Ch 8 Pre-Reading
True or false: Networking uses technology, such as a company intranet, to link organizations and their suppliers to allow them to work together for a common goal.
True
A firm's success depends on a manager's ability to:
assign tasks based on a worker's strengths
Comparing an organization's practices, processes, and products against the world's best is called:
benchmarking
A _____organization structure maintains the decision-making authority at the top level of management.
centralized
An organization structure in which decision-making authority is maintained at the top level of management is called a(n) ______ organization.
centralized
Job specialization involves:
dividing tasks into smaller jobs
Once the department manager determines the work that needs to be done, the next step is dividing the tasks among department employees. This step is known as:
division of labor
The current trend in organizations is to ____ the span of control.
expand
An advantage of a ______ organization structure is that lower level employees have authority to respond more quickly to customer needs.
flat
Remaining ______ is the key to an organization's success in changing times.
flexible
For departments to operate effectively, they must be allocated sufficient resources such as:
funds personnel equipment
Using communications technology to link organizations and allow them to work together on common objectives is called:
networking
Which is a true statement about the principles of organization?
regardless of the business size the principles are similar.
For a department to operate effectively, the organization must allocate it sufficient _______ such as funds and personnel.
resources
Important decisions to be made while designing an organization include:
span of control departmentalization degree of centralization
Centralized authority occurs when decision making is done:
at the top level of management
The rapidly evolving business environment requires the management of _______ in the organization to respond to it.
change
An important reason why companies ________ authority is to be more responsive to customer needs.
decentralize
The process of setting up individual departments to do specialized work is:
departmentalization
A self-managed team:
is empowered to make decisions without management approval
Dividing tasks into smaller jobs is called:
job specialization
In a ______ organization, project managers are in charge of teams made up of members from several departments.
matrix
Which of the following would be the result of a departmentalization process?
-The creation of a group of specialists to process the human resources functions of the business -The creation of a group including only accountants to process financial transactions
True or false: The key to success for companies in a capitalist economy is to remain inflexible during times of change.
False
______ organization structures respond to customer demands faster because its lower-level employees have authority and responsibility for making decisions.
Flat
If an organization temporarily borrows its specialists from different functional areas to accomplish a common project, it is implementing what type of organization?
Matrix organization
During the most recent economic crisis, Macy's department store switched to a decentralized structure by giving local managers more authority to buy, price, and promote merchandise. Why would they take such measures?
To merchandise appropriately for each area.
True or false: Many jobs can be done quickly and well when each person specializes.
True
An important decision to be made while designing a responsive organization is about the size of the span of ______
control
Those functions that the organization can do as well as or better than any other organization in the world are called its:
core competencies
Because Nike is superior at designing and marketing athletic shoes, this is considered to be their:
core competency
Once managers determine what work needs to be done, they then need to divide up the tasks among workers. This is called ____ of _____
division labor
When a house painting company divides workers into those who prepare the surface, those who paint the trim, and those who paint the walls, it is an example of:
division of labor
As organizations adopt empowerment, reduce the number of middle managers, and hire more talented and better educated lower-level employees the trend today is to ______ the span of control.
expand
Four ways to structure an organization include line,____ and _____, matrix, and cross-functional teams.
line staff
Four organizational designs include: line, line and staff, ______, and cross-functional teams.
matrix
When designing responsive organizations, what decisions do firms have to make? a. Choose between tall or flat structures b. Decide between centralization versus decentralization c. Monitoring the environment d. Decide the span of control
a. Choose between tall or flat structures b. Decide between centralization versus decentralization d. Decide the span of control
The result of the increase in the rate of change in the business environment from causes such as natural disasters and global competition has been that companies must: a. change more quickly than ever before b. adapt to new technologies c.retain traditional organization structures d. defend their traditions and old ways of doing business
a. change more quickly than ever before b. adapt to new technologies
Regardless of the size of the organization, the principles of organizing include: a. deciding what work needs to be done b. knowing that change in the environment doesn't affect internal structures c. a hierarchy of authority d. dividing up the tasks to be done
a. deciding what work needs to be done c. a hierarchy of authority d. dividing up the tasks to be done
You and a friend start a snow cone stand. On your first day you realize that there are really two tasks involved: cashier and snow cone maker. If you each focus on one of the two jobs, this is known as: a. division of labor b. multi-tasking c. a matrix organization d. benchmarking
a. division of labor