Exam 1: Managers in the Workplace

The Perfect Manager Elaine Truegood has proven herself to be an able manager.Her section has a high project completion rate with the highest quality product and the lowest defects in her division.In addition, she does it with fewer full-time people than other managers.Some say that the secret of her success is in her ability to delegate responsibility and her understanding of the basic 'management functions'. -Refer to The Perfect Manager (Scenario).Getting her projects completed is an indication of Elaine's ________ as a manager.

According to the textbook, all of the following managerial roles increase in importance at the higher levels of the organisation EXCEPT ________.

Technical skills become less important as a manager moves into higher levels of management.

Writing an organisational strategic plan is an example of which of the management functions?

Mintzberg's study held that not all managers were required to perform duties that involved people.

A Trucking Dilemma Natalie Hunter, General Manager of New Product Development for Mainline Trucking, has some decisions to make.The company, which manufactures long-haul trucking platforms and accessories, is trying to decide if it should proceed in designing a new accessory which increases the efficiency of truck loading and unloading.She knows the new accessory fits well with the corporate strategy, will position them competitively within the industry, and she feels she has done a good job of selling it to other management.With her engineering training and experience, she also knows the product is reasonably easy to lay-out and probably cost-effective.However, a major problem lies with the line workers, who are Unionist.The new product will reduce manpower needs and is unpopular.She has always had a good relationship with her workers, but she knows they are highly suspicious.She also knows the new project will not work without their cooperation.She gazed out her window and struggled with how to best handle this situation. -Refer to A Trucking Dilemma (Scenario).Based on Katz's managerial skills, when Natalie knew that the new product fitted within their corporate strategy, she was utilising what type of skill?

Managerial Basic Training Imagine that your marketing company has just merged with a manufacturing organisation.You have been asked to help provide some 'basic' managerial training to the engineers in the research and development unit of the new sister company.Your boss has asked to see an overview of materials that you will be providing the engineers, to make sure you are covering the necessary materials. -Refer to Managerial Basic Training (Scenario).People in the newly merged company who work on direct tasks but do not supervise people are referred to as ________.

The Perfect Manager Elaine Truegood has proven herself to be an able manager.Her section has a high project completion rate with the highest quality product and the lowest defects in her division.In addition, she does it with fewer full-time people than other managers.Some say that the secret of her success is in her ability to delegate responsibility and her understanding of the basic 'management functions'. -Refer to The Perfect Manager (Scenario).The 'management functions' exemplified by Elaine include ALL BUT which of the following?

Conceptual skills become less important as a manager moves into top management.

According to Mintzberg's management roles, the ________ are roles that involve people in other duties that are ceremonial and symbolic in nature.

As organisations have changed, the distinction between managers and non-managerial employees has blurred.

The Busy Day Don Askey, plant manager at All Packaging Ltd, sighed as he sipped his first cup of coffee at 5 am and read his agenda for the day.He is giving two company tours in the morning; the first to a newspaper journalist who is writing a story on the new plant expansion and has several questions, and the second to a group of All Packaging Ltd managers from the head office.He then has a meeting with unit manager, Phil Johnson, to discuss Phil's recent drop in performance (a task he always hates).Next, he is spending a couple of hours reviewing the trade journals he receives from his packaging and logistics association and writing up a brief synopsis for his presentation next week to the Division President.Finally, in late afternoon, he will be reviewing the new equipment malfunction and deciding whether to bring in extra people to get the equipment running as soon as possible.Whew! Just another day in the glamorous life of a manager. -Refer to The Busy Day (Scenario).When Don was conducting the tour for the head office managers, he was operating in which of the management roles?

Whereas effectiveness is concerned with the means of getting things done, efficiency is concerned with the ends, or attainment of organisational goals.

The three essential managerial skills put forth by Katz include ________.

Which of the following skills are more important at lower levels of management, as these managers are dealing directly with employees doing organisational work?

Which of the following would best describe the managerial work of a supervisor in a reservations section at Singapore Airlines, compared with the work of the CEO of the airline?

The Perfect Manager Elaine Truegood has proven herself to be an able manager.Her section has a high project completion rate with the highest quality product and the lowest defects in her division.In addition, she does it with fewer full-time people than other managers.Some say that the secret of her success is in her ability to delegate responsibility and her understanding of the basic 'management functions'. -Refer to The Perfect Manager (Scenario).Elaine's ability to get the same amount of product completed with fewer people is a reflection of her ________.

Not-for-profit organisations are not concerned with efficiency.

The Perfect Manager Elaine Truegood has proven herself to be an able manager.Her section has a high project completion rate with the highest quality product and the lowest defects in her division.In addition, she does it with fewer full-time people than other managers.Some say that the secret of her success is in her ability to delegate responsibility and her understanding of the basic 'management functions'. -Refer to The Perfect Manager (Scenario).If Elaine accomplished her project on time with high-quality results, but she took more time than other managers to complete it, you could say that as a manager she was ________.

A Trucking Dilemma Natalie Hunter, General Manager of New Product Development for Mainline Trucking, has some decisions to make.The company, which manufactures long-haul trucking platforms and accessories, is trying to decide if it should proceed in designing a new accessory which increases the efficiency of truck loading and unloading.She knows the new accessory fits well with the corporate strategy, will position them competitively within the industry, and she feels she has done a good job of selling it to other management.With her engineering training and experience, she also knows the product is reasonably easy to lay-out and probably cost-effective.However, a major problem lies with the line workers, who are Unionist.The new product will reduce manpower needs and is unpopular.She has always had a good relationship with her workers, but she knows they are highly suspicious.She also knows the new project will not work without their cooperation.She gazed out her window and struggled with how to best handle this situation. -Refer to A Trucking Dilemma (Scenario).If Natalie were a first-line supervisor, instead of a general manager, which of the skills would she use to deal with this situation?