Q&A Hero

Q: According to the Hedgehog concept, a company succeeds by: a. entering the market ahead of competition. b. following the benchmarks set by another company. c. entering many fields at the same time. d. becoming very good at one thing.

Q: The first-mover strategy deals with: a. relocating a company to a more profitable market. b. getting to the market first. c. being the first to imitate a product. d. being the first company to acquire a competitor.

Q: A company with a strategy of high quality typically: a. focuses on quality products for high-end consumers. b. concentrates its efforts on consumer products. c. offers the lowest prices. d. supplements quality with other points of differentiation.

Q: A retailer targeting low income groups is an example of the _____ strategy. a. imitation b. cost-leadership c. focus d. first-mover

Q: The internal weaknesses in a SWOT analysis include factors such as: a. deficiencies in the current management team. b. risks of pursuing a particular course of action. c. cash flow problems the company is experiencing. d. problems associated with maintaining the status quo.

Q: The purpose of a SWOT analysis is to assess: a. strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. b. strategies, weaknesses, options, and time. c. satisfactions, worst options, and trade-offs. d. successes, winners, and ominous threats.

Q: According to recent studies, hiring employees with global work experience give companies a stronger ability to: a. think strategically. b. make overseas business contacts. c. appeal to cultures other than the one dominant at the companys base of operations. d. save money on travel.

Q: Gucci was able to improve the downward trajectory of its business by: a. diversifying and putting it name on many new products. b. focusing on quality and the highest possible price point. c. revamping its business strategy with a human touch. d. improving organizational efficiency.

Q: Nathan is the CEO of a large business firm whose sales are declining rapidly. A superior act of strategic leadership would be for him to: a. give the company a new strategic direction. b. wait for the business cycle to become favorable again. c. persist with the existing strategy with minor changes. d. hire an innovative advertising agency to help improve sales.

Q: After the formulation of an innovative vision, a key part of leadership effectiveness is the strategy behind: a. implementing that vision. b. disciplining employees who do not share that vision. c. comparing that vision against those of competitors to ensure uniqueness. d. crowdsourcing to discover if the decision needs to be altered.

Q: The recommended approach for implementing strategy is to include which group in every conversation about strategy? a. Lowest-level workers b. The sales organization c. Human resources d. Customers who are already satisfied

Q: The problem with the authority for important strategic decisions resting only with the CEO of a company is that: a. CEOs often make too much money and are thus complacent. b. the pace of the modern business environment is too much for one mind to comprehend. c. CEOs are rarely revolutionary thinkers. d. personal biases and other factors can cloud a single executives opinion.

Q: The founders of great companies typically use intuition to formulate: a. a great purpose. b. an inspirational business name. c. a new understanding of workflow. d. a novel way of improving working conditions.

Q: A strategically minded worker at any level would be likely to think: a. How can I finish this project as efficiently as possible? b. What strategy should I use to benefit my immediate team? c. What small tasks can I accomplish first before tackling the big picture? d. How does what I am doing right now support corporate strategy?

Q: A major purpose of strategic leadership is to: a. provide direction and inspiration in an organization. b. help employees develop operating plans. c. coach group members toward higher levels of effectiveness. d. apply behavior modification throughout the organization.

Q: Strategic leadership is a process of providing: a. strategies to ambitious employees hoping to rise through the organization. b. the direction and inspiration needed to create or sustain an organization. c. an specific, step-by-step concept of how the firm will achieve its goals. d. a system of leadership initiatives that will help the firm operate at lower costs.

Q: Organizational learning is facilitated when workers use political skills to make connections with others and influence them in relation to useful knowledge. a. True b. False

Q: A major contribution of knowledge management programs is that the electronic storage and retrieval of information makes it almost unnecessary for people to develop ideas by talking face-to-face. a. True b. False

Q: An advanced approach to knowledge management is to deliver useful information to workers just at the point when the information is needed. a. True b. False

Q: An aspect of effective knowledge management is that organization members acquire power by hoarding and acquiring knowledge. a. True b. False

Q: The knowledge application component of knowledge management deals with workers improving their job activities. a. True b. False

Q: The knowledge creation component of knowledge management is used to spur innovation. a. True b. False

Q: The purpose of the strategy of competitive advantage is to hire people away from competitors. a. True b. False

Q: As a business owner, you are using the Hedgehog concept when you diversify into several unrelated businesses. a. True b. False

Q: The business strategy of acquisition is often used to acquire new technology that a firm needs to broaden its product line. a. True b. False

Q: An example of a strategic alliance would be a train manufacturer and an airplane manufacturer working jointly to build a train that will travel without touching the rails. a. True b. False

Q: The business strategy of differentiation involves making a product or service unique by offering it at an unusually low price. a. True b. False

Q: An external threat in a SWOT analysis refers primarily to laws that would be broken by implementing a particular strategy. a. True b. False

Q: Crowdsourcing is an untested method of generating ideas that should not yet be considered as a viable alternative to strong in-house creative innovation. a. True b. False

Q: Implementation requires executing a number of organized goals that lead toward the successful implementation of a new initiative. a. True b. False

Q: Experts believe that business leaders need to become even more analytical and results-oriented in the modern business world. a. True b. False

Q: A central challenge for modern organizations is for leaders at every level of a company to consider the big picture. a. True b. False

Q: Planning is not the only important component of creating a solid business strategy. a. True b. False

Q: Strategic leadership is more concerned with goal setting than with inspiration. a. True b. False

Q: Clement, the chief executive officer of a company, is negotiating a business deal with an international company. He wants to ensure that the business deal offers the maximum benefits for both the companies. What steps should Clement follow during negotiations to reach an agreement beneficial to both the companies?

Q: Austin is a team leader with excellent speaking skills. His messages convey power and authority. His team has landed an extremely challenging project that requires extra effort from each member because of the tight deadlines involved. What are some other strategies Austin can use to persuade his team members to give their best performance for the project's success?

Q: Gavin, the chief executive officer of a pharmaceutical company, is scheduled to address the company's research and development team to appreciate their achievements and present the company's agenda for the next year. Gavin prepares his speech focusing on the research team's activities and plans relevant to their function. In order to convey power and authority, what are the steps to be taken by Gavin while delivering the speech?

Q: Bright Inc., a company exporting electrical appliances, fails to deliver a large shipment on time to a customer in a different country due to certain technical problems. In order to avoid embarrassment, the officials of Bright Inc. conduct themselves in a dignified manner, as they may have to deal with the customer in future. Which of the following aspects of negotiation is seen in the given example? a. Face saving b. Bartering c. Making the rounds d. Confrontation

Q: Steven, the legal representative of a company entering into a joint venture with another firm, formulates an agreement after discussions with his counterparts. The agreement is such that both companies are satisfied and stand to gain from the joint venture. The given example shows the _____ style of conflict management. a. accommodative b. competitive c. collaborative d. avoidant

Q: Susan, a telemarketing executive of a company producing household appliances, receives a complaint from one of the customers for a week's delay in delivery. In order to pacify the customer, Susan offers to deduct delivery charges. Susan takes this decision because the customer happensto be a regular user of the company's products and she does not want the company to lose a valuable customer. Which style of conflict management is Susan using in the given example? a. Accommodative style b. Competitive style c. Sharing style d. Avoidant style

Q: Which of the following examples shows the best way of overcoming cross-cultural communication barriers? a. Pauline, a customer service executive handling international customers, often uses basic words and phrases of the customers' native languages. b. Richard, the business development head of a company, ensures that he uses straightforward language when talking to international clients. c. Maria, the leader of a culturally diverse team in an organization, often makes references to the ethnicity of the team members during team meetings. d. Dominic, an attorney often handling international mergers and acquisitions for various companies, gives a lot of importance to the style and appearance of his counterparts.

Q: Which of the following examples illustrates selective listening? a. Jennifer, a team leader, asks a number of questions and listens to answers during face-to-face meetings with her subordinates. b. Mark tries to sort out problems among his team mates by acting as a mediator and allowing them to talk to each other about their problems. c. As the director of a company, Adolf is extremely busy and listens only to information on the company's position in the stock market. d. Tony, a team manager, often casually stops by his team members' work stations and talks to them about their work and other issues and concerns.

Q: James, a manager, inspires his team members to be prompt in meeting project deadlines by completing his own tasks on time. Which of the following principles of persuasion is seen in the given scenario? a. Reciprocity b. Scarcity c. Social proof d. Liking

Q: Which of the following examples shows the use of a power-oriented linguistic style? a. Karen writes most of her business memos and letters using the passive voice. b. Janet speaks in a loud and clear voice during team meetings so that everyone can hear her. c. Abraham often delivers lengthy speeches with no concrete conclusions when addressing his subordinates. d. Milton uses a substantial amount of business jargon in his emails pertaining to new projects.

Q: Morris, a team manager, needs to write an email to his team members about the targets to be achieved for the year. He decides to write a front-loaded message to convey the necessary information. Hence Morris is most likely to: a. write the email using passive voice. b. place key ideas at the beginning of the email. c. write the entire email using technical jargon. d. be bold about people and tentative about ideas.

Q: Stuart, the director of a company producing electrical appliances, is preparing to address the sales team to appreciate their performance. When preparing his message for the speech, Stuart should ensure that _____.​ a. ​the message is geared to the listeners b. ​anecdotes are completely avoided c. ​the message is driven totally by data d. ​sufficient vocal pauses are present

Q: Which of the following examples illustrates an indirect tie according to the strength-of-ties perspective​? a. ​Alfred and Anthony are close friends and often send messages to each other. b. ​Martin contacts his friend Edwin through a networking site. c. ​Sarah is connected to Michael through her friend Shirley. d. ​Nancy is part of a group formed by her close friends from college on a social networking site.

Q: Mark, the manager of the marketing team of a company, often contacts the members of the finance team for budget-related details. Mark needs this information to design marketing strategies that fall within the allocated budget. Which kind of leadership network is Mark using for performing his tasks efficiently? a. Strategic network b. Operational network c. Personal network d. Peer leadership network

Q: Beginning with an extreme demand is the best approach toward negotiation. a. True b. False

Q: During negotiations, the focus should be on positions rather than interests. a. True b. False

Q: Being the first to listen during a negotiation session results in distrust. a. True b. False

Q: Confrontation and problem solving is a useful technique for a leader who is attempting to get two direct reports to resolve a conflict between them. a. True b. False

Q: A helpful way of overcoming cross-cultural communication barriers is to make frequent reference to a person's race or ethnicity, such as saying, "I would like you to meet Hector, our Latino member, who is a specialist in website construction." a. True b. False

Q: A sign of possible misunderstanding when communicating with a person whose first language is not the same as yours is inappropriate laughter on his or her part. a. True b. False

Q: The recommended way for a manager to make the rounds is to start the work day with an e-mail message to all direct reports asking for their input on problems and concerns. a. True b. False

Q: A problem noted with selective listening on the part of the leader is that it can block him or her from paying attention to a full range of problems. a. True b. False

Q: A challenge for the leader who wants to listen carefully to subordinates is that most people speak much faster than they can listen. a. True b. False

Q: It is easier for the leader to influence others when he or she can make the constituents believe the resource at issue is in abundant supply. a. True b. False

Q: It is much easier to persuade people who like you. a. True b. False

Q: A frame in communication is built around the best context for responding to the needs of others. a. True b. False

Q: Although relying on data to support conclusions is impressive, a persuasive communicator should also express confidence in his or her intuition. a. True b. False

Q: Anecdotes make their strongest contribution in communicating technical information and facts and figures to employees. a. True b. False

Q: A useful contributor to inspirational communication is to sprinkle a conversation with emotion-provoking words. a. True b. False

Q: Effective communication is a major tool the leader can use to inspire organizational members to take responsibility for creating a better future. a. True b. False

Q: The avoidant style is a form of negotiation in which _____. a. the negotiator completely avoids eye contact with both parties b. the negotiator avoids one party in favor of the other c. the negotiator is indifferent to the concerns of either party d. the negotiator avoids speaking as a way to facilitate communication between the parties

Q: The _____ style of conflict management is halfway between domination and appeasement. a. avoidant b. sharing c. collaborative d. accommodative

Q: A stereotype of the difference in negotiation style between Americans and negotiators from other countries is that Americans are more likely to: a. make major concessions to the other side. b. be indirect and evasive about their true position. c. slowly build relationships. d. move quickly toward a resolution of the problem.

Q: The true object of negotiation is to: a. first make a lower offer than you are willing to pay. b. make a higher demand than you are willing to accept. c. satisfy the underlying interests of both sides. d. focus on positions, rather than interests.

Q: The approaches to negotiation that emphasize collaboration focus on: a. beginning with a plausible offer. b. positions, rather than interests. c. avoidance and unassertiveness. d. win-lose power struggles.

Q: The purpose of collaboration is to: a. maximize the gain for one party at the expense of the other. b. find a good compromise solution to the dispute. c. combine several approaches to conflict resolution. d. search for win-win solutions to conflicts.

Q: When attempting to resolve conflict between two group members, leaders are advised to: a. use a win-lose approach. b. use confrontation and problem solving. c. modify the organizations structure. d. work with each side alone to reach a solution.

Q: A useful variation of the collaborative style of conflict management is to: a. ignore criticism. b. give the other side whatever he or she wants. c. agree with the person criticizing you. d. cut way back on your initial demand or offer.

Q: A symptom of conflict with extremely negative consequences is when an organization: a. has departments competing for dominance behind the scenes. b. engages in the collaborative style of conflict management. c. focuses its energy in struggling with the competition. d. uses mediators to help settle disputes.

Q: A key barrier to cross-cultural communication is to confuse the identity of people because they: a. have similar personality characteristics. b. are members of the same race or ethnic group. c. have a distinguishing feature such as eye color. d. have similar economic values.

Q: Which of the following suggestions is least likely to improve cross-cultural communication? a. Do not be diverted by style, accent, grammar, or appearance. b. Be sensitive to differences in cross-cultural communication. c. Emphasize racial or ethnic identification to give people full credit. d. Observe cross-cultural differences in etiquette.

Q: Which of the following communication approaches is the most likely to be helpful in overcoming cross-cultural communication barriers? a. Judging others by the quality of their communication b. Speaking slowly and clearly to people c. Speaking English because it is a universal language d. Sticking with the etiquette of your country

Q: In cross-cultural relations, an attitude of highest respect is to communicate the belief that another person's culture is: a. of considerable value, but still not as good as yours. b. different from but not inferior to yours. c. good enough to be exported to your country. d. in the top 10 percent of world cultures.

Q: Team leader Steve wants to personally observe the problems and developments within his team. Which of the following techniques is most likely to suit his purpose? a. Using a power-oriented linguistic style b. Management by storytelling c. Making the rounds d. Selective listening

Q: Materials handling manager Mary Ann wants to make the rounds. Therefore, she: a. casually drops by the cubicles of her direct reports to chat. b. drops in on higher-ranking managers to discuss strategy. c. sends an intranet survey to direct reports asking for their input on problems. d. makes an informal inspection of other departments.

Q: A major listening problem many leaders face is that they: a. are overloaded with responsibilities. b. feel listening is a sign of weakness. c. never ask questions to clarify issues. d. are convinced that listening is for wimps.