Deck 1: Organizations and Organization Theory

Question 1

The key element of an organization is its

A) buildings and policies.
B) people and their relationships.
C) profits.
D) facilities location.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Non-profit organization managers deal with many diverse shareholders and must market their services to all of the following except

A) donors.
B) shareholders.
C) clients.
D) volunteers.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

____ emphasized designing and managing organization on an impersonal, rational basis through such elements as clearly defined authority and responsibility, formal record keeping, and uniform application of standard rules.

A) The Hawthorne Studies
B) Scientific management
C) The bureaucratic organization
D) Contingency theory

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following integrates diverse organizational activities by looking at various organizational stakeholders and what they want from the organization?

A) Effectiveness
B) Organizational culture
C) Efficiency
D) Stakeholder approach

Question 5

____ refers to the amount of resources used to achieve the organization's goals.

A) Stakeholder approach
B) Effectiveness
C) Efficiency
D) Resource management

Question 6

Managers carefully balance the needs and interests of various stakeholders in setting goals and striving for effectiveness. This refers to

A) scientific management.
B) the stakeholder approach.
C) organization theory.
D) chaos theory.

Question 7

Some specific challenges today's managers and organizations face includes all of the following except:

A) ethical scrutiny.
B) increasing diversity.
C) a traditional workplace.
D) globalization.

Question 8

The degree to which organizational tasks are subdivided into separate jobs is referred to as

A) formalization.
B) specialization.
C) professionalism.
D) centralization.

Question 9

Outsourcing firms in low-wage countries can often do work for ____ less than companies based in the United States.

A) 50 to 60 percent
B) 20 to 30 percent
C) 40 to 45 percent
D) 15 to 25 percent

Question 10

Compare Ternary Software with Wal-Mart (In Practice activity). These two companies illustrate the concept that:

A) larger organizations need to have tight controls at the top.
B) successful organizations can have very different strategies and goal emphases.
C) a moderate to high level of formalization is crucial to an organization's success.
D) centralization is necessary in organizations when they face high levels of competition.

Question 11

The 385-page book that McDonald's uses to describe all rules and procedures in each of its stores best represents which of the following dimensions?

A) Learning theory
B) Sequential interdependence
C) Formalization
D) Specialization

Question 12

The importance of organizations includes all of the following concepts except:

A) creating value for owners, customers, and employees.
B) establishing important relationships with the government.
C) facilitating innovation.
D) bringing together resources for achieving desired goals and outcomes.

Question 13

Financial resources for nonprofit organizations usually come from all of the following except

A) the sale of competitor's products or services.
B) grants.
C) government appropriations.
D) donations.

Question 14

____ is the degree to which an organization achieves its goals.

A) Effectiveness
B) Efficiency
C) Organizational strategy
D) Stakeholder profitability

Question 15

Which of the following provides labels to describe the internal characteristics of an organization?

A) Contextual dimensions
B) Contingency analysis
C) Organizational dynamics
D) Structural dimensions

Question 16

Contingency factors

A) represent only the external environment.
B) are centralization and personnel ratios.
C) represent only the organization characteristics.
D) include size and environment.

Question 17

Scientific management, pioneered by Frederick Taylor, claimed that decisions about organizations and job design should be based on:

A) precise, scientific procedures after careful study of individual situations.
B) the insights of practitioners.
C) leadership, motivation, and human resource management.
D) management theory.

Question 18

Which of the following is a contingency rather than a structural dimension of an organization?

A) Labor force
B) Culture
C) Professionalism
D) Centralization

Question 19

The definition of "organization" is:

A) a goal-directed entity that has members who set goals and achieve them through strategic planning.
B) an entity with identifiable permanent boundaries.
C) a social entity that is goal-directed, has a deliberately-structured activity system, and is linked to the external environment.
D) a business that performs work activities and contributes to its society by employing people.

Question 20

Scientific management was:

A) pioneered by Henri Fayol.
B) an outgrowth of the Hawthorne studies which found that people performed best in an environment of clearly specified, narrow job task.
C) focused on effectiveness rather than efficiency.
D) successful at increasing output, in part through the use of incentive systems.

Question 21

A poll by the Association of Executive Search Consultants found _____, _____, and _____ to be the top three countries in which companies want star talent, reflecting these organizations' increasing investment in those regions.

A) China; India; Brazil
B) the United States; Germany; Japan
C) England; Australia; the United States
D) Japan; Afghanistan; Poland

Question 22

Functions such as human resources, organizational development, the employee cafeteria, and maintenance staff refer to which of the following five basic parts of an organization?

A) Technical support
B) Human infrastructure
C) Administrative support
D) None of these

Question 23

_____ refers to economic development that generates wealth and meets the needs of the current generation while saving the environment so future generations can meet their needs as well.

A) Decentralization
B) Recycling
C) Scientific management
D) Sustainability

Question 24

The technical core refers to:

A) the computer hardware that runs information processing in the organization.
B) the people who do the basic work of the organization, producing product and service outputs.
C) administrators who run the organization.
D) top management that has been promoted from within and thereby knows the inner core of organizational processes.

Question 25

Interpretations of ____ concluded that positive treatment of employees improved their motivation and productivity.

A) bureaucratic organizations
B) stakeholder approaches
C) scientific management
D) the Hawthorne Studies

Question 26

Which of the following is not an element of organizational design?

A) Structure
B) Systems
C) Technological advances
D) Tasks

Question 27

_____ dimensions provide labels to describe the internal characteristics of an organization.

A) Contingency
B) Structural
C) Stakeholder
D) Subsystem

Question 28

The study of organizational behavior is:

A) different from the study of organization theory because of a different focus.
B) the same thing as the study of organization theory.
C) an "umbrella" that encompasses the study of organization theory.
D) a subset of organization theory.

Question 29

____ is the subsystem responsible for directing and coordinating other parts of the organization.

A) The technical core
B) Management
C) Human Resources
D) Accounting

Question 30

Hispanics will make up _____ percent of the workforce by 2018.

A) 8.2
B) 17.6
C) 50.7
D) 68.9

Question 31

Which of the following describes the study of organizational behavior?

A) The same as the study of organization theory
B) A macro analysis of the whole organization
C) Focus on people, structure, and environment
D) A micro approach focusing on the individual

Question 32

Which of the following has discretion and responsibility, allowing the person to use his or her discretion and ability to achieve an outcome or meet a goal?

A) Stakeholder
B) Norm
C) Task
D) Role

Question 33

The primary level of analysis in organization theory is on the ____, with some concern for the ____ and the ____.

A) departments, employees, environment
B) organization, environment, departments
C) environment, organization, departments
D) organization, environment, individual

Question 34

A survey of 20,000 people in 19 countries, conducted by market research firm GfK for The Wall Street Journal found that _____ percent of respondents believe cheating in business is more common today than it was 10 years ago.

A) 10
B) 25
C) 55
D) 75

Question 35

John Black, a management consultant, successfully implemented an MBO program on his first consulting job. He now recommends MBO to all his clients. In so doing, our text would say the main point is that he is ignoring:

A) the latest techniques for solving problems.
B) the principles of contingency theory.
C) the external environment of the organization.
D) the internal environment of the organization.

Question 36

Wal-Mart has implemented an energy-efficient trucking fleet, is increasing its use of green materials in buildings, and aims to eliminate all the company's landfill waste by 2025. Wal-Mart is focusing its efforts on which of the following?

A) The levels of analysis
B) Sustainability
C) Scientific management
D) Environmental management

Question 37

Contingency means that:

A) organizations should be structured loosely.
B) management structure is determined by the era or times.
C) one thing depends on other things, such as structure depending on environment.
D) the key contingent of workers should be college graduates.

Question 38

_____ describes who reports to whom and the span of control for each manager.

A) Hierarchy of authority
B) Formalization
C) Centralization
D) Specialization

Question 39

The science of ____ suggests that relationships in complex, open systems are nonlinear and made up of numerous interconnections and divergent choices that create unintended effects and render the whole unpredictable.

A) organization theory
B) chaos theory
C) meso theory
D) bureaucracy theory

Question 40

Mintzberg's five basic parts of an organization include all except which of the following?

A) Administrative support
B) Management
C) Technical support
D) Computer infrastructure

Question 41

An organization's culture is usually contained in the written policy manual.

Question 42

The amount of written documentation in the organization is called formalization.

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT the responsibility of middle managers?

A) Implementing at the departmental level
B) Providing direction, planning, and strategy for the organization
C) Mediating between top management and the technical core
D) Coordinating at the departmental level

Question 44

The four structural dimensions of organization design are formalization, specialization, culture, and environment.

Question 45

Today, some companies are cooperating with their competitors, sharing information and technology to their mutual advantage.

Question 46

_____ refers to the tools, techniques, and actions used to transform inputs into outputs.

A) Size
B) Goals
C) Organizational technology
D) Culture

Question 47

A(n) _____ design means that the organization is characterized by machine-like standard rules, procedures, and a clear hierarchy of authority.

A) contingency
B) chaos
C) organic
D) mechanistic

Question 48

The underlying set of key values, beliefs, understandings, and norms shared by employees is referred to as an organization's culture.

Question 49

Administrative principles contributed to the development of which of the following?

A) The stakeholder approach
B) Scientific management
C) The Hawthorne Studies
D) Bureaucratic organizations

Question 50

E-business and through the use of computer-based manufacturing technologies are two ways companies produce and distribute desirable goods and services more efficiently.

Question 51

Global outsourcing and strategic partnering with foreign firms are related trends to gain a global advantage.

Question 52

A(n) _____ design means that the organization is much looser, free-flowing, and adaptive.

A) mechanistic
B) organic
C) flexible
D) centralized

Question 53

Outsourcing firms in low-wage countries can often do work for 70 to 80 percent less than companies based in the United States.

Question 54

AT ABC Company, employees are encouraged to take care of problems by working with one another and with customers, using their discretion to make decisions. ABC Company is a _____ organization.

A) decentralized
B) centralized
C) mechanistic
D) sustainable

Question 55

_____ refers to the hierarchical level that has authority to make decisions.

A) Hierarchy of authority
B) Specialization
C) Centralization
D) Formalization

Question 56

Common structural variables studied as dimensions of organizations are goals, culture, and environment.

Question 57

A key element of an organization is a building or set of policies and procedures, not the people and their relationships.

Question 58

One reason organizations exist is to shape the lives of all the organizational stakeholders.

Question 59

Financial resources for nonprofits typically come from government appropriations, grants, and donations rather than from the sale of products or services to customers.

Question 60

Organizations are currently operating in a stable environment, so managers can focus on designing structures and systems that keeps the organization running efficiently.

Question 61

Scientific management focused on primarily the technical core, whereas administrative principles focused on the design and functioning of the organization as a whole.

Question 62

Scientific management focused on the total organization and grew from the insights of practitioners.

Question 63

Organization theory is a macro examination of organizational activity, emphasizing structure and behavior of the organization level of analysis.

Question 64

The cliche that the world is getting smaller is dramatically true for today's organizations.

Question 65

The primary level of analysis in organization theory is first line supervision.

Question 66

Efficiency refers to the amount of resources used to achieve the organization's goals, whereas effectiveness refers to the degree to which an organization achieves its goals.

Question 67

Contingency means that one thing depends on other things, and for organizations to be effective, there must be a "goodness of fit" between their structure and the conditions of their external environment.

Question 68

The nine contingency and structural dimensions are not dependent on each other.

Question 69

For much of the twentieth century, organizations operated in a world that was relatively stable, but today the environment can be characterized as turbulent.

Question 70

The stakeholder approach integrates diverse organizational activities by looking at various organizational stakeholders and what they want from the organization.

Question 71

About half of the current population growth in the United States is due to immigration.

Question 72

Organizations are static.

Question 73

Sustainability refers to economic development that generates wealth and meets the needs of the current generation while saving the environment so future generations can meet their needs as well.

Question 74

The administrative support function is a distinct function, responsible for directing and coordinating other parts of the organization.

Question 75

Usually, organizations can easily satisfy the demands of all of its stakeholders simultaneously.

Question 76

The new mindset has spurred many organizations to shift from strict horizontal hierarchies to centralized structures.

Question 77

Organizations today have rigid boundaries separating them from other organizations.

Question 78

Men constitute the majority of the workforce in the United States.

Question 79

The classical perspective of organization design sought to make organizations run like learning organizations in a turbulent environment.

Question 80

Because of the Hawthorne Studies, a revolution in worker treatment took place and laid the groundwork for subsequent work examining treatment of workers, leadership, motivation, and human resource management.