Deck 8: Planning Processes and Techniques

Question 1

As the time frames of planning are shrinking nowadays, top management is no longer responsible for setting longer-term plans and directions for the organization as a whole.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Without planning, control lacks objectives and standards for measuring how well things are going and what could be done to make them go better.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Controlling is the process of setting objectives and determining how to accomplish them.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Short-term plans typically cover one year or less.

Question 5

In business, tactical plans often take the form of operational plans that indicate how different components of the enterprise will contribute to the overall strategy.

Question 6

The management process involves planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the use of resources to achieve performance objectives.

Question 7

Stretch goals are performance targets that we have to work extra hard to reach.

Question 8

An organization with flexibility operates with an orientation toward the past rather than the future.

Question 9

Planning helps us avoid simply being carried along by the flow of events, and focuses our attention on priorities.

Question 10

Leading refers to guiding the efforts of human resources to ensure high levels of task accomplishment.

Question 11

For effective time management, one must become calendar-bound by letting others control one's schedule.

Question 12

Procedures set broad guidelines for decisions.

Question 13

Long-term plans typically look one or more years into the future.

Question 14

Strategic plans ideally set forth the goals and objectives needed to accomplish the organization's vision in terms of mission or purpose and what it hopes to be in the future.

Question 15

Strategic plans are focused only on a specific department of an organization.

Question 16

Budgets are standing plans that are used over and over again.

Question 17

Plans alone don't deliver results; implemented plans do.

Question 18

Operational plans include single-use plans like budgets that apply to one specific task or time period.

Question 19

To be "over budget" is generally considered bad for a company or an individual; to come in "under budget" is generally good.

Question 20

Policies set expectations for many aspects of employee behavior.

Question 21

A flexible budget allocates resources as if each budget were brand new.

Question 22

Scenario planning is a short-term version of contingency planning.

Question 23

If staff planners are used, people may often lack commitment to implement the plans no matter how good they are.

Question 24

Strategic goals set by top management cascade down the organization step by step to become quality management objectives for lower levels.

Question 25

Internal benchmarking encourages members and work units to learn from competitors and non-competitors alike.

Question 26

Which of the following management functions deals with the allocation and arrangement of resources to accomplish tasks?

A) Planning
B) Leading
C) Organizing
D) Controlling
E) Directing

Question 27

Operating budgets allocate resources like labor, equipment, and space.

Question 28

In which step of the planning process would one know where one is placed in reaching the goals, and what strengths work in one's favor and what weaknesses may hold one back?

A) Implementing the plan and evaluating results
B) Defining the objectives
C) Developing premises regarding future conditions
D) Analyzing alternatives and making a plan
E) Determining where one stands vis-à-vis objectives

Question 29

Contingency planning identifies alternative courses of action to take when things go wrong.

Question 30

Great goals include a challenging stretch factor while still being realistic and possible to achieve.

Question 31

_____ is the process of setting objectives and determining how to accomplish them.

A) Directing
B) Controlling
C) Leading
D) Organizing
E) Planning

Question 32

_____ is a management function that guides the efforts of human resources to ensure high levels of task accomplishment.

A) Leading
B) Directing
C) Resourcing
D) Organizing
E) Processing

Question 33

Yoonsuh, the chief technology officer at Namkoong Appliances, is in the process of identifying the results she wants her company to achieve next year. She knows where she wants her company to reach and also has an idea of how far off the desired mark the company will be along the way. She is most likely in the process of:

A) developing premises regarding future conditions.
B) defining her company's objectives.
C) analyzing her company's alternatives and making a plan.
D) implementing the plan and evaluating the results.
E) determining where her company stands vis-à-vis objectives.

Question 34

Qualitative forecasting uses expert opinions to predict the future.

Question 35

Which of the following is the first step in the planning process?

A) Analyzing alternatives and making a plan
B) Defining the objectives
C) Implementing the plan and evaluating results
D) Determining where one stands vis-à-vis objectives
E) Developing premises regarding future conditions

Question 36

Participatory planning includes in all planning steps the people who will be asked to help implement them and not the ones affected by the plans.

Question 37

Even though participatory planning takes more time, it can improve results by improving implementation.

Question 38

The purpose of benchmarking is to find out what other people and organizations are doing very well, and then plan how to incorporate these ideas into one's own operations.

Question 39

Abasi, the supervisor at KNYA Inc., is in the process of setting certain specific goals for his team, and is deciding how his team can reach those goals. In this scenario, Abasi is involved in the process of _____.

A) planning
B) leading
C) organizing
D) controlling
E) directing

Question 40

Which of the following management functions deals with monitoring task accomplishments and taking necessary corrective action?

A) Coordinating
B) Processing
C) Controlling
D) Leading
E) Directing

Question 41

Which of the following is an internal source of organizational pressure?

A) Government regulations
B) Changing social norms and ethical expectations
C) Changing technologies
D) Greater workplace diversity
E) Uncertainties of a global economy

Question 42

A(n) _____ oriented manager makes sure the most important things get first attention.

A) priority
B) result
C) advantage
D) change
E) innovation

Question 43

The link between planning and controlling begins with _____.

A) anticipating problems and opportunities
B) setting objectives and standards
C) analyzing the alternatives
D) evaluating and monitoring the results
E) understanding the internal and external organizational threats

Question 44

_____occurs when an organization allows itself to be carried along by the flow of events.

A) Coordination
B) Organizational pressure
C) Complacency trap
D) Ecological fallacy
E) Ethnocentrism

Question 45

In which phase of the planning process would one choose the alternative to accomplish one's objectives and describe what must be done to follow the best course of action?

A) Analyzing alternatives and making a plan
B) Defining the objectives
C) Implementing the plan and evaluating results
D) Determining where one stands vis-à-vis objectives
E) Developing premises regarding future conditions

Question 46

_____ focuses on measuring how well things are going and what could be done to improve things.

A) organizing
B) controlling
C) leading
D) goal setting
E) decision making

Question 47

In which step of the planning process does one take action and carefully measure progress toward objectives?

A) Define the objectives
B) Determine where you stand vis-à-vis objectives
C) Implement the plan and evaluate results
D) Analyze alternatives and make a plan
E) Develop premises regarding future conditions

Question 48

Neehara, who is being given the responsibility to meet certain sales targets for next year, is preparing a list of measures she will take to reach these targets. Her list includes such specific action items as preparing a log, checking the quality of inputs and outputs, pricing, and details about his advertising strategy. In this scenario, which of the following is Neehara creating?

A) Goal
B) Policy
C) Plan
D) Concept
E) Objective

Question 49

Roshan, the marketing manager at Kalx Inc., wants to check if the latest marketing campaign was successful in increasing the sales of PCs for the company. Which of the following steps must he take to measure the sales performance of the organization?

A) Determine where he stands vis-à-vis objectives
B) Define the objectives
C) Develop premises regarding future conditions
D) Evaluate results and revise plans if needed
E) Analyze alternatives and make a plan

Question 50

After evaluating the current sales of PCs in relation to the desired sales, Rehan, the marketing manager at Alfalah Inc., generates alternative campaigns that may affect the PC's expected sales. He identifies, for each campaign, things that may help or hinder progress toward the company's objectives. Rehan is currently in which phase of the planning process?

A) Defining the objectives
B) Determining where one stands vis-à-vis objectives
C) Developing premises regarding future conditions
D) Analyzing alternatives and making a plan
E) Implementing the plan and evaluating results

Question 51

A(n) _____ oriented manager anticipates problems and opportunities so they can be dealt with most effectively.

A) result
B) employee
C) priority
D) change
E) advantage

Question 52

A(n) _____ oriented manager ensures that all resources are used to the best interest and benefit.

A) result
B) change
C) relation
D) priority
E) advantage

Question 53

Which of the following is true about planning?

A) Good planning improves rigidity.
B) An organization with flexibility starts losing focus.
C) Planning allows organizations to get into the complacency trap.
D) Planning improves coordination.
E) When planning is not done well, it facilitates control.

Question 54

Performance targets that we have to work extra hard to reach are called _____.

A) stretch goals
B) tactical goals
C) objectives
D) plans
E) missions

Question 55

Which of the following is true of planning?

A) It is done by managers at scheduled times.
B) It is a one-time process.
C) It doesn't need to be evaluated or monitored for viability.
D) It can include the active participation of all employees.
E) It can deliver results even without implementation.

Question 56

A(n) _____ is a statement of action steps to be taken in order to accomplish the objectives.

A) concept
B) objective
C) guideline
D) goal
E) plan

Question 57

Which of the following is an external source of organizational pressure?

A) Quest for operating efficiencies
B) Alternative work arrangements
C) Government regulations
D) Concerns for work-life balance
E) New organizational structures

Question 58

Without control, the process of _____ lacks the follow-through needed to ensure that things work out as intended.

A) planning
B) goal setting
C) leading
D) problem solving
E) directing

Question 59

In the planning process, _____ are the specific results or desired outcomes that one intends to achieve.

A) objectives and goals
B) beliefs and culture
C) procedures
D) policies
E) guidelines

Question 60

Which of the following is true about long-range and short-range plans?

A) There is a lot more permanency to long-term plans today than there was in the past.
B) Long-term plans are not subject to frequent revisions today.
C) Long-term plans typically look at least ten years or more into the future.
D) The time frames of planning are shrinkingat present.
E) Lower management is mainly responsible for creating short-term plans.

Question 61

Functional plans dealing with money and capital investments are called _____ plans.

A) marketing
B) logistics
C) financial
D) human resource
E) facilities

Question 62

A _____ communicates broad guidelines for making decisions and taking action in specific circumstances.

A) vision
B) procedure
C) policy
D) tactical plan
E) budget

Question 63

Which of the following functional plans deal with work methods and technologies?

A) Human resource plans
B) Marketing plans
C) Facilities plans
D) Financial plans
E) Production plans

Question 64

The management of Khilona, a toy manufacturing company, decides that they will promote their products at the various shopping malls of the city. In order to do so, they prepare teams of employees to visit the shopping malls and promote its goods. The decision of the management to allocate the company's human resources for promoting the toys can be regarded as a _____ plan.

A) tactical
B) strategic
C) top-down
D) production
E) visionary

Question 65

_____ plans are functional plans that deal with suppliers and acquiring resource inputs.

A) Human resource
B) Logistics
C) Marketing
D) Production
E) Facilities

Question 66

Which of the following is a standing plan?

A) A policy
B) A budget
C) A vision
D) A mission
E) A forecast

Question 67

_____ plans deal with selling and distributing goods or services.

A) Production
B) Financial
C) Facilities
D) Logistics
E) Marketing

Question 68

As Hazel Inc.'s original suppliers have suddenly shut down, it is now making plans to find alternate suppliers to provide resources for its manufacturing plant. Such plans are referred to as _____ plans.

A) production
B) facilities
C) marketing
D) logistics
E) financial

Question 69

Even though the time frames of planning may be shrinking, _____ is/are still responsible for setting longer-term plans and directions for the organization as a whole.

A) lower management
B) middle management
C) shareholders
D) top management
E) consumers

Question 70

In order to help implement its corporate strategy, the managers of an organization would most likely develop a(n) _____ plan for the marketing department.

A) functional
B) operational
C) single-use
D) production
E) zero-based

Question 71

Which of the following is true of strategic plans?

A) Plans at the middle and lower levels of the traditional organizational pyramid tend to be strategic.
B) They are focused only on a particular department or group of employees in the organization.
C) They are short-range plans to achieve an immediate goal.
D) They refer to the "tactical" plans of the organization.
E) They ideally set forth the goals and objectives needed to accomplish the organization's vision.

Question 72

Which of the following functional plans deal with building a talented workforce?

A) Human resource plans
B) Logistics plans
C) Marketing plans
D) Production plans
E) Facilities plans

Question 73

Nakatomi Inc. wants to open a new automobile manufacturing unit in Kasnia. Kaoruko's team is assigned the task of planning the layout of the new factory in Kasnia. In this scenario, Kaoruko is dealing with the _____ plan.

A) facilities
B) financial
C) operational
D) marketing
E) inventory

Question 74

_____ are longer-term plans that set broad directions for the organization.

A) Procedural plans
B) Functional plans
C) Strategic plans
D) Tactical plans
E) Operational plans

Question 75

_____ indicate how different operations within the organization will help advance the overall strategy.

A) Operational plans
B) Policies
C) Budgets
D) Functional plans
E) Missions

Question 76

Which of the following is a single-use plan?

A) A procedure
B) A policy
C) A budget
D) A mission
E) A vision

Question 77

A _____ clarifies the purpose of the organization and expresses what it hopes to be in the future.

A) vision
B) mission
C) policy
D) procedure
E) budget

Question 78

A policy of zero-tolerance toward sexual harassment at workplace is an example of _____ plans used by organizations.

A) facilities
B) financial
C) single-use
D) standing
E) logistics

Question 79

A(n) _____ plan identifies short-term activities to implement the broad plans of the company, and includes standing plans and single-use plans.

A) forecast
B) functional
C) strategic
D) operational
E) tactical

Question 80

_____ are developed and used to implement strategic plans.

A) Tactical plans
B) Visions
C) Operational plans
D) Missions
E) Procedures