Q&A Hero

Q: The three different types of strategies that managers implement are ________. A) corporate, private, functional B) corporate, competitive, functional C) long-term, short-term, public D) competitive, noncompetitive, corporate

Q: Which of the following do managers NOT typically use to formulate strategies? A) finding ways to exploit the organization's strengths B) finding ways to protect the organization from external threats C) finding ways to rule out existing organizational opportunities D) finding ways to correct organizational weaknesses

Q: Once SWOT analysis is complete, managers ________ to address the issues that came up during the analysis. A) formulate strategies B) implement strategies C) evaluate strategies D) eliminate strategies

Q: SWOT analysis combines ________. A) a company's mission with its goals B) external and internal analyses C) a company's philosophy with its ethics D) profit with productivity

Q: SWOT analysis identifies and analyzes an organization's ________. A) strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats B) strategy for competing in the market C) human resource assets D) long-term goals

Q: Together, an organization's resources and core competencies make up which of the following? A) core philosophy B) competitive weapons C) core assets D) fundamental beliefs

Q: An organization's capabilities identify ________. A) what the organization knows B) who the organization is C) assets that the organization can rely on D) what the organization can do

Q: An organization's resources identify ________. A) how the organization gets things done B) where the organization operates C) when the organization operates D) what the organization has

Q: Which term refers to an organization's capital, workers, and patents? A) resources B) capabilities C) abilities D) core competencies

Q: An internal analysis, the third step of the strategic management process helps identify ________. A) opportunities and threats B) resources and capabilities C) opportunities and possibilities D) values and philosophy

Q: An external analysis, the second step of the strategic management process, helps identify ________. A) the products that a company makes B) the long-term goals of a company C) a company's opportunities and threats D) a company's concern for its employees

Q: A mission statement does NOT include which of the following? A) the customers of a company B) major competitors C) why the company is in business and what it hopes to accomplish D) the company's basic beliefs

Q: A mission statement includes identification of an organization's ________. A) strengths and weaknesses B) purpose and basic philosophy C) assets and resources D) resources and strengths

Q: The first three steps of the strategic management process involve ________ strategies. A) planning B) implementing C) evaluating D) identifying

Q: The first step in the six-step strategic management process is to ________. A) analyze the organization's strengths and weaknesses B) identify the organization's mission C) identify feasible strategies D) analyze the opportunities the organization has

Q: In a short essay, identify criticisms of formal planning.

Q: In a short essay, list and discuss two reasons for planning.

Q: In a short essay, define planning and compare formal and informal planning as they are used in various organizations.

Q: Research indicates that organizations that don't use formal planning always outperform organizations that do use formal planning.

Q: Successful planning depends more on whether managers plan than on the quality of their planning.

Q: A major strength of formal planning is that it generally correlates with higher profits.

Q: A major strength of formal planning is that it gives an organization rigidity.

Q: A major strength of formal planning is that it reinforces past successes and incorporates them into the future.

Q: A criticism of formal planning is that it focuses too much on groundbreaking visions and deals with ideas that are too innovative to work.

Q: Formal planning can enhance creativity in an organization.

Q: A major argument against formal plans is that they can't replace intuition and creativity.

Q: An organization that fails to plan will find it hard to assess progress.

Q: Planning rarely improves teamwork and cooperation among employees.

Q: The four reasons that organizations plan are to establish coordinated effort, set standards, minimize waste, and reduce uncertainty and the impact of change.

Q: Informal planning typically works better in large organizations.

Q: A key function of planning is to create goals.

Q: Planning provides direction to managers and nonmanagers alike.

Q: At some point, all managers create formal plans.

Q: Informal plans are not recognized as true organizational plans and are rarely carried out by managers.

Q: All managers plan in some way, either formally or informally.

Q: Formal planning typically leads to which of the following? A) higher profits B) lower productivity C) higher sales, but lower profits D) tension between different management levels

Q: In studies in which formal planning did not lead to higher performance, ________ usually the culprit. A) unforeseen events in the environment were B) demanding employees were C) stubborn ownership was D) lack of communication was

Q: Studies of planning show that the key to successful planning is to make sure that the plans ________. A) cover every possible detail B) are high in quality and insight C) are exceedingly simple to follow D) are not shared with employees

Q: Studies of performance in organizations that plan have reached ________ with respect to the benefits of formal planning. A) somewhat negative conclusions B) no conclusion C) extremely negative conclusions D) generally positive conclusions

Q: Failing to discard successful plans from the past is likely to lead to ________. A) more success because conditions are unlikely to change in the future B) failure because conditions are likely to change in the future C) success because of the high quality of the plans D) failure because of the low quality of the plans

Q: One criticism of formal planning is that it focuses on how to beat the competition rather than how to ________. A) have cordial relationships with the competition B) focus on new opportunities C) balance the organization's budget D) cooperate with the competition

Q: Which of the following is a frequently cited criticism of formal planning? A) Plans lock organizations into rigid goals and timetables. B) Plans take too long to create. C) Plans create resentment within different levels of the organization. D) Formal planning works well only for smaller companies.

Q: Managers who fail to plan may ________. A) take advantage of change B) stimulate change C) be positively affected by change D) be adversely affected by change

Q: One effect of planning on managers is that it forces them to ________. A) fear change B) anticipate and consider the effect of change C) work to prevent change D) ignore any change that doesn't directly affect them

Q: Organizations that don't formally plan may be more likely to have ________. A) corrupt managers B) legal problems C) multiple departments performing the same task D) a single department carrying out all company functions

Q: Planning gives organizations a way to deal with change that ________. A) eliminates all uncertainty B) reduces uncertainty C) reduces certainty D) increases ambiguity

Q: Planning gives organizations direction that primarily helps them ________. A) improve teamwork and coordinate activities B) improve their image in the business community C) improve morale of middle managers D) improve morale of all employees

Q: Which of the following is NOT a reason for managers to plan? A) to give direction to an organization B) to deal with change C) to establish goals D) to establish responsibility for mistakes

Q: In formal planning, ________. A) specific goals covering a period of years are defined B) to maximize flexibility, specific goals are never spelled out C) very broad general goals are developed D) goals may be written or unwritten

Q: Informal planning is ________. A) always performed at the lowest organizational level B) general and usually lacks continuity C) performed exclusively by middle managers D) more specific than formal planning

Q: In informal planning, goals are usually ________ shared with others in the organization. A) written, but little is B) unwritten, and little is C) written, and much is D) unwritten, but much is

Q: Planning is concerned with ________. A) both ends and means B) ends only C) means only D) neither ends nor means

Q: Which of the following is NOT a function of planning? A) defining goals B) identifying a strategy for attaining goals C) settling disputes between employees D) coordinating organizational activities

Q: In a short essay, discuss why creativity is important to decision making. Describe a situation in which a creative solution is used to solve a problem.

Q: Creativity is valued because it helps identify new and viable alternatives that have not previously been considered.

Q: A country with high uncertainty avoidance and high power distance is more likely to engage in groupthink than a country with low uncertainty avoidance and low power distance.

Q: Which of the following tends to impede a person's creativity? A) providing time and resources B) clearly defined goals C) being watched while you work D) internal motivation

Q: Which of the following traits do all creative people seem to share? A) They like to save time. B) They get along well with others. C) They love their work. D) They don't like to work hard.

Q: Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a creative problem solver? A) self confidence B) tolerance for ambiguity C) frustrates easily D) accepts risks readily

Q: One well-accepted model states that individual creativity requires ________, or a commanding understanding of a subject matter. A) expertise B) task motivation C) high interest D) intuition

Q: According to one study, about ________ of men and women were somewhat creative. A) 1 percent B) 10 percent C) 30 percent D) 60 percent

Q: ________ helps people find better solutions to problems using innovative problem-solving methods. A) Planning B) Creativity C) Organization D) Structure

Q: When dealing with international organizations, managers must be ________ in order to accommodate the managing styles of different cultures. A) as flexible as possible B) as inflexible as possible C) as strict as possible D) as thorough as possible

Q: French management style tends to be ________ in style. A) permissive B) group oriented C) rule following D) autocratic

Q: The use of ringisei in Japanese organizations reflects which of the following values in Japanese culture? A) tradition-following B) consensus-seeking C) risk taking D) go-it-alone

Q: Individualistic countries like the United States tend to have ________ than group-oriented countries like Japan. A) more conformity and more cooperation B) more conformity and less cooperation C) less conformity and more cooperation D) less conformity and less cooperation

Q: Mid-level managers in a country with low uncertainty avoidance are ________ than managers from a high uncertainty avoidance country. A) more likely to make risky decisions B) less likely to make risky decisions C) less likely to make foolish decisions D) more likely to avoid making decisions

Q: Mid-level managers in a country with high power distance are ________ than managers from a low power distance country. A) more likely to make risky decisions B) less likely to make risky decisions C) less likely to make safe, conservative decisions D) more likely to disagree with their leaders' decisions

Q: In a short essay, describe how electronic meetings can help avoid groupthink and enhance creativity in group decision making.

Q: In a short essay, describe how nominal group technique can help avoid groupthink and enhance creativity in group decision making.

Q: In a short essay, describe how brainstorming can help avoid groupthink and enhance creativity in group decision making.

Q: In a short essay, identify and explain the advantages and disadvantages of group decision making.

Q: Two major advantages of electronic meetings are anonymity and honesty.

Q: Groups tend to be more efficient and less effective than individual decision making.

Q: A drawback of group decision making is groupthink.

Q: An advantage of group decisions is that they increase the perception of the legitimacy of the solution.

Q: Group decisions tend to provide more complete information than individual decisions.

Q: The second step in the decision-making process is identifying a problem.

Q: What advantages does videoconferencing provide for group decision making? A) anonymous expression of opinions B) less groupthink C) less minority domination D) savings on travel and time

Q: The ________ blends the nominal group technique with sophisticated computer technology. A) personal meeting B) electronic meeting C) virtual meeting D) preliminary meeting