Final Exam Quiz Badm 310

38 Questions | By Vsangui2 | Updated: Mar 21, 2022 | Attempts: 40

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This is a quiz created for practice for the Final Exam

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1.

Weber's definition of an "Ideal Bureaucracy" includes all of the following EXCEPT:
- A.
  
  A hierarchy based on a clear chain of command
- B.
  
  Jobs broken down into simple, routine and well-define tasks
- C.
  
  A structure based on characteristics of the environment
- D.
  
  Employees selected based on technical qualifications
2.

The Open Systems model of organizations emphasizes:
- A.
  
  Aligning organizations with their environments
- B.
  
  Linking worker's productivity with organizational rewards
- C.
  
  Improving organizational efficiency
- D.
  
  Avoiding problems with the government
3.

We discussed in class, that only since the last part of the nineteen century, different scientists became interested on studying how people work while wondering whether they can devise new ways of improving how work was done. Since these scientists come mainly from the field of engineering, the changes they proposed to company's owners are commonly referred to as 'scientific management'. Although some of these proposed changes were effective in many cases, they are nowadays commonly assessed as controversial and narrowly-focused. However, one of the original intents of these scientists was only:
- A.
  
  Reduce management-labor conflict
- B.
  
  Increase output
- C.
  
  Replace 'rule of thumb' methods.
- D.
  
  All of the above
4.

Scientific Management was based on four areas of improvement for any task. They were, in order:
- A.
  
  Standardize-Lower Costs-Reduce Staff-Reduce Conflict
- B.
  
  Optimize-Standardize-Select Staff-Reward High Performers
- C.
  
  Reward High Performers-Select Staff-Standardize-Optimize
- D.
  
  Optimize-Standardize-Reduce Conflict-Reward High Performers
5.

Although pure 'Scientific Management' ideas/strategies have not being used for a long time, we noted in class that these concepts are still important and even, they may still be an effective way of tackling some work problems. If you find yourself in an organization that tries to implement some of these ideas, what are two issues that you know might arise during the implementation stage?
- A.
  
  Effectiveness and Innovation will be increased
- B.
  
  Lower turnover and higher employees' job satisfaction are likely
- C.
  
  Higher turnover and labor-management conflict may appear
- D.
  
  All of the above
6.

The Weber's Bureaucracy solution to the problems of multiple of his contemporary organizations is not quite popular nowadays. In the last few years, bureaucratic organizations are commonly not-well perceived by peers, potential employees and even by investors. However, bureaucracy was, and CAN BE an effective solution for:
- A.
  
  Nepotism and lack of innovation
- B.
  
  Multiplicity of customers and environments
- C.
  
  Nepotism and lack of consistency in key outputs
- D.
  
  Lack of efficiency and high stress
7.

The 'Hawthorne Studies' performed in the days when "Scientific Management" was at the apex of its popularity and legitimacy, MAINLY showed:
- A.
  
  Productivity in Electric Companies shop-floors depends only on light levels
- B.
  
  Employees in Electric Companies shop-floors do not behave rationally
- C.
  
  Scientific Management was a robust framework to study work at Hawthorne
- D.
  
  Employees' motivation may be more important than physical conditions in predicting productivity
8.

Using ideas from the Open System framework and contingency theory of management, one could argue that efficiency is ALWAYS the most important proxy to follow and strive for in any organization:
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
9.

Which of the following is an advantage of product departmentalization?
- A.
  
  It allows specialization around specific products, and increases the speed of product development.
- B.
  
  It improves information sharing between the employees who work on different products.
- C.
  
  It prevents duplication of resources and, thus helps organizations decrease their operating costs.
- D.
  
  All of the above
10.

Your company, CleanCo, sells pollution control equipment to power utilities. You have traditionally sold your products in the Eastern U.S., and another firm in the same industry, GreenCo, has sold to similar power utilities, but in the Western U.S. The two companies have been very successful. Both companies are functionally structured, but their sales forces are departmentalized geographically. Each company sells one major product, and the products are quite similar. But both firms find that salespeople often have to make several customer visits before a sale is made. Now, in the middle of a strong recession, CleanCo and GreenCo have reached an agreement to merge. Based on this information, how would you recommend the combined firm departmentalize the sales force after the merger?
- A.
  
  By function
- B.
  
  By product type
- C.
  
  By customer type
- D.
  
  By geographical region
11.

According to Porter's competitive strategies framework, the definition of a focus strategy is that a company seeks to market differentiated products.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
12.

In class, we saw a clip from the movie "The Hunt for Red October". Although, we discussed multiple lessons regarding organizational structure within the U.S. Navy, and most other organizations, we especially stress the lesson linked to
- A.
  
  The U.S. Navy, as most organizations, needs to change its org. structure
- B.
  
  The U.S. Navy, as most organizations, minimizes internal problems with 'tall' structural walls.
- C.
  
  All of the above
- D.
  
  Organizational structures may limit organizational flexibility
13.

In class we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of multiple organizational structures (i.e., functional, divisional, simple). However, based on what you learn in BADM310, you know that some organizational structures are not recommended for certain tasks and type of employees. If you just started working on Nintendo, and the manager of your division ask you to suggest the most appropriate structure to use if uncertain goals and procedures are necessary to complete a task, and a set of highly-skilled professionals have been chosen to meet those demands, which of the following structures you would choose:
- A.
  
  Divisional structure
- B.
  
  Cross-functional team.
- C.
  
  Functional structure
- D.
  
  Project Structure
14.

According to our discussion in class, when one assesses how to complete a certain large task that needs the efforts of multiple employees, one confronts the task of designing a structure that would improve the likelihood of these employees completing effectively this task. Commonly, on that situation, you ought to balance:
- A.
  
  Specialization and coordination
- B.
  
  Coordination and Skills.
- C.
  
  Skills and cost
- D.
  
  Time and Cost
15.

Strategy is one of the key issues that should be kept in mind by all managers at all time because:
- A.
  
  It reminds the management how their organization is supposed to compete in the long-run
- B.
  
  Strategy is the ultimate goal of the organization
- C.
  
  It tells the manager what to do in every situation
- D.
  
  All of the above
16.

According to our discussion in class, within the strategic management process, the stage that tends to be the most critical for the final effectiveness of the long-term strategic plan of the company is:
- A.
  
  Evaluating results
- B.
  
  SWOT Analysis
- C.
  
  Porter's Five Forces Model
- D.
  
  Creating strategies
17.

The common trait between a Gantt chart and a Load chart is that
- A.
  
  Both charts help to manage resources
- B.
  
  Both chart allow you to meet your budget
- C.
  
  None of the above is correct
- D.
  
  All the above are correct
18.

Which of the following planning strategies would you suggest to organizations functioning in dynamic environments?
- A.
  
  View planning as a process that encourages discussion and conflict resolution rather than an end in itself
- B.
  
  Be flexible enough to adjust plans to changing forces in the environment
- C.
  
  Plan around organizational goals rather than budgets
- D.
  
  All of the above
19.

According to what we discussed in class, one of the critiques of the TOP-DOWN goal setting approach to planning is that often:
- A.
  
  Compliance is unlikely
- B.
  
  Too much knowledge is incorporated
- C.
  
  Goals might loose their intent
- D.
  
  None of the above
20.

Which of the following was discussed in class as a potential DRAWBACK of management-by-objectives (MBO) approach to planning?
- A.
  
  MBO tends to not incorporate employee's knowledge
- B.
  
  MBO rarely generates sandbagging
- C.
  
  MBO tends to generate commitment rather than compliance
- D.
  
  MBO may lead to overemphasis on personal rather than organizational goals
21.

Carla is evaluating Chris' job performance. Chris is generally a good performer, but he seems to have done a poor job communicating with some key suppliers. Carla believes the problem is quite serious. Carla has a meeting with Chris next month to provide a performance appraisal. Which of the following Carla SHOULD NOT do when attempting to give effective feedback to Chris?
- A.
  
  Tell Chris what he has been doing well before addressing the communication issue
- B.
  
  Provide Chris with specific examples of when communication problems seem to have emerged
- C.
  
  Ask Chris what changes he thinks would be better to address this issue
- D.
  
  Give Chris specific criticism and point out explicitly which of his traits are creating the problem
22.

Although both are subjective evaluation tools, Behaviorally Anchored Rating scales and Graphic Rating Scales are equally effective appraisal instruments
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
23.

Tabitha is considering five candidates for an upper management position at her organization. She wants to make sure that she gets the best person for the job, but she is confused by all the different selection tools that are available. If for cost reasons, she can only use one tool, which of them would be the most relevant and informative?
- A.
  
  Written test
- B.
  
  Reference checks
- C.
  
  Interviews
- D.
  
  Performance simulations
24.

Merit pay plans are argued to be, in general, more motivating than salaries because:
- A.
  
  People care a lot about being rewarded
- B.
  
  Companies presented them differently than salaries
- C.
  
  Merit pays are always huge!
- D.
  
  Changes in salary are likely to be smaller and not always related to current performance
25.

You are excited to start your summer internship. A number of company documents emphasized how the company culture stresses openness to new ideas and participative decision-making, so you are hoping to make a real difference. But the reality doesn't meet your expectations. Managers do listen to new ideas, but it is just a pretense. In reality managers make the decisions themselves and tend to avoid anything new. You ask a friend who has been with the company for some time, and she says, "Yeah, that's how things really work here. Our managers don't really pay attention to those documents - they're just for show." What you have experienced is most likely a situation where the:
- A.
  
  Culture is strong, but is not aligned with the external environment
- B.
  
  Culture was described as entrepreneurial-type, but seems to be more clan-type
- C.
  
  Espoused values are not aligned with basic assumptions
- D.
  
  None of the above