Deck 7: Organizing and Authority

Question 1

A department is best defined as a:

A) unique group of resources that management has assigned to carry out a particular task.
B) group of employees upon whom the decision-making authority resides.
C) group that is formed among employees of an organization who have similar interests.
D) subgroup that is formed when members in formal groups feel uncomfortable with the way they are expected to behave.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The management at Oranges Inc.reduces the size of the company's workforce in order to become more flexible.For specific projects requirements,it arranges alliances.This is an example of the _____ structure.

A) customer
B) geographic
C) network
D) organic

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Power is best defined as the:

A) obligation to perform assigned activities.
B) duty to advise or assist those with line authority.
C) ability to get others to act in a certain way.
D) duty to advise or assist those with functional authority.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The right given to employees to carry out tasks and give orders related to the organization's primary purpose is called:

A) centralized authority.
B) functional authority.
C) staff authority.
D) line authority.

Question 5

Tamara,a supervisor,decides to organize a company softball team to play against other companies in the city.She starts by laying down the purpose of the team.In this list she includes improvement of the team's morale,physical exercise,and most importantly,having fun.Which of the following steps in the organizing process is Tamara concentrating on at present?

A) Grouping activities
B) Defining objectives
C) Assigning duties
D) Determining resources

Question 6

Functional authority is best defined as the right given by higher management to:

A) specific middle managers to recruit and dismiss line managers.
B) specific staff personnel to give orders concerning an area in which the staff personnel have expertise.
C) carry out tasks and give orders related to the organization's primary purpose.
D) advise or assist those with line authority.

Question 7

At Booze Speaker Company,operations are departmentalized under the following sections-home speakers,automobile speakers,and commercial speakers.These departments are well-demarcated and employees are responsible only for their own department.In the context of departmentalization,this company is most likely using the:

A) organic structure.
B) combination structure.
C) geographic structure.
D) product structure.

Question 8

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of centralized organizations?

A) Management grants absolute authority to middle managers.
B) Managers at the top retain a great deal of authority.
C) Line authority is only in the hands of the supervisors.
D) They share a lot of authority with employees at all levels.

Question 9

Which of the following is typically true in organizations with much height?

A) They are referred to as flat organizations.
B) Many people report to each manager.
C) Employees have complete control over their work.
D) They are not very flexible or responsive to customers.

Question 10

Which of the following is true about decentralized organizations?

A) All management levels share a lot of authority.
B) Top managers retain all the authority.
C) A product organization structure exists.
D) Line authority does not exist.

Question 11

Which of the following best describes a functional structure?

A) It is an organizational structure where boundaries between jobs continually shift and people pitch in wherever their contributions are needed.
B) It is an organizational structure where work and resources are assigned to departments responsible for all the activities related to producing and delivering a particular product.
C) It is an organizational structure where the organization is departmentalized according to the type of customer served.
D) It is an organizational structure where the personnel and other resources are grouped according to the types of work they carry out.

Question 12

Organizing is best defined as the management function of:

A) determining how to achieve the set objectives.
B) setting the goals and objectives of the company.
C) setting up the group, allocating resources, and assigning work to achieve goals.
D) influencing people to act or not act in a certain way.

Question 13

Which of the following best describes an organic structure?

A) It is an organizational structure where boundaries between jobs continually shift and people pitch in wherever their contributions are needed.
B) It is an organizational structure where work and resources are assigned to departments responsible for all the activities related to producing and delivering a particular product.
C) It is an organizational structure where the organization is departmentalized according to the type of customer served.
D) It is an organizational structure where the departmentalization is done by combining both product and geographical structures.

Question 14

The difference between line authority and staff authority is that staff authority:

A) is the right to advise or assist those with line authority.
B) is the right to advise or assist those with functional authority.
C) gives one the right to fire employees with line authority.
D) gives one the right to fire employees with functional authority.

Question 15

Which of the following is typically true in organizations with little height?

A) They are more productive than tall organizations.
B) Only a few people report to each manager.
C) Employees have a lot of decision-making authority.
D) They are not very flexible or responsive to customers.

Question 16

The number of levels in an organization from top management down to the operative employees describes the _____ of the organization.

A) efficiency level
B) breadth
C) height
D) scope

Question 17

The positions at the bottom of the organization chart are those with the:

A) highest discretion and scope.
B) highest responsibility and experience.
C) least authority and responsibility.
D) least efficiency and productivity.

Question 18

Authority is best defined as the:

A) obligation to steer clear of nepotism.
B) right to perform a task or give orders to someone else.
C) obligation to perform assigned activities.
D) ability to prevent instances of whistle-blowing.

Question 19

Home Office Company's human resources department has the authority to ensure that all departments are complying with the laws pertaining to fair employment practices.This authority is most appropriately referred to as:

A) staff authority.
B) autocratic authority.
C) functional authority.
D) centralized authority.

Question 20

Shakil works for a national grocery chain that is divided into well-demarcated groups such as the Northeastern Division,the Northwestern Division,the Southeastern Division,and the Southwestern Division.These groups have been set up in keeping with large groups of customers located in their respective locations.In the context of departmentalization,this company is most likely using a(n):

A) geographic structure.
B) customer structure.
C) product structure.
D) organic structure.

Question 21

Yun is a freelance writer who has undertaken a writing project where two different editors tell her what to do.Sometimes these two editors tell her to make conflicting changes.This situation is in direct violation of the _____ principle of organizing.

A) chain of command
B) parity
C) unity of command
D) span of control

Question 22

Which of the following principles states that each employee should have only one supervisor?

A) Chain of command
B) Parity principle
C) Span of control
D) Unity of command

Question 23

Which of the following is most likely to be a reason behind a supervisor's reluctance to delegate responsibility?

A) The supervisor will not be able to hold the employees responsible for their work.
B) There will be an increase in incidence of social loafing.
C) The supervisor will not be able to give directions efficiently.
D) The employees might not be able to carry out jobs as well as the supervisor.

Question 24

Delegation of broad decision-making authority and responsibility is known as:

A) power.
B) unity of command.
C) empowerment.
D) authority.

Question 25

A functional structure groups personnel and other resources according to the types of work they carry out.

Question 26

Which of the following is an advantage closely associated with delegating?

A) It frees supervisors to do tasks they do best.
B) It leads to high employee turnover.
C) It protects the whistle-blowers.
D) It encourages the formation of informal groups.

Question 27

Which of the following is true of unity of command?

A) It holds that every employee should report to more than one supervisor.
B) It strictly holds that all decision-making authority should rest with the supervisor.
C) It allows the supervisors to be more flexible as they command different teams at regular intervals.
D) It helps to eliminate factors within organization structure like complexity and confusion in the workplace.

Question 28

Typically,in a tall organization,many people report to each manager.

Question 29

Which of the following principles states that authority flows from one level of management to the next,from the top of the organization to the bottom?

A) Chain of command
B) Parity principle
C) Unity of command
D) Span of control

Question 30

Organizing is the management function of setting up the group,allocating resources,and assigning work to achieve goals.

Question 31

If the supervisor can successfully get the employee to accept responsibility for carrying out a task,then the:

A) organization does not hold the supervisor accountable.
B) supervisor gives up the responsibility for its completion.
C) employee is left with little scope to hone his individual skills.
D) employee and the supervisor become responsible for the work.

Question 32

Span of control is the:

A) number of people a manager supervises.
B) principle that personnel who are given responsibility must also be given authority to carry out that responsibility.
C) ability to get others to act in a certain way.
D) authority that flows from one level of management to the next.

Question 33

The last step of the organizing process typically involves the supervisor:

A) grouping activities and assigning duties to the appropriate employees.
B) defining objectives by reviewing the plan.
C) estimating personnel, equipment, and the money needed.
D) measuring the performance of the group.

Question 34

The parity principle states that:

A) each employee should have only one boss.
B) personnel must have equal amounts of authority and responsibility.
C) authority should flow from one level of management to the next.
D) power should be concentrated only at the hands of the supervisors.

Question 35

Which of the following is true about span of control?

A) The more different the functions performed by employees, the greater the span of control can be.
B) The more complex the functions performed by subordinates, the greater the span of control can be.
C) The less time a manager needs to spend on planning, the greater the span of control can be.
D) The further apart the subordinates are physically, the greater the span of control can be.

Question 36

Managers in the simple organizations can do away with the function of organizing.

Question 37

Some of the most fundamental and far-reaching organizational decisions involve the structure of the organization as a whole.

Question 38

To which of the following steps in the delegating process does the action of selecting simple tasks that employees clearly can handle belong?

A) Granting authority
B) Assigning the work
C) Deciding what work to delegate
D) Creating an obligation

Question 39

In which of the following steps of the delegation process is a supervisor most likely to ask questions like,"Who can best do the job?" and "Who can save the most time?"

A) Assigning the work
B) Grant authority
C) Following up
D) Creating an obligation

Question 40

Delegation is best defined as the:

A) act of giving another person the authority and responsibility to carry out a task.
B) right given by higher management to specific middle managers to recruit and dismiss line managers.
C) management function of correcting defects in the goods or services or improving them in some way.
D) management function of setting the goals and objectives of the company.

Question 41

To ensure the effective assignment of responsibilities,the supervisor should keep employees away from the process of allotment of duties.

Question 42

A product structure results when an organization is departmentalized according to the type of customers the product catered.

Question 43

In an organization with many layers of management,it is required that every decision or action should go through the chain of command.

Question 44

When a supervisor's manager directs the employees who report to the supervisor,the principle of unity of command is violated.

Question 45

Power is the ability to get others to act in a certain way.

Question 46

For a supervisor,organizing efforts are generally focused on allocating responsibilities and resources to make the department or group operate effectively and efficiently.

Question 47

Centralized organizations share a lot of authority.

Question 48

Employees who receive orders from several people tend to be less confused and less aggravated.

Question 49

The terms,decentralized and centralized,are relative since most companies fall along a range between both extremes.

Question 50

According to the parity principle,personnel must be given authority in accordance with the investment they hold.

Question 51

A virtual organization is typically a large organization that is dependent on less formal relationships.

Question 52

Processes are groups of tasks with defined scope and ending points.

Question 53

Staff authority gives one the right to carry out tasks and give orders related to the organization's primary purpose.

Question 54

A rigid structure is best suited for small organizations.

Question 55

Various combinations of structures occur when the organization forms teams of employees to meet certain objectives.

Question 56

Today,spans of control have decreased as organizations eliminate management positions and empower employees to make more decisions.

Question 57

Employees who accept responsibility cannot be held accountable by the supervisors.

Question 58

The first step in the organizing process is to determine the needed resources.

Question 59

A growing number of organizations are trying to stay flexible by increasing their size.

Question 60

When a supervisor assigns duties,he/she gives employees the authority to carry them out.

Question 61

A supervisor's performance is evaluated according to his/her individual achievements.

Question 62

Explain the parity principle.

Question 63

Empowerment is based on the expectation that employees will provide more insight and expertise than managers can provide alone,and that participation will make employees more committed to doing their best.

Question 64

The closer subordinates are physically,the greater the span of control can be.

Question 65

Although employees should accept responsibility for carrying out a task,this does not mean that the supervisor gives up the responsibility for its proper completion.

Question 66

What is a learning organization? How does a learning organization influence its employees?

Question 67

The supervisor should delegate duties such as appraising performance and resolving conflicts.

Question 68

Define departmentalization.Name a few structures available for the purpose of departmentalizing and elaborate on any one of the structures.

Question 69

Stuart is an operations supervisor for First National Bank,where he supervises full- and part-time tellers.Would Stuart's span of control be greater or smaller in a bank with decentralized authority? Explain your answer.

Question 70

A supervisor can encourage employees to accept responsibility by involving them in making decisions and by listening to their ideas.

Question 71

The lesser the staff specialists available to provide support in a variety of areas,the larger the span of control would be.

Question 72

Give three benefits of delegating.

Question 73

Define authority.Provide an example.

Question 74

Define the term,'organizing'.Why is it important?

Question 75

Unity of command helps to eliminate factors within organization structure like complexity and confusion in the workplace.

Question 76

Identify some of the causes behind the reluctance of supervisors to delegate.

Question 77

What are the steps involved in the process of organizing?

Question 78

Delegation of work often restricts employees from developing their skills.

Question 79

Delegating is giving another person the authority and responsibility to carry out a task.

Question 80

Compare and contrast authority,power,and responsibility.