Question 1

Putting constructive pressure on the organization to achieve good results and operating excellence entails

Accepted Answer

A) postponing implementation of policies and procedures that foster continuous improvement. 
B) utilizing the full range of disincentives that serve to punish unacceptable levels of performance. 
C) treating employees with dignity and respect. 
D) discouraging employees from using initiative and creativity in performing their work. 
E) isolating individuals and groups that do not sustain initiative and creativity in their work. 
A) postponing implementation of policies and procedures that foster continuous improvement. 
B) utilizing the full range of disincentives that serve to punish unacceptable levels of performance. 
C) treating employees with dignity and respect. 
D) discouraging employees from using initiative and creativity in performing their work. 
E) isolating individuals and groups that do not sustain initiative and creativity in their work.

Question 2

Explain how managerial leadership can foster a high-performance culture.

Accepted Answer

Leading the effort to foster a results-o

Question 3

Reengineering how a firm performs a business process

Accepted Answer

A) is a tool for pulling the pieces of strategy-critical processes out of different departments and unifying their performance in a single department or cross-functional work group. 
B) is the most frequently used tool of total quality management. 
C) requires that a company have many strategic partnerships and alliances with outsiders. 
D) is typically cheaper and easier to do than using Six Sigma techniques to achieve the same cost savings. 
E) is usually a company's most important best practice for achieving operating excellence. 
A) is a tool for pulling the pieces of strategy-critical processes out of different departments and unifying their performance in a single department or cross-functional work group. 
B) is the most frequently used tool of total quality management. 
C) requires that a company have many strategic partnerships and alliances with outsiders. 
D) is typically cheaper and easier to do than using Six Sigma techniques to achieve the same cost savings. 
E) is usually a company's most important best practice for achieving operating excellence.

Question 4

Successfully leading the effort to foster a results-oriented,high-performance culture generally requires simple leadership practices,such as

Accepted Answer

A) treating employees with dignity and respect. 
B) encouraging employees to use initiatives and creativity in performing their work to continually make changes to operating practices. 
C) setting strain objectives to push the envelope on sales efforts. 
D) focusing attention on motivational techniques that instill self-interest,which is the cornerstone of the free enterprise system. 
E) celebrating management's success with high incentives and loyalty trips. 
A) treating employees with dignity and respect. 
B) encouraging employees to use initiatives and creativity in performing their work to continually make changes to operating practices. 
C) setting strain objectives to push the envelope on sales efforts. 
D) focusing attention on motivational techniques that instill self-interest,which is the cornerstone of the free enterprise system. 
E) celebrating management's success with high incentives and loyalty trips.

Question 5

Which of the following statements about adaptive corporate cultures is false?

Accepted Answer

A) The hallmark of adaptive corporate cultures is a willingness on the part of organizational members to accept change and take on the challenge of introducing and executing new strategies. 
B) Internal entrepreneurship and initiative on the part of individuals and groups is discouraged and punished. 
C) Change is willingly embraced by management and nonmanagerial employees. 
D) Adaptive cultures are exceptionally well suited to companies with fast-changing strategies and market environments. 
E) For an adaptive culture to remain intact over time,top management must orchestrate organizational changes in a manner that (1)does not compromise core values and long-standing business principles and (2)tries to satisfy all their legitimate interests simultaneously. 
A) The hallmark of adaptive corporate cultures is a willingness on the part of organizational members to accept change and take on the challenge of introducing and executing new strategies. 
B) Internal entrepreneurship and initiative on the part of individuals and groups is discouraged and punished. 
C) Change is willingly embraced by management and nonmanagerial employees. 
D) Adaptive cultures are exceptionally well suited to companies with fast-changing strategies and market environments. 
E) For an adaptive culture to remain intact over time,top management must orchestrate organizational changes in a manner that (1)does not compromise core values and long-standing business principles and (2)tries to satisfy all their legitimate interests simultaneously.

Question 6

Which of the following is not a common trait of an unhealthy company culture?

Accepted Answer

A) A politicized internal environment 
B) Hostility to change and a wariness of people who champion new ways of doing things 
C) Aversion to looking outside the company for best practices,new managerial approaches,and innovative ideas 
D) Aversion to incentive compensation,failure to recruit the best and brightest employees,subpar support for employee training,and overemphasis on working in teams 
E) Disregard for high ethical standards and an overzealous pursuit of wealth and status on the part of key executives 
A) A politicized internal environment 
B) Hostility to change and a wariness of people who champion new ways of doing things 
C) Aversion to looking outside the company for best practices,new managerial approaches,and innovative ideas 
D) Aversion to incentive compensation,failure to recruit the best and brightest employees,subpar support for employee training,and overemphasis on working in teams 
E) Disregard for high ethical standards and an overzealous pursuit of wealth and status on the part of key executives

Question 7

Which one of the following is not a tool that company managers can use to promote continuous improvement (operating excellence)in performing value chain activities?

Accepted Answer

A) Variability reduction analysis in work processes 
B) Six Sigma quality control techniques 
C) Total quality management (TQM) 
D) Business process reengineering 
E) Strategic group mapping 
A) Variability reduction analysis in work processes 
B) Six Sigma quality control techniques 
C) Total quality management (TQM) 
D) Business process reengineering 
E) Strategic group mapping

Question 8

An important consideration in designing a strategy-supportive motivation and reward system is to

Accepted Answer

A) link the payment of all monetary rewards to the company's profitability. 
B) employ incentives that will help motivate employees to work hard at performing their assigned duties and activities. 
C) choose those types of rewards and incentives that focus employees' attention on what to do. 
D) make across-the-board wage and salary increases the cornerstone of monetary rewards. 
E) make both monetary and nonmonetary rewards integral parts of the reward system. 
A) link the payment of all monetary rewards to the company's profitability. 
B) employ incentives that will help motivate employees to work hard at performing their assigned duties and activities. 
C) choose those types of rewards and incentives that focus employees' attention on what to do. 
D) make across-the-board wage and salary increases the cornerstone of monetary rewards. 
E) make both monetary and nonmonetary rewards integral parts of the reward system.

Question 9

What constitutes effective managerial leadership in achieving superior strategy execution?

Accepted Answer

Proficient strategy execution requires c

Question 10

Which of the following is generally not among the practices that companies use to staff jobs with the best people they can find?

Accepted Answer

A) Careful screening and evaluation of job applicants 
B) Rotating people through jobs that span functional and geographic boundaries 
C) Weeding out the 20 percent lowest-performing employees each year 
D) Striving to retain talented,high-performing employees via promotions,salary increases,and other perks 
E) Coaching average performers to improve their skills and capabilities 
A) Careful screening and evaluation of job applicants 
B) Rotating people through jobs that span functional and geographic boundaries 
C) Weeding out the 20 percent lowest-performing employees each year 
D) Striving to retain talented,high-performing employees via promotions,salary increases,and other perks 
E) Coaching average performers to improve their skills and capabilities

Question 11

The purpose of managing by walking around,or MBWA,is to

Accepted Answer

A) learn more about company operations and see how activities are really being done. 
B) gather information about what is happening from people at different organizational levels and learn firsthand how well the strategy execution process is proceeding. 
C) give employees a chance to make suggestions for improvement. 
D) gather information about what strategy to follow and to learn what competitors are doing. 
E) be visible and accessible to employees. 
A) learn more about company operations and see how activities are really being done. 
B) gather information about what is happening from people at different organizational levels and learn firsthand how well the strategy execution process is proceeding. 
C) give employees a chance to make suggestions for improvement. 
D) gather information about what strategy to follow and to learn what competitors are doing. 
E) be visible and accessible to employees.

Question 12

MBWA,or ________,refers to a technique that can be utilized by leaders to stay informed on how well the strategy execution process is progressing.

Accepted Answer

A) modifying businesses with action 
B) managers being well-advised 
C) managing by walking around 
D) multibusiness warning approaches 
E) make better waking actions 
A) modifying businesses with action 
B) managers being well-advised 
C) managing by walking around 
D) multibusiness warning approaches 
E) make better waking actions

Question 13

The guidelines for designing an incentive compensation system that will help drive successful strategy execution include

Accepted Answer

A) making the payoff for meeting or beating performance targets a major,not minor,piece of the total compensation package. 
B) having a bonus and incentive plan that applies to managers only (employees should generally not be included in incentive pay plans but should have attractive wages and salaries). 
C) having an outside wage and salary expert administer the system,so that there is no doubt as to its fairness and impartiality. 
D) basing the incentives on group performance rather than individual performance. 
E) making minimal use of nonmonetary incentives and rewarding people for diligently performing their assigned duties. 
A) making the payoff for meeting or beating performance targets a major,not minor,piece of the total compensation package. 
B) having a bonus and incentive plan that applies to managers only (employees should generally not be included in incentive pay plans but should have attractive wages and salaries). 
C) having an outside wage and salary expert administer the system,so that there is no doubt as to its fairness and impartiality. 
D) basing the incentives on group performance rather than individual performance. 
E) making minimal use of nonmonetary incentives and rewarding people for diligently performing their assigned duties.

Question 14

Which of the following is not one of the leadership roles that senior managers have to play in pushing for good strategy execution and operating excellence?

Accepted Answer

A) Being out front personally,leading the execution process,and driving the pace of progress 
B) Being out in the field,seeing how well operations are going 
C) Weeding out managers who are consistently in the ranks of the lowest performers (the bottom 10 percent)and who are not enthusiastic about the strategy or how it is being executed 
D) Delegating authority to middle- and lower-level managers and creating a sense of empowerment among employees to move the implementation process forward 
E) Being out front personally,leading the execution process and driving the pace of progress 
A) Being out front personally,leading the execution process,and driving the pace of progress 
B) Being out in the field,seeing how well operations are going 
C) Weeding out managers who are consistently in the ranks of the lowest performers (the bottom 10 percent)and who are not enthusiastic about the strategy or how it is being executed 
D) Delegating authority to middle- and lower-level managers and creating a sense of empowerment among employees to move the implementation process forward 
E) Being out front personally,leading the execution process and driving the pace of progress

Question 15

Explain the difference between a centralized and a decentralized organization structure.Which one is more likely to further the cause of good strategy execution? Why?

Accepted Answer

It depends.Each decision-making structur

Question 16

The statistical thinking underlying Six Sigma is not based on the principle that

Accepted Answer

A) all work is a process. 
B) all processes create data that explain variability. 
C) 100 percent control is possible,and every well-controlled process is defect free. 
D) data that explain variability can be statistically analyzed. 
E) all processes have variability. 
A) all work is a process. 
B) all processes create data that explain variability. 
C) 100 percent control is possible,and every well-controlled process is defect free. 
D) data that explain variability can be statistically analyzed. 
E) all processes have variability.

Question 17

What are the characteristics of unhealthy cultures?

Accepted Answer

Unhealthy corporate cultures tend to be

Question 18

A decentralized organization structure is more likely to further the cause of good strategy execution than is a centralized organization structure.True or false? Justify your answer.

Accepted Answer

It depends.Both structures have drawback

Question 19

Management's most powerful tool for winning employee commitment to good strategy execution and operating excellence is

Accepted Answer

A) the establishment of strategy-supportive policies and procedures. 
B) empowering employees and encouraging them to adopt best practices. 
C) setting stretch objectives. 
D) a properly designed system of rewards and incentives. 
E) aggressive use of TQM and Six Sigma quality control programs. 
A) the establishment of strategy-supportive policies and procedures. 
B) empowering employees and encouraging them to adopt best practices. 
C) setting stretch objectives. 
D) a properly designed system of rewards and incentives. 
E) aggressive use of TQM and Six Sigma quality control programs.

Question 20

In trying to gain their employees' wholehearted commitment to good strategy execution and operating excellence,managers are well advised to use all of the following incentives except

Accepted Answer

A) adopting promotion-from-within policies and acting on suggestions from employees. 
B) creating a work atmosphere in which there is genuine caring and mutual respect among workers and between management and employees. 
C) giving awards and public recognition to high performers and showcasing company successes. 
D) providing attractive perks and fringe benefits. 
E) withholding information from employees about financial performance,strategy,and competitors' actions. 
A) adopting promotion-from-within policies and acting on suggestions from employees. 
B) creating a work atmosphere in which there is genuine caring and mutual respect among workers and between management and employees. 
C) giving awards and public recognition to high performers and showcasing company successes. 
D) providing attractive perks and fringe benefits. 
E) withholding information from employees about financial performance,strategy,and competitors' actions.

Putting constructive pressure on the organization to achieve good results and operating excellence entails

Explain how managerial leadership can foster a high-performance culture.

Reengineering how a firm performs a business process

Successfully leading the effort to foster a results-oriented,high-performance culture generally requires simple leadership practices,such as

Which of the following statements about adaptive corporate cultures is false?

Which of the following is not a common trait of an unhealthy company culture?

Which one of the following is not a tool that company managers can use to promote continuous improvement (operating excellence)in performing value chain activities?

An important consideration in designing a strategy-supportive motivation and reward system is to

What constitutes effective managerial leadership in achieving superior strategy execution?

Which of the following is generally not among the practices that companies use to staff jobs with the best people they can find?

The purpose of managing by walking around,or MBWA,is to

MBWA,or ________,refers to a technique that can be utilized by leaders to stay informed on how well the strategy execution process is progressing.

The guidelines for designing an incentive compensation system that will help drive successful strategy execution include

Which of the following is not one of the leadership roles that senior managers have to play in pushing for good strategy execution and operating excellence?

Explain the difference between a centralized and a decentralized organization structure.Which one is more likely to further the cause of good strategy execution? Why?

The statistical thinking underlying Six Sigma is not based on the principle that

What are the characteristics of unhealthy cultures?

A decentralized organization structure is more likely to further the cause of good strategy execution than is a centralized organization structure.True or false? Justify your answer.

Management's most powerful tool for winning employee commitment to good strategy execution and operating excellence is

In trying to gain their employees' wholehearted commitment to good strategy execution and operating excellence,managers are well advised to use all of the following incentives except

Strategy,business Models,and Competitive Advantage

Strategy Formulation,execution,and Governance

Evaluating a Companys External Environment

Evaluating a Companys Resources, capabilities, and Competitiveness

The Five Generic Competitive Strategies

Strengthening a Companys Competitive Position: Strategic Moves, timing, and Scope of Operations

Strategies for Competing in International Markets

Corporate Strategy: Diversification and the Multibusiness Company

Ethics, corporate Social Responsibility, environmental Sustainability, and Strategy

Filters

Exam 10: Superior Strategy Executionanother Path to Competitive Advantage

Putting constructive pressure on the organization to achieve good results and operating excellence entails

Explain how managerial leadership can foster a high-performance culture.

Reengineering how a firm performs a business process

Successfully leading the effort to foster a results-oriented,high-performance culture generally requires simple leadership practices,such as

Which of the following statements about adaptive corporate cultures is false?

Which of the following is not a common trait of an unhealthy company culture?

Which one of the following is not a tool that company managers can use to promote continuous improvement (operating excellence)in performing value chain activities?

An important consideration in designing a strategy-supportive motivation and reward system is to

What constitutes effective managerial leadership in achieving superior strategy execution?

Which of the following is generally not among the practices that companies use to staff jobs with the best people they can find?

The purpose of managing by walking around,or MBWA,is to

MBWA,or ________,refers to a technique that can be utilized by leaders to stay informed on how well the strategy execution process is progressing.

The guidelines for designing an incentive compensation system that will help drive successful strategy execution include

Which of the following is not one of the leadership roles that senior managers have to play in pushing for good strategy execution and operating excellence?

Explain the difference between a centralized and a decentralized organization structure.Which one is more likely to further the cause of good strategy execution? Why?

The statistical thinking underlying Six Sigma is not based on the principle that

What are the characteristics of unhealthy cultures?

A decentralized organization structure is more likely to further the cause of good strategy execution than is a centralized organization structure.True or false? Justify your answer.

Management's most powerful tool for winning employee commitment to good strategy execution and operating excellence is

In trying to gain their employees' wholehearted commitment to good strategy execution and operating excellence,managers are well advised to use all of the following incentives except

Strategy,business Models,and Competitive Advantage

Strategy Formulation,execution,and Governance

Evaluating a Companys External Environment

Evaluating a Companys Resources, capabilities, and Competitiveness

The Five Generic Competitive Strategies

Strengthening a Companys Competitive Position: Strategic Moves, timing, and Scope of Operations

Strategies for Competing in International Markets

Corporate Strategy: Diversification and the Multibusiness Company

Ethics, corporate Social Responsibility, environmental Sustainability, and Strategy

Filters