Question 1

Which of the following is associated with operational planning?
A)Determining the overall direction of the organization.
B)Examining the environment outside of the organization.
C)Implementing policies and plans of top management.
D)Directing daily tasks of nonmanagerial personnel.
E)Making decisions under highly uncertain conditions.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is associated with...

Question 2

One type of standing plan, the __________, outlines the general response to a designated problem or situation.
A)policy
B)project
C)rule
D)procedure
E)program

Accepted Answer

A policy is a standing plan that outlines the general response to a designated problem or situation.

Question 3

________ goals are set by and for middle managers and focus on the actions needed to achieve ________ goals.
A)Strategic; operational
B)Tactical; strategic
C)Strategic; tactical
D)Tactical; operational
E)Operational; tactical

Accepted Answer

Tactical goals are set by and for middle managers and focus on the actions needed to achieve strategic goals.

Question 4

Cimarron Saddlery expects to improve profitability of the organization by 15% over the next three years.This is an example of a(n)
A)supervision objective.
B)operational goal.
C)tactical goal.
D)maintenance objective.
E)strategic goal.

Accepted Answer

Strategic goals are set by and for top management and focus on objectives for the organization as a whole.

Question 5

Kristi has been struggling with her weight, and one of her coworkers suggested that she make a SMART goal for herself.Which of the following is the best example of a SMART goal for Kristi?
A)I want to lose a lot of weight.
B)I want to look better in a swimsuit.
C)I want to lose 20 pounds over the course of one calendar year.
D)I want to start losing weight soon.
E)I want to lose 30% of my body mass by next month.

Accepted Answer

A SMART goal is specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and has target dates.Only choice C has all of these characteristics.

Question 6

Management instituted a new ______ in Yichao's workplace that "employees who are more than 15 minutes late to work without calling a supervisor will be given a written warning."
A)policy
B)rule
C)procedure
D)project
E)program

Accepted Answer

A rule is a standing plan that designates specific required action.

Question 7

Managers at Cimarron Saddlery expect to meet profitability goals for the company by cutting costs through a 70% increase in global sourcing of leather and other materials over the next two years.This is an example of a(n)
A)supervision objective.
B)operational goal.
C)tactical goal.
D)maintenance objective.
E)strategic goal.

Accepted Answer

Tactical goals are set by and for middle managers and focus on the actions needed to achieve strategic goals.

Question 8

Alita is participating with other division heads in a discussion about new international competition for the firm and what the organization's goals should be for the next three years.She is participating in
A)tactical planning.
B)strategic planning.
C)operational planning.
D)controlling.
E)writing a mission statement.

Accepted Answer

Alita is participating in a discussion about the organization's goals for the next three years, which implies a long-term vision and a broader perspective. This activity is focused on identifying opportunities and developing a plan to achieve competitive advantage, which is aligned with strategic planning. Tactical planning involves the development of specific steps to achieve short-term objectives, operational planning is concerned with the day-to-day activities, controlling is a process of monitoring and correcting deviations from the plan, and writing a mission statement is a part of the strategic planning process but does not encompass the activity described in the scenario.

Question 9

What is the time frame of an operational plan?
A)2-10 years
B)1-5 years
C)6-24 months
D)1-52 weeks
E)1-90 days

Accepted Answer

First-line managers do operational planning, which means they determine how to accomplish specific tasks with available resources within the next 1-52 weeks.

Question 10

NASA's Curiosity Rover, employed to investigate a large crater on Mars, is an example of a
A)policy.
B)rule.
C)project.
D)procedure.
E)program.

Accepted Answer

The Curiosity Rover is one project in the government's space program.

Question 11

When White Castle specifies exactly how to dress a hamburger, including the order of the condiments, this is called a
A)program.
B)policy.
C)rule.
D)procedure.
E)project.

Accepted Answer

A procedure (or standard operating procedure) is a standing plan that outlines the response to particular problems or circumstances.Example: White Castle specifies exactly how a hamburger should be dressed, including the order in which the mustard, ketchup, and pickles are applied.

Question 12

The goal to "improve the quality of customer service by instituting follow-up telephone calls this month" is not a SMART goal because it is
A)unlikely to align with higher level goals.
B)not measurable.
C)too simplistic.
D)not results oriented.
E)unlikely to result in improvement to customer service.

Accepted Answer

Whenever possible, goals should be measurable, or quantifiable.Some goals such as those concerned with improving quality are not precisely quantifiable.In that case, something on the order of "Improve the quality of customer relations by instituting 10 follow-up telephone calls every week" will do.You can certainly quantify how many follow-up phone calls were made.

Question 13

Dayton Construction has a ________ for processing invoices, which includes coding them by job number and construction phase, and matching them with the correct purchase order.
A)program.
B)policy.
C)rule.
D)procedure.
E)project.

Accepted Answer

A procedure (or standard operating procedure) is a standing plan that outlines the response to particular problems or circumstances.

Question 14

A SMART goal is one that is
A)specific, maintainable, affordable, realistic, and timely.
B)specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and has target dates.
C)specific, maintainable, achievement-oriented, in real time, and timely.
D)specific, measurable, affordable, realistic, and has target dates.
E)specific, maintainable, aligned with other goals, realistic, and timely.

Accepted Answer

A SMART goal is one that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and has Target dates.

Question 15

Which of the following best represents the strategic planning time frame that Jeff Bezos of Amazon prefers?
A)Six months or less
B)One to two years
C)Three to five years
D)Five to seven years
E)Ten to twenty years

Accepted Answer

Back in 1997, Bezos warned stockholders that "[i]t's all about the long term.We may make decisions and weigh trade-offs differently than some companies." Most top managers do strategic planning on a one- to three-year time line.Bezos is very long term, operating on a 10- to 20-year time line.

Question 16

Southwest Airlines acquisition of rival AirTran Airways may have been responsible for a sharp decline in on-time arrivals, which is one of Southwest's ________ goals, supporting a larger goal of being highly profitable.
A)dependant
B)strategic
C)operational
D)facilities
E)tactical

Accepted Answer

Tactical goals are set by and for middle managers and focus on the actions needed to achieve strategic goals.

Question 17

Executive management has recently decided to acquire a small company with a complementary product line, so Craig, a marketing manager, is meeting with other managers to discuss how to implement policies to support the acquisition over the next year.He is participating in
A)mission development.
B)strategic planning.
C)controlling.
D)operational planning.
E)tactical planning.

Accepted Answer

Tactical planning is done by middle management to determine what contributions their departments or similar work units can make with their given resources during the next 6-24 months.

Question 18

After setting goals, managers should next
A)prepare an action plan for accomplishing the goals.
B)propose changes to the goals of same-level managers to bring all into alignment.
C)supervise subordinates closely.
D)report failure to meet goals to superiors.
E)begin the planning process anew.

Accepted Answer

The goal should be followed by an action plan, which defines the course of action needed to achieve the stated goal, such as a marketing plan or sales plan.

Question 19

Portia is meeting with her subordinates to determine which workers from her department need training in order to handle production increases expected during the next nine months.Portia is involved in
A)vision development.
B)operational planning.
C)controlling.
D)tactical planning.
E)developing an MBO.

Accepted Answer

Operational planning is done by first-line management to determine how to accomplish specific tasks with available resources within the next 1-52 weeks.

Question 20

A single-use plan encompassing a range of projects or activities is a(n)
A)program.
B)strategy.
C)series.
D)agenda.
E)mission.

Accepted Answer

A program is a single-use plan encompassing a range of projects or activities.

Quiz 5: Planning: the Foundation of Successful Management

Which of the following is associated with operational planning?

One type of standing plan, the __________, outlines the general response to a designated problem or situation.

goals are set by and for middle managers and focus on the actions needed to achieve goals.

Cimarron Saddlery expects to improve profitability of the organization by 15% over the next three years.This is an example of a(n)

Kristi has been struggling with her weight, and one of her coworkers suggested that she make a SMART goal for herself.Which of the following is the best example of a SMART goal for Kristi?

Management instituted a new ______ in Yichao's workplace that "employees who are more than 15 minutes late to work without calling a supervisor will be given a written warning."

Managers at Cimarron Saddlery expect to meet profitability goals for the company by cutting costs through a 70% increase in global sourcing of leather and other materials over the next two years.This is an example of a(n)

Alita is participating with other division heads in a discussion about new international competition for the firm and what the organization's goals should be for the next three years.She is participating in

What is the time frame of an operational plan?

NASA's Curiosity Rover, employed to investigate a large crater on Mars, is an example of a

When White Castle specifies exactly how to dress a hamburger, including the order of the condiments, this is called a

The goal to "improve the quality of customer service by instituting follow-up telephone calls this month" is not a SMART goal because it is

Dayton Construction has a ________ for processing invoices, which includes coding them by job number and construction phase, and matching them with the correct purchase order.

A SMART goal is one that is

Which of the following best represents the strategic planning time frame that Jeff Bezos of Amazon prefers?

Southwest Airlines acquisition of rival AirTran Airways may have been responsible for a sharp decline in on-time arrivals, which is one of Southwest's ________ goals, supporting a larger goal of being highly profitable.

Executive management has recently decided to acquire a small company with a complementary product line, so Craig, a marketing manager, is meeting with other managers to discuss how to implement policies to support the acquisition over the next year.He is participating in

After setting goals, managers should next

Portia is meeting with her subordinates to determine which workers from her department need training in order to handle production increases expected during the next nine months.Portia is involved in

A single-use plan encompassing a range of projects or activities is a(n)