Deck 4: Assessing the Environment

Question 1

The home game industry began in 1972 with the founding of Microsoft.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Worldwide sales of video games in 2004 were $2.4 billion and are projected to soar to $5.5 billion by 2008.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The general environment, sometimes called the macroenvironment, includes external factors that usually affect all or most organizations.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Economics is the discipline that focuses on understanding how people or nations produce, distribute, and consume various goods and services.

Question 5

The concept of economic value emphasizes output rather than knowledge.

Question 6

Borderless competition is creating challenges for distributors and geographic borders.

Question 7

Information management is the creation, protection, development, and sharing of information and intellectual assets.

Question 8

Environmental stewardship is a position that an organization takes to protect or enhance the natural resources as it conducts its business activities.

Question 9

Political concerns have changed the way producers and consumers think about products, the raw materials used to make them, and the by-products of manufacturing processes.

Question 10

Changes in the demographics of the workforce in the United States are leading to increased levels of diversity.

Question 11

By 2012, about 23 million baby boomers will retire.

Question 12

The culture of a country can be defined as multiple beliefs that are compatible and supportive of one another.

Question 13

Google is under attack for allowing its German site to be controlled by German authorities.

Question 14

The degree to which less powerful members of society accept that influence is unequally divided is the measure of its power distance.

Question 15

The extent to which members of a culture feel threatened by risky or unknown situations is the measure of its uncertainty avoidance.

Question 16

In Canada, employees rank high on individualism. These employees are likely to favor a competitive market-based economic system.

Question 17

Ashley Beste lives in Mexico, a country that has high masculinity cultural values. She can expect to be accepted by men in most business settings.

Question 18

Long-term orientation reflects the extent to which a culture stresses that its members accept delayed gratification of material, social, and emotional needs.

Question 19

The number of managers and workers taking assignments in countries other than their own is rapidly increasing.

Question 20

In China, Disney cannot call its Mickey Mouse Club by that name, so its airs as the Daffy Club.

Question 21

In order to introduce the Chinese to Mickey Mouse, Disney sent performers out to children in the local Guangdong province to tell stories using Disney characters.

Question 22

Organizations in any industry are directly affected by at least five competitive forces: competitors, new entrants, substitute goods and services, customers, and suppliers.

Question 23

Competitors are the single most important day-to-day force facing organizations.

Question 24

The threat or reality of increased competition in an industry depends on the relative ease with which new firms can compete with established firms.

Question 25

Economies of scale are uniqueness in quality, price, design, brand image, or customer service that gives one firm's product an edge over another firm's.

Question 26

Product differentiation is achieved when increased volume lowers the unit cost of a good or service produced by a firm.

Question 27

Dollars needed to finance equipment is an example of the capital requirements for an industry.

Question 28

Customers for goods or services try to force companies to increase competition by playing one seller against another.

Question 29

In 1977, Nintendo began making a home video game system in Japan under license from U.S. television manufacturer Magnavox.

Question 30

Nintendo teamed with electronics giant Mitsubishi to launch a machine that played variations of Pac-Man.

Question 31

Societies try to resolve conflicts over values and beliefs through their political and legal systems.

Question 32

Lobbying is the attempt to influence government decisions by providing officials with information on the anticipated effects of legislation or regulatory rulings.

Question 33

The most common form of lobbying for smaller companies is accomplished through membership in associations representing the interests of groups of individuals or organizations.

Question 34

Alliances, especially those created to influence government actions, typically form around issues of social self-interest.

Question 35

One of the most successful joint ventures involves the production of the European Eurorail.

Question 36

Socialization is the process by which people learn the values held by an organization and the broader society.

Question 37

Representation involves membership in an outside organization that serves the interest of the member's organization. A representation strategy is often forceful and direct.

Question 38

By 2011, the population of people over age 65 will be steadily leveling out with the rest of the U.S. population.

Question 39

AARP was a driving force for the 1997 Balanced Budget Act, which ensures that Medicare will be solvent through 2027.

Question 40

Technology is the knowledge, tools, techniques and actions used to transform ideas, information, and materials into finished goods and services.

Question 41

As the watch industry moved from mechanical to electronic watches, Timex didn't change its strategy and continued to build watches that relied on older technology. This is an illustration of technology's role in manufacturing.

Question 42

Cataphora is a company that combines the intelligence of human investigators with its own software to reconstruct the context that is vital to make sense of cryptic communication.

Question 43

Blue State Digital used global positioning in the 2000 presidential election to target key voters in states, block by block.

Question 44

In the late 1990s, perhaps the single greatest change that technology made in the distribution of goods was the capability it provided for online ordering, distribution and sales via the Internet and the World Wide Web.

Question 45

According to the "Challenge of Managing" about the video game industry, the latest Entertainment Software Association survey shows that the average gamer is all of the following except:

A) 29 years old
B) has a full-time job
C) has children
D) spends more time playing games than watching television

Question 46

In 2005, nearly 60 percent of Sony's profits were from sales of hardware and its latest video game console, ______________.

A) GameCube
B) PlayStation2
C) Xbox
D) Revolution

Question 47

The general environment is also referred to as .

A) the macroenvironment
B) the microenvironment
C) the macrosystem
D) an uncertainty

Question 48

__________ is(are) not included in the general environment.

A) The type of economic system
B) Economic conditions
C) The companies that supply inputs
D) The type of political system

Question 49

The government, acting as a watchdog in the U.S. political system, provides direction in all of the following areas except __________.

A) defense
B) strategies used by organizations
C) environmental matters
D) antitrust

Question 50

The Internet is revolutionary because it has dramatically reduced the cost of communication and coordination in business and personal transactions. This is an illustration of __________________.

A) how firms are reaching out directly to customers
B) how firms are challenging traditional retailers
C) how firms are challenging their distributors
D) all of the above are correct

Question 51

According to your text, which of the following is not an element of the old economy?

A) tangible products and physical assets
B) emphasis on value
C) unskilled labor
D) customers for a lifetime

Question 52

Several trends are currently affecting the U.S. and Canadian economies. Which of the following is not one of these trends?

A) A major emphasis on value
B) New markets are available
C) An emphasis on unskilled labor
D) Consumers desire more convenience

Question 53

Wal-Mart provides Procter & Gamble (P&G) with daily information on what is selling in which stores. P&G, in return, restocks Wal-Mart's shelves as needed. Wal-Mart achieves greater sales and a reduction in inventory carrying costs. This is an illustration of ______________.

A) the limitations of geographic borders
B) the importance of information and the delivery of service
C) environmental stewardship
D) a joint venture between Wal-Mart and P&G

Question 54

Andy Grove, CEO of Intel says, "Our assets leave on the elevator every night." He is referring to __________.

A) potential customers
B) human capital
C) diversity
D) environmental stewardship

Question 55

The City of Calgary showed environmental awareness in its installation of low wattage streetlights, which was a result of __________.

A) legislation
B) the Sierra Club
C) hostile press exposure
D) pollution concerns

Question 56

Actions that managers can take to respond to environmental concerns include all of the following except __________.

A) confront environmental groups
B) recognize that environmental regulations are here to stay
C) set measurable goals for environmental improvements
D) give a senior-level person well-defined environmental responsibilities

Question 57

The characteristics of a work group, organization, specific market, or national population is referred to as __________.

A) collectivism
B) individualism
C) demographics
D) culture

Question 58

There have been a number of demographic changes in the United States. For instance, by 2012 the percentage of women and people of color in the workforce is expected to _____.

A) increase greatly
B) increase slightly
C) stay the same
D) actually decline

Question 59

__________ now have the right to refuse __________.

A) Hispanics and Asians, racial profiling
B) Gays, HIV testing
C) Older workers, mandatory retirement
D) White males, affirmative action

Question 60

It has been estimated that by the end of this decade, more than ________ people will be part of the U.S. labor force.

A) 122 million
B) 137 million
C) 163 million
D) 173 million

Question 61

Which of the following is least important to new workers entering the job market?

A) flexibility in terms of employment
B) making a meaningful contribution to society
C) being appreciated and supported by management
D) ability to earn a good living

Question 62

Employers are facing the demand of managing diversity. Some organizations are providing training to employees to be more tolerant in the workplace of all of the following except __________.

A) language
B) age
C) religion
D) race

Question 63

Many new workers expect more from their careers than their parents. This includes all of the following except _________.

A) excitement
B) earnings
C) recognition
D) security

Question 64

The dominant pattern of living and believing that is developed and transmitted by people is __________.

A) a caste system
B) power distance
C) collectivism
D) culture

Question 65

Cultural values are not transferred __________.

A) across organizations
B) genetically
C) within countries
D) by ethnicity

Question 66

A ______________ comprises multiple beliefs that are compatible and supportive of one another.

A) culture
B) value system
C) power distance score
D) cultural force

Question 67

Values can greatly affect how a manager _________________.

A) determines what is and is not ethical behavior
B) views other people and groups
C) perceives situations and problems
D) values can do all of the above

Question 68

Recently, _____________ shut down a popular blog that had criticized the firing of an editor at a progressive newspaper in Beijing.

A) Google
B) Yahoo
C) Microsoft
D) Excite

Question 69

The framework of work-related values used in the text was developed by .

A) Geert Hofstede
B) Martin Luther King
C) Max Weber
D) Abraham Maslow

Question 70

Which of the following is not one of Hofstede's value dimensions?

A) gender role orientation
B) certainty avoidance
C) extroversion
D) individualism (versus collectivism)

Question 71

A high degree of __________ would cause employees to avoid disagreements with their bosses.

A) power distance
B) uncertainty avoidance
C) collectivist culture
D) femininity

Question 72

Societies which rank low in power distance place less emphasis on __________.

A) integrity
B) predictability
C) inequality
D) aggressiveness

Question 73

There are many societies that rank high in power distance as a cultural value dimension. All of the following rank high in power distance except .

A) Mexico
B) France
C) Canada
D) the Philippines

Question 74

Individuals in many societies enjoy the freedom of achieving wealth, prestige, and social status regardless of family background. These privileges are found in all of the following countries except __________.

A) United States
B) Malaysia
C) Sweden
D) Austria

Question 75

The degree to which members of a society attempt to make the future predictable by following rules and regulations is an indicator of their __________.

A) power distance
B) individualism
C) uncertainty avoidance
D) collectivism

Question 76

All of the following are representative of high uncertainty avoidance except __________.

A) built-in career stability
B) numerous rules governing behavior
C) tolerance of deviant ideas and behavior
D) belief in absolute truths

Question 77

Justin Allen was raised in a culture that gives its highest respect and rewards to those with the greatest personal achievement. This is opposite of __________.

A) power distance
B) individualism
C) uncertainty avoidance
D) collectivism

Question 78

________________ refers to a tight social framework in which group members focus on the common welfare and feel strong loyalty toward one another.

A) Masculinity
B) Femininity
C) Collectivism
D) Individualism

Question 79

The degree to which society expects people to take care of themselves and their immediate families is one measure of its ____________________.

A) masculinity
B) femininity
C) collectivism
D) individualism

Question 80

______________ is the degree to which assertiveness and the acquisition of money and material things are valued, as well as the degree of indifferences to others' quality of life.

A) Masculinity
B) Femininity
C) Individualism
D) Collectivism