Exam 6: Understanding the Management Process

When Terri began her first managerial job, she tried the authoritarian style. She believed she could accomplish more that way, but later she could not say whether it actually worked. She then tried the entrepreneurial style because one of her best managers had used it successfully. She, however, found it a bit awkward. Now, with a different group of subordinates, she is trying the democratic style, with some success. What concluding remark would you make about the different leadership styles that Terri has tried?

Centrum Springs, Inc. Riley has worked for Centrum Springs, Inc., for many years and has now been given the opportunity to advance in the company. His manager is retiring and hopes that Riley will take over for him. However, even though Riley is an experienced employee, there are many things that he still needs to learn. Riley has trained many new employees, but he has never held a management position. Riley needs to have a general understanding of what it takes to be a manager. There are many problems in Riley's department. There are no plans to fall back on in case the initial plan fails. Riley also will need to learn how to direct people in such a way that makes them want to do more than they absolutely have to. Riley feels that this is a great opportunity, and he is anxious to learn everything to be a great manager. He knows that if he performs well in this position, he will have the opportunity to move up the corporate ladder. -Refer to Centrum Springs, Inc. If Riley were to take this first step up the corporate ladder, he would be classified as a

American Airlines has established a goal of increasing its profits by 12 percent next year. To ensure that the goal is reached, management monitors profits on a monthly basis. After three months, if profits have not increased by 3 percent, management will take corrective action to get the company on track. By doing so, management is carrying out its ____ function(s).

Which of the following is not considered a basic step of benchmarking?

Foreign competition, poor profit performance, and more demanding customers have encouraged businesses to place more emphasis on quality.

Rocco asks his customers to complete a survey about the service they receive at his company so that he and his staff can make adjustments and improvements. Rocco is focusing on the ____ aspect of total quality management.

The techniques of brainstorming and "Blast! Then Refine" would be helpful to use during which step in the managerial decision-making process?

An outline of the actions an organization intends to take to accomplish its goals and objectives is called its

Which of the following is a TQM tool?

Strengths and weaknesses are the external factors of a company SWOT analysis.

For a total quality management program to be effective, it must be treated as a top priority by

As a manager carries out his or her functions, the first step is to control, the second is to organize, and the third is to plan.

In a SWOT analysis, opportunities are considered external to the organization.

A manager with ____ skills has the ability to deal effectively with people inside and outside the organization.

Most organizations use four types of resources: material, human, financial, and informational.

Alvero Dominguez recently has been named to head a major manufacturing plant at Dow Chemical. The plant has had significant increases in inventory and declines in net income over the past two years. Alvero's task is to eliminate the excess inventory and return the plant to its previous level of profitability. To begin solving this problem, Alvero invites suggestions from line workers, gathers managers from various levels of the plant to brainstorm, and talks with experts in the field of operations management. This step in the managerial decision-making process is known as

Top managers probably make up the largest group of managers in most organizations.

As an upper-level manager for Microsoft, Rodney is one of many people responsible for allocating organizational resources in order to achieve the key goals of the company. Specifically, Rodney is in charge of collecting and analyzing data on consumer preferences in personal computer design and technology and is thus responsible for what general type of resources?

The investment decisions of many traders on Wall Street in the early 2000s led to the downfall of several investment companies, demonstrating that employee goals were not aligned with company goals. This indicates a failure of which basic managerial function?

Herb Kelleher, long-time chief executive officer of Southwest Airlines, was known for inspiring and motivating his employees. He related well to people within and outside the Southwest Airlines organization. Herb Kelleher had good ____ skills.