Deck 2: Supervision Challenges

Question 1

________ refers to any hi-tech equipment,tools,or operating methods that are designed to make work more efficient.

A)Empowerment
B)Technology
C)Innovation
D)Re-engineering
E)Downsizing

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to Geert Hofstede,a strongly individualistic U.S.supervisor may have difficulties if sent to a Pacific Rim country where ________ is predominant.

A)individual responsibility
B)collectivism
C)unilateral authority
D)individualism
E)centralized decision-making

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Critical to the success of supervising others in the global village is understanding ________.

A)mechanistic organizations
B)corporate downsizing
C)cultural environments
D)organic organizations
E)conflict resolution

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Parochialism means ________.

A)wanting other cultures to understand our culture
B)seeing U.S.practices as better than practices in other cultures
C)recognizing that other cultures have valid,though different,practices
D)viewing U.S.practices as not being as good as the practices of other cultures
E)attempting to understand other cultures

Question 5

Many North American companies have changed dramatically since the 1990s by improving quality and reducing costs.This is a direct response to ________.

A)job specialization
B)service orientation
C)global competition
D)organizational downsizing
E)division of work

Question 6

Research undertaken by Geert Hofstede found that a country's culture has a major effect on employees' work-related ________.

A)policies and procedures
B)leadership and personality
C)power and politics
D)centralizing and decentralizing abilities
E)values and attitudes

Question 7

The findings of research by Geert Hofstede group countries according to three cultural variables.One of those variables is ________.

A)societal uncertainty
B)norming differences
C)timidity
D)reputation
E)societal certainty

Question 8

The United States is a strongly ________ society.

A)symbolic
B)collective
C)chauvinistic
D)individualistic
E)nationalist

Question 9

A tight social framework in which people expect others in their group to look after and protect them when they are in trouble is referred to as ________.

A)socialism
B)collectivism
C)individualism
D)communism
E)parochialism

Question 10

Parochialism leads to viewing practices in other cultures as being better than our practices.

Question 11

The concept of when we see things solely through our own eyes and within our perspectives is called ________.

A)corporate downsizing
B)parochialism
C)re-engineering
D)cultural diversity
E)acceptance of authority

Question 12

Researcher Geert Hofstede found that supervisors and employees vary on the following dimensions of national culture EXCEPT ________.

A)quantity versus quality of life
B)power distance
C)individualism versus collectivism
D)uncertainty avoidance
E)supervisor and employee homogeneity

Question 13

Organizations have become increasingly global in their perspectives and accept the reality that national borders no longer define ________.

A)acquisitions and mergers
B)cultural diversity
C)corporations
D)mechanistic organizations
E)federal bureaucracies

Question 14

Power distance is a measure of the extent to which a society accepts the fact that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally.

Question 15

Individualism refers to a loosely knit social framework in which people are supposed to look after their own interests and those of their immediate family.

Question 16

A specific challenge for supervisors is recognizing the differences that might exist among people.One of the first issues supervisors must deal with is the perception of ________.

A)outsourcing
B)conflict management
C)foreigners
D)organized labor
E)authoritarian leadership styles

Question 17

It is essential for supervisors to recognize that they must be ________ when dealing with employees.

A)flexible
B)autocratic
C)imperious
D)self-centered
E)arbitrary

Question 18

A loosely knit social framework in which people are supposed to look after their own interest and those of their immediate families is referred to as ________.

A)socialism
B)collectivism
C)individualism
D)cultural norming
E)communism

Question 19

Changing events help to shape interactions between supervisors and their employees.Recent changes include all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A)global competitiveness
B)technology and e-business enhancements
C)stagnating operations
D)work force diversity
E)downsizing

Question 20

A company's national origin is no longer a very good gauge of where it does business or the national origin of its employees.

Question 21

Which group is projected by the Bureau of Labor Standards to make up a larger share of the U.S.workforce in 2022?

A)whites
B)Asians
C)minorities and women
D)blacks
E)Hispanics

Question 22

In essence,technology today has enhanced supervisors' ability to perform their jobs.

Question 23

An important human resource issue today is adapting organizational policies and practices in light of increasing ________.

A)technology
B)downsizing
C)diversity
D)ethnocentrism
E)polycentrism

Question 24

E-business includes the following EXCEPT ________.

A)identifying a different kind of leader to run a virtual business
B)collaborating with partners to electronically coordinate design and production
C)the challenge of finding amateur people to build and operate Intranets and Web sites
D)improving communication with suppliers and customers
E)developing strategies for running Internet-based companies

Question 25

Explain why downsizing can create problems for the supervisor.

Question 26

The primary goals of continuous improvement include the following EXCEPT ________.

A)focus on the customer
B)seek continual improvement
C)seek accurate measurement
D)involve employees
E)strive to improve the quantity of the work

Question 27

A radical or quantum change in an organization's work process is commonly referred to as ________.

A)quality circles
B)unity of command
C)work process engineering
D)span of management
E)span of control

Question 28

Define workforce diversity and how it affects supervisors.

Question 29

The method of linking a worker's computer and modem with those of coworkers and management,making it possible to be located anywhere in the world,is called ________.

A)electronics
B)control
C)commuting
D)transforming
E)telecommuting

Question 30

Through every stage of their lives ________ have had an enormous effect on the U.S.economy because of their sheer numbers.

A)Gen Xers
B)baby boomers
C)the greatest generation
D)Gen Yers
E)Millenials

Question 31

When an employee group such as baby boomers retires en masse,its departure will leave gaping skill-level holes in organizations.Clearly,this has the potential to create a labor shortage,making it much more difficult for supervisors to ________ needed to accomplish organizational goals.

A)organize performance reviews
B)schedule the time
C)understand the tasks
D)direct the job activities
E)commit the energy

Question 32

How does technology change the supervisor's job?

Question 33

The term used to describe U.S.companies working to become "lean and mean" organizations by cutting staffs and reshaping their organizations is referred to as ________.

A)mechanistic organizing
B)downsizing
C)re-engineering
D)centralizing authorities
E)bureaucratic organizing

Question 34

Awareness of the ________ of the employee pool requires a broad range of new policies and practices.

A)expansion
B)contraction
C)creativity
D)underdevelopment
E)diversity

Question 35

Organizations downsize to accomplish two primary goals - to create greater efficiency and reduce costs.

Question 36

The online buying and selling of products or services is referred to as ________.

A)e-bay
B)e-business
C)e-commerce
D)e-merchandising
E)e-marketing

Question 37

Recent studies suggest that employees want jobs that give them ________ in their work schedules so that they can better manage work-life conflicts.

A)flexibility
B)security
C)opportunities
D)less time
E)meaningful time

Question 38

The quality revolution that continues to take place in both the private and public sectors is known by the generic descriptive term ________.

A)continuous improvement
B)human resource management
C)Theory X management
D)human resource capital
E)scientific management

Question 39

Employees set aside their cultural values and life-style preferences when they come to work;therefore,supervisors do not have to remake organizations to accommodate these different lifestyles,family needs,and work styles.

Question 40

Technology is making it possible to better serve customers in many industries.

Question 41

An obligation that organizations have to the public - going beyond the law and profit making - is ________.

A)a union free plant
B)profit maximization
C)social responsibility
D)corporate downsizing
E)return on investment

Question 42

In situations involving ethics,supervisors will never know what they will face;therefore,supervisors should prepare ahead of time and anticipate what they would do.

Question 43

One of the key components in handling a disaster could be having a disaster recovery plan in place which may include such information as ________.

A)work schedules
B)job assignments
C)emergency work sites
D)contract stipulations
E)contact phone numbers

Question 44

A supervisor must be alert to the warning signs of a unit in trouble.One such sign might be ________.

A)vacation requests
B)performance declines
C)extra training
D)management commendation
E)contract negotiations

Question 45

What is social responsibility in an organization?

Question 46

Identify business ethics and explain how supervisors act ethically on the job.

Question 47

The foundation of a business's public involvement is called ________.

A)social obligation
B)global management
C)autocratic leadership
D)bottom-up planning
E)Theory X management

Question 48

The addition of a moral element to the organization's public obligation to do those things that make society better and not to do those things that could make it worse is ________.

A)coercive power
B)social responsiveness
C)manipulation
D)corporate culture
E)business ethics

Question 49

Continuous improvement is concerned with radical or quantum change where work process engineering focuses on ongoing incremental change.

Question 50

Most recent data suggest that as many as ________ percent of U.S.workers are in part-time,contract,or other nonstandard jobs.

A)10 %
B)20 %
C)30 %
D)40 %
E)50 %