Principles of Management Test 3 (Ch:8-11)
Which of the following is created through division of labor and job specialization?
differentiation
Because they miss fewer days of work and exhibit lower turnover, in addition to the fact that the company may take advantage of available tax credits, _____ workers represent an unexplored but productive labor market.
disabled
Awareness building and skill building are the two components of ________ training.
diversity
Josephine is a highly successful manager, with a strong ability to adjust, and sometimes even proactively shape, situations as they arise. Josephine is demonstrating
dynamic capabilities.
"We have had success with a diverse workforce," said Patricia James, CEO. "Our employees prefer a diverse workplace, and our
clients prefer to do business with a diverse organization."
As head of her department, Veronica has a written policy regarding office dress codes. This is an example of
formalization
For years, the Atlantic Tool Company maintained all operations—purchasing, marketing, etc.—in its Charlotte, North Carolina, headquarters. However, as a result of sustained growth in the company's market, Atlantic has established facilities in three other cities. Each of these has its own purchasing and marketing departments, and each oversees its respective region of the country. In other words, Atlantic has changed from a ________ structure.
functional to a divisional
When a product or process is defect-free 99.99966 percent of the time, it is said to have met ________ standards.
six sigma
A business leader seeks input from all levels of the company in a(n) ________ organization.
high-involvement
Large-batch technologies are characterized by
higher spans of control.
Which of the following departments within an organization deals with activities such as staffing, training, performance appraisal, and labor relations?
human resources
Considering current understanding of employment-at-will, under which of the following conditions is it legal to terminate someone?
if an employee performs adequately at work
By hiring a diverse workforce, an organization can gain competitive advantage in several ways, one of which is
improving understanding of a differentiated market.
Managers usually opt for downsizing only
in response to some kind of pressure.
Research, legal, accounting, and human resources are examples of ________ departments.
staff
"Are you sure you want to fill those senior positions with new hires and not internal recruiting?" asked Phil Jones, division manager. Ignacio Gomez, frontline manager, replied, "In this case, I want to do external recruiting. My team is stagnant, and outside hires will
inspire innovation."
A business structure in which employees depend more on one another and relate more informally and personally is a(n) ________ organization.
organic
As a result of personal filters and distortions, many of which result from their backgrounds and experiences, group members often ________ colleagues who are different from them, rather than accurately perceiving and evaluating those individuals' contributions, capabilities, aspirations, and motivations.
stereotype
To cope with high uncertainty and heavy information demands in today's environments, managers can either increase the capacity to handle more information or
reduce the need for information.
Employees are a source of competitive advantage when they are
organized.
The three stages in the human resources planning process are ________, programming, and evaluating.
planning
Like many companies founded in the 1800s, Sunrise Oil Company was once dominated by white males. In the 1960s and 1970s, though, it adapted to changing times and sought to hire a diverse workforce. Today, a number of minorities work for Sunrise Oil, but they tend to hold particular types of jobs and be clustered at certain levels within the company. Sunrise Oil is mostly a(n) ________ organization.
pluralistic
Traditionally, an individual's authority is a function of his or her
position.
"We have hired a TBC consultant to teach us about logistics, just-in-time (JIT), and concurrent engineering," said Andy Jorgenson, COO of Link Systems, Inc. His VP of Operations, Janice Sloan, asked, "What is 'TBC'?" Andy replied, "'TBC' refers to time-based competition, that is, broad strategies that
reduce the total time needed to deliver goods or services."
An internal recruitment tool used by organizations is the ________ system.
job-posting
Authority is defined as the
legitimate right to make decisions and to tell people what to do.
Michelle realized that she was less likely than her male coworkers to get special assignments that offered an opportunity to prove themselves and advance through the ranks. When she confronted her supervisor about this, he said that because he knew she had two small children, he assumed she would be too busy taking care of them to afford the time for any further responsibilities. Thus, the supervisor was ________ because Michelle was a woman with children.
making unexamined assumptions
What is the legislation called that allows employees to work without having to join a union?
right-to-work
Outdoor Adventures, a company that manufactures and markets gear for hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities, has a positive, proactive attitude toward the issue of diversity in the workplace. Not only does it seek to hire and retain a diverse workforce, but it values each employee as an individual, while also celebrating the differences between people. This is an example of
managing diversity.
Easy Rider Motorcycles, which produces and sells its bikes nationwide, has a top-notch design team that often works closely with the customer base. Team members pride themselves on the fact that they are constantly innovating, and they work to shorten the period of time from the earliest sketches to the point when they pass the finished design on to the production team. This is an example of
mass customization.
As a marketing representative for the Jenner & Parris Company in the state of Georgia, Denise has two immediate supervisors, one in the company's marketing department and another in its Southeastern division. Jenner & Parris is most likely a ________ organization.
matrix
The type of organization most similar to a bureaucratic structure is a(n) ________ one.
mechanistic
To help minorities and women enter the informal network that provides exposure to top management, many companies have implemented formal ________ programs.
mentoring
Among the ways that companies can achieve organizational integration is through coordination by
mutual adjustment.
A collection of independent, mostly single-function firms that collaborate to produce a good or service is called a ________ organization.
network
The process of using multiple sources of appraisal to gain a comprehensive perspective on one's performance is known as a ________ appraisal.
360-degree
________ involves teaching managers and professional employees broader skills needed for their present and future jobs.
Development
Which of the following statements is true of sexual harassment?
It is any unwelcome sexual conduct that is a term or condition of employment.
Armand is a manager for Interscope Machinery, which produces parts for a variety of industrial machines. One day, Melinda, who works on the production line, asks if she can speak with him in confidence. Armand agrees, and she tells him that problems with one of the line managers are preventing her team from meeting its monthly production goals. Armand listens and takes appropriate action. Which of Deming's "14 points" is this most clearly an example of?
Drive out fear so that people believe it is safe to report problems or ask for help.
Meredith is a client services manager at America Reads, a private, 501(c)(3) education nonprofit. She discovers that Tom, a marketing manager, earns $10,000 a year more than she does, even though their jobs involve equal levels of responsibility in the company. Meredith asks her supervisor, Efraim, for a raise at her next performance review, citing the comparable worth doctrine, but her supervisor states that the comparable worth doctrine is not applicable in this case. What is his reasoning?
The comparable worth doctrine is not part of federal law.
________ refers to the degree to which a selection test predicts or correlates with job performance.
Validity
Luis is applying for the position of client support manager at Featherstone Financial, an investment firm. His first interview with the human resources manager contains both situational and behavioral questions. Which of the following is the best example of a situational question Luis might have been asked?
What would you do if a customer claimed to have been given the wrong order?
Work team diversity offers a number of advantages, including enhanced creativity and
a broader base of experience.
Among the advantages of delegation is the fact that it allows managers to
accomplish more than they could alone.
Organizations should ensure that their performance appraisal and reward systems reinforce the importance of effective diversity management. This is ________, one of several strategies for retaining employees.
accountability
A seemingly neutral employment practice that has a disproportionately negative effect on a group protected by the Civil Rights Act is said to have a(n) ________ impact.
adverse
Special efforts to recruit and hire qualified members of groups that were discriminated against in the past are collectively known as
affirmative action.
The term diversity, when applied to people in the workforce, refers to
all kinds of differences.
The glass ceiling is best described as
an invisible barrier that makes it harder for women and minorities to rise above a certain level.
Elise and other managers at Midwestern Telecomm, a communications provider, are under evaluation as to whether they are hiring enough diverse candidates and helping build a workforce that meets the needs of their customer base. This assessment is not limited to a particular period of time, nor is it only directed at Elise and her colleagues, but at the company as a whole in order to ensure that its workforce, culture, policies, and practices in areas such as recruitment, promotions, benefits, and compensation are meeting the organization's diversity goals. This is an example of
an ongoing assessment.
Which of the following depicts the positions in a firm and the way they are arranged?
an organization chart
The use of a neutral third party, typically jointly selected, to resolve a dispute between workers and management is known as
arbitration
"Ten years ago, our organization did not recognize, much less address, the cultural aspects of integration. However, we corrected that failure and, today, we are truly a multicultural organization that values diversity. In fact, we ________," said Cassandra Hecht, manager of human resources.
are marked by an absence of prejudice and discrimination
Rightsizing refers to
arriving at the size at which a company performs most effectively.
One difference between a structured interview and an unstructured interview is that a structured interview
asks the same questions to all applicants.
The individual at the top of the organizational pyramid who is personally accountable to the board and to the owners for the organization's performance is the
chief executive officer.
A design approach in which all relevant functions cooperate jointly and continually in a maximum effort aimed at producing high-quality products that meet customers' needs is known as
concurrent engineering.
An external factor that influences the wage mix is
conditions of the labor market.
Rosa Saenz, CEO of Northwest Consulting, Inc., told her executive team, "Our strategic plan assumes that we will continue to use the matrix structure because, when managed well, the matrix structure can speed decisions and cut costs. However, in your staff training, particularly for new employees, continue to emphasize that one of the disadvantages of the matrix structure is that
conflict and stress can exist for employees who must manage a dual reporting role."
An organization can increase its competitive advantage by building on its ________, or the knowledge, expertise, or skill that underlies its ability to be a leader in providing a range of goods or services.
core capabilities
The board of directors for SmartSavers, a nationwide chain of grocery stores, has decided that beginning January 1 of next year, the company will no longer sell tobacco products. This decision is an example of
corporate governance.
Belinda's job at the corporate offices of Mobility Car Rental requires her to analyze large amounts of data in order to identify patterns regarding what people are looking for in a car rental experience. This is an example of
customer relationship management.
Among the components of the strategic triangle are
customers
Even though he is the newest and lowest-ranking employee at Scientific Consulting, Lorenzo holds three graduate degrees and reports directly to the company president. Given these facts, Scientific Consulting is probably a ________ organization.
decentralized
The first step in the delegation process is
defining the goal.
Fun-Time Novelties, makers of stickers and other party favors, has seen remarkable growth in the last few years. This has required managers such as Celine, head of shipping for the company, to assign tasks to subordinates. Celine is making use of a process known as
delegation
One difficult part of human resources planning is trying to determine how many and what types of people are needed in an organization, which is known as a(n)
demand forecast.
Bert Engelhard, floor supervisor, told his workers that they should consider several factors in voting for or against the union. These factors are
economic factors, job dissatisfaction, belief that the union has power, and the image of the union.
"We have grown substantially over the past five years and, as we have become more complex structurally, we have introduced more rules, procedures, and paperwork," said Lynda Thompkins, CEO of Gold Star Products. "I am afraid that these bureaucratic controls have increased ________ but weakened our ability to ________. As a result, some of our smaller and more nimble competitors are out-maneuvering us."
efficiency; innovate
Because of their knowledge accumulated by longtime employment, their willingness to work nontraditional shifts, and their reliable work habits, companies do their best to retain ______ workers.
elderly
Advanced Communications, a leading mobile communication service provider, has a deal with On-the-Go, a chain of several thousand convenience stores nationwide. Users of Advanced Communications simply have to punch in their phone number at an On-the-Go gas pump to get 20 percent off on up to 20 gallons of gas for the next 90 days. This scenario describes a(n)
strategic alliance.
"Adverse impact" allows a company to be sued when its practices have a negative effect on groups protected by
the Civil Rights Act.
A job analysis determines
the skills and knowledge needed for a position.
A wide span of control is best when
the work is clearly defined.
Concurrent engineering, logistics, and just-in-time (JIT) are elements of
time-based competition.
In order for diversity programs to succeed, it is critical that ________ commit to such programs so that other parties in the organization will take it seriously.
top management
As supervisor of a diverse work group, Justin feels uncomfortable whenever the time for employee evaluations rolls around. As a male, he fears that any kind of negative feedback he gives to female subordinates will be interpreted as evidence of sexism. Likewise, because he is white, he hesitates to offer correction to minority employees for fear that they will interpret this as discrimination. This is an example of ________, one of the challenges associated with a diversified workplace.
unexamined assumptions
Research and development, inbound logistics, and operations are just three of the six steps in the
value chain.
The term "diseconomies of scale" refers to the
varied costs associated with an organization being too big.
Nikki Bowles, recently promoted to a frontline management position, quickly learned that her manager, Tim Davis, would often delegate decision making to her. Tim told her, "I want you to make as many decisions at your level as possible, because
you deal directly with problems and opportunities and thus have the most relevant information."
