Q&A Hero

Q: Discuss the system of goal setting a supervisor would use with employees.

Q: In the goal setting process, providing regular feedback on employee performance and tying rewards to the achievement of objectives act to stimulate employee motivation.

Q: In the past the central theme in traditional objective-setting was that objectives were set at the top and then broken down into sub-goals for each level in the organization.

Q: A ________ typically looks at four areas that contribute to a company's performance: financial, customer, internal processes, and people/innovation/growth assets. A) vision quest B) game plan C) process scorecard D) balanced scorecard E) retrieval plan

Q: Research indicates that effective supervisors behave in ways that lead to superior employee performance. Unfortunately, often supervisors are better at communicating ________. A) low expectations B) high expectations C) disappointment D) satisfaction E) surprise

Q: Goal setting works and it can help supervisors be more ________. A) structured B) authoritarian C) strict D) effective E) demanding

Q: The following are common ingredients in a goal setting program EXCEPT ________. A) time limits B) goal specificity C) participation D) standing plans E) performance feedback

Q: Goal setting makes objectives ________. A) standing B) positive C) unattainable D) general E) operational

Q: A system by which employees jointly determine specific performance goals with their supervisors, where progress toward goals is periodically reviewed, and rewards are allocated on the basis of this progress is ________. A) management by objectives B) goal setting C) visioning D) management review E) achievement mapping

Q: In order to create a PERT chart it is necessary to know ________. A) key activities B) programming tools C) drafting software D) graphing techniques E) cost reduction techniques

Q: A PERT chart is a diagram that depicts the ________ needed to complete a project and the time or costs associated with each activity. A) supplies B) manpower C) time D) sequence of activities E) management input

Q: A Gantt chart visually shows a supervisor what has to be done to complete a job and to assess whether it is ahead, behind, or on schedule.

Q: A ________ is bar graph with time on the horizontal axis and activities to be scheduled on the vertical axis. A) graphic analysis B) flow chart C) PERT diagram D) quality control checkpoint E) Gantt chart

Q: In contrast to policies, procedures are not specific; and like policies, they provide consistency.

Q: A supervisor's responsibility includes the ability to establish and set policy for the organization.

Q: When a supervisor is confronted with a recurring problem, a ________ is created because it is simple to follow and ensures consistency. A) procedure B) standard C) policy D) program E) rule

Q: The series of steps a supervisor would utilize in responding to a recurring problem with employees is a ________. A) procedure B) mission statement C) rule D) single-use plan E) policy

Q: "We promote from within whenever possible" is a ________. A) procedure B) rule C) mission statement D) policy E) single-use plan

Q: What is benchmarking and how would a supervisor use it?

Q: The premise behind Six Sigma is to "design, measure, analyze, and control the ________ of a production process." A) activities B) procedures C) output side D) input side E) defect rate

Q: The ISO standards, once met, assure customers that a company uses specific steps to ________ the products it sells. A) advertise B) deliver C) recall D) test E) promote

Q: ________ involves the search for and utilization of the best methods used by competitors and non-competitors that lead to superior performance. A) Copying B) Plagiarizing C) Benchmarking D) ISO 9000 E) Six Sigma

Q: What is the role of a supervisor in the planning process?

Q: Identify and explain the different planning time frames, their lengths, and who carries them out.

Q: Distinguish strategic planning from tactical planning.

Q: Budgets tend to be like a planning guide containing a control mechanism for a supervisor.

Q: Strategic planning would be implemented when developing expense budgets and employee work schedules.

Q: All supervisors, irrespective of their level in the organization, should plan. But the type of planning they do tends to vary with their level in the organization, and the planning they do will differ in several ways.

Q: Strategic planning tends to be developed by first-level management.

Q: Formal planning means specific goals are formulated and never reduced to writing but simply communicated.

Q: A ________ is a numerical plan that expresses anticipated results in dollar terms for a specific time period and may be used as a planning guide as well as a control device. A) budget B) ordinal plan C) nominal plan D) revenue forecast E) financial plan

Q: Supervisors frequently have to create programs for their departments that are nonrecurring undertakings requiring a set of integrated plans to ________. A) achieve fair standards B) achieve budgetary control C) accomplish their objectives D) perform repetitive tasks E) perform routine decision making

Q: Single-use plans are designed for a ________. A) specific event and activity B) broad event and activity C) critical event and activity D) broad activity or time period E) specific activity or time period

Q: Standing plans allow managers to ________. A) create production bottlenecks B) save time C) promote narrow spans-of-control D) be ineffective E) create downsizing

Q: Plans that can be used over and over again by managers faced with recurring activities are ________. A) procedural B) self-directing and self-controlling applications C) standing D) single-use E) production bottlenecks

Q: The time dimension of intermediate-term planning is approximately ________. A) 5 -10 years B) 1 month to 1 year C) 10 - 15 years D) 0 - 30 days E) 1 - 5 years

Q: For the most part, tactical planning is done at what level of management? A) sales directors B) supervisors C) operative employees D) middle managers E) top management

Q: Long-term plans cover a period in excess of five years and tend to be developed by ________. A) sales directors B) supervisors C) operative employees D) top executives E) middle-level managers.

Q: Tactical planning for management is defined as ________. A) procedures for broad applications for line managers B) specific details on how overall goals are to be achieved C) specific policies for the overall operation of the firm D) broad details on specific goals to be achieved E) specific applications or rules for plant operations

Q: Organizational planning that includes the establishment of overall goals and positioning an organization's products or services against the competition is referred to as ________. A) short-term planning B) strategic planning C) long-term planning D) tactical planning E) organizational planning

Q: Productivity in the U.S. is steady and rising in part because companies have ________. A) become less customer oriented B) worked to reduce inefficiencies C) focused heavily on profits D) maintained traditional work forces E) employed more workers

Q: The truly effective organization maximizes productivity by integrating ________ into the overall operations system. A) procedures B) formal plans C) structure D) people E) order

Q: Edwards Deming, a management consultant and quality expert, believed that ________, not workers, were the primary source of increased productivity. A) procedures B) executives C) formal plans D) flexible plans E) supervisors

Q: Productivity can be applied at three different levels - the individual, the ________, and the total organization. A) president B) general manager C) administrative staff D) group E) supervisor

Q: Which factor is not a component of the productivity formula? A) materials B) output C) labor D) capital E) service

Q: Output per labor hour expressed as the ratio of output divided by labor + capital + material is called ________. A) re-engineering of work B) bottom-up planning C) employee empowerment D) span of control E) productivity

Q: In almost any discussion of performance in an organization, the focus will generally turn to the topic of ________. A) strategic planning B) acquisitions and mergers C) productivity D) informal discussion E) strategic objectives

Q: Identify business ethics and explain how supervisors act ethically on the job.

Q: What is social responsibility in an organization?

Q: In situations involving ethics, supervisors will never know what they will face; therefore, supervisors should prepare ahead of time and anticipate what they would do.

Q: The addition of a moral element to the organization's public obligation to do those things that make society better and not to do those things that could make it worse is ________. A) coercive power B) social responsiveness C) manipulation D) corporate culture E) business ethics

Q: How does technology change the supervisor's job?

Q: In essence, technology today has enhanced supervisors' ability to perform their jobs.

Q: Technology is making it possible to better serve customers in many industries.

Q: The method of linking a worker's computer and modem with those of coworkers and management, making it possible to be located anywhere in the world, is called ________. A) electronics B) control C) commuting D) transforming E) telecommuting

Q: ________ refers to any hi-tech equipment, tools, or operating methods that are designed to make work more efficient. A) Empowerment B) Technology C) Innovation D) Re-engineering E) Downsizing

Q: Power distance is a measure of the extent to which a society accepts the fact that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally.

Q: Individualism refers to a loosely knit social framework in which people are supposed to look after their own interests and those of their immediate family.

Q: Parochialism leads to viewing practices in other cultures as being better than our practices.

Q: A company's national origin is no longer a very good gauge of where it does business or the national origin of its employees.

Q: A tight social framework in which people expect others in their group to look after and protect them when they are in trouble is referred to as ________. A) socialism B) collectivism C) individualism D) communism E) parochialism

Q: A loosely knit social framework in which people are supposed to look after their own interest and those of their immediate families is referred to as ________. A) socialism B) collectivism C) individualism D) cultural norming E) communism

Q: Researcher Geert Hofstede found that supervisors and employees vary on the following dimensions of national culture EXCEPT ________. A) quantity versus quality of life B) power distance C) individualism versus collectivism D) uncertainty avoidance E) supervisor and employee homogeneity

Q: It is essential for supervisors to recognize that they must be ________ when dealing with employees. A) flexible B) autocratic C) imperious D) self-centered E) arbitrary

Q: The United States is a strongly ________ society. A) symbolic B) collective C) chauvinistic D) individualistic E) nationalist

Q: According to Geert Hofstede, a strongly individualistic U.S. supervisor may have difficulties if sent to a Pacific Rim country where ________ is predominant. A) individual responsibility B) collectivism C) unilateral authority D) individualism E) centralized decision-making

Q: The findings of research by Geert Hofstede group countries according to three cultural variables. One of those variables is ________. A) societal uncertainty B) norming differences C) timidity D) reputation E) societal certainty

Q: Research undertaken by Geert Hofstede found that a country's culture has a major effect on employees' work-related ________. A) policies and procedures B) leadership and personality C) power and politics D) centralizing and decentralizing abilities E) values and attitudes

Q: Critical to the success of supervising others in the global village is understanding ________. A) mechanistic organizations B) corporate downsizing C) cultural environments D) organic organizations E) conflict resolution

Q: Parochialism means ________. A) wanting other cultures to understand our culture B) seeing U.S. practices as better than practices in other cultures C) recognizing that other cultures have valid, though different, practices D) viewing U.S. practices as not being as good as the practices of other cultures E) attempting to understand other cultures

Q: The concept of when we see things solely through our own eyes and within our perspectives is called ________. A) corporate downsizing B) parochialism C) re-engineering D) cultural diversity E) acceptance of authority

Q: A specific challenge for supervisors is recognizing the differences that might exist among people. One of the first issues supervisors must deal with is the perception of ________. A) outsourcing B) conflict management C) foreigners D) organized labor E) authoritarian leadership styles

Q: Organizations have become increasingly global in their perspectives and accept the reality that national borders no longer define ________. A) acquisitions and mergers B) cultural diversity C) corporations D) mechanistic organizations E) federal bureaucracies

Q: Many North American companies have changed dramatically since the 1990s by improving quality and reducing costs. This is a direct response to ________. A) job specialization B) service orientation C) global competition D) organizational downsizing E) division of work

Q: Changing events help to shape interactions between supervisors and their employees. Recent changes include all of the following EXCEPT ________. A) global competitiveness B) technology and e-business enhancements C) stagnating operations D) work force diversity E) downsizing

Q: The foundation of a business's public involvement is called ________. A) social obligation B) global management C) autocratic leadership D) bottom-up planning E) Theory X management

Q: An obligation that organizations have to the public going beyond the law and profit making is ________. A) a union free plant B) profit maximization C) social responsibility D) corporate downsizing E) return on investment

Q: One of the key components in handling a disaster could be having a disaster recovery plan in place which may include such information as ________. A) work schedules B) job assignments C) emergency work sites D) contract stipulations E) contact phone numbers

Q: A supervisor must be alert to the warning signs of a unit in trouble. One such sign might be ________. A) vacation requests B) performance declines C) extra training D) management commendation E) contract negotiations

Q: Most recent data suggest that as many as ________ percent of U.S. workers are in part-time, contract, or other nonstandard jobs. A) 10 % B) 20 % C) 30 % D) 40 % E) 50 %