Deck 8: Foundations of Planning

Question 1

________ is a process that involves defining the organisation's objectives or goals, establishing strategy, and developing a hierarchy of plans.

A)Managing
B)Informal planning
C)Leading
D)MBO
E)Planning

Answer 1

E

Question 2

The ________ of the planning process contributes more to high performance than does the ________ of planning.

A)quality; implementation
B)implementation; quality
C)quality; extent
D)extent; implementation
E)implementation; extent

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Formal planning involves which of the following aspects?

A)developing general objectives
B)planning for up to one year
C)writing objectives
D)distributing the plan to all managerial employees
E)carrying out the goals as each manager thinks is best

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Because planning cannot eliminate change and uncertainty, it is often a waste of time.

Question 5

Environmental issues, such as government regulations and labour unions, tend to have what kind of effect on the value of planning on organisational performance?

A)They tend to increase organisational value because they serve as screens for bad plans.
B)There is no real effect.
C)They have a positive effect on large organisations and a negative effect on small organisations.
D)They decrease the organisational value by constraining management's options.
E)They have a positive effect in public institutions and a negative effect in private organisations.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a part of the definition of organisational planning?

A)defining the organisation's goals and objectives
B)evaluating the organisation's outcomes
C)developing a comprehensive hierarchy of plans to integrate and coordinate activities
D)establishing an overall strategy for achieving the organisation's goals
E)it is concerned with both ends and means

Question 7

In a short essay, define planning and discuss the characteristics of formal versus informal planning as used in various organisations.

Question 8

One purpose of planning is that it minimises ________ and ________.

A)cost; time
B)time; personnel needs
C)waste; redundancy
D)time; waste
E)mistakes; cost

Question 9

Organisational planning is concerned with how objectives are to be accomplished, not what is to be accomplished.

Question 10

Objectives are goals.

Question 11

Informal planning is only ever undertaken at the lowest levels in an organisation.

Question 12

Which of the following is a factor that constrains high performance in planning organisations?

A)quality
B)extent
C)implementation
D)environment
E)informality

Question 13

Informal planning is ________.

A)performed at the lowest organisation level
B)generally lacks continuity
C)developed in informal meetings and difficult to implement
D)specific and is developed by middle managers for their departments
E)short term and likely to change before it is implemented

Question 14

Planning establishes the goals and standards used to control the organisation.

Question 15

Organisational planning integrates and coordinates work.

Question 16

According to the textbook, research indicates that non-planning organisations generally outperform planning organisations.

Question 17

The effect of planning on managers is that it forces them to do which of the following?

A)react to change
B)consider the impact of change
C)respond indiscriminately
D)plan on overlapping different activities
E)develop bureaucratic response models

Question 18

What does the evidence suggest about organisations that plan compared to organisations that do not plan?

A)Planning organisations always outperform non-planning organisations.
B)Non-planning organisations always outperform planning organisations.
C)Planning organisations generally outperform non-planning organisations.
D)Non-planning organisations generally outperform planning organisations.
E)They generally perform at about the same level.

Question 19

According to the textbook, organisations need at least ________ years of systematic formal planning before performance is impacted.

A)one
B)two
C)three
D)four
E)five

Question 20

Research indicates that managers who plan always outperform managers who do not plan.

Question 21

________ are often conflicting and excessively influenced by what society believes organisations should do.

A)Real goals
B)Committed goals
C)Stated goals
D)Comprehensive goals
E)Expanded goals

Question 22

According to the textbook, ________ are documents that outline how goals are going to be met and which typically describe resource allocations, schedules and other necessary actions to accomplish the goals.

A)strategies
B)goals
C)plans
D)policies
E)procedures

Question 23

________ is often called the primary management function because it establishes the basis for all the other functions that managers perform.

A)Planning
B)Leading
C)Organising
D)Controlling
E)Persuading

Question 24

According to the textbook, which of the following goals can be found in an organisation's charter, annual report, public relations announcements or in public statements made by managers?

A)real goals
B)committed goals
C)comprehensive goals
D)stated goals
E)expanded goals

Question 25

Which of the following is the foundation of planning?

A)employees
B)goals
C)outcomes
D)computers
E)the planning department

Question 26

What should a person do to understand what the real objectives of the organisation are?

A)observe organisational member actions
B)attend a stockholders' annual meeting
C)read their statement of purpose
D)read their annual report
E)watch television news reports

Question 27

Official statements of what an organisation says and what it wants its various stakeholders to believe are referred to as ________.

A)real goals
B)stated goals
C)committed goals
D)comprehensive goals
E)expanded goals

Question 28

Goals are the foundation of organisational planning.

Question 29

In a short essay, define goals and discuss the differences and conflicts that exist between real and stated goals.

Question 30

Based on the information presented in the textbook, ________ are desired outcomes for individuals, groups or entire organisations.

A)strategies
B)goals
C)plans
D)policies
E)procedures

Question 31

The conflict in stated goals exists because organisations respond to a variety of ________.

A)external environments
B)stakeholders
C)governmental regulations
D)stockholders
E)risks

Question 32

In order to be successful, an organisation should follow what advice concerning objectives?

A)Develop a single, well-designed goal.
B)A long-term vision of objectives is critical.
C)Organisations should have multiple objectives.
D)Obtain non-subjective opinions from consultants.
E)Changing objectives leads to employee dissatisfaction.

Question 33

According to the textbook, those goals that an organisation actually pursues are called ________.

A)real goals
B)committed goals
C)stated goals
D)comprehensive goals
E)expanded goals

Question 34

If you want to know what an organisation's real goals are, closely observe what members of the organisation actually do.

Question 35

Operational planning is usually accomplished by upper management.

Question 36

An organisation's stated goals never conflict with what appear to be their real goals.

Question 37

Real goals are official statements of what an organisation says its goals are.

Question 38

An organisation that states, 'People are our most valuable asset,' and then proceeds to lay off 20 per cent of its workforce, has revealed its ________ objective.

A)real
B)imagined
C)fictional
D)human resource
E)unplanned

Question 39

Which of the following statements depicts the reality concerning stated and real organisational objectives?

A)They are usually identical.
B)They both reflect the official purposes of the organisation.
C)They are often quite different from each other.
D)Real objectives are based on what the audience wants to hear.
E)Stated objectives can be understood by observing member actions.

Question 40

Which of the following is true concerning an organisation's stated objectives?

A)They issue identical objectives to all constituents.
B)Organisations typically have internal and external sets of objectives.
C)They may issue different objectives to stockholders, customers, employees and the public.
D)It is illegal to issue conflicting stated objectives.
E)Stated objectives are usually in line with short-term actions.

Question 41

Directional plans have clearly defined objectives.

Question 42

Plans that specify the details of achievement of the overall objectives are called operational plans.

Question 43

According to the textbook, ________ plans can be described as long term, directional and single use.

A)operational
B)long-term
C)strategic
D)specific
E)directional

Question 44

An organisational plan that has a six-year time frame would be considered what type of plan?

A)operational
B)short-term
C)strategic
D)intermediate
E)long-term

Question 45

When we categorise plans as being strategic versus operational, we are describing them by their ________.

A)breadth
B)specificity
C)frequency of use
D)depth
E)time frame

Question 46

The three identified differences between strategic and operational plans are ________.

A)time frame, cost and organisational age
B)cost, organisational age and number of planners
C)scope, time frame and inclusion of a known set of organisational objectives
D)inclusion of a known set of organisational objectives, cost and number of planners
E)organisational age, cost and scope

Question 47

Developing an acquisition plan after a recent takeover is an example of a single-use plan.

Question 48

Long-term planning involves planning for a period that is above seven years.

Question 49

Plans that are flexible and set out general guidelines are of little use in a modern organisation.

Question 50

Plans that specify the details of how the overall objectives are to be achieved are called ________ plans.

A)specific
B)directional
C)long-term
D)operational
E)strategic

Question 51

When we categorise plans as being directional versus specific, we are categorising them by ________.

A)breadth
B)specificity
C)frequency of use
D)depth
E)time frame

Question 52

Standing plans are ongoing plans that provide guidance for activities performed repeatedly and include policies, rules and procedures.

Question 53

Based on the information presented in the textbook, ________ plans are short term, specific and standing.

A)operational
B)long-term
C)strategic
D)specific
E)directional

Question 54

________ plans include the formulation of objectives, whereas ________ plans assume the existence of objectives.

A)Single-use; standing
B)Directional; specific
C)Long-term; short-term
D)Strategic; operational
E)Informal; formal

Question 55

The greater the environmental certainty, the more plans need to be directional and emphasis placed on the short term.

Question 56

All organisations define short-term planning as planning for one year or less.

Question 57

Which of the following types of plans tend to cover short periods such as monthly, weekly and daily?

A)operational
B)long-term
C)strategic
D)specific
E)directional

Question 58

Plans that apply to the entire organisation, establish the organisation's overall objectives and seek to position the organisation in terms of its environment are called ________ plans.

A)operational
B)long-term
C)strategic
D)specific
E)directional

Question 59

When we categorise plans as short term versus long term we are referring to their ________.

A)breadth
B)specificity
C)frequency of use
D)depth
E)time frame

Question 60

When we categorise plans as being single use versus standing, we categorise them by ________.

A)breadth
B)specificity
C)frequency of use
D)depth
E)time frame

Question 61

According to the textbook, ________ plans are plans that are clearly defined and that leave no room for interpretation.

A)strategic
B)single-use
C)short-term
D)specific
E)standing

Question 62

Compared to directional plans, what type of plan has clearly defined objectives?

A)strategic
B)single-use
C)short-term
D)specific
E)standing

Question 63

What type of plan covers less than one year?

A)operational
B)directional
C)short-term
D)long term
E)strategic

Question 64

A top-down chain is an integrated network of objectives.

Question 65

Strategic plans tend to include a time period of usually ________.

A)1 year
B)1-3 years
C)3 years or more
D)5 years or more
E)at least 10 years

Question 66

Directional plans do which of the following?

A)have clearly defined objectives
B)identify general guidelines
C)meet the needs of a unique situation
D)last for three to five years
E)provide guidance for activities repeatedly performed in the organisation

Question 67

Which of the following is true concerning standing plans?

A)They provide guidance for activities repeatedly performed in the organisation.
B)They provide guidance for one to three years.
C)They identify general guidelines.
D)They are specifically designed to meet the needs of a unique situation.
E)They establish the organisation's overall direction.

Question 68

A firm's sexual harassment policy is an example of a(n)________ plan.

A)single-use
B)standing
C)strategic
D)specific
E)informal

Question 69

The traditional role of goals is to guide the control and direction set by the organisation's top managers.

Question 70

A ________ plan is a one-time plan designed to meet the needs of a unique situation and created in response to non-programmed decisions that managers make.

A)single-use
B)short-term
C)directional
D)standing
E)strategic

Question 71

A Government plan that calls for a 2.45 per cent increase in tobacco sales tax for the next two years would be considered what type of plan?

A)strategic
B)operational
C)specific
D)directional
E)standing

Question 72

The greater the environmental uncertainty, the more plans need to be ________ and emphasis placed on the ________.

A)strategic; long term
B)single use; short term
C)operational; long term
D)directional; short term
E)standing; long term

Question 73

According to the textbook, ________ plans include policies, rules and procedures.

A)single-use
B)standing
C)strategic
D)specific
E)informal

Question 74

A town's preparation for a visit by a member of the Royal Family would be considered what type of plan?

A)strategic
B)directional
C)standing
D)long term
E)single use

Question 75

In a short essay, describe the various criteria on which organisations' plans can differ.Next, provide a brief analysis of each criterion as it applies to organisational planning.

Question 76

The commitment concept means that plans should extend far enough to meet those commitments made today.

Question 77

According to the textbook, ________ plans provide focus but do not lock managers into specific goals or courses of action.

A)strategic
B)single-use
C)directional
D)specific
E)standing

Question 78

A city's policy concerning skateboarding on city footpaths providing guidance for police action would be considered what type of plan?

A)standing
B)contingency
C)directional
D)single use
E)strategic

Question 79

A manager in the computer software industry should display what type of attitude concerning planning?

A)She should remain fixed on set plans.
B)She should be flexible.
C)She should focus on long-term plans.
D)She should increase the focus on minute details.
E)She should concentrate on operational plans.

Question 80

Traditional goals set by top management tend to be specific and unambiguous.