Deck 1: Supervising in Uncertain Times

Question 1

One of the most dramatic changes that has occurred in the past several decades has been the increase in the number and percentage of women in the workforce.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Quantitative/system approaches are frequently found in large organizations where sales costs and production data are analyzed using computer technology.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Foreman, team leader, and coach are other designations for working supervisor.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Martina is employed by a company that allows her to work from an office in her home; she stays in touch with her employer primarily by e-mail. Martina is taking advantage of the administrative policy known as flextime.

Question 5

Compared to their parents, baby boomers tend to prefer work in teams and thrive when work rules are unambiguous.

Question 6

The notion of Frederick Winslow Taylor's scientific management approach gave rise to the functional management approach.

Question 7

Despite the rather low birthrate in recent decades, both the population and the workforce will continue to grow.

Question 8

The functional management approach focuses on determining the most efficient ways to increase output and productivity.

Question 9

The Hawthorne effect concluded that workers perform differently than they normally did because the researchers were observing them.

Question 10

The managerial function of controlling consists mainly of directing subordinates' actions.

Question 11

Henri Fayol identified planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling as critical to managerial effectiveness.

Question 12

The term diversity refers to the cultural, ethnic, gender, age, educational, racial, and lifestyle differences of employees.

Question 13

The fact that people will perform differently when being observed is known as the Hawthorne effect.

Question 14

Supervisors are middle managers who oversee entry-level employees.

Question 15

Both the labor force and the population are getting younger .

Question 16

Flextime allows employees to choose their work schedules within certain limits, for example, instead of working 9-to-5 an employee might elect to work from 8-to-4 instead.

Question 17

A key component of Frederick Winslow Taylor's scientific management theory was the belief that managers should plan what, where, and how employees should produce a product.

Question 18

The invisible barrier that limits the advancement of women and minorities is known as the glass wall.

Question 19

According to recent workforce projections, African-Americans are expected to be the fastest growing group.

Question 20

As the number of low-level service industry jobs has grown in the U.S., the number of Americans who attend college has fallen.

Question 21

Juanita's supervisor, Stephen, has asked her for input on how to make the workplace more enjoyable. Stephen is practicing participative management.

Question 22

Which of the following statements concerning supervisors is NOT true?

A) Supervisors are considered to be mid-level managers within an organization.
B) Managers expect supervisors to obtain better performance from their human resources in an environment that is constantly changing.
C) The work of supervisors requires professional and interpersonal skills.
D) It is typically the first management experience people obtain.

Question 23

Typical of a Generation Xer, Zack is not very concerned about staying with his company for a long period of time.

Question 24

The primary difference between a supervisor and a working supervisor is that:

A) Working supervisors make up the first tier of management, while supervisors are considered mid-level managers.
B) Supervisors usually manage entry-level employees, while working supervisors manage more experienced employees.
C) Working supervisors are not considered part of management.
D) Supervisors are not considered part of management.

Question 25

An organization that seeks to obtain a competitive advantage can do so by hiring qualified people, training those people, and appropriately using those people's skills.

Question 26

Today's employees expect opportunities for empowerment on the job.

Question 27

Ali has been a supervisor for ten years; therefore, additional education or training would not benefit her.

Question 28

Human resources are any organization's most important resources.

Question 29

Mid-level management creates the overall philosophy and vision of a firm.

Question 30

Effective supervisors must be able to maintain their perspective in the face of rapidly changing conditions.

Question 31

To provide a foundation for the type of corporate culture that is desired, companies develop mission statements and ethical codes statements.

Question 32

Selecting and training individuals to fill job openings is the first step in managing people.

Question 33

Organizations expect supervisors to role-model ethical behavior for employees.

Question 34

Supervisors must recognize the value of a diverse workforce and their own need to become more adaptable to change.

Question 35

Like most managers, the primary challenge that Heather will face in the future is dealing with too many high-skilled workers.

Question 36

Most supervisors will be able to succeed in their jobs simply by knowing the basic concepts and skills identified in the text.

Question 37

Three out of every four persons will be employed in the service-producing sector through at least the year 2016.

Question 38

Taylor's principles of scientific management include:

A) Analyze the tasks associated with each job.
B) Recruit the employee best suited to perform the job.
C) Instruct the worker in the one best way to perform the job.
D) All of the above.

Question 39

Conditional workers are part-time, temporary, or contract employees whose work is scheduled around the needs of the employer.

Question 40

Generally speaking, large companies allow supervisors a broader range of managerial opportunities, because fewer management positions exist in smaller companies.

Question 41

Which of the following is considered to be one of the focal points of the Behavioral School of Management?

A) Emphasis is placed on the functions that managers perform.
B) The importance of what motivates individual and group behavior in organizations is emphasized.
C) Mathematical models are the key issues that management is concerned with.
D) Managers analyze the tasks that are associated with each job in an effort to improve productivity.

Question 42

The set of shared values, purposes, and beliefs that employees have about an organization is its:

A) Organizational approach.
B) Values-and-beliefs statement.
C) Corporate climate.
D) Corporate culture.

Question 43

Giving employees the authority and responsibility to achieve objectives is known as

A) Participative management
B) Autocratic management.
C) Empowerment
D) Two-tier management

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT crucial for supervisors to become true professionals?

A) They must put work before family.
B) They have to develop as innovators and idea people.
C) They must lead by example.
D) They must constantly update their own skills and knowledge.

Question 45

List at least five current workplace trends.

Question 46

Which of the following is true about the glass ceiling?

A) It is a visible barrier to upward mobility.
B) It only affects women.
C) It impacts both minorities and women
D) It means the same thing as the term "glass walls."

Question 47

Regarding international business:

A) Many U.S. firms may move production overseas because of low wages.
B) International opportunities for technically competent U.S. supervisors will decrease as countries develop their own management class.
C) Corporate culture is largely the same everywhere.
D) Supervisory techniques that work in the Untied States are almost always successful in other countries as well.

Question 48

Frederick Winslow Taylor, the father of scientific management, felt the manager's job was to:

A) Research the industry in which the company does business.
B) Perform mental tasks, such as determining the "one best way" to do a job.
C) Design new approaches to completing tasks.
D) Maintain good rapport among co-workers.

Question 49

Why are production facilities of U.S. firms being relocated to China, India, South Korea, Eastern Europe, South America, Africa, Mexico?

Question 50

_____ is when a manager gives employees authority and responsibility to accomplish their individual and the organization's objectives.

A) Engagement
B) Empowerment
C) Participative management
D) Positive reinforcement

Question 51

According to the Hawthorne effect, what happens to employees while being observed?

Question 52

The supervisors at Millcroft Industries have been instructed to allocate more time for on-the-job employee training and to encourage workers to pursue continuing education. This is most likely because:

A) Millcroft will soon be instituting a job sharing program.
B) The majority of Millcroft's employees are underemployed.
C) Supervisors at Millcroft do not have enough to keep them busy.
D) The company hopes to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors.

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of the work attitudes and experiences of generation Xers?

A) They do not share their parents' views about company loyalty.
B) They are more patient and willing to accept change.
C) They expect employers to provide them with more personal and leisure time.
D) They tend to be more educated than previous workers.

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT one of the steps of the functional approach to management?

A) Use organizational elements toward common objectives.
B) Design a structure, with clearly defined tasks and authority.
C) Plan a course of action.
D) Study employee motivation in relation to various supervisory approaches.

Question 55

Which of the following is NOT a workplace trend?

A) Businesses will reduce the number of jobs that are eliminated and/or outsourced.
B) Continuing high cost of health care in the United States.
C) Growing need to develop retention strategies for the current and future workforce.
D) Labor shortage at all skill levels.

Question 56

What is corporate culture, and who is responsible for setting the tone of a corporate culture?

Question 57

What level of the management hierarchy are supervisors a part of? Who are supervisors responsible for managing?

Question 58

Sierra uses mathematical models to determine the effect on production if the cost of materials increases by 20 percent. She is utilizing:

A) Scientific management.
B) The behavioral science approach.
C) The functional approach.
D) The quantitative/systems approach.

Question 59

Discuss the measures companies have taken to help their employees balance their family and job responsibilities. Why are companies taking these measures?

Question 60

The _____ was designed to protect employees by holding employers responsible for maintaining a hazard-free workplace.

A) Family and Medical Leave Act.
B) Americans with Disabilities Act.
C) Occupational Safety and Health Act.
D) Fair Labor Standards Act.

Question 61

List and describe the five functions critical to managerial effectiveness according to Henri Fayol's school of thought.