Q&A Hero

Q: CFO and controller are titles associated with what type of manager? A) Financial B) Information C) Human resource D) Marketing E) Operations

Q: The dominant view in management theory suggests that ________. A) an organization's success or failure is due to external forces outside managers' control B) managers' roles are increasingly becoming peripheral and staff manage their own areas of expertise C) managers are directly responsible for an organization's success or failure D) managers cannot significantly affect an organization's performance because they are constrained by the abilities of their employees

Q: Which level of management is responsible for the overall performance and effectiveness of the firm? A) Top managers B) First-line managers C) Middle managers D) Supervisory managers E) Human resource managers

Q: Which one of the following represents the two views of managerial impact on the success or failure of the organization? A) omnipotent and symbolic B) omnipotent and reflective C) symbolic and interactive D) reflective and interactive

Q: Which type of business constituent has titles such as President and CEO? A) First-line managers B) Top managers C) Middle managers D) Power brokers E) Stockholders

Q: Discuss sustainability and provide at least three examples of methods a firm can use to create and maintain a culture of sustainability.

Q: Which type of manager spends most of their time working with and supervising the employees who report to them? A) First-line managers B) Information managers C) Top managers D) Chief executive officers E) Operations managers

Q: Discuss the criticisms of workplace spirituality.

Q: Which type of manager is responsible for implementing the strategies, policies, and decisions made by top managers? A) First-line manager B) Middle manager C) Supervisory manager D) Office manager E) Financial managers

Q: Describe the characteristics of an innovative organizational culture.

Q: Discuss the art of management and how it is supported by the science of management.

Q: How can managers best promote workplace spirituality within their organizations?

Q: What can managers do to incorporate a scientific approach to management?

Q: In a short essay, explain the reasons behind the increasing importance of workplace spirituality in recent years.

Q: Define the term management.

Q: Employees either agree with the concept of sustainability or they don't; it is costly and ineffective to try to create a culture of sustainability.

Q: The first step in the control process is to compare actual performance to standards.

Q: Giving service-contact employees the discretion to make day-to-day decisions on job-related activities is instrumental in creating a customer-responsive culture.

Q: When a sales manager compares actual sales to the quarterly sales quota, he or she is performing the controlling function of management.

Q: A valid criticism of workplace spirituality is that secular institutions, especially businesses, have no right to impose spiritual values on employees, if spirituality means bringing religion into the workplace.

Q: What type of management process function is being used when a manager motivates the workforce by rewarding them with additional vacation when standards are achieved? A) Leading B) Planning C) Organizing D) Marketing E) Strategizing

Q: Organizations that subscribe to workplace spirituality emphasize the importance of employees controlling their expressions and emotions.

Q: Comparing actual performance against standards is an example of which function of the management process? A) Planning B) Organizing C) Leading D) Controlling E) Strategizing

Q: Spiritual organizations tend to be intolerant of employees who commit mistakes.

Q: Which description identifies the controlling function of the management process? A) Guiding and motivating employees to meet organizational objectives B) Determining how to arrange a firm's resources into a coherent structure C) Scanning the business environment for threats and opportunities D) Monitoring a firm's performance to ensure that it is meeting its goals E) Determining what an organization needs to do and how best to get it done

Q: Organizations that emphasize workplace spirituality focus on individual development.

Q: Which function in the management process is being utilized when a firm elects to move towards a more centralized structure? A) Planning B) Leading C) Organizing D) Controlling E) Monitoring

Q: In order to develop an innovative organizational culture, managers must minimize ambiguity and uncertainty and discourage risk-taking.

Q: Which description identifies the organizing function of the management process? A) Guiding and motivating employees to meet organizational objectives B) Determining how best to arrange an organization's resources into a coherent structure C) Scanning the business environment for threats and opportunities D) Monitoring an organization's performance to ensure that it is meeting its goals E) Determining what an organization needs to do and how best to get it done

Q: Companies that wish to establish a culture of sustainability can ________. A) expect new hires to observe the actions of others and act in a similar fashion B) casually mention occasionally that the company is concerned about sustainability C) vary the type and timing of its sustainability activities D) create rituals to demonstrate the company's efforts to support sustainability actions

Q: Which description defines the planning function of the management process? A) Guiding and motivating employees to meet organizational objectives B) Discussing how best to arrange an organization's resources into a coherent structure C) Scanning the business environment for threats and opportunities D) Determining what an organization needs to do and how best to get it done E) Monitoring a firm's performance to make sure that it is meeting its goals

Q: Companies that wish to emphasize ________ should develop it into the corporate culture. A) rite of passage B) motivation C) spirituality D) sustainability

Q: The first main component in the planning process is determining goals. What is the next step? A) Developing a strategic mission B) Developing a comprehensive strategy C) Developing an array of tactics D) Developing an operational plan E) Developing a functioning budget

Q: Marriott hotels are noted for their fantastic service. Their motto is "Ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." To build and maintain this level of service, which of the following guidelines should managers follow? A) precisely defining employees' normal job requirements and ensuring they perform those actions B) giving service-contact employees continual training on product knowledge, listening, and other behavioral skills C) designing jobs with rigid rules and procedure that employees should stick to in order to satisfy customers D) preserving the discretion to make day-to-day decisions on job-related activities at the top level of management

Q: What function of the management process is used to monitor and ensure the organization is meeting its goals? A) Planning B) Organizing C) Leading D) Controlling E) Budgeting

Q: If ABC Company wanted to create an innovative culture, which of the following actions should it take? A) Create detailed job descriptions and step-by-step procedures for every position. B) Allow employees time for the generation of ideas. C) Encourage employees to report slacking and other time wasting within their departments. D) Require employees to document their activities to account for all paid hours.

Q: Which aspect of the management process involves determining what the organization needs to do and how best to get it done? A) Organizing B) Planning C) Controlling D) Processing E) Monitoring

Q: Bernard's company knows it must constantly create new products to stay ahead of the competition. Which of the following characteristics are we likely to find in this culture? A) a serious outlook toward work B) intolerance toward uncertainty or ambiguity C) resolution of employee issues based on personal interest D) freedom for employees to exercise discretion

Q: Which of the following participates in the business through analyzing their competitive environments and plan, organize, direct, and control the operations of their organizations? A) Stockholders B) Managers C) Regulators D) Agents E) Customers

Q: Which of the following is a criticism of spiritual organizational cultures? A) inhibition of employees' expressions and emotions B) incompatibility between profits and spirituality C) lack of openness with stakeholders such as customers and suppliers D) absence of employee empowerment

Q: What are the purposes of having a strong corporate culture?

Q: Bill's organization expects 50% of profits to be generated by products that did not exist five years ago. What is the nature of the programs that the organization's managers are likely to follow? A) short-term B) risky C) innovative D) expansionary

Q: Define the term corporate culture.

Q: Which of the following is most likely to have a highly spiritual organizational culture? A) a telemarketing company competing in a highly aggressive, competitive environment B) a charitable non-profit that allows its employees to express opinions and emotions openly C) a numbers-driven company that focuses strictly on quarterly performance reports D) a multi-national business that requires headquarters approval of new ideas

Q: Corporate culture influences management's philosophy, style, and behavior.

Q: Which of the following is a characteristic found in spiritual organizations? A) focus on team development, rather than individual development B) profit-oriented outlook towards all organizational activities C) tolerance toward mistakes and openness with customers and employees D) emphasis on controlling emotions and feelings

Q: It is not possible to change an organization's corporate culture.

Q: To which dimension of the organizational culture is workplace spirituality most closely related? A) outcome-orientation B) innovation and risk taking C) team orientation D) people orientation

Q: A strong corporate culture directs employees' efforts and helps everyone work toward the same goals.

Q: Corporate culture is largely a result of state and local laws and regulations.

Q: Sam Walton was noted for his dedication to helping customers by offering products at the lowest possible price. He strongly emphasized this to his store employees as the reason for Walmart's existence. In this sense, we could describe Walmart's culture as ________. A) spiritual B) authoritarian C) profit-oriented D) outcome-oriented

Q: Workplace spirituality has become important in the contemporary workplace because it ________. A) increases organizational efficiency B) boosts company profits C) gives employees a sense of purpose D) brings religion into business

Q: How does a new employee learn acceptable behaviors within the organization? A) Quality standards B) Crisis management strategies C) Contingency plans D) Operational plans E) Cultural norms

Q: Discuss how culture constrains managers. Include specific examples to support your answer.

Q: When a company attempts to change its culture, what must take place to give the new culture solid shape within the firm? A) The firm must set up new systems for appraising and compensating employees who enforce the new values. B) A highly responsive strategy must be determined. C) There must be a period devoted to conflict and resistance. D) There must be renewed focus on the activities of the competitors and customers. E) There must be a thorough SWOT analysis to determine if the change is necessary.

Q: How do employees of an organization learn its culture? In a short essay, explain the four primary methods and provide an example of each.

Q: Which of the following is TRUE about corporate culture? A) It can direct employees' efforts toward goals. B) It is usually determined by outside forces. C) It cannot be changed. D) It is easy to change. E) It rarely affects newcomers in an organization.

Q: Identify and define the seven dimensions that make up an organization's culture.

Q: Which element of an organization is defined by shared experiences, stories, beliefs, and norms? A) Its human resources B) Its product philosophy C) Its corporate culture D) Its mission statement E) Its organizational structure

Q: Define organizational culture and discuss its three primary implications.

Q: Effective crisis management involves having a contingency plan for emergencies.

Q: Because a company's culture has so much influence on managers' decisions, it is important that each manager have a published code clearly stating the company's cultural guidelines.

Q: Contingency planning seeks to identify how a company will respond to change.

Q: For the sake of clarity, the constraints imposed on managers by the organization's culture are explicitly stated in the employee handbook.

Q: How can organizations best deal with emergencies requiring immediate response? A) Contingency plans B) Operational plans C) Crisis management plans D) Tactical plans E) Cultural flexibility plans

Q: Organizations help employees adapt to the culture through socialization.

Q: What element of management is being utilized when using computer forecasts to determine possible outcomes of an intended change? A) Strategy formulation B) Goal setting C) Crisis management D) Contingency planning E) Related diversification

Q: In strong organizational cultures, employees have little knowledge of company history or heroes; what is important is present performance.

Q: Differentiate among strategic, tactical, and operational plans.

Q: Discuss the three broad levels of strategy that organizations may implement.

Q: The shared aspect of culture implies that all employees in an organization agree with the organization's values and beliefs.

Q: Discuss the four main purposes of organizational goal setting.

Q: Strong cultures have more influence on employees than do weak cultures.

Q: What is SWOT analysis?

Q: Corporate rituals are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the key values of an organization.

Q: What is the difference between a goal and a strategy?

Q: Which one of the following is a cultural constraint that affects the decisions managers in a company make? A) the extent to which employees are encouraged to participate on problem-solving teams B) the size of the operating budget C) the location of the firm's headquarters D) the size of the employee population

Q: What is a mission statement?

Q: ________ often act(s) as a common denominator that bonds an organization's members. A) Rituals B) Symbols C) Artifacts D) Language

Q: SWOT analysis is usually conducted before strategic goals have been established.