Chapter 1 - Managing and the Manager’s Job

Which type of manager would be responsible for supervising and coordinating the activities of operating employees?

First-line manager - First-line managers supervise and coordinate the activities of operating employees. Positions like these are often the first held by employees who enter management from the ranks of operating personnel.

What is a characteristic of the art (rather than the science) of management?

Intuition - Even though managers may try to be scientific as often as possible, they must frequently make decisions and solve problems on the basis of intuition, experience, instinct, and personal insights. These are all part of the art of management.

Ugar is a manager who likes change. When people become complacent, he tries to shake things up to reenergize them. How does Ugar likely see change management?

As an opportunity - An organization that fails to monitor its environment and to change to keep pace with that environment is doomed to failure. But more and more managers are seeing change as an opportunity, not a cause for alarm. Indeed, some managers think that if things get too calm in an organization and people start to become complacent, they should shake things up to get everyone energized.

Which skills are particularly important in the art of management?

Communication - Even though managers may try to be scientific as often as possible, they must frequently make decisions and solve problems on the basis of intuition, experience, instinct, and personal insights. Relying heavily on conceptual, communication, interpersonal, and time-management skills, for example, a manager may have to decide among multiple courses of action that look equally attractive.

Which type of management skills refer to the manager's ability to correctly recognize and define problems and opportunities?

Decision-making - Effective managers also have good decision-making skills. Decision-making skills refer to the manager's ability to correctly recognize and define problems and opportunities and to then select an appropriate course of action to solve problems and capitalize on opportunities.

What is the term that describes differences among people?

Diversity - The term diversity refers to differences among people. Diversity may be reflected along numerous dimensions, but most managers tend to focus on age, gender, ethnicity, and physical abilities and disabilities.

What do successful executives understand about the art and the science of management?

Effective management is a blend of both - Effective management is a blend of both science and art. And successful executives recognize the importance of combining both the science and the art of management as they practice their craft.

Ira is a manager at a textile company. He and his staff are focused on accounting, cash management, and investment activities. In which area of the company does Ira work?

Finance - Financial managers deal primarily with an organization's financial resources. They are responsible for activities such as accounting, cash management, and investments. In some businesses, especially banking and insurance, financial managers are found in large numbers.

Teresita has several open positions at her firm. What could Teresita's firm offer Millennial candidates to attract them to her firm?

Flexibility in work arrangements - Generation X, Generation Y, Generation Z, and Millennials, as these groups are called, tend to be less devoted to long-term career prospects and less willing to adapt to a corporate mindset that stresses conformity and uniformity. Instead, they often seek work in smaller, more entrepreneurial firms that allow flexibility and individuality.

Which type of manager is responsible for hiring and developing employees?

Human resource - Human resource managers are responsible for hiring and developing employees. They are typically involved in human resource planning, recruiting and selecting employees, training and development, designing compensation and benefit systems, formulating performance appraisal systems, and discharging low-performing and problem employees.

Aisha works closely with suppliers and customers that do business with her organization. Which type of skills would be especially important for Aisha in her interactions with them?

Interpersonal-As a manager climbs the organizational ladder, he or she must be able to get along with subordinates, peers, and those at higher levels of the organization. Because of the multitude of roles that managers must fulfill, a manager must also be able to work with suppliers, customers, investors, and others outside the organization.

Who among the following is an example of a yuppie?

Jose, who graduated in 1986 and now works in a multinational company - During the 1980s, those entering the workforce came to be called yuppies, slang for "young urban professionals." These individuals were highly motivated by career prospects, sought employment with big corporations, and often were willing to make work their highest priority.

What is often considered to be the most important and most challenging of all management activities?

Leading - Some people consider leading to be both the most important and the most challenging of all managerial activities. Leading is the set of processes used to get members of the organization to work together to further the interests of the organization.

Which field of management typically works with clients and consumers in areas such as new product development, promotion, and distribution?

Marketing - Marketing managers work in areas related to the marketing function—getting consumers and clients to buy the organization's products or services. These areas include new-product development, promotion, and distribution.

Concrete Constructions, a construction company, wants a suitable site to establish a new residential complex. Site selection is the responsibility of which type of manager of Concrete Constructions?

Operations - Site selection is the responsibility of the operations manager of Concrete Constructions. Typical responsibilities of operations managers include production control, inventory control, quality control, plant layout, and site selection.

When considering the basic management functions, decision making is part of which process?

Planning - Decision making, a part of the planning process, involves selecting a course of action from a set of alternatives. Planning and decision making help managers maintain their effectiveness by serving as guides for their future activities.

Dajhia is currently a first-line manager, and she wants to move up into middle management. What job title should she look for when looking at her company's internal job postings?

Plant manager - Common middle-management titles include plant manager, operations manager, and division head.

Ramkumar is the head of human resources at a large firm. For the past few years, his firm has had a difficult time hiring and retaining employees. What can Ramkumar do to better attract and retain today's workers?

Provide new and different incentives - The basic purpose of management is to ensure that an organization's goals are achieved in an efficient and effective manner. Efficient means using resources wisely and in a cost-effective way.

Aviva is a mid-level manager and is attending continuing education classes on the weekends. Even though she is already a manager, what is the advantage of Aviva continuing her education?

She can become familiar with current research - The primary advantage of education as a source of management skills is that, as a student, a person can follow a well-developed program of study, becoming familiar with current research and thinking on management.

Which type of management skills are necessary to accomplish or understand the specific kind of work done in an organization?

Technical - Technical skills are necessary to accomplish or understand the specific kind of work done in an organization. Technical skills are especially important for first-line managers. These managers spend much of their time training subordinates and answering questions about work-related problems.

Which of the following is true of first-line managers?

They oversee the day-to-day operations of their team. First-line managers oversee the day-to-day operations of their respective stores, hire operating employees to staff them, and handle other routine administrative duties required of them by the parent corporation. They supervise and coordinate the activities of operating employees.

Which skill is part of the art of management?

Time-management - Even though managers may try to be scientific as often as possible, they must also frequently make decisions and solve problems on the basis of intuition, experience, instinct, and personal insights. Relying heavily on conceptual, communication, interpersonal, and time-management skills, for example, a manager may have to decide among multiple courses of action that look equally attractive.

Nour's responsibilities include creating organizational goals and overall strategy for the organization. In terms of her level in the organization, which type of manager is Nour?

Top manager - Top managers make up the relatively small group of executives who manage the overall organization. Top managers create the organization's goals, overall strategy, and operating policies.

Management can best be defined as _____.

achieving organizational goals in an efficient and effective manner - An organization is a group of people working together in a structured and coordinated fashion to achieve a set of goals. Management can be defined as a set of activities (including planning and decision making, organizing, leading, and controlling) directed at an organization's resources (human, financial, physical, and information) with the aim of achieving organizational goals in an efficient and effective manner.

Cora is an operations manager for a privately owned Midwestern trucking company. She spends the first day of each month reviewing the previous month's productivity levels and compares that information against monthly goals. This basic management function is known as _____.

controlling-The final phase of the management process is controlling, or monitoring the organization's progress toward its goals. As the organization moves toward its goals, managers must monitor progress to ensure that it is performing in such a way as to arrive at its "destination" at the appointed time.

When the right decisions are made and implemented, the management process is considered to be _____.

effective - A management process is considered to be effective when the right decisions are made and implemented.

An individual who gets along well with others at all levels in the organization is said to have good _____.

interpersonal skills - Interpersonal skills include the ability to communicate with, understand, and motivate both individuals and groups.

Apoorva is known to take a very scientific approach to management. When making a decision, she seems to be _____.

logical - The science of management approaches problems and issues in ways that are rational, logical, objective, and systematic. Managers can gather data, facts, and objective information.

The managerial function of controlling involves _____.

monitoring an organization's progress toward its goals - Controlling involves monitoring an organization's progress toward its goals. As the organization moves toward its goals, managers must monitor progress to ensure that it is performing in such a way as to arrive at its "destination" at the appointed time.

Rene is a manager at a mid-size hospital. She has basic familiarity with all functional areas necessary to manage the hospital. Which type of manager is she?

Administrative - Administrative managers tend to be generalists; they have some basic familiarity with all functional areas of management rather than specialized training in any one area.

Zereth's company has been trying to create a more diverse workforce and is succeeding. What is the likely outcome of a more diverse workforce?

Enhanced effectiveness - Workforce diversity enhances the effectiveness of most organizations, but it also provides special challenges for managers.

As a middle manager, what might Yui's job entail?

Implementing policies and plans - Middle managers are primarily responsible for implementing the policies and plans developed by top managers and for supervising and coordinating the activities of lower-level managers.

Which of the following describes any person whose primary responsibility is to carry out the management process?

Manager - A manager is someone whose primary responsibility is to carry out the management process. In particular, a manager is someone who plans and makes decisions, organizes, leads, and controls human, financial, physical, and information resources.

Julius just got promoted and now has the title of division head. In terms of his level in the organization, which type of manager is Julius?

Middle manager - Common middle-management titles include plant manager, operations manager, and division head. Middle managers are primarily responsible for implementing the policies and plans developed by top managers and for supervising and coordinating the activities of lower-level managers.

Many managers are facing an increased work pace, less time to think through a decision, and more information to process. This can all be tied to which contemporary management challenge?

New technology - Innovations in technology have increased the work pace for managers, cut into their time for thoughtful contemplation of decisions, and increased the amount of information they must process.

Aicha, the coach of a women's basketball team, prepares the team's playing strategy for an upcoming basketball tournament. The strategy devised will be successful only if the players are allocated appropriate positions in the team according to their strengths. In this scenario, which of the following managerial functions must Aicha perform to allocate playing positions to the players?

Organizing - Aicha must perform the managerial function of organizing to allocate playing positions to the players. Specifically, organizing involves determining how activities and resources are to be grouped.

Which of the following brought renewed focus on diversity and increased sensitivity to diversity?

Social unrest - The social unrest that swept the United States in 2020 brought with it a renewed focus on diversity and the need for increased sensitivity to various race-related issues.

Lupita's company is slowly recovering from the most recent economic recession. While the recession forced her firm to make tough decisions, it also enabled her to reframe her company. What might Lupita have done during the recession that will make the company stronger in the long run?

Streamline operating procedures - Some managers use periods of recession as a framework for reducing their costs, streamlining their operating systems and procedures, and fine-tuning their business strategies. As the economy slowly begins to rebound, firms can be well positioned for new growth and begin hiring new employees.

Which of the following is least likely to be the goal of a not-for-profit organization?

Tangible goals - Intangible goals such as education, social services, public protection, and recreation are often the primary aim of not-for-profit organizations.

Which of the following acts emphasized the importance of providing equal employment opportunities for people with various impairments?

The Americans with Disabilities Act - The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act brought to the forefront the importance of providing equal employment opportunities for people with various disabilities. As a result, organizations are attracting qualified employees from groups that they may have once ignored.

Which of the following is an advantage of hiring retirees in an organization?

The organization gets the expertise of skilled workers. Some organizations have found retirees to be excellent part-time and temporary employees. By hiring retirees, an organization gets the expertise of skilled workers, and the individuals get extra income and an opportunity to continue to use their skills.

During her recent annual performance review, Arayla was highly rated on her ability to prioritize work, to work efficiently, and to delegate work appropriately. Which management skills does Arayla use to accomplish these things?

Time-management - Time management skills refer to the manager's ability to prioritize work, to work efficiently, and to delegate work appropriately. Managers face many different pressures and challenges. It is too easy for a manager to get bogged down doing work that can easily be postponed or delegated to others. When this happens, unfortunately, more pressing and higher-priority work may get neglected.

Woojin often meets with government officials and executives of other organizations to shape policy and industry standards. In which level of management is Woojin?

Top manager - Top managers make up the relatively small group of executives who manage the overall organization. Titles found in this group include president, vice president (VP), and chief executive officer (CEO). Top managers create the organization's goals, overall strategy, and operating policies. They also officially represent the organization to the external environment by meeting with government officials, executives of other organizations, and so forth.

Manoj is very good at transmitting ideas to others, coordinating work with peers and colleagues, and keeping higher-level managers informed. In other words, Manoj excels at which type of skills?

Communication - Communication skills refer to the manager's abilities to both effectively convey ideas and information to others and effectively receive ideas and information from others. These skills enable a manager to transmit ideas to subordinates so that they know what is expected, to coordinate work with peers and colleagues so that they work well together, and to keep higher-level managers informed about what is going on.

Nila applied for a management position in her organization, but she did not get it. She was told she had not yet demonstrated the ability to think in the abstract and did not seem to grasp how all the parts of the organization fit together. Which type of management skill does Nila need to work on?

Conceptual - Conceptual skills depend on the manager's ability to think in the abstract. Managers need the mental capacity to understand the overall workings of the organization and its environment, to grasp how all the parts of the organization fit together, and to view the organization in a holistic manner. This ability allows them to think strategically.

Kayla is a high-potential worker. However, she is lazy and does not complete her assignments on time. In order to improve Kayla's work output, her boss must monitor her progress on given assignments. In this scenario, Kayla's boss will be performing the managerial function of _____.

Controlling - In this scenario, Kayla's boss will be performing the managerial function of controlling. Her boss will be monitoring her progress on given assignments. The managerial function of controlling involves monitoring an organization's progress toward its goals.

Bhavik is a new employee, considered to be part of Generation Y. What is he most likely to be attracted to when looking for a job?

Flexibility - Generation X, Generation Y, Generation Z, and Millennials often seek work in smaller, more entrepreneurial firms that allow flexibility and individuality. They also place a premium on lifestyle preferences, often putting location high on their list of priorities when selecting an employer.

Which of the following is a benefit of planning?

It helps managers know how to allocate their time and resources. An organization's goals and plans clearly help managers know how to allocate their time and resources. In its simplest form, planning means setting an organization's goals and deciding how best to achieve them.

Which of the following is true about the nature of managerial work?

It is full of uncertainty and change - Managerial work does not follow an orderly, systematic progression through the workweek. Indeed, the manager's job is fraught with uncertainty, change, interruption, and fragmented activities.

Which type of managers are concerned with creating and managing the systems that create an organization's products and services?

Operations - Operations managers are concerned with creating and managing the systems that create an organization's products and services. Typical responsibilities of operations managers include production control, inventory control, quality control, plant layout, and site selection.

Neil's department was recently assigned a new project. His next task on the project is to determine how his people and other resources will be allocated to the project. At this point, which managerial function is Neil tackling?

Organizing - Once a manager has set goals and developed a workable plan, his or her next management function is to organize people and the other resources necessary to carry out the plan. Specifically, organizing involves determining how activities and resources are to be grouped.

Selecting the course of action that would most likely lead to success would be included in which management function?

Planning - In its simplest form, planning means setting an organization's goals and deciding how best to achieve them. Decision making, a part of the planning process, involves selecting a course of action from a set of alternatives. Planning and decision making help managers maintain their effectiveness by serving as guides for their future activities.

Raphael works for a not-for-profit organization that provides vaccines for low-income families free of charge. This group is funded by government support through tax dollars. Which scope of management does this government organization fall under?

Public administration - The management of government organizations and agencies is often regarded as a separate specialty: public administration. Tax dollars support government organizations, so politicians and citizens' groups are acutely sensitive to the need for efficiency and effectiveness.

Which approach to management is typically used for routine and straightforward issues?

Scientific - Managers can use quantitative models and decision-making techniques to arrive at "correct" decisions. And they need to take such a scientific approach to solving problems whenever possible, especially when they are dealing with relatively routine and straightforward issues.

As a first-line manager, Payal spends a lot of time training her employees and answering questions about work-related problems. Which type of fundamental skill does Payal use to do this?

Technical - Technical skills are especially important for first-line managers. These managers spend much of their time training their subordinates and answering questions about work-related problems. If they are to be effective managers, they must know how to perform the tasks assigned to those they supervise.

Why is planning and decision making important to managers in an organization?

To determine how to allocate resources - Planning and decision making help managers maintain their effectiveness by serving as guides for their future activities. In other words, the organization's goals and plans clearly help managers know how to allocate their time and resources.

Avec's company requires all new managers to work in a variety of jobs before being promoted into mid-manager positions. What is the advantage of this type of job rotation?

To have the ability to learn through experience - These people are systematically assigned to a variety of jobs. Over time, the person is exposed to most, if not all, of the major aspects of the organization. In this way the manager learns by experience.

What is meant when we say managers must be efficient?

Using resources wisely and cost-effectively - The basic purpose of management is to ensure that an organization's goals are achieved in an efficient and effective manner. Efficient means using resources wisely and in a cost-effective way.

Neil's department has come in behind schedule on its last three projects. He determined that initial specifications did not always match up with the actual demands of the project, meaning that department resources were not properly allocated and schedules could not be met. Neil introduced a project start-up procedure that would gather more information in order to verify the accuracy of the specifications before the schedule was written and the resources allocated. This scenario illustrates Neil's _____.

diagnostic skills - This scenario illustrates Neil's diagnostic skills. Successful managers also possess diagnostic skills—skills that enable them to visualize the most appropriate response to a situation