Deck 1: Managers and Managing

Question 1

Patel Brothers Company uses a formal system of task and reporting relationships that coordinates and motivates its employees so that they work together to achieve organizational goals. This is an example of an organizational structure.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

As a middle manager, Jobeth selects the goals for her team. The task that Jobeth is demonstrating is called leading.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Ramses is a highly effective manager. This implies that he

A)is likely to spend lavishly on resources.
B)is highly compliant.
C)disfavors employee empowerment.
D)chooses appropriate goals and then achieves them.
E)is overly ambitious.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

If you were an accountant and spent your days working on spreadsheets on the computer, you would be using your technical skills.

Question 5

________ measures the appropriateness of the goals selected by management for the organization and the degree to which the organization accomplishes these goals.

A)Efficiency
B)Task management
C)Effectiveness
D)Diversification
E)Differentiation

Question 6

Parul's job is to use planning, organizing, leading, and controlling resources to achieve the goals of her company. Parul is performing the four essential ________ tasks.

A)marketing
B)management
C)finance and accounting
D)operations
E)entrepreneurial

Question 7

A(n)________ is a collection of people who work together and coordinate their actions to achieve a wide variety of goals.

A)control group
B)talent pool
C)organization
D)focus group
E)quality circle

Question 8

The building blocks of competitive advantage are efficiency, quality, innovation, and responsiveness to customers.

Question 9

When Company XYZ needed to reduce costs to meet its annual profitability goal, it reduced levels in its hierarchy and laid off ten percent of its workers. This is an example of restructuring.

Question 10

________ is the measure of how productively an organization uses its resources to achieve a goal.

A)Effectiveness
B)Product differentiation
C)Efficiency
D)Empowerment
E)Outsourcing

Question 11

A self-managed team is a group of employees who work independently but report to their respective managers about the progress of the team's work.

Question 12

China is a highly efficient manager. This implies that she

A)minimizes the amount of input resources without compromising quality.
B)is slow to respond to change and perceives organizational change as harmful.
C)does not favor flexibility in planning.
D)chooses appropriateness goals.
E)works for longer hours than do most of her colleagues.

Question 13

The importance of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling remains the same irrespective of a manager's position in the managerial hierarchy.

Question 14

Categorizing people by salary levels lays out the lines of authority and responsibility between different individuals and groups.

Question 15

Categorizing people by salary levels lays out the lines of authority and responsibility between different individuals and groups.

Question 16

Sirita's manager is evaluating how well she uses available resources to satisfy customers and whether she is accomplishing organizational goals. This relates to Sirita's

A)organizational input.
B)diversification.
C)organizational performance.
D)product development.
E)differentiation.

Question 17

Organizational performance is most likely to

A)increase with an increase in efficiency and effectiveness.
B)increase with a decrease in efficiency and effectiveness.
C)remain unchanged with a decrease in efficiency and effectiveness.
D)decrease with an increase in efficiency and effectiveness.
E)remain unchanged with an increase in efficiency and effectiveness.

Question 18

Pacific Tourism is an agency that offers special holiday packages in the Pacific region. Every year, as an incentive, the most efficient and effective manager in the network gets an all-expenses-paid trip to one of Oceania's islands. Which manager is most likely to meet these requirements?

A)Norris, who chooses the right goals to pursue and spends more than he needs on resources
B)Kato, who chooses the right goals to pursue and makes clever use of resources to achieve them
C)Don, who chooses the right goals to pursue and displays an overly rigid approach to planning
D)Bai, who chooses unrealistic goals and tries hard to succeed
E)Leonard, who chooses appropriate goals, but is slow in decision making

Question 19

Jack's Sprouts markets canned vegetables. In recent years, Jack's Sprouts' business has declined considerably owing to a weak focus on quality. Holding the managers responsible for the declining sales figures, the CEO of Jack's Sprouts decided to lay off those who lacked effectiveness and were inefficient. Which employee is most likely to be laid off by Jack's Sprouts' CEO?

A)Eloise, who is ambitious and favors directional planning
B)Kermit, who spends lavishly on resources and is averse to taking responsibilities
C)Juanita, who chooses appropriate goals to pursue, but does not always succeed due to resource constraints
D)Margot, who sets high targets for herself and her team, and makes the best use of available resources to meet them
E)Andrew, who plans carefully and only chooses realistic goals to pursue

Question 20

At a recent staff meeting, Jeremy was praised by his CEO for choosing the right goals to pursue. The quality that Jeremy displays here is efficiency.

Question 21

Dorcal, Inc. manufactures plastic components. The company has a low level of efficiency and low level of effectiveness, which means it is most likely to produce a

A)product that customers want, but that is too expensive for them to buy.
B)quality product that customers want at a price they can afford.
C)low-quality product that customers do not want.
D)high-quality product that customers do not want.
E)high-quality product that the company makes a profit on.

Question 22

Which managerial task does a manager perform when he/she articulates a clear organizational vision for the organization's members to accomplish?

A)organizing
B)leading
C)staffing
D)controlling
E)planning

Question 23

Image Labs designs and develops imaging equipment. It has a low level of efficiency and high level of effectiveness, so it is most likely to produce a

A)product that customers want, but that is too expensive for them to buy.
B)quality product that customers want at a price they can afford.
C)low-quality product that customers do not want.
D)high-quality product that customers do not want.
E)high-quality product that the company makes a profit on.

Question 24

When performing the managerial task of planning, managers

A)encourage all employees to perform at a high level to help the organization achieve its vision and goals.
B)use power, personality, and communication skills to coordinate the activities of people and groups.
C)establish alliances between different organizations to share resources and produce new goods and services.
D)decide which goals the organization will pursue and what strategies will achieve those goals.
E)organize people into departments according to the kinds of job-specific tasks they perform.

Question 25

Mei is a manager who uses her energetic personality and considerable persuasive skills to coordinate people and groups so their activities and efforts are in harmony. Mei exhibits the managerial skill of

A)leading.
B)planning.
C)strategizing.
D)reviewing.
E)controlling.

Question 26

Managers are ________ when they evaluate how well the organization is accomplishing its goals.

A)leading
B)planning
C)organizing
D)disseminating
E)controlling

Question 27

A company that has a high level of efficiency and effectiveness is most likely to produce a

A)product that customers want, but that is too expensive for them to buy.
B)quality product customers want and at a price they can afford.
C)product that is expensive and nondurable.
D)high-quality product that customers do not want.
E)low-quality product that customers do not want.

Question 28

Planning in an organization involves

A)establishing task relationships that allow people to work together.
B)developing strategies for how to achieve high performance.
C)motivating individuals to achieve organizational goals.
D)establishing accurate measuring and monitoring systems.
E)measuring how well the organization has achieved its goals.

Question 29

Controlling is the managerial task that involves

A)deciding what organizational goals to pursue.
B)obtaining customers by producing goods and services more cheaply than any competitor.
C)taking any corrective actions needed to maintain or improve performance.
D)using personality to establish equilibrium in the workplace.
E)motivating people to perform at a high level.

Question 30

Which manager is performing the managerial role of leading?

A)Fred, who creates a system that coordinates and organizes the organization's members to work together to achieve goals
B)Babette, who energizes employees and enables them to understand the part each of them plays in achieving organizational goals
C)Horace, who decides which strategies the organization should pursue
D)Hiroto, who takes corrective action needed to improve the performance of the organization
E)Darlene, who decides how best to organize the human resources of the organization

Question 31

Managers select appropriate goals for the organization while performing the ________ managerial task.

A)organizing
B)leading
C)planning
D)controlling
E)restructuring

Question 32

The outcome of the control process is the ability to

A)measure performance accurately and regulate organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
B)formulate effective business strategies and plan the allocation of resources.
C)attract customers by producing goods and services more cheaply than any competitor.
D)motivate employees to perform at a high level.
E)decide what organizational goals to pursue.

Question 33

Margene is the product manager at Fashions Ltd., a company that designs and manufactures clothes and fashion accessories. Noticing the rising popularity of rhinestone jewelry and the fact that only a handful of stores actually stocked it, she decides to take advantage of the latent demand in the market. Margene knows that she is taking a risk by committing organizational resources to pursuing this idea, but she is confident about the merit of her decision. In deciding the allocation of resources for attaining her goals, which managerial task is Margene performing?

A)leading
B)organizing
C)planning
D)restructuring
E)controlling

Question 34

In which managerial task are work relationships structured to facilitate the interaction and cooperative efforts of organizational members, all of whom strive to achieve organizational goals?

A)planning
B)leading
C)reviewing
D)controlling
E)organizing

Question 35

Art Place makes and sells paintings, sculptures, and small craft items. Its products meet consumer needs, but they are often too expensive to buy. What is most likely to be true about the company?

A)Its product manager achieves company goals and uses resources wisely.
B)Its product manager achieves company goals but uses resources inadequately.
C)Its product manager chooses the wrong goals to pursue and uses the resources inadequately.
D)Its product manager chooses the right goals to pursue and uses the resources wisely.
E)Its product manager chooses the wrong goals to pursue but uses resources wisely.

Question 36

Maria, the HR manager of a landscape design company, has been asked to increase the level of efficiency at the workplace. She decides to restructure work relationships within the company and categorize people into departments according to the kinds of job-specific tasks they perform. Which managerial task is Maria performing?

A)planning
B)leading
C)organizing
D)controlling
E)consolidating

Question 37

The three steps in planning are deciding which goals to pursue, deciding what strategies to adopt to attain those goals, and

A)deciding how to best allocate resources to attain those goals.
B)creating a system of task and reporting relationships to achieve those goals.
C)determining how to motivate people to work together to achieve those goals.
D)creating a clear vision so organizational members understand their roles in achieving those goals.
E)evaluating how well the organization is achieving those goals.

Question 38

A company with a high level of efficiency and a low level of effectiveness is most likely to produce a

A)low-quality product that the company makes a profit on.
B)high-quality product that the company makes a profit on.
C)low-quality product that customers do not want.
D)high-quality product that customers do not want.
E)high-quality product that customers can afford.

Question 39

________ involves encouraging all employees to perform at a high level to help the organization achieve its vision and goals.

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

Question 40

David, a manager at City Fish Shack, monitors the performance of workers in his department to see if the quality of their work is meeting the performance standards of the company. In doing so, which managerial task is David performing?

A)planning
B)staffing
C)organizing
D)structuring
E)controlling

Question 41

Middle managers are responsible for

A)the daily supervision of the nonmanagerial employees.
B)fine-tuning and developing the skills of top managers.
C)establishing the organization's goals and visions.
D)finding the best way to use resources to achieve organizational goals.
E)creating the top-management team.

Question 42

Supervisors are also referred to as ________ managers.

A)first-line
B)middle
C)top
D)interim
E)executive

Question 43

According to Mintzberg's typology, a manager who evaluates the performance of other managers in different tasks and takes corrective action to improve their performance is a

A)disseminator.
B)figurehead.
C)monitor.
D)spokesperson.
E)negotiator.

Question 44

To increase effectiveness, middle managers

A)suggest ways to use resources to improve customer service.
B)evaluate whether the organization's goals are appropriate.
C)suggest ways to use resources to improve production.
D)suggest ways use resources to cut costs.
E)evaluate the performance of all departments.

Question 45

According to Mintzberg's typology, a manager who decides to expand internationally to obtain new customers is a(n)

A)entrepreneur.
B)negotiator.
C)figurehead.
D)liaison.
E)disseminator.

Question 46

First-line managers usually are

A)responsible for finding the best way to organize human and other resources to achieve organizational goals.
B)in all departments or functions of an organization.
C)expected to make specific decisions about the production of goods and services.
D)trained to evaluate whether the organization's goals are appropriate.
E)able to instruct top managers on the suitability of organizational goals.

Question 47

Mintzberg's roles of monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson are all related to which managerial responsibility?

A)decisional
B)interpersonal
C)intrapersonal
D)controlling
E)informational

Question 48

The public relations manager of an oil company explained what the company intended to do to tackle the threat to marine life caused by an oil spill when one of its tankers crashed. According to Mintzberg, the public relations manager is playing the role of a

A)liaison.
B)figurehead.
C)leader.
D)disseminator.
E)spokesperson.

Question 49

Top managers are

A)often called supervisors.
B)responsible for daily supervision of the nonmanagerial employees.
C)expected to spend more time leading and controlling than planning and organizing.
D)not expected to establish organizational goals.
E)tasked with cross-departmental responsibility.

Question 50

Madelyn informs employees about changes taking place in the external and internal environments that affect the sales of the company's products. She explains how the changes will also affect them and the organization. According to Mintzberg, she is playing the role of a(n)

A)entrepreneur.
B)disseminator.
C)disturbance handler.
D)monitor.
E)liaison.

Question 51

According to Mintzberg's typology, a manager who establishes agreements with other organizations about pooling company resources while working on joint projects is a(n)

A)figurehead.
B)entrepreneur.
C)monitor.
D)negotiator.
E)disseminator.

Question 52

What is a characteristic of first-line managers?

A)They are responsible for finding the best way to organize human resources and other organizational assets.
B)They evaluate whether the organization's goals are appropriate.
C)They are responsible for daily supervision of the nonmanagerial employees.
D)They instruct top managers on the suitability of organizational goals.
E)They develop and fine-tune the skills and know-how of middle managers.

Question 53

You have been put in charge of a manufacturing plant's new product line and need to choose first-line managers to supervise the line's workers. What level of manager are you?

A)plant
B)middle
C)department
D)product
E)top

Question 54

Middle managers are

A)often called supervisors.
B)responsible for daily supervision of the nonmanagerial employees.
C)expected to make specific decisions about the production of goods and services.
D)responsible for the performance of all departments.
E)trained to establish long-term organizational goals.

Question 55

Following an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the CEO of a petroleum company took the responsibility for correcting the environmental damages caused by his company. According to Mintzberg's typology, in doing so, he is performing the role of a

A)liaison.
B)disturbance handler.
C)monitor.
D)disseminator.
E)figurehead.

Question 56

José is the manager of Sandy's Candy, a popular confectioner in Illinois. He is in charge of outlining future organizational goals to employees at company meetings and emphasizing the ethical guidelines that employees are expected to follow at work. According to Mintzberg, he is performing the role of a

A)figurehead.
B)negotiator.
C)monitor.
D)liaison.
E)resource allocator.

Question 57

Huan, a manager, is working with her company's labor union to reach an agreement about pay increases and benefits for her employees. She is performing the role of negotiator, which is a(n)________ responsibility, according to Mintzberg.

A)decisional
B)interpersonal
C)intrapersonal
D)controlling
E)informational

Question 58

A large airline appointed an engineer to be the link between the company's research and development department and the government contractor who is sponsoring the designing and prototyping of a new fighter airplane. According to Mintzberg, the engineer appointed by the airline is in the role of a

A)monitor.
B)leader.
C)figurehead.
D)resource allocator.
E)liaison.

Question 59

Alison, vice president of Taco House, reviews the performance of her company over the last quarter to determine whether it is meeting the planned sales and profitability goals. In this instance, which managerial task is she performing?

A)planning
B)organizing
C)delegating
D)controlling
E)structuring

Question 60

Top managers are primarily concerned with

A)supervising nonmanagerial employees.
B)training, motivating, and rewarding salespeople.
C)developing and fine-tuning employee skills.
D)supervising first-line managers.
E)deciding which goods a company should produce.

Question 61

Due to declining global sales, Cookies By Design announced that it would lay off 12 percent of its existing workforce over the next few months. This is an example of

A)task assessment.
B)insourcing.
C)restructuring.
D)outsourcing.
E)empowerment.

Question 62

A car parts company decides to discontinue the production of its lowest-selling products and instead focuses on its areas of expertise. The company innovated a new automobile product with unique value. This is an example of using its

A)competitive advantage.
B)core competency.
C)market power.
D)management skills.
E)management strategies.

Question 63

A ________ is a group of employees who assume collective responsibility for organizing, controlling, and supervising their own work activities.

A)primary group
B)self-managed team
C)focus group
D)restructured team
E)functional team

Question 64

Organizations increase their ________ when they reduce the quantity of resources (such as people and raw materials)they use to produce goods or services.

A)cost control
B)efficiency
C)future growth potential
D)effectiveness
E)quality

Question 65

________ is a management technique that involves giving employees more authority and responsibility over how they perform their work activities.

A)Restructuring
B)Outsourcing
C)Empowerment
D)Departmentalization
E)Insourcing

Question 66

Because of financial problems in the organization, the top management of an investment bank decides to lower costs and downsize the business by

A)insourcing.
B)restructuring.
C)task assessment.
D)empowerment.
E)delegation.

Question 67

A consequence of empowerment is a(n)

A)decrease in number of managers.
B)decrease in effectiveness.
C)increase in performance.
D)decrease in performance.
E)increase in turnover.

Question 68

Geraldo is a mechanical engineer who can examine and detect a problem, determine cause and effect, and provide a solution. This demonstrates ________ skill.

A)human
B)negotiation
C)technical
D)conceptual
E)structural

Question 69

One way to improve productivity is by ________, which gives employees the range of skills they need to perform different tasks.

A)innovation
B)empowerment
C)cross-training
D)total quality management (TQM)
E)flexibility

Question 70

A core competency is

A)the specific set of departmental skills, knowledge, and experience that allows one organization to outperform another.
B)the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling of human and other resources to achieve organizational goals efficiently and effectively.
C)a measure of how efficiently and effectively a manager uses resources to satisfy customers and achieve organizational goals.
D)a measure of the appropriateness of the goals an organization is pursuing and the degree to which the organization achieves those goals.
E)the ability to analyze and diagnose a situation and to distinguish between cause and effect.

Question 71

Barbara's Bangles outsells other jewelry designers in her town because it produces jewelry more efficiently and effectively than its competitors. This demonstrates the company's

A)empowerment.
B)competitive advantage.
C)product diversification.
D)stratification.
E)innovation.

Question 72

Brayden is being promoted to the position of manager of the engineering division in his company because of his knowledge and his ability to perform all the functions required in his field. In this instance, Brayden is being promoted because of his ________ skills.

A)conceptual
B)planning
C)human
D)technical
E)leading

Question 73

Natalie, who supervises 15 people in her department, recently met with her superiors to discuss her performance as a supervisor in controlling the behavior of her direct reports. Getting this feedback will help her develop her ________ skills.

A)job-specific
B)conceptual
C)human
D)technical
E)departmental

Question 74

Which scenario shows a manager using human skills to put organizational resources to their best use?

A)Marissa uses her marketing knowledge to develop the company's marketing plans.
B)Hal's company sent him to a seminar to learn about total quality management in order for him to better help improve the products his company produces.
C)Alison, a new product manager, is often tasked with forming interdepartmental teams due to her reputation for turning a group of employees from different departments into a cohesive team.
D)Cho, a manager in Research and Development, works long hours to help develop new products that customers will find useful.
E)Harlan is a manager at a restaurant, and the company's owner asked him to help design a new restaurant in the chain because Harlan has great design ideas.

Question 75

The four building blocks of competitive advantage are superior efficiency; speed, flexibility, and innovation; responsiveness to customers; and

A)cost control.
B)quality.
C)future growth potential.
D)geographic location.
E)employee satisfaction.

Question 76

________ involves contracting with another company, usually in a low-cost country abroad, to have it perform a work activity the organization previously performed itself.

A)Empowering
B)Outsourcing
C)Stratifying
D)Controlling
E)Innovating

Question 77

The general ability to understand, alter, lead, and control the behavior of other workers is a ________ skill.

A)conceptual
B)human
C)technical
D)structural
E)diagnostic

Question 78

Self-managed teams assume many tasks and responsibilities previously performed by ________ managers, so a company can better utilize its workforce.

A)middle
B)top
C)first-line
D)department
E)outsourced

Question 79

________ skills are job-specific skills required to perform a particular type of work or occupation at a high level.

A)Human
B)Technical
C)Conceptual
D)Structural
E)Departmental

Question 80

What is a consequence of restructuring?

A)increase in the size of departments
B)loss of jobs
C)increase in hierarchical levels
D)increase in customer satisfaction
E)improvement in morale of employees