Deck 1: The Challenge of Management

Question 1

Management involves a number of skills. According to Bartol, which is the most basic?

A) Reflection.
B) Organisation.
C) Planning.
D) Managing.

Answer 1

Reflection.

Question 2

The term that most accurately describes two or more persons engaged in a systematic effort to produce goods and services is:

A) manufacturing.
B) organisation.
C) planning.
D) communication.

Answer 2

organisation.

Question 3

Which of the following is not one of the major functions of management?

A) Leading
B) B. Planning
C) Organising
D) Monitoring

Answer 3

Monitoring

Question 4

Which of the following is one of the major functions of management?

A) Disseminating
B) Disturbance handling
C) Organising
D) Communicating

Question 5

The management function of planning consists of two parts - setting goals and:

A) regulating the activities to reach them.
B) deciding how best to achieve them.
C) arranging resources to achieve them.
D) influencing others to work toward them.

Question 6

Which one of the following is not a part of the organising function of management?

A) Determining which tasks are to be done
B) Determining how tasks are grouped into jobs
C) Determining who shall staff each job
D) Determining incentive awards for high performers

Question 7

Leading is the management function that involves:

A) proper allocation of resources to perform the task.
B) helping to outline the vision for the organisation.
C) motivating members to work as effectively and efficiently as possible.
D) regulating departmental activities.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the aim of the controlling function of management?

A) Building relationships with subordinates
B) Transmitting information internally that is obtained from either internal or external sources
C) Regulating activities so that actual performance conforms to expected performance
D) Encouraging necessary levels of change and innovation

Question 9

Which of the following is not one of the findings from Mintzberg's study of managers as regards their work methods?

A) Managers spend considerable quiet time in their offices reviewing formal reports
B) Managers work at an unrelenting pace
C) Managers spend a short amount of time on a wide variety of issues throughout the day
D) Managers tend to use verbal as opposed to written communications

Question 10

In Mintzberg's study of top managers, which of the following characteristics did not apply to the work of managers?

A) Brevity
B) Fragmentation
C) Reliance on formal communications
D) Wide variety of issues throughout the working day

Question 11

Mintzberg found that managers relied heavily on networks for part of their communications. By 'networks', Mintzberg referred to:

A) the ability to access anyone by personal computer.
B) a set of cooperative relationships with a number of individuals.
C) just the friendships formed in the workplace.
D) project teams directed by middle managers.

Question 12

Mintzberg found that managers frequently relied on different sets of individuals with whom they had cooperative relationships for obtaining and transmitting information. Mintzberg called these sets of relationships:

A) teams.
B) networks.
C) ad hoc committees.
D) informal groups.

Question 13

One result of Henry Mintzberg's study of managers was finding out a great deal of information about what managers do, that is, the roles that managers perform. Which one of the following is a false statement concerning managerial roles?

A) A role is defined as an organised set of behaviours associated with a particular position.
B) Any given position usually requires strict attention to one or possibly two roles.
C) Mintzberg identified three general types of roles and ten more specific roles of managers.
D) None of the given answers is false

Question 14

Three roles of managers were identified as being subsets of Mintzberg's broader informational role. Which of the following is not one of them?

A) Spokesperson
B) Monitor
C) Liaison
D) Disseminator

Question 15

Three roles of managers were identified as being subsets of Mintzberg's broader interpersonal role. Which of the following is not one of them?

A) Leader
B) Liaison
C) Figurehead
D) Spokesperson

Question 16

Which of the following roles of managers identified by Mintzberg is not considered to be a subset of the more general decisional role?

A) Monitor
B) Resource allocator
C) Disturbance handler
D) Entrepreneur

Question 17

Which of the following of Mintzberg's 10 specific managerial roles is best described as building relationships with subordinates and communicating with, motivating and coaching them?

A) Figurehead
B) Leader
C) Entrepreneur
D) None of the given answers

Question 18

Which of the following of Mintzberg's 10 specific managerial roles is described as transmitting information internally that is obtained from either internal or external sources?

A) Liaison
B) Spokesperson
C) Entrepreneur
D) Disseminator

Question 19

A 'work agenda' is best described as being:

A) the weekly production schedule determined from customer orders after it has been broken down into specific departmental assignments.
B) the manager's appointment calendar.
C) a set of goals and tasks the manager is tentatively working on in addition to more formal organisation plans.
D) the formal organisation plans as determined by the general manager.

Question 20

Work agendas are:

A) unnecessary because they are only rough outlines.
B) sometimes relevant or irrelevant according to the situation.
C) necessary to ensure efficient management.
D) separate to guidelines.

Question 21

Stewart (1982) identified three main factors on a manager's work agenda, they are:

A) demands, constraints and networks.
B) demands, choices and constraints.
C) work roles, constraints and job level.
D) appointments, choices and constraints.

Question 22

Which of the following was identified as being one of the main factors in determining a manager's work agenda?

A) Job constraints
B) Work roles
C) Networks
D) Job level

Question 23

In order for managers to develop work agendas, act out roles and engage in the major functions of management, they need a sound knowledge base and:

A) firmly established networks.
B) supportive supervisors.
C) motivated subordinates.
D) key management skills.

Question 24

A manager's 'knowledge base' can include information about all of the following except:

A) an industry and its technology.
B) the personal lives of subordinates.
C) company goals and plans.
D) company culture and personalities of organisational members.

Question 25

Information about an industry and its technology, company policies and practices, and important suppliers and customers is part of a manager's:

A) role.
B) Function.
C) management skills.
D) knowledge base.

Question 26

The ability to engage in a set of behaviours that are functionally related to one another and that lead to a desired performance level describes:

A) a management skill.
B) a network.
C) a project.
D) a work agenda.

Question 27

Managers need three skill types. Which of the following is not one of them?

A) Informational
B) Technical
C) Conceptual
D) Human

Question 28

All managers require high levels of:

A) human skills.
B) conceptual skills.
C) technical skills.
D) intervention skills.

Question 29

Performance in an organisation is made up of two important dimensions - efficiency and:

A) effectiveness.
B) agendas.
C) choosing the appropriate skills and role.
D) motivation.

Question 30

The ability to choose appropriate goals and to achieve them best describes which of the following terms?

A) Planning
B) Effectiveness
C) Entrepreneurship
D) Management

Question 31

How well resources are used in the process of achieving goals best describes which of the following terms?

A) Planning
B) Entrepreneurship
C) Efficiency
D) Technical

Question 32

Organisations are efficient when:

A) input resources are maximised.
B) input resources are minimised.
C) output resources are minimised.
D) a fine balance has been established between input and output resources.

Question 33

Managerial jobs vary according to two important dimensions: the vertical and the horizontal. Which of the following is a false statement regarding the vertical dimension?

A) Job titles include 'first-line' and 'supervisor'.
B) Managers at different vertical levels have different degrees of responsibility.
C) Regardless of level, managers are all involved in the four functions of management in about the same proportions.
D) Managers at each level require different combinations of managerial skills: technical, conceptual and human.

Question 34

Middle managers are responsible for:

A) overall organisational plans.
B) supervision of administrative assistants and specialists.
C) achieving organisational goals.
D) All of the given answers

Question 35

Vertical hierarchy barriers are impacted by:

A) the boundaryless organisation.
B) experience and knowledge of employees.
C) internal boundaries.
D) horizontal boundaries.

Question 36

If technology is important to an organisation, top managers have to have some technical skills to:

A) understand and evaluate technology.
B) foster innovations and devise strategies to beat the opposition.
C) lead the organisation efficiently.
D) follow the production process.

Question 37

Reported causes of executive career derailment do not include:

A) problems with interpersonal relationships.
B) inability to build and lead a team.
C) inability to develop and adapt.
D) family problems.

Question 38

An intrapreneur is a person who:

A) is engaged in entrepreneurial roles in the organisation.
B) innovates by creating new organisations.
C) adapts their own work practices to suit the economic environment.
D) finds and exploits new opportunities outside the organisation.

Question 39

An orchestrator:

A) is a high level manager.
B) provides incentives to encourage new ideas.
C) tests new ideas despite opposition.
D) All of the given answers is correct

Question 40

The person most likely to have the capacity to recognise an idea's significance, help get funding and facilitate implementation is a:

A) first-line supervisor.
B) middle manager.
C) top manager.
D) project manager.

Question 41

In fulfilling the entrepreneurial role, managers are required to generate or support new ideas. This requires them to take another role, that of:

A) orchestrator.
B) ideas generator.
C) sponsor.
D) idea champion.

Question 42

The difference between the vertical and horizontal dimensions of management is:

A) that the vertical dimension relates to the hierarchical levels of the organisation and the horizontal to the nature of the responsibility area.
B) that the vertical dimension relates to the nature of the responsibility area and the horizontal dimension to the hierarchical levels of the organisation.
C) the vertical dimension refers to the skill level and the horizontal to the knowledge base.
D) the vertical level only concerns the top management, whereas the horizontal dimension focuses on the employees of the organisation.

Question 43

According to the horizontal dimension of managerial jobs, a general manager:

A) is usually called the CEO.
B) doesn't supervise multiple specialties or functional areas.
C) has no responsibility for managing specialised areas.
D) has primary managerial responsibility in a small organisation.

Question 44

Managerial jobs vary according to two important dimensions: the vertical and the horizontal. Which of the following is a false statement regarding the horizontal dimension?

A) Managers in differing specialisations are involved in different 'mixes' of the four major functions of management.
B) The three major horizontal differentiations are functional, project and executive.
C) Typical horizontal areas include human resources, finance, accounting and quality assurance.
D) Managers for all vertical levels can usually be found in any responsibility area.

Question 45

What makes the position of a project manager unique is that these managers have:

A) responsibility for entire functional areas of the firm.
B) responsibility over multiple specialties.
C) joint responsibility with other managers over certain individuals.
D) hardly any responsibilities at all other than that of orchestrator for an extrapreneur's innovations.

Question 46

Managers in the twenty-first century will be influenced by trends such as:

A) total quality and continuous improvement.
B) workforce diversity.
C) the global perspective.
D) All of the given answers are correct

Question 47

Surveys have found that 70 per cent of major American organisations have included diversity management programs into their activities. Their reasons are:

A) they want to retain and attract the best talent and have a competitive advantage.
B) they want to be known worldwide.
C) to motivate their employees.
D) they intend to move offshore.

Question 48

Programs known as Total Quality Management (TQM) are:

A) responses to competitors' advances.
B) only a philosophy hardly used in management.
C) a set of guidelines for use by management.
D) a set of strong guidelines aiming to improve quality and customer demands, as well as competitive benchmarking.

Question 49

A learning organisation differs from a bureaucratic organisation in that is uses:

A) mental models.
B) tems thinking.
C) personal mastery.
D) All of the given answers are correct

Question 50

How do the four major management functions relate to each other (in order for organisational goals to be achieved)?

Question 51

What are the three generic roles of managers? Provide your understanding of whether or not they match the view of the four major management functions.

Question 52

What are the main factors which influence a manager's work agenda?

Question 53

What are the 10 managerial roles that managers engage in? Indicate with which of the three generic roles of managers each one fits.

Question 54

How do agendas channel the efforts of managers?

Question 55

What are the three types of skills necessary for a manager to achieve functionally related behaviours? Describe each skill and explain why it is important.

Question 56

How do you differentiate between the concepts of efficiency and effectiveness? Give an example of the terms from your own experience.

Question 57

In what ways does the job of a manager differ between hierarchical levels in an organisation?

Question 58

In what ways can managers foster innovation through the entrepreneurial role?

Question 59

What are the major challenges faced by managers in the 21^st century?