Exam 2: The Management Environment

Application of Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Kevin knew that it was likely his corporation was going to ask him to go abroad and manage the new chemical factory they were building. He was excited about the prospects but also apprehensive. He had never traveled before and, as far as he was concerned, there was only one way to do anything- the "American way." He decided some research was in order to at least get an idea about other countries. In his reading, he learned that some cultures place a high priority on a loose social framework, where they feel primarily responsible for themselves and their immediate family. He also learned that in some societies, employees show a great deal of respect for those in authority, and titles and rank carry much weight. Some countries have little job mobility and practice lifetime employment. He also learned that some countries are characterized by assertiveness and materialism. Now he wondered if there was any framework to help organize his thoughts. -Who developed a framework describing specific dimensions of national culture that Kevin could use in order to organize his information?

According to Toffler all of the following were characteristic of Wave 2- Industrialization except

Brown Company plans to layoff five employees to meet organizational goals. Whittier, Inc. is attempting to create a more efficient operation through extreme layoffs of 27 employees. Whittier, Inc. is practicing rightsizing.

Telecommuting will change the relationship between managers and employees. Managers can expect

Type A organizations are contemporary organizations with heavy reliance on intranets and extranets.

Application of Contemporary Management Practices Jenny had been reading several management periodicals for her class assignment. She was confused by all the terms she had come across in her search for changes that were reshaping contemporary organizations. The first article had described a new business owner who had taken a large calculated risk to initiate his new business venture where he had become quite successful at the age of 26. The next article dealt with a process that managers were using for quality control at a local cheese producing plant. The company was constantly monitoring the cheese- making process and little by little improving the quality of its cheese. The next article was in direct contrast. This roller blade manufacturer had decided that its product needed to be completely remade in order to keep up with the competition. So it had basically started from scratch and developed a new revised product. Several of the articles Jenny had read talked about companies laying off numerous employees, and the practice was not limited to the United States. It was occurring worldwide. Finally, several articles had also mentioned that businesses were hiring fewer core employees and using more contingent workers. Many larger businesses were hiring people to fill in for those employees off for an extended time period, such as for a new dad off for 12 weeks after the birth of a child. -Choose the type of worker that is not considered a contingent worker.

Which of the following is not an argument for the assumption of social responsibility by business?

In Stage II of going global, an organization might

Knowledge workers are an important group of technical and professional employees that currently make up 50% of the United States workforce.

Compare and contrast the international strategies used at Stage I versus those used at Stage III do they differ?

Application of Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Kevin knew that it was likely his corporation was going to ask him to go abroad and manage the new chemical factory they were building. He was excited about the prospects but also apprehensive. He had never traveled before and, as far as he was concerned, there was only one way to do anything- the "American way." He decided some research was in order to at least get an idea about other countries. In his reading, he learned that some cultures place a high priority on a loose social framework, where they feel primarily responsible for themselves and their immediate family. He also learned that in some societies, employees show a great deal of respect for those in authority, and titles and rank carry much weight. Some countries have little job mobility and practice lifetime employment. He also learned that some countries are characterized by assertiveness and materialism. Now he wondered if there was any framework to help organize his thoughts. -Kevin noticed that in China, workers were more likely to hold the cultural belief that the group comes first. This is what Hofstede referred to as____________ .

Discuss the similarities and differences between Hofstede's cultural dimensions and the Globe Research Study Findings.

Strategic alliances provide domestic companies with faster and less expensive ways to compete globally than if they did it on their own.

Distinguish between e- commerce and e- business.

Application of Contemporary Management Practices Jenny had been reading several management periodicals for her class assignment. She was confused by all the terms she had come across in her search for changes that were reshaping contemporary organizations. The first article had described a new business owner who had taken a large calculated risk to initiate his new business venture where he had become quite successful at the age of 26. The next article dealt with a process that managers were using for quality control at a local cheese producing plant. The company was constantly monitoring the cheese- making process and little by little improving the quality of its cheese. The next article was in direct contrast. This roller blade manufacturer had decided that its product needed to be completely remade in order to keep up with the competition. So it had basically started from scratch and developed a new revised product. Several of the articles Jenny had read talked about companies laying off numerous employees, and the practice was not limited to the United States. It was occurring worldwide. Finally, several articles had also mentioned that businesses were hiring fewer core employees and using more contingent workers. Many larger businesses were hiring people to fill in for those employees off for an extended time period, such as for a new dad off for 12 weeks after the birth of a child. -Which type of worker is replacing the new father who is staying home with his baby?

From the late 1800's until the 1960's, all economies were agrarian.

One of the greatest effects of e- commerce is that

What strategy did HP use when it agreed to let some Japanese firms manufacture computers and printers and use the HP name and logo?

Assertiveness is the extent to which a society encourages people to be tough, confrontational and competitive versus modest and tender.

There is a clear chain of cause- and- effect running from employee and behavior to customer attitudes and____________ to an organization's revenues and ____________.