Exam 6: Understanding the Management Process

Certain techniques can help generate creative alternatives, but those techniques do not include brainstorming.

A SWOT analysis is an identification and evaluation of a firm's strengths, weaknesses, ___, and threats.

All of the following are reasons for a greater focus on quality by U.S. firms except

What is management and what resources does it involve?

____ is the process of developing a set of possible alternative solutions and choosing one alternative from among that set.

The leadership style advocating that a leader makes all decisions and tells subordinates what to do and how to do it is called

When a manager identifies an opportunity, he or she generates alternatives to pursue the opportunity, selects one of them, implements it, and then evaluates the results. This manager is acting out the ____ process.

The primary functions a manager performs include planning, solving problems, leading and motivating, and controlling.

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. The different resources available to all managers include all of the following except

Common titles for first-line managers include department managers and operations managers.

If Martin Jones, VP Finance, meets with Susan Sheridan, CEO, to discuss how much of the budget can be allotted to certain departments for next year's project plans, the two are engaging in

Clarke Tools, concerned about its loss of market share in previous years, has recently implemented several programs to encourage prompt and courteous customer service, employee self-management, and better coordination with suppliers. Clarke Tools is making an effort to achieve

​Analytical skills give a manager the ability to identify problems creatively, generate _____ alternatives, and select the "best" alternative to solve problems.

____ is called the "first" management function because all other management functions depend on it.

A company like Motorola might establish a goal of reducing its inventory by 50 percent over the next year. To ensure that it reaches this goal, the company could monitor its progress on a quarterly or monthly basis. If the managers at Motorola discover that there is a danger of not achieving this goal, they can take corrective action to adjust for the deficiency. This is a description of the managers' ____ function.

Gary Downs recently has noticed that the plant he is managing is delivering only 30 percent of its products on time. To determine what is causing the problem, he assembles the various department heads and the plant supervisor to get their input on the matter. Although the ultimate responsibility is his, he has no difficulty in delegating decision-making authority to any member of this group. This style of leadership suggests that Gary is a(n) ____ leader.

​Total quality management (TQM) has several components, but ___ is not one of them.

Identify and describe each of the major steps in the managerial decision-making process.

A plan that outlines alternative courses of action is called a(n) ____ plan.

Dazzle Magazine Rosalea recently switched careers. Previously, she was a college professor, but she felt she needed more real-world experience to help her business students more fully. She became a manager at Dazzle Magazine, where she was in charge of the layout. Always open to new ways of doing things, Rosalea let her staff implement their ideas at times. Rosalea learned firsthand the different roles she had to play as a manager. It always got stressful when the publication deadline neared. At one point, there was a major mix-up in the layouts for the front cover. Rosalea was not sure of the correct layout because she had allowed one of her employees, Joseph, to modify and run with his idea on this matter. However, she could not ask for Joseph's help with the covers because he happened to be out of town at the tim She decided to ask the design manager for her help. The design manager did not feel comfortable making a decision on the issue, so she did not give Rosalea an answer. Rosalea then went to an employee within her department for advic -Refer to Dazzle Magazine. What type of manager was Rosalea at Dazzle Magazine?