Deck 1: Management and Its Evolution

Question 1

Which level of management is responsible for implementing the directives of senior executives?

A) Tactical managers
B) Strategic managers
C) Day-to-day supervisors
D) Operational managers

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which type of team is comprised of members with diverse backgrounds?

A) Cross-functional team
B) Cross-disciplinary team
C) Managerial team
D) Quality team

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is not an example of organizational inefficiency?

A) Hiring the wrong people
B) Failing to reach goals that sustain the company's competitive advantage
C) Losing a key contributor
D) Making poor investment decisions.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Niccolo Machiavelli described leadership and presented a cynical view of human nature in what classic book?

A) The Art of War
B) The Prince
C) The Wealth of Nations
D) The Principles of Scientific Management

Question 5

Which of the following is not considered one of the four management functions?

A) Planning
B) Leading
C) Organizing
D) Informing

Question 6

When workers avoid doing their best work, it is referred to as

A) soldiering.
B) empowering.
C) synergy.
D) equifinality.

Question 7

Which of the following is true concerning organizational effectiveness and efficiency?

A) A firm is effective when it uses its resources in the best possible way.
B) A firm with excellent goals cannot fail.
C) A firm is ineffective when it hires the wrong people.
D) A firm is efficient when it does things right and effective when it does the right thing.

Question 8

The three categories of Mintzberg's managerial roles are

A) interpersonal, informational, and decisional.
B) planning, organizing, and leading.
C) entrepreneur, disturbance handler, and negotiator.
D) monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson.

Question 9

With today's more decentralized organizations, which of the following is likely to occur?

A) Employees are less likely to be asked to manage themselves.
B) Employees have less autonomy to set their own objectives.
C) Employees are not encouraged to use their own expertise.
D) Employees are less dependent on supervisors to tell them what to do

Question 10

Which of the following is not true concerning KPIs?

A) KPI refers to key performance indicators.
B) KPIs are long-term.
C) KPIs need not be quantifiable.
D) The goals for a KPI may change.

Question 11

Who first observed that the division of labor was responsible for revolutionary gains in factory output?

A) Frederick Taylor
B) Sun Tsu
C) Adam Smith
D) Niccolo Machiavelli

Question 12

Mintzberg's interpersonal roles include which of the following?

A) Entrepreneur, disturbance handler, and resource allocator
B) Monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson
C) Negotiator, leaders, and spokesperson
D) Figurehead, leader, and liaison

Question 13

In scientific management, the role of management is to

A) execute the work using scientific principles.
B) plan work methods using scientific principles.
C) solicit employee input to determine how the work should be performed.
D) empower workers.

Question 14

Time and motion studies using the stopwatch and motion picture camera to improve workplace efficiencies were introduced by

A) Henry Ford.
B) Frederick Taylor.
C) Henry Gantt.
D) Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.

Question 15

Which of the following should organizations avoid when trying to reinforce the team concept?

A) Give autonomy to teams to make their own decisions.
B) Reward the contributions of individual employees.
C) Select team members who are different yet complement each other.
D) Support teams whose task is to think outside the box.

Question 16

When managers are measuring performance, comparing it to objectives, implementing necessary changes, and monitoring progress, which function of management are they performing?

A) Planning
B) Controlling
C) Organizing
D) Leading

Question 17

Which activity would reflect a manager engaging in the organizing function?

A) Setting future objectives
B) Communicating organizational goals
C) Collecting quality feedback
D) Delegating tasks

Question 18

Operational managers are responsible for

A) overall responsibility of the firm.
B) day-to-day supervision.
C) producing the firm's product.
D) implementing the directives of strategic managers.

Question 19

Scientific management

A) ensures workers are empowered to decide how best to do the job.
B) emphasizes cross training of employees.
C) avoids standardized productivity quotas.
D) encourages management to share productivity gains.

Question 20

Which of the following is not considered one of the key issues influencing business today?

A) An emphasis on customer service
B) Management of change
C) A strong economy
D) The need for higher business ethics

Question 21

Which approach to management argues that human factors alone may affect workplace efficiency?

A) The administrative perspective
B) The bureaucratic perspective
C) The behavioral perspective
D) The quality perspective

Question 22

At the break-even point

A) the total costs of inventory are minimized.
B) there is neither a profit nor a loss.
C) demand for complementary items is balanced.
D) reorder points equal total holding costs.

Question 23

MRP is a useful tool to

A) recover fixed and variable costs.
B) minimize total inventory costs.
C) improve product quality.
D) reduce inventory costs.

Question 24

Which of the following is not considered a shortcoming of scientific management?

A) It did not appreciate the social context of work.
B) It paid too much attention to the needs of workers beyond pay.
C) It often led to dehumanizing working conditions.
D) It prohibited employee initiative.

Question 25

When reliability and efficiency are most important to a business, which approach to management is likely to be the best?

A) Bureaucratic approach
B) Administrative approach
C) Scientific management
D) Total quality management

Question 26

Which approach views management as a profession that can be learned by understanding basic principles?

A) Bureaucratic approach
B) Administrative approach
C) Scientific management
D) Total quality management

Question 27

The percentage of unionized workers

A) has increased in the manufacturing sector.
B) has declined to less than 10% in 2012.
C) has focused very successfully on white collar workers.
D) continues to remain about the same since the 1940s.

Question 28

Which of the following would be least likely to be a characteristic of an ideal bureaucracy as defined by Weber?

A) Career advancement based on merit
B) Well defined hierarchy
C) Few rules and procedures
D) Specialization of labor

Question 29

Building quality into the product rather than relying on quality inspections after the product has already been made reflects a principle of

A) scientific management.
B) TQM.
C) MRP.
D) cross-functional teams.

Question 30

Which of the following statements about TQM is true?

A) In TQM, quality is the role of quality control specialists.
B) In TQM, satisfying the customer is primarily the responsibility of marketing.
C) The TQM perspective views quality as the central purpose of the organization whereas the operational perspective focuses on efficiency.
D) Most major firms have not yet adopted TQM.

Question 31

Which of the following is not a principle of the administrative approach to management?

A) Unity of leadership
B) Unity of command
C) Unity of direction
D) Equity

Question 32

The employee handbook today is an example of the use of impersonal rules and procedures to provide a fair and consistent way of dealing with employees. This is a positive contribution made by which approach to management?

A) Scientific management
B) Bureaucratic management
C) Total quality management
D) Administrative management

Question 33

Which of the following is not a key element of the TQM approach?

A) Focus on the customer
B) Continuous improvement
C) Employee involvement
D) Scientifically study each part of a task and develop the best method of performing the task

Question 34

Which of the following quality experts advanced the use of statistics for constant quality improvement and assisted Japanese business leaders after World War II?

A) W. Edward Deming
B) Joseph M. Juran
C) Phillip Crosby
D) Arnand V. Feigenbaum

Question 35

Weber's principle of specialization builds on the earlier work of

A) Adam Smith.
B) Frederick Taylor.
C) Sun Tsu.
D) Niccolo Machiavelli.

Question 36

With a focus on statistical tools and techniques to improve efficiency, the scientific management perspective became known as

A) MRP.
B) EOQ.
C) the operational perspective.
D) the quantitative management school.

Question 37

A traditional perspective of management that examines the entire organization as a rational entity is

A) total quality management.
B) scientific management.
C) administrative management.
D) bureaucratic management.

Question 38

Unity of command suggests that

A) employees' efforts should be focused on achieving organizational objectives.
B) each employee should be assigned to only one supervisor.
C) the chain of command should follow a top-down direction.
D) workers must minimize deviations from standard procedures.

Question 39

Quantitative methods used in the quantitative management school include

A) quality management, bureaucratic management, and MRP.
B) EOQ, soldiering, and division of labor.
C) break-even analysis, EOQ, and MRP.
D) MRP, quality management, and time and motion studies.

Question 40

In which type of organization are Fayol's administrative principles most likely to still be applicable?

A) Apple
B) Microsoft
C) Toys R Us
D) The US Army

Question 41

Which approach to management believes that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts?

A) The operational approach
B) The systems approach
C) The administrative approach
D) The behavioral approach

Question 42

As managers move higher up their career ladders, their jobs are likely to focus more on

A) sales.
B) specialized knowledge.
C) communication.
D) operations.

Question 43

An organizational team comprised of representatives from marketing, accounting, operations, engineering, and human resources would be considered a cross-functional team.

Question 44

Microsoft's compatibility of business applications software with the Windows operating system drives software sales. This is an example of

A) synergy.
B) equifinality.
C) a subsystem.
D) an open system.

Question 45

Which approach to management would suggest that if Marcus has more knowledge of the work process than his manager, then the manager should act more in the role of coach than monitor or supervisor?

A) The administrative perspective
B) The bureaucratic perspective
C) The behavioral perspective
D) The quality perspective

Question 46

When an organization recognizes that they can reach the same goals through a number of different routes, they are demonstrating

A) synergy.
B) a closed system.
C) a subsystem.
D) equifinality.

Question 47

Which of the following is not identified as one of the most common career tracks in management?

A) Human resource manager
B) Accounting or finance manager
C) Sports team manager
D) Entrepreneur

Question 48

Which of the following studies suggested that the influence of the work group may be as significant as the influence of the supervisor?

A) McGregor's Theory X
B) Deming's TQM
C) Taylor's Midvale Steel studies
D) The Hawthorne studies

Question 49

What phenomenon suggests that when a manager shows concern for employees, their motivation and productivity levels are likely to improve?

A) The halo effect
B) The Hawthorne effect
C) The horn effect
D) The Mayo effect

Question 50

John, the marketing manager overseeing the launch of his company's new product, is considered a strategic manager.

Question 51

An example of the shift of resource investment in today's organizations emphasizing innovation is

A) from product design to plant and equipment.
B) from plant and equipment to know-how.
C) from machines to plant and equipment.
D) from virtual teams to outsourced partners.

Question 52

When the accounting manager reviews this month's sales, compares them to the sales budget then takes corrective action, she is performing the controlling function of management.

Question 53

The disaggregated corporation is known as the

A) modular organization.
B) intangible organization.
C) functional organization.
D) learning organization.

Question 54

To be successful, a company must first be efficient before addressing how to be effective.

Question 55

To be successful as a manager requires that you learn how to be flexible and adaptable.

Question 56

Which of the following statements is true concerning contingency theory?

A) Contingency theory reinforces scientific management's approach of the "one best way."
B) Contingency theory suggests that managers must use the best management practice in all situations.
C) Contingency theory suggests that no strategy is good or bad in and of itself, but instead depends on the situation.
D) Contingency theory suggests that organizations that can learn faster than their competitors have an advantage in the marketplace.

Question 57

The trend to using machines for routine tasks in factories to free up workers to use more of their abilities is reflected in which of the following organizations?

A) The modular organization
B) The functional organization
C) The learning organization
D) The intangible organization

Question 58

Jason's manager believes that he can best motivate Jason by providing an environment where Jason can satisfy his most pressing needs. Which of the following theories reflects the thinking of Jason's manager?

A) McGregor's Theory X
B) Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs
C) Deming's TQM
D) Taylor's scientific management

Question 59

Which of the following is not an assumption of McGregor's Theory Y?

A) Work is as natural as play or rest.
B) The average person learns, under the right conditions, not only to accept, but to seek responsibility.
C) The average person prefers to be directed.
D) The intellectual potential of most people is only partially utilized in most organizations.

Question 60

The work of Mary Parker Follett and the Hawthorne studies were important in which approach to management?

A) The administrative perspective
B) The bureaucratic perspective
C) The behavioral perspective
D) The quality perspective

Question 61

The operational perspective on management attempted to discover the one best way of doing a job.

Question 62

What are the three levels of management? What are they each responsible for?

Question 63

What is the systems approach to management and how does it differ from the operational, bureaucratic, administrative, and behavioral approaches to management?

Question 64

What is synergy? Provide an example.

Question 65

Frederick Taylor's managerial roles were grouped into three categories: interpersonal, information, and decisional.

Question 66

Discuss Adam Smith's contribution to early management thought.

Question 67

List Mintzberg's managerial roles.

Question 68

A key element of TQM is the focus on the customer.

Question 69

What is contingency theory?

Question 70

Discuss the four functions of management. Provide an example of each.

Question 71

Discuss Taylor's four principles of scientific management.

Question 72

Discuss the modular organization and the role of outsourcing.

Question 73

What is the difference between efficiency and effectiveness?

Question 74

A matrix organization which requires employees to report to both a functional and a project manager violates Fayol's unity of direction.

Question 75

What are the key characteristics of Weber's ideal bureaucracy?

Question 76

Contrast the behavioral and operational perspectives on management.

Question 77

Classical management insights from such thinkers as Sun Tsu, Niccolo Machiavelli, and Adam Smith are no longer valuable to organizations today.

Question 78

What is the Hawthorne effect?

Question 79

What are the three issues strongly influencing business in the twenty-first century?

Question 80

What are two key aspects of the human relations movement?