Management Principles & Policies Ch. 5

Discipline: Management

Type of Paper: Question-Answer

Academic Level: Undergrad. (yrs 3-4)

Paper Format: APA

Pages: 1 Words: 275

Question

Management Principles & Policies Ch. 5

The career path that most resembles the traditional view of climbing the stairs in a corporate hierarchy is the linear career. True

A steady-state career entails a slow-but-steady growth in level of responsibility and compensation.   False

Individuals who don't want the responsibility that comes with promotion may follow a transitory career path.  True

Planning helps managers to cope with events that can be predicted, but is not particularly helpful when conditions are uncertain.  False

Planning occurs only at the highest levels of an organization, being done by top managers.  False

Planning and strategic management derive from an organization's mission and vision about itself.    True

In this time of Internet connections and speedy-access computer databases, one typically has complete information for planning and decision making.    False

Planning gives you expectations against which you can compare your performance.  True

Facebook strives to be on the cutting edge of social media, and is experiencing phenomenal growth. It encourages what it calls a "hacker" mindset, always looking to break down the old in favor of something better. Of Miles and Snow's basic strategy types, Facebook would be described as a prospector.   True

According to Miles and Snow's basic strategy types, a defender protects its strong position in an industry by constantly seeking new opportunities for growth.   False

Microsoft has been accused of adapting competitors' products after those firms spent the resources and took the risks to develop them. Companies with this strategy are known as analyzers by Miles and Snow.   True

Blockbuster Video was slow to adapt to the latest trends in its industry, such as DVD-by-mail and movie downloads online. When it tried to incorporate the same into its business model, it was well behind competitors like Netflix. Blockbuster might be defined as a defender, according to Miles and Snow.  False

The process of a business cycling through decisions first to select products and markets, then about producing and delivering the products, and finally to establish roles and processes is known as the discovery cycle.  False

The administrative part of the adaptive cycle focuses on establishing roles and organizational processes.   True

Mission and vision statements should be created once the strategic planning process is complete.    False

Determining an organization's mission is the responsibility of top management and the board of directors.  True

A vision has a clear sense of the future and the actions needed to get there.   True

A vision statement expresses what the organization should become and where it wants to go strategically.   True

Marriot Hotel's statement in which it states its desire "to be the world's leading provider of hospitality services" is a mission statement. False

Strategic planning determines goals for an organization for a period of 1-5 years.   True

Operational planning is normally performed by middle management.   False

Tactical planning is done by first-line managers and looks forward to the next 1-8 weeks.   False

Decisions that are predictable, following a well-defined set of procedures are typical of operational planning.  True

A target is a specific commitment to achieve a measurable result within a stated period of time.  False

An organization's goals arranged from low-level to high-level can be termed a means-end chain.   True

Strategic goals focus on objectives for the organization as a whole.   True

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

The ‘R' in a SMART goal stands for ‘reachable'.   False

A bike messenger company that operates in the downtown area of a large city recently set the following goal: "All deliveries should be completed as quickly as possible." This example meets the criteria for a SMART goal. False

SMART goals that are challenging yet can be met within the available scope of time, equipment, and financial support are known as achievable, the ‘A' in SMART.  False

Because it is unrealistic for SMART goals to be accomplished overnight, they should have target dates.  True

A marketing plan is an example of an action plan.    True

The operating plan defines the course of action needed to achieve a stated goal.    False

Southwest Airlines' goal of being highly profitable is a tactical goal.    False

Southwest Airlines' goal of making arrival times more reliable is a tactical goal.   True

In single-use plans, a program is another name for a project.    False

The U.S. government space program is an example of a single-use plan.   True

A procedure is a standing plan that outlines the response to particular problems or circumstances.    True

A policy includes more specifics than does a rule.   False

Policies, procedures, and rules are types of single-use plans.    False

MBO was developed by Frederick Taylor as part of scientific management. False

The purpose of MBO is to motivate subordinates   True

The first step in an MBO program is for the manager to set objectives for her subordinate.   False

Maintenance objectives are one type of objective used in MBO.   True

In MBO, objectives that employees fail to meet should be put aside for the next period in favor of ones that they can achieve.   False

In order for MBO to be successful, it must be implemented throughout the entire organization.   True

Organization-wide, the best structure for objectives in MBO is known as a diversity pattern.   False

Deadlines can help one concentrate the mind, in order to make decisions rather than put them off.    True

In the planning/control cycle, part of the control process can be to improve future plans.   True

The planning/control cycle has three planning steps and three control steps.  False

In the planning/control cycle, comparing the results with the plan is one of the control steps.  True

In the planning/control cycle, carrying out the plan is one of the control steps.   False

A career that is upwardly mobile, with a number of jobs that are fundamentally different yet still build on one another is known as a(n) ______ career.    Spiral

Planning is defined as    setting goals and deciding how to achieve them.

Which of the following is one of the challenges of planning?   Finding the time to plan  If you do not have all of the information for a complete plan, you should  .make decisions based on what you have, since perfect information is rare.

Which of the following is a benefit of planning?   Planning helps you cope with uncertainty.

A company that is an expert at producing and selling narrowly defined products or services, and which does not tend to seek opportunities outside its present market is known by Miles and Snow as a(n)    Defender

Which of the following is one of the organizational responses organizations make when confronted with uncertainty, as identified by Miles and Snow?  Defender

In a new broadband environment, consumers are more able than ever before to download products like music, movies and books. Netflix has been aggressive in taking advantage of this fact, offering web streaming and game console-access to its customers. According to Miles and Snow, Neflix would be a(n     Prospector

A company producing cameras and video cameras prefers to focus its resources on a fast imitation program to reverse engineer new features from competitors and add those, rather than implementing truly inventive features. Miles and Snow would call this company a(n)     Analyzer

The adaptive cycle portrays businesses as continuously cycling through kinds of business decisions: entrepreneurial, _____, and administrative.    Engineering

If a business lacks insights or fails to use the adaptive cycle properly, it is likely to become which of the following?    A reactor

Which of the following is the correct order of planning steps within an organization?    Mission statement & vision statement, strategic planning, tactical planning, operational planning.

The statement which expresses the purpose of an organization is called a(n)   Mission Statement

Amazon.com's statement expressing its desire "to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online" is a(n)   Vision Statement

Agile Consultant, Inc. has a written statement which says, "Agile exists to provide its clients with exemplary service, to help them achieve their goals, and to use our success to make the city of Las Vegas a better place to live." This is an example of a(n)   Mission Statement

The managers of Zach's Furniture recently crafted this statement: "Zach's endeavors to become the largest supplier of discount furniture in the western United States." This is most likely a(n)     Vision Statement

Which level of management is most often engaged in tactical planning  Middle Managers

What is the time frame of an operational plan?     1-52 Weeks

Long-term decisions about the overall direction of the organization, based in part on environmental conditions outside the firm, are part of the    strategic plan

There are three levels of planning. Their order, from first to last, is    strategic, tactical, and operational

Sandra is participating with other managers in a discussion about the external environment and what her organization's goals should be for the next three years. She is participating in    strategic planning.

Top management has recently made some new long-term goals for the organization, so Than, a division manager, is meeting with other managers to discuss how to implement policies to support these goals in the next 24 months. He is participating in     tactical planning

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

Which of the following is associated with operational planning?    Directing daily tasks of nonmanagerial personnel

Burrold Baggage expects to improve profitability of the organization by 15% over the next three years by cutting costs through global outsourcing. This is an example of a(n)   strategic goal

A SMART goal is one that is    specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and has target dates

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  Not measurable

Laurie 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 Laurie?   I want to lose 20 pounds by June 1, 2011

In terms of difficulty, the best goals are   challenging but realistic

After setting goals, managers should next     prepare an action plan for accomplishing the goals

A __________ outlines the general response to a designated problem or situation.   Policy

Management instituted a new ______ in Eric's workplace that "employees who falsify timesheets will be given a written warning"   Rule

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

The space shuttle Discovery is an example of a   Project

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

MBO stands for    Management by Objectives

The first step in the MBO process is to   Jointly set objectives

Terell is a new manager, and he is using MBO for the first time. It is essential for Terell to    reward employees when they meet objectives

Which of the following would BEST describe MBO?     Its purpose is to motivate employees.

Productivity gains from MBO are higher when an organization has    top-management commitment

MBO works by cascading objectives down through the organization, and these objectives become more ______ at lower levels of the organization.     Specific

______ help you ignore extraneous matters in favor of focusing on what's important—realizing the goals on time and on budget.   Deadlines

The constant feedback loop of the ______ is designed to ensure plans stay headed in the right direction.    planning/control cycle

Improving future plans is part of which step in the planning/control cycle?   Controlling the direction

Desiree, a sales manager, met with her staff to discuss that they were only a third of the way to their sales goal, but halfway through the sales period. She was looking for suggestions to improve second half performance. Which part of the planning/control cycle is Desiree doing?    Controlling the direction

Ellie met with her supervisor for a formal review of her job performance over the past year. Though Ellie had agreed to complete five training modules during the course of the year, she only did two. At this stage, which part of the planning/control cycle would be applicable to her manager going forward?    Improve future plans

Apple has a plan to generate buzz for its new products by maintaining secrecy about them. Apple has learned that strong measures are required to protect such mysteries, so it has enhanced its security and even fired and sued employees for leaking news about the products. These efforts would be considered which part of the planning/control cycle?    Taking corrective action