Question 1

Which of the following best characterizes the control process?
A) standardized, periodic, and cybernetic
B) flexible, intermittent, and automated
C) standardized, periodic, and robotic
D) continuous, dynamic, and cybernetic

Accepted Answer

The control process is characterized as continuous, dynamic, and cybernetic because it involves ongoing monitoring and adjustments based on feedback to ensure that goals are met efficiently and effectively. This description captures the essence of how control mechanisms are designed to adapt and respond to changes and challenges in real-time.

Question 2

An accident in November 2005 at a Valero U.S.refinery killed two workers.Which type of control did Valero use by gathering information about how the men died so as to prevent a recurrence?
A) concertive
B) normative
C) feedback
D) concurrent

Accepted Answer

Feedback control is a mechanism for gathering information about performance deficiencies after they occur.

Question 3

Ford Motor has been attacked by its own sustainability committee for failing to do enough to cut vehicular greenhouse gas emissions.According to the committee's 2005 report,"Ford has failed to define a goal for reducing global emissions from the company's products." The report called for the company to set clear targets to improve fuel economy and to cut factory emissions.What does this committee want Ford to establish regarding emission control?
A) autonomous measurements
B) standards
C) value ratios
D) dependence measurements

Accepted Answer

Standards are criteria that are a basis of comparison for measuring the extent to which organizational performance is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

Question 4

What is the term for the regulatory process of establishing standards that will achieve organizational goals,comparing actual performance to those standards,and then,if necessary,taking corrective action to restore performance to those standards?
A) implementation
B) goal setting
C) control
D) suboptimization

Accepted Answer

The described process is known as control. Control involves establishing standards, monitoring performance, and taking corrective action if necessary to ensure that organizational goals are achieved. Option A (implementation) refers to the process of putting plans or strategies into action. Option B (goal setting) involves setting objectives or targets for the organization. Option D (suboptimization) refers to situations where parts of the organization are optimized at the expense of the entire system.

Question 5

When Marriott Hotels decided to improve the quality of service it offered its customers,it asked special corporate guests to comment on the good and bad issues of their stay,and also to tell what the competition was doing better than Marriott.Marriott acted accordingly.Which of the following did Marriott use?
A) benchmarking
B) data decentralization
C) information processing
D) mirroring

Accepted Answer

Benchmarking is the process of identifying outstanding practices and standards in other companies and adapting them to your company.

Question 6

What characteristic makes control a cybernetic process?
A) It has a feedback loop.
B) It is an intermittent process.
C) It is the first management function.
D) It uses automated benchmarks.

Accepted Answer

Control is a cybernetic process because it involves a feedback loop, where output is compared to predetermined standards and any deviations are corrected through adjustments to the input. This process of feedback and adjustment is a key characteristic of cybernetics, which refers to the study of control and communication systems in both living organisms and machines. The other options (B, C, and D) do not accurately describe what makes control a cybernetic process.

Question 7

What are the three basic control methods?
A) feedback control, feedforward control, and symmetry control
B) feedforward control, dynamic control, and symmetry control
C) concurrent control, feedback control, and feedforward control
D) feedforward control, presumptive control, and dynamic control

Accepted Answer

The three basic control methods are concurrent control, feedback control, and feedforward control. Option A and D are incorrect because "symmetry control" and "presumptive control" are not recognized as basic control methods. Option B is incorrect because "dynamic control" is not one of the basic control methods. Therefore, the best choice is C which correctly lists the three basic control methods.

Question 8

A trucking company can gather data on how its competitors deal with total accidents,numbers of high-severity accidents by type,missed deliveries,spills,driver out-of-service by type,and vehicle out-of-service by type,and use this information to improve its own safety record.Which of the following allows a trucking company to not only compare its safety performance with that of other companies but also adopt those practices found to be superior?
A) benchmarking
B) data decentralization
C) information processing
D) mirroring

Accepted Answer

Benchmarking is the process of identifying outstanding practices and standards in other companies and adapting them to your company.

Question 9

A chain of specialty fashion stores has interviewed a sample of its female customers and learned that,on average,a customer can be expected to visit the store every two weeks looking for new merchandise.As a result,the chain has new merchandise delivered daily.If items have not been sold after a month on display at the store,the items are removed from the store to either be sold at another location or returned to the manufacturer.Through which of the following was the chain of stores able to set this standard?
A) evaluating the standard's capacity to enable goal achievement
B) benchmarking competitors
C) listening to customers
D) outsourcing

Accepted Answer

Listening to customers is one means of establishing standards.

Question 10

Which type of control is a method of gathering information about performance deficiencies before they occur?
A) feedback
B) dynamic
C) pre-emptive
D) feedforward

Accepted Answer

Feedforward control is a method of gathering information about performance deficiencies before they occur. It focuses on preventing problems rather than correcting them after they have occurred. This type of control helps to ensure that resources are being used efficiently and effectively. Feedback control, on the other hand, provides information about performance deficiencies after they have occurred, and is more concerned with correcting problems that have already happened. Dynamic control involves monitoring performance in real-time and making adjustments as needed. Pre-emptive control is not a recognized type of control.

Question 11

In October 2004,Caterpillar announced plans to cut its predicted production of construction equipment for 2005 due to forecasted increases in steel prices and growing concern about a tire shortage.Which type of control did Caterpillar use by discovering the problem with product inputs and letting customers know that its output would fall short?
A) feedforward
B) feedback
C) concurrent
D) stasis

Accepted Answer

Caterpillar monitored its inputs and realized a problem with its output would occur in the near future.

Question 12

The objective of the company that manufactures Jägermeister liqueur is to grow its international business.The company determines its success in the international market by comparing its 2005 annual exporting data with the data gathered in 1998-the first year it had double-digit growth in exports.What does the 1998 exporting data provide?
A) an autonomous measurement
B) a standard
C) a value ratio
D) a dependence measurement

Accepted Answer

Standards are criteria that are a basis of comparison for measuring the extent to which organizational performance is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

Question 13

A car manufacturer ordered 20,000 window assemblies from a supplier.To make sure the assemblies were made to specifications,the supplier of the window assemblies shipped a sample to the car manufacturer for testing.Which type of control is this practice an example of?
A) feedback control
B) contiguous control
C) suboptimal control
D) feedforward control

Accepted Answer

Feedforward control is a mechanism for monitoring performance inputs rather than outputs to prevent or minimize performance deficiencies before they occur.

Question 14

Which type of control is a method of gathering information about performance deficiencies as they occur?
A) feedback
B) simultaneous
C) concurrent
D) feedforward

Accepted Answer

Concurrent control is a method of gathering information about performance deficiencies as they occur, enabling corrective action to be taken in real time. Feedback control involves gathering information about performance deficiencies after they have occurred. Simultaneous control involves monitoring performance in real time but does not necessarily involve gathering information about deficiencies. Feedforward control involves anticipating and preventing potential deficiencies before they occur.

Question 15

Which type of control is a method of gathering information about performance deficiencies after they occur?
A) feedback
B) dynamic
C) concurrent
D) feedforward

Accepted Answer

Feedback control involves gathering information about performance after it has occurred.

Question 16

A manufacturer of automatic locking devices for vehicles shipped 20,000 devices to a car manufacturer that was unable to use them because of a design flaw.Which type of control would the device manufacturer be using if it waited until the parts were returned before determining the reason for the defect?
A) feedforward
B) feedback
C) balanced
D) dynamic

Accepted Answer

Feedback control is a mechanism for gathering information about performance deficiencies after they occur.

Question 17

What criteria are a basis of comparison for measuring the extent to which organizational performance is satisfactory or unsatisfactory?
A) standards
B) potentials
C) autonomous goals
D) degrees of centralization

Accepted Answer

Standards provide a clear and objective basis for comparing actual performance against expected performance. This helps in determining whether organizational performance is satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Potentials, autonomous goals, and degrees of centralization are not directly related to the measurement of organizational performance.

Question 18

What does the basic control process begin with?
A) benchmarking or keystoning
B) the establishment of clear standards of performance
C) the comparison of actual performance to expected performance
D) problem identification

Accepted Answer

The basic control process begins with the establishment of clear standards of performance. This provides a basis for comparison with actual performance, which comes after the establishment of standards. Benchmarking and keystoning may be part of the control process, but they do not begin it. Problem identification may also be an important part of control, but it does not necessarily come first.

Question 19

How may companies determine standards?
A) by benchmarking other companies
B) by implementing vertical loading
C) by using outsourcing
D) by taking corrective action

Accepted Answer

Standards are also determined by the goal achievement and by listening to customers.

Question 20

In October 2005,Cadbury Schweppes said higher commodity prices and the bankruptcy of one of its bottling plants had increased its production costs and led it to scale back its financial projections for the rest of the year.Which of the following were these financial projections for the company?
A) autonomous measurements
B) standards
C) value ratios
D) dependence measurements

Accepted Answer

Standards are criteria that are a basis of comparison for measuring the extent to which organizational performance is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

Quiz 16: Control

Which of the following best characterizes the control process?

An accident in November 2005 at a Valero U.S.refinery killed two workers.Which type of control did Valero use by gathering information about how the men died so as to prevent a recurrence?

What is the term for the regulatory process of establishing standards that will achieve organizational goals,comparing actual performance to those standards,and then,if necessary,taking corrective action to restore performance to those standards?

What characteristic makes control a cybernetic process?

What are the three basic control methods?

Which type of control is a method of gathering information about performance deficiencies before they occur?

A car manufacturer ordered 20,000 window assemblies from a supplier.To make sure the assemblies were made to specifications,the supplier of the window assemblies shipped a sample to the car manufacturer for testing.Which type of control is this practice an example of?

Which type of control is a method of gathering information about performance deficiencies as they occur?

Which type of control is a method of gathering information about performance deficiencies after they occur?

What criteria are a basis of comparison for measuring the extent to which organizational performance is satisfactory or unsatisfactory?

What does the basic control process begin with?

How may companies determine standards?

In October 2005,Cadbury Schweppes said higher commodity prices and the bankruptcy of one of its bottling plants had increased its production costs and led it to scale back its financial projections for the rest of the year.Which of the following were these financial projections for the company?