Question 1

Because planning cannot eliminate change and uncertainty, it is often a waste of time.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

The North Queensland Regional Planning Group
The North Queensland Regional Planning Group convened a group of stakeholders, including the Queensland Roads Board and the Queensland Local Government Department together with representatives of local governments in the region, who are interested in working together on improving arterial roads in the region.David Dahlstrom is the senior planner for the North Queensland Regional Planning Group.Mr Dahlstrom successfully obtained a technical assistance grant.The intent is to organise all the local governments in the region into an intergovernmental unit.All of the communities will share the same visioning processes of mission, objectives and tasks.Mr Dahlstrom is now charged with developing a strategic plan for this group, called the North Queensland regional transport advisory board.
-Refer to The North Queensland Regional Planning Group (Scenario).Mr Dahlstrom told the Board's members that the more current plans affect future commitments, the longer the time frame is for which managers must plan.This concept is also known as the ________.

Accepted Answer

A) first principle of planning 
B) commitment concept 
C) sustainability contingency 
D) length of future commitments 
E) degree of environmental uncertainty 
A) first principle of planning 
B) commitment concept 
C) sustainability contingency 
D) length of future commitments 
E) degree of environmental uncertainty

Question 3

Traditional goals set by top management tend to be specific and unambiguous.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Environmental issues, such as government regulations and labour unions, tend to have what kind of effect on the value of planning on organisational performance?

Accepted Answer

A) They tend to increase organisational value because they serve as screens for bad plans. 
B) There is no real effect. 
C) They have a positive effect on large organisations and a negative effect on small organisations. 
D) They decrease the organisational value by constraining management's options. 
E) They have a positive effect in public institutions and a negative effect in private organisations. 
A) They tend to increase organisational value because they serve as screens for bad plans. 
B) There is no real effect. 
C) They have a positive effect on large organisations and a negative effect on small organisations. 
D) They decrease the organisational value by constraining management's options. 
E) They have a positive effect in public institutions and a negative effect in private organisations.

Question 5

Official statements of what an organisation says and what it wants its various stakeholders to believe are referred to as ________.

Accepted Answer

A) real goals 
B) stated goals 
C) committed goals 
D) comprehensive goals 
E) expanded goals 
A) real goals 
B) stated goals 
C) committed goals 
D) comprehensive goals 
E) expanded goals

Question 6

Research has shown that companies with advanced environmental scanning systems had which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) higher profits and revenue growth 
B) lower rates of business failure 
C) faster market reaction time 
D) lower rates of voluntary turnover 
E) higher product manufacturing costs 
A) higher profits and revenue growth 
B) lower rates of business failure 
C) faster market reaction time 
D) lower rates of voluntary turnover 
E) higher product manufacturing costs

Question 7

Effective planning in dynamic environments means flattening the organisational hierarchy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

'Environmental scanning' is used by organisations to anticipate the changes in their internal environment.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

According to the textbook, those goals that an organisation actually pursues are called ________.

Accepted Answer

A) real goals 
B) committed goals 
C) stated goals 
D) comprehensive goals 
E) expanded goals 
A) real goals 
B) committed goals 
C) stated goals 
D) comprehensive goals 
E) expanded goals

Question 10

Time series analysis, substitution effect and economic indicators are all examples of 'quantitative forecasting techniques'.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

The central theme in traditional goal-setting has which of the following assumptions?

Accepted Answer

A) Front-line workers know their product. 
B) Middle managers know what is best and serve as the liaison between upper management and front-line workers. 
C) Objectives should be determined in a democratic process. 
D) Top management has the 'big picture'. 
E) Committees comprised of top management, middle management and front-line staff set the best objectives. 
A) Front-line workers know their product. 
B) Middle managers know what is best and serve as the liaison between upper management and front-line workers. 
C) Objectives should be determined in a democratic process. 
D) Top management has the 'big picture'. 
E) Committees comprised of top management, middle management and front-line staff set the best objectives.

Question 12

According to the textbook, which of the following goals can be found in an organisation's charter, annual report, public relations announcements or in public statements made by managers?

Accepted Answer

A) real goals 
B) committed goals 
C) comprehensive goals 
D) stated goals 
E) expanded goals 
A) real goals 
B) committed goals 
C) comprehensive goals 
D) stated goals 
E) expanded goals

Question 13

Into the Future
Imagine that you are a manager in the construction industry in Perth, Australia.Recently, Perth has been experiencing rapid growth, bringing with it increased demand for construction and increased competition.Furthermore, the increasingly conservative Western Australian state political environment has been easing restrictions on public land use and, in general, been very friendly toward most businesses.However, there is an election coming up that could change these relations and the economy could change rapidly, strongly affecting the construction industry.You are trying to forecast the future to decide what directions the company should pursue.
-Refer to Into the Future (Scenario).As manager, your screening of large amounts of information in order to detect emerging trends in the construction industry and create scenarios is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

A) competitor intelligence 
B) customer evaluation 
C) econometric models 
D) environmental scanning 
E) time-series analysis 
A) competitor intelligence 
B) customer evaluation 
C) econometric models 
D) environmental scanning 
E) time-series analysis

Question 14

What does the evidence suggest about organisations that plan compared to organisations that do not plan?

Accepted Answer

A) Planning organisations always outperform non-planning organisations. 
B) Non-planning organisations always outperform planning organisations. 
C) Planning organisations generally outperform non-planning organisations. 
D) Non-planning organisations generally outperform planning organisations. 
E) They generally perform at about the same level. 
A) Planning organisations always outperform non-planning organisations. 
B) Non-planning organisations always outperform planning organisations. 
C) Planning organisations generally outperform non-planning organisations. 
D) Non-planning organisations generally outperform planning organisations. 
E) They generally perform at about the same level.

Question 15

Which of the following is a factor that constrains high performance in planning organisations?

Accepted Answer

A) quality 
B) extent 
C) implementation 
D) environment 
E) informality 
A) quality 
B) extent 
C) implementation 
D) environment 
E) informality

Question 16

The conflict in stated goals exists because organisations respond to a variety of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) external environments 
B) stakeholders 
C) governmental regulations 
D) stockholders 
E) risks 
A) external environments 
B) stakeholders 
C) governmental regulations 
D) stockholders 
E) risks

Question 17

Informal planning is only ever undertaken at the lowest levels in an organisation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Management by Objectives (MBO)uses goals to control and motivate employees.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Environmental scanning creates the foundation for ________.

Accepted Answer

A) project management 
B) PERT charts 
C) forecasts 
D) benchmarking 
E) budgeting 
A) project management 
B) PERT charts 
C) forecasts 
D) benchmarking 
E) budgeting

Question 20

Three contingency factors cited by the textbook that affect planning are level in the organisation, length of future commitments and ________.

Accepted Answer

A) risk aversion of management 
B) employee satisfaction 
C) level of productivity 
D) educational level of managers 
E) degree of environmental uncertainty 
A) risk aversion of management 
B) employee satisfaction 
C) level of productivity 
D) educational level of managers 
E) degree of environmental uncertainty

Because planning cannot eliminate change and uncertainty, it is often a waste of time.

Traditional goals set by top management tend to be specific and unambiguous.

Environmental issues, such as government regulations and labour unions, tend to have what kind of effect on the value of planning on organisational performance?

Official statements of what an organisation says and what it wants its various stakeholders to believe are referred to as ________.

Research has shown that companies with advanced environmental scanning systems had which of the following?

Effective planning in dynamic environments means flattening the organisational hierarchy.

'Environmental scanning' is used by organisations to anticipate the changes in their internal environment.

According to the textbook, those goals that an organisation actually pursues are called ________.

Time series analysis, substitution effect and economic indicators are all examples of 'quantitative forecasting techniques'.

The central theme in traditional goal-setting has which of the following assumptions?

According to the textbook, which of the following goals can be found in an organisation's charter, annual report, public relations announcements or in public statements made by managers?

What does the evidence suggest about organisations that plan compared to organisations that do not plan?

Which of the following is a factor that constrains high performance in planning organisations?

The conflict in stated goals exists because organisations respond to a variety of ________.

Informal planning is only ever undertaken at the lowest levels in an organisation.

Management by Objectives (MBO)uses goals to control and motivate employees.

Environmental scanning creates the foundation for ________.

Three contingency factors cited by the textbook that affect planning are level in the organisation, length of future commitments and ________.

Managers in the Workplace

Management History

Managing the External Environment and Organisational Culture

Managing in a Global Environment

Social Responsibility and Managerial Ethics

Managers As Decision Makers

Managing Change and Innovation

Strategic Management

Managerial Controls

Managing Operations

Organisational Structure and Design

Managing Teams

Managing Human Resources

Understanding and Managing Individual Behaviour

Managers and Communication

Motivating Employees

Managers As Leaders

Filters

Exam 8: Foundations of Planning

Because planning cannot eliminate change and uncertainty, it is often a waste of time.

Traditional goals set by top management tend to be specific and unambiguous.

Environmental issues, such as government regulations and labour unions, tend to have what kind of effect on the value of planning on organisational performance?

Official statements of what an organisation says and what it wants its various stakeholders to believe are referred to as ________.

Research has shown that companies with advanced environmental scanning systems had which of the following?

Effective planning in dynamic environments means flattening the organisational hierarchy.

'Environmental scanning' is used by organisations to anticipate the changes in their internal environment.

According to the textbook, those goals that an organisation actually pursues are called ________.

Time series analysis, substitution effect and economic indicators are all examples of 'quantitative forecasting techniques'.

The central theme in traditional goal-setting has which of the following assumptions?

According to the textbook, which of the following goals can be found in an organisation's charter, annual report, public relations announcements or in public statements made by managers?

What does the evidence suggest about organisations that plan compared to organisations that do not plan?

Which of the following is a factor that constrains high performance in planning organisations?

The conflict in stated goals exists because organisations respond to a variety of ________.

Informal planning is only ever undertaken at the lowest levels in an organisation.

Management by Objectives (MBO)uses goals to control and motivate employees.

Environmental scanning creates the foundation for ________.

Three contingency factors cited by the textbook that affect planning are level in the organisation, length of future commitments and ________.

Managers in the Workplace

Management History

Managing the External Environment and Organisational Culture

Managing in a Global Environment

Social Responsibility and Managerial Ethics

Managers As Decision Makers

Managing Change and Innovation

Strategic Management

Managerial Controls

Managing Operations

Organisational Structure and Design

Managing Teams

Managing Human Resources

Understanding and Managing Individual Behaviour

Managers and Communication

Motivating Employees

Managers As Leaders

Filters