MGMT 339
What are the three skills identified by Katz as important for successful management performance?
Technical, human, and conceptual
The _______________ holds that before managers initiate any action, they should clearly determine, understand, and state organizational objectives.
principle of the objective
Which term is used to describe any factor within an organization that is a barrier to organizational goal attainment?
problem
A plan that outlines a series of related actions that must be taken to accomplish a particular task is called a ________.
procedure
Regardless of how departments and functions are individually managed, they are always linked together through
processes
_______ are the fundamental activities that organizations use to do work and achieve their goals.
processes
According to the contemporary view of management skills, which set of activities is focused on modifying organizational components such as monitoring the organization's external environment?
production-related activities
_______ standards address how much different segments of an organization should produce.
productivity
Roberta has created a plan to create a new office space for her organization. This is the planning type of ________.
program
Which term describes a single-use plan designed to carry out a special project within an organization?
program
The __________ is a scheduling tool that emphasizes the interrelationship of tasks and shows both the estimates of time necessary to complete each activity and the sequence of activities that must be followed to complete a project.
program evaluation and review technique
Alex is engaging in planning for his company so that the company has less risk and uncertainty. Which organizational planning purpose type does this fit?
protective
The organizational structure that simplifies the lines of authority and is particularly effective for large projects is
pure project
Green Lawn Inc., a lawn care company, has been working on a plan to more efficiently mow customer lawns. The company has a chosen plan and is now implementing it. This is an example of which step in the planning process?
putting plan into action
Which of the following is the final step in the planning process?
putting the plans into action
The primary factors that govern the value of information within an organization include information appropriateness, timeliness, quantity, and _______________.
quality
In an environment where the planned activities have been accomplished previously, there are several ways of getting time estimates. Which of the following is the least useful?
random number generator
In the "facilitator" role, the project manager must
resolve conflicts between departments to ensure that the project has appropriate resources.
A standing plan that indicates what an organizational member should or should not do and allows no room for interpretation is known as a(n) ________.
rule
A ________ is a plan that designates specific required action.
rule
A sales forecasting technique that predicts future sales by analyzing the opinions of salespeople as a group is known as the _________________.
salesforce estimation method
Cellular Solutions is a company that sells smart phones to consumers. The smart phone as a product is in a market where most people who want the product have it and people only buy a new one due to their old one wearing out. In the product life cycle, the stage that best fits this situation is ________.
saturation
Path
The sequence of activities between a project's start and finish.
Which of the following scenarios illustrates an order winner?
Ken had always been fascinated by shiny objects, so he plucked the chrome-plated thermos from the shelf and raced to the nearest checkout line.
Cost to Crash per period
(crash cost - normal cost) / (normal time - crash time)
To increase personal power in an organization, a manager should focus on developing all of the following attitudes or beliefs in other organization members
A. A sense of identification with the manager B. The perception that they depend on the manager C. A sense of obligation toward the manager D. A belief that the manager is an expert in the organization
Which of the following events from the twentieth century defines the history of operations and supply chain management?
A. Alfred Sloan's introduction of strategic planning for achieving product proliferation and variety. B. The invention of the assembly line for the Model T car by Henry Ford. C. The Toyota Production System for removing wasteful activities from an organization.
Which management action would likely encourage the advancement of women in an organization?
A. Encouraging women to take the initiative in obtaining management positions B. Making sure that women know the top three strategic goals for the company C. Teaching women how to better manage their time D. Having career discussions with women who have management potential
Which of the following statements is generally true for manufacturing processes when volumes are high and process divergence is low?
A. Flexibility is not needed to utilize resources effectively. B. Line flow is possible. C. Less discretion is allowed in order to avoid the unpredictable demands required by customized orders.
the four primary factors that determine the value of information?
A. Information appropriateness B. Information quantity C. Information timeliness D. Information quality
Which of the following are the key areas in which Drucker advised managers to set management system objectives?
A. Market standing B. Public responsibility D. Productivity E. Worker performance and attitude
Which of the following are statements regarding the advantages of planning?
A. Planning emphasizes organizational objectives. C. A planning program enhances decision coordination. D. Planning allows managers to be future-oriented. E. Planning adds to the creation of new ventures.
Which of the following are steps in the planning process?
A. Stating organizational objectives B. Developing premises on which to base each alternative D. Putting the plans into action E. Listing alternative ways of reaching objectives
Order Qualifiers
Minimum level required from a set of criteria for a firm to do business in a particular market segment.
maximum crash time
Normal time - crash time
Which term describes what an organization exists to do, given a particular group of customers and customer needs?
Organizational purpose
Yuan is currently looking for information on the recent productivity of his work group. Which management function is he involved with?
controlling
A ________ process is a set of activities that delivers value to external customers.
core
Which of the following refers to the managerial activity aimed at getting organizational performance up to the level of performance standards?
corrective action
Gerrard is currently determining the cost to make a product. He will then present a report on what he finds. This best fits the controller function of _______.
cost accounting
Projects have a life cycle that consists of all of the following major phases except:
crashing
Some important metrics to consider for a financial advising firm might include
customer satisfaction
A systematic approach to process analysis would include the following step:
define scope
Which of these comes from a manager's relationship with subordinates?
personal power
The function that precedes and forms the basis for other management functions is ________.
planning
The process of determining how an organization can get where it wants to go, and what it will do to accomplish its objectives is known as _________.
planning
Which term refers to the process of determining how an organization can get where it wants to go, and what it will do to accomplish its objectives?
planning
Which two management functions have been called the "Siamese twins of management" because they are so closely linked?
planning and controlling
A ________ is a standing plan that furnishes broad guidelines for taking action consistent with reaching organizational objectives.
policy
A _________ is a plan that furnishes broad guidelines for taking action consistent with reaching organizational objectives.
policy
cost to crash per period equation
(CC-NC)/(NT-CT)
Which of the following outcomes are a direct results of market analysis?
- Corporate responses to changes in the business environment - Identification of customer needs - Assessment of competitors' strengths
Management by Objectives (M B O) advantages
- Emphasize what should be done in an organization to achieve organizational goals - Secures employee commitment to attaining organizational goals
There are four major phases in a project life cycle.
- Initiation - Planning - Execution - Close out
Project Costs
- Normal time (N T) is the time necessary to complete an activity under normal conditions. - Normal cost (N C) is the activity cost associated with the normal time. - Crash time (C T) is the shortest possible time to complete an activity. - Crash cost (C C) is the activity cost associated with the crash time.
Making Control Successful
- Specific Organizational Activities Being Focused on - Different Kinds of Organizational Goals - Timely Corrective Action - Communication of Mechanics of Control Process
Power
- The extent to which an individual is able to influence others so they respond to orders - The greater the ability to influence, the more power the individual is said to have
Management by Objectives (M B O) disadvantages
- Time-consuming- Increased paperwork
A high-volume manufacturing process typically means all of the following:
- a line, or continuous, process. - greater capital intensity. - less resource flexibility.
three steps of controlling process
- measuring performance - comparing measured performance to standards - taking corrective action.
A high customer-contact service process typically indicates all of the following:
- more resource flexibility - a front-office process structure. - diverse work flows.
Which of these activities are major component of the initial phase of planning and managing projects?
-Selecting the organizational structure -Selecting the project manager and team - Defining the scope and objectives
Estimating Activity Times
-Statistical methods -Learning curve models -Managerial opinions
What are the stage in the product life cycle?
-introduction -growth -saturation -decline
Guidelines for Establishing Quality Objectives
1. Let people have a voice 2. State objectives specifically 3. Relate objectives to specific actions 4. Pinpoint expected results 5. Set goals high enough, but not too high 6. Specify when goals are to be achieved 7. Set objectives in relation to other objectives 8. State objectives clearly and simply
Controlling Process
1. Measuring performance 2. Comparing measured performance to standards 3. Taking corrective action
A manager who performs personal favors for other employees is likely attempting to develop which of the following attitudes among other organizational members?
A sense of obligation toward the manager
Network Diagram
A visual display designed to depict the relationships between activities, that consist of nodes (circles) and arcs (arrows)- Program Evaluation and Review Technique (P E R T)- Critical Path Method (C P M)
The methods of project management offer several benefits to project managers. Which of the following is among them?
A. highlights the activities that may be delayed without affecting project completion dates Your answer is not correct. B. forces project teams to identify and organize the data required C. helps managers analyze the time and cost implications of resource trade-offs
Which of the following are network planning method developed in the 1950s?
A. the critical path method (CPM) B. the program evaluation and review technique (PERT)
A good brainstorming session has the following characteristic:
Ability to think of creative ideas, no matter how far fetched
Earliest finish time (E F)
An activity's earliest start time plus its estimated duration (t) of E F = E S + t
Process Charts
An organized way of documenting all the activities performed by a person or group, at a workstation, with a customer, or working with certain materials
There are six steps in the planning process. What is step 4?
Choosing the best alternative for reaching objectives
Personal Power
Derived from manager's relationship with others
Positional Power
Derived from the organizational position manager holds
Which of the following considerations is involved in developing a corporate strategy?
Developing a staffing plan for the upcoming production period
Which is the best statement regarding work breakdown structure?
Each activity in the WBS must have an "owner" who is responsible for doing the work.
Which of the following is FALSE regarding factors necessary for a successful MBO program?
Given that MBO is at the employee level, top management does not have to be as committed to the MBO program as employees do in order for the program to be successful.
information appropriateness
How relevant information is to the decision-making situation
Data Contamination
Inaccurate data gathering that makes the data less representative of reality
Sarah is planning a department expansion and is meeting with her staff to discuss the most effective ways to handle the change. This is an example of which step in the planning process?
Listing alternative ways of reaching objectives
Which of the following is the second step in the planning process?
Listing alternative ways of reaching objectives
A major supplier to an auto manufacturer would most likely adopt which production and inventory strategy?
Make-to-stock strategy
total power
Manager's power is a combination of two kinds of power
Which statement best summarizes how managers influence organizations?
Managers influence all phases of the modern organization
Which term refers to a target toward which an open management system is directed?
Organizational objective
Juanita is the manager for a group of workers that create cars in a factory setting. This means Juanita is best defined as what kind of manager?
Plant manager
Which managerial activity is LEAST relevant to the success and effectiveness of the control process?
Regulating control systems to minimize their impact on organization standards
Which of the following is the first step in the MBO process?
Review organizational objectives
Which of the following is the first step in evaluating the quality of organizational information?
Selecting the data to be analyzed and then determining the value of the information
Which of the following is the first step in the planning process?
Stating organizational objectives
MBO process
Step 1: Review organizational objectives Step 2: Set worker objectives Step 3: Monitor progress Your answer is correct. Step 4: Evaluate performance Step 5: Give rewards
Julie is the manager of Terrance and they have engaged in the Management by Objectives process. Julie is currently checking on Terrance's work and how well he is reaching his objective. This corresponds to what step in the MBO Process?
Step 3: Monitor progress
Which of the following is a characteristic of most MBO programs?
The MBO process secures employee commitment to attaining organizational goals.
information quantity
The amount of decision-related information that managers possess
Mindy works hard to maintain information security by regularly checking on the risks to information the company has and the company information systems. This best fits the Generally Accepted System Security Principles (GASSP) concept of _______.
The assessment principle
Which of the following statements about a high customer contact front-office service process is true?
The customer (internal or external) is present, actively involved, and receives personal attention.
Information Quality
The degree to which information represents reality
Earliest start time (E S)
The earliest finish time of the immediately preceding activity.
Which principle of the Generally Accepted System Security Principles (GASSP) is characterized by respecting the rights of all organizational members when creating policies regarding security measures?
The equity principle
Information Timeliness
The extent to which the receipt of the information allows decisions to be made and actions to be taken
Latest start time (L S)
The latest finish time minus its estimated duration (t) of L S = L F − t
Latest finish time (L F)
The latest start time of the activity that immediately follows.
Activity Slack
The maximum length of time that an activity can be delayed without delaying the entire projectS = L S − E S or S = L F − E F
Managers can use specific guidelines to increase the quality of their objectives. One of the guidelines is to state objectives as specifically as possible. Why might this be important?
When objectives are too general, the productivity of individuals attempting to reach those objectives tends to fluctuate significantly over time
Personnel managers provide organizations with which of the following?
a competent workforce
Order Winners
a criterion customers use to differentiate the services or products of one firm from those of another
A back office service structure is most similar to
a line process
Precedence relationship
a relationship that determines a sequence for undertaking activities; it specifies that one activity cannot start until a preceding activity has been completed
According to C.W. Roney, which purpose of planning is to increase the degree of organizational success?
affirmative
An example of a plant within a plant (PWP) is
an emergency department at a large municipal hospital.
A network of applications established within an organization to give managers information that will assist with decision making is known as __________.
an information system
Core competencies reflect the collective learning of the organization. Core competencies include
a well-trained, flexible workforce
Which of the following is NOT one of seven mistakes to avoid when managing processes?
being satisfied even when fundamental "reengineering" changes are not made
Letting a group of people knowledgeable about the process propose ideas for change is an example of
brainstorming
The finance function influences operating decisions about
capacity expansion
Which type of organizational resource is described as machines used during the manufacturing process?
capital
_______ resources are machines used during the manufacturing process.
capital
Which term refers to a sequence of work-related positions occupied by a person over the course of a lifetime?
career
_______ activities are management efforts aimed at modifying organizational components.
change-related
When managers go out of their way to ensure that employees know exactly what details are required to increase the quality of a controlling subsystem, managers are most likely ____________.
communicating the mechanics of the control process
A manager with _______ skills is able to understand how various functions of the organization complement one another, how the organization relates to its environment, and how changes in one part of the organization affect the rest of the organization.
conceptual
Susan is a manager given the task of helping a major organizational change take place. In order to help make the change successful she is looking to build her understanding of how changes in one part of the organization impact the rest of the organization. In the management skill types offered by Katz, Susan is building her ____ skills.
conceptual
A credit card-processing firm would be likely to list the following competitive priorities for its external customers:
consistent quality
The _______________ management function is focused on collecting data on employee performance and comparing it to previously set standards.
controlling
The closer an organization comes to achieving its goals, the more ________ its managers are considered.
effective
Technological change is proceeding at a rapid rate, but there are many challenges such as
employees may resist technological change if it is not managed well.
Which of GASSP's principles for maintaining information security calls for managers to "respect the rights of all employees when setting policy"?
equity principle
During which career stage do individuals who are about 25 to 45 years old start to become more productive or higher performers?
establishment
Individuals at which career stage are generally about 15 to 25 years old and are involved in some type of formal training, such as college or vocational education?
exploration
Which evolutionary stage of a career occurs at the beginning of a career and is characterized by self-analysis and the exploration of different types of available jobs?
exploration
Only the operations function part of an organization must design and operate processes that are part of a supply chain and deal with quality, technology, and staffing issues.
false
The effective operation of a firm and its supply chain is NOT as important as the design and implementation of its processes.
false
Gymtastic was able to serve large crowds of customers and then adjust operations to serve very few customers thanks to their competitive capability related to
flexibility
The result of a firm's splitting large plants, which produced all the company's products, into several specialized smaller plants is
focused factories
Which term refers to the process of predicting the likelihood of uncertain events or outcomes that will influence the operation of the organization?
forecasting
Which service process structure typically involves work flows with steps that vary from one customer to the next?
front office
There are several types of benchmarking. These include:
functional benchmarking
Which of the following is the final step in the MBO process?
give rewards
Essentially, the role of managers is to ________.
guide organizations toward goal accomplishment
Which of the following conditions is generally associated with a job process?
high resource flexibility
_______ skills build cooperation within the team being led.
human
The six step blueprint for process analysis begins with:
identify opportunity
____________ refers to details about a project or the set of conclusions resulting from data analysis.
information
__________ determines the relevance of information when a manager faces a decision-making situation
information appropriateness
Which of the following is a network of applications created in a firm to give managers information that will assist them in the decision-making process?
information system
A primary enabler of process reengineering is
information technology
Bethany finds that she doesn't get information far enough ahead of time to use it successfully. This situation best shows a lack of _______.
information timeliness
What do all processes have?
inputs and outputs
The _____________ method involves specific managers in an organization gathering to discuss their opinions on what will happen to sales in the future.
jury of executive opinion
A functional organizational structure requires that the project be
led by a project manager who can negotiate assistance from personnel in other functional areas.
What would be the likely process characteristics of the typical college dining hall?
line flows
Selecting the transportation mode (train, ship, truck, airplane, or pipeline) and scheduling both in-bound and outbound shipments is typically accomplished by which supply chain process?
logistics
Steven is currently 52 years old. In his job, Steven has stabilized performance and has little career progress. Steven is most likely in the career evolution stage of: __________.
maintenance
The third stage in career evolution is the _______ stage.
maintenance
Which term refers to the process of reaching organizational goals by working with and through people and other organizational resources?
management
Which term refers to the proportion of total organizational resources that contribute to productivity during the manufacturing process?
managerial efficiency
An electronics company is currently looking at the share of total sales it has compared to competitors. This is an example of a ________standard.
market position
Drucker recommended eight key areas where managers should set system objectives, including setting objectives indicating where the company would like to be vis-à-vis its competitors. This is referred to as ________.
market standing
What is the first step in the controlling process?
measuring performance
Although women and men make up roughly the same proportion of the workforce, __________.
men hold a disproportionate number of higher paying jobs
Which organizational level would be concerned with the allocation of resources to assigned tasks, the establishment of plans to meet operating objectives, and control of operations?
middle managment
What is the third step of the MBO process?
monitoring progress
On which of the following topics should effective project tracking systems collect information?
open issues, risks, and schedule status
The foundation for managing processes and value chains is
operations strategy
The three mainline functions of any business are
operations, marketing, finance
Which core process includes the activities required to produce and deliver the service or product to the external customer?
order fulfillment process
Which management function involves assigning tasks to various individuals or groups within the organization?
organizing
________ includes determining tasks and groupings of work.
organizing
Which of the following are characteristics of service provider operations?
perishable outputs
Which type of power increases as organization members perceive that the manager's level of expertise is significant?
personal
Roderick has a significant amount of power due to his strong personal relationships with his subordinates. This type of power is known as _______.
personal power
The difference between people-processing service and possession-processing services is that
services are provided to the customer who must be present in people-processing; services are provided for the customer who does not need to be present in possession-processing services.
Project Crashing
shortening the duration of the project
If "every process and every person in an organization has customers," then
some customers are external and some are internal
A(n) _______________ is the established level of performance to serve as a model for evaluating an employee's success.
standard
In which step in designing a PERT network does the manager identify the critical path?
step 4
Decisions that tend to focus on the entire organization, cutting across departmental lines, and have long-term consequences are called
strategic
An indicator that an issue or weakness exists is known as a(n) _______.
symptom
_______ skills involve the ability to apply specialized knowledge and expertise to work-related techniques and procedures.
technical
Resource allocation involves
the assignment of resources to the most important activities
Competitive Capabilities
the cost, quality, time, and flexibility dimensions that a process or supply chain actually possesses and is able to deliver
Competitive Priorities
the critical dimensions that a process or supply chain must possess to satisfy its internal or external customers, both now and in the future
Process Strategy
the pattern of decisions made in managing processes so that they will achieve their competitive priorities
critical path
the sequence of activities in a project that is expected to take the longest to complete
Information ___________ refers to the extent to which the receipt of information allows decisions to be made and action to be taken to the benefit of the firm.
timeliness
What is the fifth step necessary to operate an information system (IS) properly?
transmitting information
Each function of an organization has its own identity and yet is connected with operations through shared processes.
true
Management principles are ________.
universal
SSS is a local restaurant serving the needs of college students, faculty, and staff. The manager is considering adding a website so carry-out customers can order in advance more easily. Which process would be a core process in this new undertaking?
web design
Juan is a CEO who has created a new plan for his organization that is targeted to be achieved in 3 years. This timeline makes it what kind of objective?
intermediate-term objective