Deck 2: Fundamentals of Planning

Question 1

In a hierarchy of objectives, top managers establish goals that reflect the goals of the middle and supervisory management levels.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Planning essentially means forward looking.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Unified planning means that all departments help decide what the plans of the entire organization should be.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Planning always involves assessing present conditions and making only short term goals.

Question 5

Top managers are more involved in operational planning.

Question 6

Planning is most closely related to organizing.

Question 7

The first step in planning is setting an objective or goal.

Question 8

Planning at the higher level generally is less complex and involves less uncertainty than planning at supervisory levels.

Question 9

Supervisors are involved with short-term planning that usually spans a timeframe of one day to six months.

Question 10

Planning involves the use of administrative skills only.

Question 11

Effective managers never make assumptions about the future while planning.

Question 12

Making job assignments is a part of the planning carried out by supervisors.

Question 13

Implementation and evaluation of goals do not form a part of planning.

Question 14

It is always advisable for managers to solve problems as they arise rather than to spend working hours making long term plans.

Question 15

In any organization, objectives are first needed at the top management level.

Question 16

Because objectives focus attention and effort, it is better to have as many objectives as possible that cover not only the important areas but areas which are less important too.

Question 17

As a supervisor, Mark is developing the first step in the planning process for his department. Mark is probably working on the objectives he wants to achieve within his group.

Question 18

Scenario planning has a short-term focus and is typically associated with planning at the supervisory level.

Question 19

The planning done by top managers is narrower in scope than the planning done at the supervisory level.

Question 20

Strategic planning has longer time horizons.

Question 21

A budget is considered to be a type of standing plan.

Question 22

Which of the following is the third step in planning?

A) Monitoring the plan's implementation
B) Setting an objective or goal
C) Identifying and assessing present and future conditions affecting the objective
D) Developing a systematic approach to achieve the objective

Question 23

Supervisors normally do not establish policies, even within their own departments.

Question 24

A program is a large-scale plan that involves a mix of objectives, policies, rules, and smaller projects.

Question 25

A program is a type of standing plan.

Question 26

In order to preserve managerial authority, supervisors should not involve subordinates in setting objectives.

Question 27

A rule is a single use plan.

Question 28

The critical path is the series of scheduled activities that require the shortest period of time.

Question 29

Planning is most closely related to the management function of:

A) financing.
B) accounting.
C) implementing.
D) controlling.

Question 30

Which of the following is the first step in planning?

A) Developing a systematic approach to achieve the objective
B) Implementing the plan
C) Setting an objective or goal
D) Monitoring the plan's implementation

Question 31

Standing plans are also known as repeat-use plans.

Question 32

Which of the following is a planning step that immediately follows the establishment of a goal by a manager?

A) Developing a systematic approach, or plan, to achieve the objective
B) Implementing the plan and monitoring its implementation
C) Setting an alternative objective as a backup strategy
D) Identifying and assessing present and future conditions affecting the objective

Question 33

Contingency planning means:

A) allotting more time for problem-solving.
B) thinking in advance about possible problems and having anticipated solutions.
C) solving problems after they happen with the best possible solution.
D) comparing current productivity levels with desired productivity levels and planning strategies to achieve desired results.

Question 34

Anticipating alternative future situations and developing courses of action for each alternative is referred to as _____ planning.

A) scenario
B) operational
C) diverse
D) institutional

Question 35

Effort expended in one performance area frequently affects another.

Question 36

Once objectives have been set, it is necessary for supervisors to follow-up by having progress discussions with employees.

Question 37

Objectives should be set such that they can be met through average effort.

Question 38

A rule is stronger than a policy.

Question 39

Policies are always required to be written, otherwise they are not considered as policies.

Question 40

A Gantt chart is a scheduling technique that shows how various activities involved in the job depend on each other.

Question 41

A budget is:

A) a standing plan.
B) a policy.
C) a single-use plan.
D) a repeat-use plan.

Question 42

The _____ identifies work stages on a vertical axis and schedule completion dates horizontally.

A) PERT chart
B) Gantt Chart
C) pie chart
D) flow chart

Question 43

_____ are the purposes, goals, and desired results for the organization and its parts.

A) Rules
B) Objectives
C) Procedures
D) Norms

Question 44

Unified planning:

A) ensures that plans at all organizational levels are in harmony.
B) is planning done by an organization along with its competitors in order to ensure equal market shares.
C) inhibits coordination among departments.
D) promotes competition between departments.

Question 45

Which of the following is true of planning at different management levels?

A) Top managers are more involved in strategic planning.
B) Planning done at the supervisory level is more complex and involves a higher degree of uncertainty than planning done at other management levels.
C) Middle managers are involved in long-term planning, and they plan for 5 or more years.
D) Supervisors plan the growth rate of the organization.

Question 46

Which of the following is true of guidelines to be followed while setting objectives?

A) Managers should not involve employees in setting objectives.
B) The objective "to have good quality" is an example of a good objective.
C) Objectives should be as broad and ambiguous as possible.
D) The key performance areas should be selected for setting objectives.

Question 47

An organization's _____ defines the purpose the organization serves and identifies its services, products, and customers.

A) mission
B) norm
C) code
D) patent

Question 48

The type of planning that is usually done by top management and is for a period of five years or more into the future, is known as:

A) operational planning.
B) short-term planning.
C) strategic planning.
D) intermediate planning.

Question 49

A _____ outlines the steps to be performed when a particular course of action is taken.

A) rule
B) procedure
C) budget
D) policy

Question 50

Planning that involves determining how to increase efficiency in production is usually done by:

A) top managers.
B) middle managers.
C) supervisory managers.
D) intermediate managers.

Question 51

Employees who violate an organizational mandate which states that "Employees who violate the no-smoking rule are automatically discharged" are going against an organizational:

A) rule.
B) procedure.
C) policy.
D) objective.

Question 52

_____ are what you want to accomplish-the focus toward which plans are aimed.

A) Procedures
B) Objectives
C) Rules
D) Strategies

Question 53

A _____ is an example of a standing plan.

A) budget
B) policy
C) schedule
D) program

Question 54

A(n) _____ is a network with broad goals at the top level of the organization and narrower goals for individual divisions, departments, or employees.

A) unified plan
B) organizational planning body
C) management hierarchy
D) hierarchy of objectives

Question 55

A _____ is a forecast of expected financial performance over time.

A) budget
B) project
C) schedule
D) program

Question 56

Operational planning:

A) involves the establishment of the organization's mission.
B) facilitates the achievement of strategic planning.
C) is planning for more than five years into the future.
D) is done by the top-managers.

Question 57

Which of the following types of plans is often discarded after use?

A) A standing plan
B) A policy
C) A procedure
D) A budget

Question 58

Which of the following management levels is involved with short-range plans of 1 day, 1 week, or 1 to 6 months?

A) Chief executive officers
B) Top managers
C) Presidents
D) Supervisory managers

Question 59

_____ are inflexible and must be obeyed.

A) Policies
B) Strategies
C) Rules
D) Projects

Question 60

A _____ is a guide to decision making-a way to provide consistency among decision makers.

A) patent
B) policy
C) trademark
D) project

Question 61

Explain how planning differs at top, middle, and supervisory management levels.

Question 62

Explain hierarchy of objectives.

Question 63

What are the three steps in the planning process?

Question 64

What is contingency planning, and why is it important?

Question 65

Which of the managerial functions is planning most related to, and why?

Question 66

Discuss important guidelines in setting performance objectives.

Question 67

Discuss two techniques used for scheduling.

Question 68

What is the importance of setting objectives?

Question 69

Describe the difference/s between standing plans and single-use plans, and give an example of each type of plan.

Question 70

The _____ is used on highly complex, one-time projects.

A) PERT network chart
B) Gantt chart
C) contingency method
D) critical path method

Question 71

Why do managers neglect planning?