Exam 7: Foundations of Planning

One charge against Arab culture in relation to planning relates to the concept of ____________.

Three contingency factors that affect planning are level in the organization, degree of environmental uncertainty, and___________ .

The conflict in stated goals exists because organizations respond to a variety of ____________ .

We can best understand how an organization plans, by looking at ___________.

Planning Factors (Scenario) As vice president of a local manufacturer, you are interested in developing a new organizational plan. However, you are not sure who you should assign to the varying planning tasks. At the same time, several other issues that could deeply affect your business are pending, including rising interest rates and the potential formation of a new employee union. You must also consider your firm's contracts with large vendors that extend five years into the future. -For the most part, you should assign the operational planning activities to___________.

define planning and discuss the characteristics of formal planning as it is used in various organizations.

What is defined as a group of planning specialists whose sole responsibility is helping to write the various organizational plans?

Research indicates that nonplanning organizations always outperform planning organizations.

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

A- Z Planning (Scenario) Organizations ABC and XYZ are both in the same industry and compete for the same set of customers in the marketplace. At ABC, the plans are made at the top level of management each year and then are formulated for and announced to each of the mid- level and first- level managers. At XYZ, the plans are made at the top, and then those managers meet with their subordinates at the next level and mutually agreed- to goals are established with them. The mid- level managers then meet with their first- level managers and mutually agreed- to goals are established with them. Finally, the first- level managers meet with each of their employees and mutually agreed- to goals are established with them. -The goals setting approach used at the ABC organization is___________ .

The process of writing goals ___________.

Planning for too long or too short a time period___________ .

It is ___________formal planning efforts when the environment is highly uncertain.

A- Z Planning (Scenario) Organizations ABC and XYZ are both in the same industry and compete for the same set of customers in the marketplace. At ABC, the plans are made at the top level of management each year and then are formulated for and announced to each of the mid- level and first- level managers. At XYZ, the plans are made at the top, and then those managers meet with their subordinates at the next level and mutually agreed- to goals are established with them. The mid- level managers then meet with their first- level managers and mutually agreed- to goals are established with them. Finally, the first- level managers meet with each of their employees and mutually agreed- to goals are established with them. -XYZ also follows a management by objectives (MBO) approach to goal setting. The managers and employees specify and agree upon ___________, which define how objectives are to be achieved.

describe how managers can effectively plan when the external environment is continually changing.

define management by objectives (MBO) and list four elements of this type of goal setting.

Fatalistic attitudes have never been displayed in Arab societies.

It's Academic (Scenario) You are the academic dean for a small college. The university president has asked you to develop a plan for the college. She wants the plan to cover the next five years. She wants it to be as specific as possible, but it should leave some room for flexibility. -The president has expressed concern regarding the impact of planning on the ability of the organization to respond to emerging changes in the higher education environment, such as distance learning and corporate universities. You should tell the president that planning _ ____________.

Studies of actual MBO programs find mixed results in terms of its effects on overall employee performance and organizational productivity.

In MBO, or 'management by objectives', goals are often less well- defined, giving managers and employees more flexibility to respond to changing conditions.