Deck 2: Management Theory: Essential Background for the Successful Manager

Question 1

During a manager's meeting, Paula, a district manager, discussed how to handle sensitive employee issues, and indicated correctly that management is really just an art.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

By identifying the "therbligs" in a job, such as the supplies of a bricklayer, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were able to eliminate costs while simultaneously reducing supplies wasted.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Peter Drucker, a famous 19^th-century socialist, opposed capitalism and many current business theories.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Understanding theoretical perspectives of management will help you understand why some practices are still favored, whether for right or wrong reasons.

Question 5

Susan, a department manager, believes that since the corporate office eliminated certain benefits to reduce costs, her employees have not been working as hard as in the past. This reduction in effort is known as "soldiering."

Question 6

Scientific management focused on ways to improve worker morale.

Question 7

Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton believed that evidence-based management is based on the belief that facing the hard facts about what works and having to accept the nonsense that passes for sound advice will help organizations perform better.

Question 8

The systems viewpoint of management regards the organization as systems of interrelated parts that operate together to achieve a common purpose.

Question 9

Supporters of evidence-based management would say there are many really new ideas.

Question 10

Don, a restaurant manager and MBA student, was reflecting on a how he can apply the classical management viewpoint in his store from a recent class, which supposes his employees are rational in their decisions.

Question 11

The historical perspective of management includes three viewpoints-systems, contingency, and quality management.

Question 12

Evidence-based management is based on the belief that understanding the sound complete truths of conventional managerial wisdom and accepting much of the nonsense that often passes for sound advice can at times help organizations perform better.

Question 13

The contemporary perspective of management includes three viewpoints: systems, contingency, and quality management.

Question 14

Studying theoretical perspectives of management can help a manager in many ways, but seldom provides new ideas in new situations.

Question 15

Donna, the president of a national restaurant chain, believes that studying theoretical perspectives of management seldom gives clues to the meaning of outside events that could affect her company.

Question 16

Scientific management emphasized the scientific study of work methods to improve the productivity of individual workers.

Question 17

The behavioral viewpoint of management emphasized the importance of encouraging employees to work more efficiently.

Question 18

Ali, a CEO of a large IT organization, understands that many challenges are coming in his industry; therefore, he tells his upper-level management that it's helpful to look at theoretical perspectives of management to help make predictions and develop principles to guide future company strategies and actions.

Question 19

The classical viewpoint of management emphasized ways to manage work more efficiently.

Question 20

When managing her company, Priya, the owner of ABC Manufacturing, utilizes the behavioral viewpoint of management, which emphasizes ways to manage work more efficiently.

Question 21

The human relations movement proposed that better rules and procedures could increase worker productivity.

Question 22

Umar, a general manager in a fast-food chain, has employees all under the age of 25, and most of his workers are good employees. However, Umar still believes his workers are irresponsible and lack ambition. Umar is a Theory X manager.

Question 23

Behavioral science relies on data from past sales to determine forecasts regarding human behavior to develop strategic plans and goals.

Question 24

Mary Parker Follett believed that organizations should be under heavy management control, with managers resolving conflicts and controlling the work process.

Question 25

A problem with the classical viewpoint is that it does not consider overall company and global problems and goals.

Question 26

Carmakers have broken down automobile manufacturing into its basic tasks, such as on an assembly line, because the application of scientific methods and job specialization boosts productivity.

Question 27

Joe, a plant manager, was interested in utilizing the differential rate system of scientific management in his factory because it suggested paying workers less to cut costs when production first increased.

Question 28

Paul, an MBA student and small-business owner, is interested in implementing the administrative management approach because this method of management focuses on improving employee morale.

Question 29

The behavioral viewpoint emphasized the importance of understanding human behavior and increasing diversity.

Question 30

In our time, the word bureaucracy has come to have negative associations: impersonality, inflexibility, red tape, and a molasses-like response to problems.

Question 31

Don, a production manager, has decided to utilize the Hawthorne effect in his facility because studies have shown that this theory will increase production by giving more independence to employees as they receive less attention.

Question 32

Abraham Maslow said that all needs are equal in importance and need to be satisfied daily.

Question 33

Max Weber felt that bureaucracy is irrational, inefficient, and not ideal for organizations.

Question 34

According to Fayol, the major functions of management are planning, monitoring, leading, and motivating.

Question 35

Olde Manufacturing, a parts supplier to the auto industry, has been using the behavioral approach to management for over 100 years. However, since that method of management is too simplistic for practical use, Olde should begin implementing the newer and more sophisticated human relations movement approach to management.

Question 36

The Hawthorne studies succeeded in drawing attention to the importance of "social man" and how managers using good human relations could improve worker productivity.

Question 37

The behavioral viewpoint emphasized the importance of understanding human behavior and of motivating employees toward achievement.

Question 38

When the Americans entered the war in 1941, they used the British model to form operations research teams to determine how to deploy troops, submarines, and equipment most effectively. These techniques have evolved into quantitative management.

Question 39

Motion studies broke down each worker's job into basic physical motions and then trained workers to use the methods of their best-performing coworkers.

Question 40

Ann, an industrial psychologist, has been studying Hugo Munsterberg's beliefs of human behavior in the workplace because she feels his principles could contribute to her industry, namely to determine which people are best suited to specific jobs, to identify the psychological conditions under which employees do their best work, and devise management strategies to influence employees to follow management's interests.

Question 41

Quality is seen as one of the most important ways of adding value to products and services, thereby distinguishing them from those of competitors.

Question 42

Gary Hamel of the Management Innovation Lab suggests that core beliefs about an organization can be rooted out by repeatedly asking the right questions, such as, "Is this a belief worth challenging?" or "Is this belief universally valid?"

Question 43

A system is an organization's method of determining if employees succeed.

Question 44

A-Plus Manufacturing has a policy of using statistical sampling to locate errors by testing just some (rather than all) of the items in a particular production run. This strategy of minimizing errors is known as synergy.

Question 45

An open system continually interacts with its environment, so it receives feedback from the outside environment.

Question 46

Operations management focuses on managing the production and delivery of an organization's products or services more effectively.

Question 47

Through the rational management of resources and distribution of goods and services, scientific management helps ensure that business operations are efficient and effective.

Question 48

Many times when working with a new manager, Amy, a successful small-business owner, asks the manager, "What management method do you think will work best in this situation?" In this situation, Amy is utilizing the scientific management approach.

Question 49

The contingency viewpoint emphasizes that a manager's approach should vary according to-that is, be contingent on-costs and competition.

Question 50

W. Edwards Deming and Joseph M. Juran were pioneers of the quality-management movement.

Question 51

The customers of Best Auto Sales complete an online survey after purchasing an automobile from Best. The information from the customer survey is a form of feedback.

Question 52

Quality assurance focuses on the performance of workers, urging employees to strive for "minimal defects."

Question 53

In a fixed-learning system, company employees typically will participate in continuous learning, such as workshops on product improvements, more often than in organizations with an open system.

Question 54

Management science focuses on using behavioral techniques to aid in problem solving and decision making.

Question 55

Outputs are the products, services, profits, losses, employee satisfaction or discontent, and the like that are produced by the organization.

Question 56

Quantitative management is the sales management theory related to determining if a prospective customer really qualifies for the company's product or service.

Question 57

The just-in-time approach, which comes under the term lean management, allows organizations to obtain supplies from vendors only as they are needed in the factory.

Question 58

The five parts of a system are inputs, outputs, transformational processes, monitoring, and feedback.

Question 59

When Mr. Jones, the owner of a local hardware store, asks one of his lawnmower suppliers about the total ability of their product to meet customer needs, he is questioning the quality of that mower.

Question 60

Right Office Equipment continually talks with customers after they purchase their products, and Right Office managers regularly visit customers to gather feedback on new products, product improvements, and how Right Office can better serve their customers. This is an example of an open system.

Question 61

Amy is a package delivery service manager. She is interested in implementing the management philosophy pioneered by Frederick W. Taylor and Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, which scientifically studies work methods to improve the productivity of individual workers, known as ____.

A) human relations management
B) scientific management
C) quantitative management
D) contingency management
E) management science

Question 62

A pay structure, in which more efficient workers earn higher wages, as suggested by Frederick W. Taylor, is known as a(n) _____ system.

A) scale
B) increasing wage
C) differential rate
D) wide wage
E) merited pay

Question 63

Because there are some positive aspects of bureaucracy, as proposed by Max Weber, Tammy, a restaurant manager, is interested in implementing certain aspects of the bureaucratic approach to management within her restaurant. Like Weber, Tammy feels bureaucracy is a ____.

A) rational, efficient, cost-cutting tool based on principles of behaviorism
B) sales-generating tool
C) rational, efficient method of increasing diversity
D) rational, efficient, ideal organization based on principles of logic
E) rational, cost-cutting, efficient organization based on principles of synergy

Question 64

Within his company, Greg has set up a system with inputs, outputs, transformation processes, and feedback. Within his organization he utilizes a management style that varies according to the individual and environmental situation, with a strategy for minimizing errors by managing each stage of production. Greg is utilizing a _______ perspective.

A) historical
B) classical
C) qualitative
D) contemporary
E) behavioral

Question 65

The father of scientific management is _____.

A) Frank Gilbreth
B) Tom Gallagher
C) Abraham Maslow
D) Peter Drucker
E) Frederick Taylor

Question 66

The classical viewpoint of management emphasized ways to ___.

A) manage work more efficiently
B) build more synergy
C) vary according to the environment
D) include MBO
E) increase diversity

Question 67

The beliefs that there are few really new ideas and that true is better than new are two of the foundational principles of ___.

A) scientific management
B) the quality-management viewpoint
C) evidence-based management
D) behavioral management
E) MBO

Question 68

Wanda, a CEO, has been encouraging her managers to study and utilize theoretical perspectives of management because this approach _____.

A) is an effective cost-reduction tool
B) emphasizes diversity
C) is an effective synergy-building approach
D) builds a strong family-type culture
E) provides clues to the meaning of your managers' decisions

Question 69

The 17 basic units of motion, identified by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, were named _____.

A) gilbreths
B) time frames
C) therbligs
D) units
E) action works

Question 70

To develop a learning organization, managers must build a commitment to learning, work to generate ideas with impact, and work to generalize ideas with impact.

Question 71

Sal, a production manager, knows that some of his employees are upset with the new corporate policy, and as a result, are participating in soldiering. To eliminate soldiering Sal can ___.

A) reduce the use of scientific principles in planning work methods
B) carefully select workers according to their abilities and give workers training
C) reduce training, but increase MBO
D) place workers in any task available, focusing on their interests and not their abilities
E) increase diversity and MBO

Question 72

The five ingredients of a learning organization are acquiring knowledge, training, studying knowledge, pondering, and monitoring employees.

Question 73

Susan, a movie theater manager, has observed that as workers feel some company policies are not fair, the employees have not been working as hard as in the past. This reduction in effort is known as ____.

A) sliding
B) soldiering
C) skimming
D) entitling
E) slipping

Question 74

The historical perspective includes three viewpoints: _______.

A) systems, contingency, quality management
B) classical, scientific, quantitative
C) classical, operations, scientific
D) contemporary, historical, scientific
E) classical, behavioral, quantitative

Question 75

With TQM, it is vital that organizations listen to and learn from their customers and employees and make continuous improvement a priority.

Question 76

To better meet corporate goals this year, Donna, a CEO, is encouraging her managers to focus on the major functions of management, which include ______.

A) planning, organizing, recruiting, monitoring, delegating
B) recruiting, monitoring, delegating, coordinating
C) planning, organizing, leading, controlling, arbitrating
D) recruiting, planning, organizing, leading
E) planning, organizing, leading, controlling

Question 77

A local furniture retailer routinely develops and acquires new knowledge, and the employees communicate what they learn to other employees, so the company is able to modify its behavior to reflect what they have learned. This organization is an example of a learning organization.

Question 78

Tom, the manager of floral shop, is interested in implementing the principles of administrative management, which involves ____.

A) doing time-motion studies
B) focusing on unprofitable parts of an organization
C) increasing synergy
D) managing the total organization
E) implementing MBO

Question 79

Mateo, an IT manager, has been studying the work methods of each task to increase the productivity of the employees in his department. Mateo is utilizing ____.

A) synergy
B) management science
C) behaviorism
D) the Hawthorne effect
E) scientific management

Question 80

When faced with a business problem, Sally, a young grocery store owner, discusses business problems with Don, the assistant manager and an employee for over 30 years. Sally believes Don "has seen it all" and knows there are few really new ideas; plus the business has done many simple things, such as offering friendly service, to have a competitive edge. This is an example of _____ management.

A) evidence-based
B) behavioral
C) family-style
D) contingency
E) bottom-up