Chapter 8 example #87754

The process of rating an organization's practices, processes, and products against the best of the world is known as: A. webworking. B. outsourcing. C. benchmarking. D. core competencies.

Companies benefit today by inter-firm cooperation. One of the ways they cooperate is through networking. Another way is by seeking technological knowledge and learning new processes from other firms that usually fall outside of their respective industries. We call this: A. competency capturing B. technology swapping C. benchmarking D. broadening the knowledge base

In a bureaucratic organization: A. departments communicate with each other on a regular basis. B. employees follow strict rules and regulations. C. customer satisfaction is the number one priority. D. first-line workers are empowered to respond to the needs of customers.

One advantage of a bureaucratic organization is that: A. it is very responsive to the wants and needs of customers. B. there are very few layers of management. C. it encourages cooperation among different departments within the organization. D. employees know they are expected to follow the rules and regulations

Organizations that require consistent production standards to help create a high quality public image would tend to favor: A. centralized authority. B. an inverted organization. C. a high level of employee empowerment. D. flat organizational structures.

International Inns and ConferenceCenters [IICC], a national chain of professional event centers utilizes a centralized authority structure. Which of the following provides the most likely explanation for why management at IICC would favor centralized authority? A. Top management at IICC intends to empower its first-line employees B. Top management at IICC wants to improve customer service response time C. Top management desires to maintain a uniform image and high quality service D. IICC wants to utilize a cross-functional organization

Management at Hottie Potatee, a nationwide potato bar chain, believes that its customers value a predictable and consistent level of service and quality. When customers stop at one of its potato bar chain restaurants anywhere in the United States, they should know what to expect in terms of menu, price and quality. In order to maintain this consistency, Hottie Potatee adopted a(n) ______ structure. A. centralized authority B. decentralized authority C. hybrid authority D. origination authority

The line of authority that moves from the top of a hierarchy to the lowest level is called the: A. chain of logic. B. chain of command. C. organizational design. D. delegation of contingent authority.

FairviewCommunity College is a multi-district college with four campuses. Each campus has one president, two vice presidents, five deans, 12 department chairs, over 100 faculty members, and several persons in support roles. The presidents from each campus report to four vice-chancellors and the vice-chancellors report to the chancellor. It is clear that Fairview has a well-defined _____________. A. channel of academic culture B. chain of command C. responsibility environment D. bureaucratic reallocation

__________ refer to those functions that an organization does as well as, or better than, any other organization in the world. A. Primary functions B. Comparative strengths C. Residual functions D. Core competencies

Independence Electronics prides itself as a world-class producer of components used in CD and DVD players. The outstanding performance of the production department indicates that this activity is one of the firm's: A. fiscal responsibilities. B. core competencies. C. benchmark assets. D. target competitive advantages.

Which of the following was created as a solution to the temporary nature of the matrix structure? A. Line organizations B. Cross-functional self-managed teams C. Line-and-staff organizations D. Network organizations

Which of the following describes a group of employees from different departments working together on a long-term basis? A. Focus group B. Mixed function groups C. Cross-functional self-managed teams D. Intrapraneurial teams

Cross-functional self-managed teams work best when ________________. A. leadership is shared B. there are at least two line and staff mangers on the team C. the teams consist of members of only two functional units D. The academic levels of all members are comparable

______________ means that decision-making authority is delegated to lower-level managers and employees. A. Uniformity of authority B. Decentralized authority C. Specification of authority D. Standardized authority

Greenwave Garden Centers is a national chain of discount gardening stores. The top management at Greenwave realizes that different regions of the United States have very different climates and soil conditions, so they give regional managers a great deal of freedom to decide exactly what types of plants, fertilizers, and other items to stock and how to best market these products. Greenwave is an example of a _______________ organization. A. bureaucratic B. top down C. free form D. decentralized

The process of setting up individual functional units of the business to do specialized tasks is called: A. Departmentalization. B. Division of labor. C. Job specialization. D. Delegation of authority.

_______ refers to the process of dividing organizational functions (sales, production, accounting/bookkeeping) into separate units. A. Coordination B. A chain of command C. Empowerment D. Departmentalization

Which of the following is considered to be a disadvantage of functional departmentalization? A. There may be a lack of communication among the different departments B. Employees must develop skills in depth C. The company must achieve economies of scale D. Top management has to direct and control department activities

Which of the following is considered to be an advantage of functional departmentalization? A. Employees begin to identify with their department and its goals rather than with the goals of the entire organization B. People in the same department tend to think very differently C. Departments are isolated from one another D. Employee skills can be developed in depth

Young people today are often called __________ because they have never known life without the Internet. A. the high-tech heroes B. Social networkers C. digital natives D. electronic eggheads

The concept of ____________ suggests that as a firm produces more, the average cost of goods produced goes down. A. natural growth B. survival of the fittest C. cost enhancement D. economies of scale

Economies of scale: A. are available to small firms but not to large firms due to management inefficiencies. B. are achieved when a firm reduces its average cost of production as it produces more. C. can be avoided by purchasing supplies and raw materials in large quantities. D. help explain the success of small businesses.

An organization with only a few layers of management is known as a(n): A. tall organization. B. flat organization. C. leveraged organization. D. coordinated organization.

Today's preference to flat vs. tall organization structures is mainly due to a flat organization's ability to: A. encourage esprit de corps among employees in various departments. B. increase the cost of labor through economies of scale. C. respond readily to customer demands. D. increase sales through multiple customer contacts by several layers of management.

The ____________ of a business firm is the system that details lines of authority, responsibility, and position, similar to the structure on organization charts. A. matrix reloaded structure B. formal organization C. informal organization D. normative design

All organizations have two organizational systems: A. the command system and the control system. B. the formal organization and the informal organization. C. the functioning system and backup system. D. the primary organization and secondary organization.

A firm's formal organization would be better suited than its informal organization to: A. create an atmosphere of friendship and camaraderie among workers. B. find answers to critical problems that require logical analysis. C. find creative solutions to short-term problems. D. find a way around bureaucratic rules and regulations in order to get things done quickly.

A(n) __________ consists of one person at the top of the organization and many levels of managers who are responsible to that person. A. hierarchy B. oligarchy C. inverted organization D. informal organization

The __________ is the system of relationships that develop spontaneously as employees meet and form power centers. A. informal organization B. bureaucratic structure C. secondary organization D. formal organization

The ___________ is the nerve center of the informal organization. A. organizational database B. intranet C. grapevine D. company newsletter

the informal organization of a business is probably best suited to: A. give workers a clear idea of where they stand in the organization. B. provide helpful guidelines about how to handle routine problems. C. provide a mechanism that generates careful reasoned decisions about critical issues. D. create a feeling of camaraderie among employees and encourage teamwork.

Ashley experienced frustration with her new job at Walnut Securities, until she befriended a secretary from another department. Over lunch in the cafeteria, her new friend shared with Ashley the way things really work at Walnut Securities. Ashley quickly learned that: A. what she learned in her business classes didn't really help her in the real world. B. an unofficial informal organization exists that she can utilize to help her do her job. C. organizational culture can be negative. D. not all businesses have a formal organization.

An organization that has contact people at the top and the chief executive officer at the bottom is known as a(n): A. bureaucracy. B. oligarchy. C. improvised organization. D. inverted organization.

In an inverted organization, the job of management is to: A. closely monitor employee performance. B. establish rules and regulations to guide worker behavior. C. make all of the basic decisions. D. assist and support front-line people.

Heather works as a sales representative for the Westerly Company. She really enjoys working for Westerly, because the company treats her and other sales representatives as highly valued employees. Sales reps at Westerly are given freedom and flexibility in their relationships with customers. While there are only a few layers of management at Westerly, Heather has found that these managers try their best to support and assist her efforts. Based on Heather's experience, it appears that Westerly is a(n): A. bureaucratic organization. B. inverted organization. C. tall organization. D. casual organization.

Which of the organization models follows all of Fayol's traditional management rules? A. Line organizations B. Line-and-staff organizations C. Cross-functional teams D. Matrix

Which of the following is an advantage of a line organization in a large business? A. It does not require specialists to advise people along the line B. Responsibility and authority are clearly defined C. Each worker has several supervisors D. It is very flexible

the organizational structure of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division provides for direct two-way lines of responsibility, authority, and communication running from the top to the bottom. Additionally, each person in the division reports to only one superior. The 1st Infantry Division is clearly an example of a(n): A. matrix organization. B. functional organization. C. line organization. D. service organization.

_________ are responsible for directly achieving organizational goals. A. Organizational specialists B. Line personnel C. Chain of command managers D. Staff personnel

Employees who perform functions that advise and assist line personnel are known as: A. middle managers. B. empowered workers. C. secondary employees. D. staff personnel.

Matrix organizational structures were first developed in: A. Japan. B. the aerospace industry. C. the dot com Internet industry. D. the chemicals industry.

Which of the following is an advantage of a matrix organization structure? A. It is much cheaper to staff than other organization models B. It provides for efficient use of organizational resources C. The project teams are permanent D. It is a complex organization structure

hang is a project manager at Paradox Industries. He is able to borrow specialists from the organization on a regular basis to assist in major projects. After the project ends, the specialists return to their functional units to await new assignments. Paradox Industries utilizes a: A. line organization model. B. bi-functional organization model. C. lateral transfer organization model. D. matrix organization model.

_____________ is using communications technology and other means to link organizations and allow them to work together on common objectives. A. Networking B. Structural linking C. Functional sharing D. Strategic planning

The widely shared values within an organization that provide unity and cooperation to achieve common goals is together known as the: A. normative matrix. B. predefined group values. C. ethical system. D. organizational culture.

Zach recently got his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry and was fortunate to be asked to join the Weilman Lab at a prestigious eastern university. After a month on the job, he remarked to another graduate student at his former university that the spirit of help and cooperation at the Weilman lab was remarkable. He enjoyed going to work each day and sometimes exchanged calls with other lab partners in the evening with ideas to improve each other's experiments. Zach remarked, "Now I know why this lab is considered one of the best in the nation!" Zach is referring to: A. the formal organization. B. the inverted organization. C. the Balanced organization. D. the organizational culture.

When Bret started his auto mechanic shop his business plan included a(n) _______________ that showed the relationship among employees in his organization and the lines of authority and responsibility. A. business view map B. department categorization C. organization chart D. operating matrix grid

Which of the following describes an environment in which data is instantly available via the Internet to organizational partners? A. Networking B. Real time C. Virtual business D. E-commerce

Which of the following describes the redesigning of an organization so that it can more effectively and efficiently serve its customers? A. Reinventing B. Restructuring C. Radical reorganizing D. Extroverted reorganizing

The optimum number of subordinates a manager can supervise is referred to as the: A. manager-subordinate ratio. B. chain of command. C. employee quota. D. span of control.

The span of control for a manager: A. should never exceed 7 subordinates. B. is no longer a relevant issue in today's computerized offices. C. depends on a number of factors, and can vary from one manager to another. D. varies somewhat from manager to manager, but most managers operate best with a span of control of about 9 employees.

Due to more emphasis on empowerment and more talented and better-educated lower level management, span of control in organizations has ___________. A. increased B. decreased C. become an obsolete term in organization design D. led to tall organizations

The ________ an organization's structure, the ________ the span of control. A. flatter; wider B. flatter; narrower C. taller; wider D. taller; flatter

Which of the following factors help determine a manager's span of control? A. The number of global competitors B. The level of standardization of the work to be done C. Method of accounting for production D. Form of business ownership

Employees who perform functions that advise and assist line personnel are known as: A. middle managers. B. empowered workers. C. secondary employees. D. staff personnel.

Today's preference to flat vs. tall organization structures is mainly due to a flat organization's ability to: A. encourage esprit de corps among employees in various departments. B. increase the cost of labor through economies of scale. C. respond readily to customer demands. D. increase sales through multiple customer contacts by several layers of management.

Which of the following describes a temporary networked organization made up of replaceable firms that join and leave as needed? A. Web-based corporation B. Benchmark outsourcing system C. Network system D. Virtual corporation

HairTrend, a cosmetology trade publication, utilizes the resources of other organizations as needed. Business relationships are temporary and flexible. HairTrend is a networked organization made up of replaceable firms that join the network and leave it as needed. This unique organization is an example of: A. competitive benchmarking. B. a virtual corporation. C. core competency ranking. D. real time transparency.