she was unable to get in a word because Simon, another team member, spoke most of the time. In this scenario, which of the following drawbacks of group decision making is most evident? a. Less information is available in a group setting. b. Group members are less likely to accept the final decision. c. Fewer alternatives are generated than those generated in individual decision making. d. The group may be dominated by a single person.

d. The group may be dominated by a single person.

Which of the following is a function of a planning staff? a. To increase the workload of individual managers b. To select a competent chief executive officer c. To take a narrower view than individual managers d. To go beyond pet projects and particular departments

d. To go beyond pet projects and particular departments

A theoretical advantage of unrelated diversification is that: a. corporate managers will have a great understanding of a business. b. a business will have high performance at the outset. c. corporate managers will focus on the future performance of the business. d. a business will have a stable performance over time.

d. a business will have a stable performance over time.

Management by objectives (MBO) refers to: a. a process of management that focuses on optimization. b. a formal process by which the success of a plan is evaluated. c. a process of management involved in overcoming crisis situations. d. a formal goal-setting process involving collaboration between managers and subordinates.

d. a formal goal-setting process involving collaboration between managers and subordinates.

The starting point for total quality management (TQM) in an organization is: a. improving the quality of materials. b. new technology and automation. c. employee involvement. d. a strategic commitment by top management.

d. a strategic commitment by top management.

The Malcolm Baldrige Award is given to firms that: a. rely on computers to design or manufacture products. b. use the process of automation. c. use resources very effectively. d. achieve major quality improvements.

d. achieve major quality improvements.

A(n) _____ is a pattern of action that develops over time in an organization in the absence of mission and goals or despite mission and goals. a. recursive strategy b. deliberate strategy c. assimilative strategy d. emergent strategy

d. emergent strategy

The first stage of the product life cycle is the _____. a. growth stage b. decline stage c. maturity stage d. introduction stage

d. introduction stage

The classical model of decision making assumes that: a. decisions are not always made with rationality and logic. b. most problems are unclear and ambiguous. c. all the information necessary to make a decision is not available. d. managers are rational and logical in their thought processes.

d. managers are rational and logical in their thought processes.

Smiles and Rainbows, a not-for-profit organization, defines the reason for its existence as follows: "To provide effective vocational education for underprivileged children throughout the United States." This is an example of an organization's _____. a. short-term goal b. vision c. operational goal d. mission

d. mission

During the maturity stage of the product life cycle, the: a. overall demand for the product increases. b. number of new firms producing the current product increases. c. product differentiation concerns are negligible. d. number of established firms producing the product declines.

d. number of established firms producing the product declines.

Serviceability—one of the eight dimensions of quality—refers to the: a. way a product looks. b. range of supplements to a product's basic functioning characteristics. c. degree to which a product's design meets established standards. d. speed and ease of repair of a product.

d. speed and ease of repair of a product.

Tactical plans are an organized sequence of steps designed to execute _____. a. contingency plans b. short-term plans c. operational plans d. strategic plans

d. strategic plans

In order to further an organization's goal of increasing sales by a large margin, the managers coordinate the acquisition of a number of retail outlets in smaller cities. These acquisitions represent the implementation of a(n) _____ plan. a. contingency b. single-use c. operational d. tactical

d. tactical

Decision making is defined as: a. the set of processes used to get members of an organization to work together. b. creating problems for which a set of solutions can be generated. c. monitoring an organization's progress toward its goals. d. the act of choosing one alternative from among a set of alternatives.

d. the act of choosing one alternative from among a set of alternatives.

bounded rationality

decision makers are limited by their values and unconscious reflexes, skills and habits

Kraft Foods creates products by taking inputs, such as corn, and transforming those inputs into a finished product—for example, Frosted Flakes. This process is known as ___

manufacturing

Another word for inventory control is _____ because inventory refers to physical goods, which may be used as inputs that are transformed into outputs or finished goods. materials control the just in time method purchasing management packaging management

materials control

another word for inventory control is _____ because inventory refers to physical goods, which may be used as inputs that are transformed into outputs or finished goods. packaging management materials control the just in time method purchasing management

materials control

In manufacturing, a firm implementing a differentiation strategy must: emphasize the reduction of costs. meet specific customer needs. avoid keeping inventory on hand. avoid costly customization of products.

meet specific customer needs.

Which manager is responsible for setting goals like this: Tactical goals

middle managers

is this a programmed or nonprogrammed decision? Univision Communications Inc., a Spanish-language entertainment giant, hired Randy Falco as its executive vice president and chief operating officer. The decision executives at Univision made about whom to pick for this position is a:

nonprogrammed

is this a programmed or nonprogrammed decision? Your company typically increases each department's budget by a certain percentage over the prior year's budget. However, this year managers were asked to consider whether each budget item is still necessary and whether new budget items are needed to meet the department's needs. As a result, this year's budget process is a:

nonprogrammed

type of plan which would be developed in order to achieve it: We seek to improve efficiency by implementing a new computerized payment system.

operational

set by middle- lower managers, short range time frame, specific and concrete scope

operational plans

When Hewlett Packard buys electronic components and assembles them into computers, the activities that guide this process are known as

operations management

When referring to a SWOT analysis, the letter O stands for ______ , and it refers to factors that are _______ to the organization.

opportunities; external

Leroy is head of supply chain management for Scott's, a producer of lawn chemicals that help prevent weeds and grow healthy grass. When he procures the materials needed to produce Scott's products, he is engaged in ______ .

purchasing management

Leroy is head of supply chain management for Scott's, a producer of lawn chemicals that help prevent weeds and grow healthy grass. When he procures the materials needed to produce Scott's products, he is engaged in

purchasing management .

A friend asked if you would like to open a deli near your school's campus, where there are very few inexpensive places to eat. Although a deli probably would be successful, you declined; even the possibility of losing money made you too nervous due to your low

risk propensity .

location efficiencies

seeking lower input cost locations

select the dimension of quality that this service value addresses: I own and immediately resolve guest problems.

serviceability

A program plan is an example of a

single-use plan

a policy is an example of a

standing plan

Imagine that your friend, Eve, applied to attend universities only located in New York, which means she will encounter cold weather and snow in the winter. Assuming she is accepted at those schools, Eve will choose a school with a ________ regarding the weather she can expect.

state of certainty

A ____ __ ____ is when the availability of each alternative and its potential payoffs and costs are all associated with probability estimates.

state of risk

type of plan which would be developed in order to achieve it: We seek to expand by opening 150 new restaurant locations in the next 10 years.

strategic

set by board of directors, long range time line, general scope

strategic plans

Sam owns a small cafe that faces competition from a new restaurant across the street. Sam may want to perform a SWOT analysis to inform his _______

strategy formulation .

type of plan which would be developed in order to achieve it: We seek to provide a 14% or greater annualized return of investment for our shareholders.

tactical

set by upper middle management, intermediate time frame, somewhat specific scope

tactical plans

groupthink

the group's desire for consensus and cohesiveness overwhelms its desires to reach the best possible decision

satisficing

the tendency to search for alternatives only until one is found that meets some minimum standard of sufficiency to resolve the problem

Contingency plans aren't needed when

things go as expected .

Which manager is responsible for setting goals like this: Strategic goals

top manager

home replication

utilizing a core competency or a firm specific advantage developed at home as a man competitive weapon in foreign markets

global strategy for international business

viewing the world as a single marketplace and having as a primary goal the creation of standardized goods and services that will address the needs of customers worldwide. believe that one thing will work everywhere, and view the world as one.