Deck 3: Management

Question 1

Which of the following elements is most important for effective negotiating?

A)Actively listening to the other side
B)Expressing your opinion to the other side
C)Letting all negotiating partners speak
D)Involving an impartial third party in the negotiation

Answer 1

Actively listening to the other side

Question 2

A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) attempting to help a foreign citizen is struggling with a language barrier. The most effective way the FSO might facilitate communication is to

A)pantomime the problem and related questions
B)speak very loudly, breaking words into distinct syllables
C)express frustration with the situation
D)break the conversation down into small bits, using short sentences and simple questions

Answer 2

break the conversation down into small bits, using short sentences and simple questions

Question 3

Because many countries contain multiple cultures within their boundaries, a Foreign Service Officer should avoid treating the term "culture" as a synonym for:

A)co-culture
B)ethnic group
C)nation
D)race

Answer 3

nation

Question 4

The U.S. embassy in Lapatria has recently experienced rapid staff turnover. Which of the following actions would be most helpful in ensuring that the newly reordered staff functions most effectively?

A)Establish a working group comprising the entire staff that will focus on a particular policy or administrative task
B)Establish clear and measurable goals for the new staff members
C)Where possible, engage the staff through democratic participation in the decision-making process
D)Promote the creation of a working culture unique to the Lapatrian Embassy that does not conflict with the culture or with policies dictated by the State Department.

Question 5

A Foreign Service Officer establishing rules for conduct in an embassy office will want to consider "cultural relativism," which holds that

A)incorporating moral beliefs is intrinsic to groups and individuals in a culture
B)host-community individuals should adapt to American ideals
C)universal norms exist that are applicable to all cultures
D)separate rules must be created for each culture

Question 6

When drafting a memo to a host country vendor about a service problem, a Foreign Service Officer will want to

A)describe the problems at the embassy very generally
B)use numerous modifiers to describe the problems
C)employ simple sentence structure and vocabulary
D)mention all issues in a single sentence using passive voice

Question 7

A Foreign Service Officer stationed in Lapatria is coordinating an exchange program for Lapatrian and U.S. university students. The assignment requires close coordination between American and Lapatrian university professors. Which of the following actions would be the most effective first step in creating an action plan for this project?

A)Establish criteria according to which tasks have been completed
B)Create a description of each task to be completed
C)Consult the respective participants regarding their vision for the project
D)Conceptualize how the project will be completed from beginning to end

Question 8

When meeting with an important local businessperson for the first time, a Foreign Service Officer should

A)avoid asking direct questions so as not to violate local cultural norms
B)be inquisitive and ask many questions about the local business environment and practices
C)be careful not to commit the common cultural error of showing the bottom of his/her feet
D)set up group meetings or a group social setting instead of one-on-one meetings

Question 9

The best strategy for a Foreign Service Officer to use to elicit more detailed responses from non-native English speakers is to

A)seek ""yes"" and ""no"" answers to questions
B)appear unenthusiastic about the conversation
C)inquire about the speakers' personal interests
D)ask open-ended questions

Question 10

A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) working in Lapatria learns of a job-related conflict between two embassy staff members assigned to the same project. One of the staff members is a local employee. In order to best resolve this conflict, the FSO should next:

A)reassign one of the staff members to another project
B)organize a workshop for all embassy staff members about local and American business and communication practices
C)sanction or caution the employee not conforming to the embassy work guidelines
D)request that the two employees in question work with a counselor to resolve their differences.

Question 11

What would be the most appropriate starting point for arranging the schedule and associated itinerary for a high-level U.S. official who is visiting a Foreign Service Officer's host country?

A)List all the requested itinerary items in order of assumed priority
B)Inform the visiting official of what can be expected in the host county context
C)Provide a list of standard recommendations for the visiting official
D)Clarify, define, and gain written agreement on how a successful visit would look

Question 12

A soldier close to fulfilling a service obligation inquires about benefit amounts under the Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers Program. A Foreign Service Officer should direct the soldier to contact the:

A)unemployment insurance agency in the state where the soldier resides
B)U)S. Department of State
C)Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
D)Office of International Labor Affairs

Question 13

Pursuant to the National Labor Relations Act, employees in many U.S. private industries are free to decide by which of the following means whether they want to be represented by a union?

A)Voice vote
B)Going on strike
C)Secret-ballot elections
D)Labor board recommendation

Question 14

In which of the following ways are scorecards used as project management tools?

A)Visual method for measuring the success of project management solutions
B)Tool for assigning project roles and responsibilities
C)Standard way of structuring project results
D)Method for communicating background project information

Question 15

Successful project management such as arranging a conference in a host country calls for careful planning and coordinated execution. The most common fundamental cause of project management failure is that:

A)objectives are not adequately documented from the outset
B)project goals are not agreeable to all parties
C)from the outset, there is no clear SOW (Statement of Work) or WBS (Work Breakdown Structure), resulting in drift
D)critical information does not get to the right people in a timely manner

Question 16

When managing complex projects, which of the following costs must always be taken into consideration?

A)Indirect costs
B)Fringe costs
C)Direct costs
D)Activity-based costs

Question 17

The most constructive way a bureau chief or other Foreign Service Officer (FSO) manager can reduce the amount of time spent dealing with emails is to

A)ask that emails pertaining to projects handled by staff, not the FSO directly, include an "FYI" in the subject line
B)establish and distribute parameters for what the FSO wants to see from staff members and associates
C)respond to emails immediately as they come in, rather than devote an entire block of time to them
D)take the time to read and respond to all emails at the beginning of each workday

Question 18

To most productively use team members' time when coordinating an embassy-wide program, a Foreign Service Officer should call meetings only to

A)monitor the group's progress
B)make decisions requiring the sharing of opinions or knowledge
C)disseminate information
D)vet decisions made by subordinates

Question 19

As an initial step toward effective team time management in complex project management situations, the Foreign Service Officer (FSO) project manager should

A)align the project objectives for the team
B)make clear that all decisions require the FSO's approval
C)set up a regular meeting schedule
D)agree upon clearly defined decision channels

Question 20

When a project appears to be running behind schedule, managers often "fast track" the project by taking which of the following actions?

A)Adding resources to tasks in order to accelerate their completion
B)Conducting work in parallel that would normally be carried out sequentially
C)Outsourcing personnel and materials
D)Contacting the functional manager to get control of the situation

Question 21

To measure the progress of projects, managers need to be aware of four concurrent elements: labor costs; functional and technical requirements; work being performed at the right level; and work

A)proceeding on schedule
B)approved by the proper authorities
C)adaptable to the work environment
D)performed in quality management teams

Question 22

Pre-qualification of contractors is used to ensure

A)proper preparation of bidding documents
B)a fair bidding process
C)reputation, skills, and financial capacity of contractors
D)reputation, skills, and financial capacity of the owner

Question 23

A Foreign Service Officer facilities manager has decided to hire a landscaping company to maintain the embassy grounds and has developed a statement of work (SOW) to fulfill the requirement phase of the contract life cycle. Which of the following steps should be taken next?

A)Award
B)Requisition
C)Procurement
D)Solicitation

Question 24

When a Foreign Service Officer faces an internal dispute between key players or stakeholders within an office, section, bureau, or embassy, an appropriate initial action would be to:

A)speak to each person involved individually to gain more information
B)tell the parties involved that they have a certain time frame to resolve their difficulties
C)request a meeting with the parties involved and give them equal time to put forward their perspectives on the disputed issue
D)bring the parties together, and make it clear that their behavior is unacceptable and needs to cease immediately

Question 25

As a Foreign Service Officer you are responsible for determining the cumulative effect of several delays in a project. You have access only to the project's bar chart. Which of the following outcomes can be predicted?

A)The cumulative delay cannot be calculated by reviewing only the bar chart because bar charts do not show relationships among activities
B)The cumulative delay is simply the sum of the individual activity delays
C)The cumulative delay can be calculated by adding up the delays in the critical activities, only
D)The cumulative delay cannot be calculated by reviewing only the bar chart because bar charts do not show the duration of all activities

Question 26

Groupthink, i.e., a dysfunctional mode of thinking that people engage in when their striving for unanimity overrides their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action, is present in a team when

A)group members spontaneously express the same viewpoint
B)group members have the same professional background
C)all out-group stakeholders are viewed as experts
D)out-group stereotyping is in evidence

Question 27

If you find yourself leading a team of people from diverse functional and demographic backgrounds, you can anticipate that they will have:

A)good creativity and performance, but high levels of conflict
B)poor creativity and performance, due to high levels of conflict
C)good creativity and performance, with low levels of conflict
D)poor creativity and performance, but low levels of conflict

Question 28

In the past few years, the traditional organizational structure of a pyramid has shifted to one of a circle. Which of the following statements best characterizes the circular team approach?

A)Everyone shares involvement and responsibility in the decision-making process
B)Communication occurs in a highly choreographed, linear manner
C)The prevailing philosophy is that employees require diligent, hands-on management
D)Most decision-making occurs at the top albeit with input from other team members

Question 29

Operating within public sector guidelines, Foreign Service Officers use which of the following tools to reward exceptional performance and motivate employees?

A)Merit-based salary increases and bonuses
B)Expense-paid entertainment
C)Incentive travel programs
D)Special committee or task force assignments

Question 30

A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is in charge of maintaining security of sensitive information. Which of the following best practices should the FSO implement to achieve this goal?

A)Provide regular training to employees emphasizing the importance of treating sensitive information with care
B)Establish password-protected access to computers while allowing employees to have their passwords written down on their desks, but not outside of the office
C)Allow individuals to copy information to their laptop computers so that they can work from home, but instruct them not to work at public places
D)Establish password-protected access to computers, limit the number of individuals that can modify information, and allow access only from selected locations

Question 31

Which of the following characteristics most strongly relates to job performance, across a wide variety of jobs?

A)Agreeableness
B)Emotional intelligence
C)Extroversion
D)General mental ability (IQ)

Question 32

Which of the following information would an auditor use to determine that a purchase order is properly authorized?

A)Agreement of information between the requisition and the purchase order
B)Current level of purchaser's signature authority
C)Current level of requisitioner's signature authority
D)Approval by requisitioner

Question 33

A manager learns that some items ordered were not delivered even though prompt payment was made after vendor invoices were received. Which of the following actions should the manager take to prevent this situation from happening again?

A)Ensure that all vendors are reputable, insured, and bonded
B)Require that vendors include in all invoices the date when items are shipped
C)Reconcile invoices with items delivered and request prompt delivery when items already paid for are not received
D)Instruct that invoices be matched with orders received before payment is made

Question 34

A physical counting process performed to verify inventory levels and audit the accuracy of inventory records is known as

A)an inventory consultation
B)Pareto's Rule
C)an ABC analysis
D)a cycle count

Question 35

When tracing or expediting shipments to determine their progress and estimated time of arrival, which of the following information is required?

A)When the shipment was originally due to arrive
B)What the carrier's pro number, waybill, or car number was
C)What route the carrier was planning to take
D)When the order was placed by the purchasing department

Question 36

When establishing an internal control system to determine the appropriate time to pay a supplier for a purchase, which of the following processes/reports must be included in the system?

A)A performance report from the engineering department
B)An updated report from the expeditor's office
C)A comparison of the purchase order and the supplier's invoice
D)A three-way match of critical information on the purchase order, the packing slip, and the invoice

Question 37

Which of the following matters would be best discussed with a supplier's customer service personnel?

A)Prompt processing of orders and resolution of invoice problems
B)Compatibility of information systems
C)Labor issues and union contracts
D)Quality control processes and checks

Question 38

Which of the following information would an auditor need to verify that a requisition is properly authorized?

A)The source of the funds, i.e., budget number
B)An approval signature to spend the funds
C)The purchaser's signature
D)The name of the person to whom the goods will be delivered

Question 39

After learning that a single individual is responsible for managing all bank accounts and for authorizing and paying for all purchases, an appropriate action by a manager would be to

A)accuse the individual of mismanagement and fraud
B)recommend the segregation of duties so that one person reconciles the bank accounts, another authorizes purchases, and yet another processes payments
C)speak with the individual and ensure that all proper practices and procedures are followed
D)instruct the bank to mail statements to a secretary, who will then forward them to the individual for processing

Question 40

Which of the following steps in the normal purchasing process should be taken first?

A)Construct contract
B)Discuss requirements
C)Review requirements
D)Select source

Question 41

Which of the following information would an auditor evaluating the operations of a procurement function review first?

A)Purchasing policies and procedures currently operative
B)Job descriptions detailing the responsibilities of each purchaser
C)Goals of the function and plans in place to achieve them
D)Data on the timing of invoice payments

Question 42

A capital budget has just been approved for facility expansion. Purchasing is beginning the process of supplier selection and contracting. Which of the following steps should be taken first?

A)Request for Quotation
B)Request for Information
C)Request for Proposal
D)Contracting

Question 43

The purchasing document that is a promise or set of promises that creates obligations enforceable in a court of law is a

A)certification
B)contract
C)request for proposal
D)requisition

Question 44

In settling purchasing disputes between buyer and seller, which of the following means of alternative dispute resolution allows the parties to present their cases to a third party that makes the final decision?

A)Binding arbitration
B)Mediation
C)Negotiated settlement
D)Non-binding arbitration

Question 45

The analytical tool used to determine the total value of a purchase over its useful life by calculating all of the costs that would be associated with the item is

A)price analysis
B)cost analysis
C)life-cycle cost analysis
D)capital equipment justification

Question 46

Which of the following practices would a good negotiator be LEAST likely to use?

A)Identify as much common ground as possible
B)Make immediate counteroffers
C)Focus on problems, not personalities
D)Make the other party feel comfortable

Question 47

Which of the following issues would be most important in a contract for consumable supplies?

A)Warranty
B)Maintenance
C)Inventory
D)Training

Question 48

Of primary importance for establishing purchasing policies for an organization would be that they

A)list which suppliers' proposals have been received and accepted by the purchasing department
B)provide a consistent means of determining the proper methods for dealing with purchasing procedural issues
C)determine the standards by which other departments are to regulate themselves
D)complete the administrative requirement of having policies in place and on file

Question 49

The purpose of a town hall meeting is to

A)develop a strategic plan
B)provide a status update to senior officials
C)provide information about a topic and respond to questions from the audience
D)negotiate a resolution to a conflict

Question 50

As a meeting facilitator, which of the following strategies is most effective for handling unrelated or partially related topics that arise during formal meetings?

A)Add time on to the end of the meeting to address the additional topics
B)Schedule another meeting to address the additional topics
C)Capture the additional topics in a visual way and, at the end of the meeting, determine the most appropriate way to address them
D)State that the additional topics are not relevant and move on with the meeting without further addressing them

Question 51

When listening to understand a customer's point of view, which of the following approaches would be most likely to impair communication?

A)Listening for meaning, not just words
B)Remembering that understanding does not imply agreement
C)Clarifying what was said before responding
D)Responding immediately with a solution

Question 52

Which of the following activities should an organization engage in when dealing with issues of diversity in the workplace?

A)Categorize employees by group in an effort to anticipate their future behavior and its effect on the organization
B)Assume that all people of similar age, gender, ethnic, or geographic background will perform and behave similarly
C)Eliminate the issues that may come about as a result of having a diverse group of employees by minimizing diversity in the job force
D)Ensure equality throughout the organization regardless of the position or person and resolve that individual differences should be recognized but not used to determine a person's potential

Question 53

Which of the following common management tools defines roles and responsibilities?

A)Six Sigma Approach
B)RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) Method
C)Balanced Scorecard Reporting
D)Pipeline Management

Question 54

Which of the following outcomes renders negotiation based on the positions of negotiating parties dangerous?

A)Prohibits negotiators from understanding the underlying emotions
B)Could result in a vague negotiated agreement
C)Can be too controversial
D)Distracts negotiators from focusing on the underlying concerns of the negotiating parties

Question 55

When negotiating, for which of the following reasons is it important to know your Best Alternative To Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)?

A)You need to communicate your BATNA to the party with whom you are negotiating
B)Your BATNA provides a standard against which any proposed negotiated agreement should be measured
C)Your BATNA is the starting point for the negotiation
D)Your BATNA allows you to negotiate without emotion

Question 56

Employers are required to complete an I-9 form on all employees to verify:

A)eligibility to work in the United States
B)criminal records
C)proper payment of income taxes
D)employees meet age requirements

Question 57

A manager who utilizes the Pygmalion Effect usually receives higher performance from employees by:

A)demonstrating that they are confident employees can deliver a high performance
B)building teams, instead of using individuals in a hierarchy, to handle most large projects
C)always attached financial incentive to job performance
D)offering ambiguous expectations to encourage employee originality and creativity

Question 58

When it comes to the personal lives of employees, a manager should:

A)be aware and show concern and empathy
B)stay uninvolved and recommend organizational resources for troubled employees
C)encourage other subordinates to address the personal issues of co-workers
D)ask questions regularly to determine problems

Question 59

You have just started a new management job with over 500 employees working under you. You discover that some company practices are not in compliance with the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and its subsequent amendments. In order to remedy this, you could take all of the following steps except:

A)offer increased compensation to equalize pay for employees of different gender performing the same job
B)determine future pay increased for employees based on an established system of merit, seniority, or performance quotas
C)reduce the compensation of some employees to equalize compensation for employees of all genders performing the same job
D)refuse to agree to labor union demands or contracts that would violate the law

Question 60

An easy and cost effective strategy for managers to utilize in order to reduce work related stress among employees is:

A)create an open layout work space where all employees can easily hear and see other employees during the work day
B)to practice a plan-ahead strategy that minimizes the need for crisis management
C)to emphasize competition among employees by increasing performance incentives to maximize productivity
D)providing employees with minimal responsibilities

Question 61

When designing jobs, managers and employers can reduce job stress by giving consideration to all of the following except:

A)applying ergonomic design to the employee-machine technologies
B)creating clear physical, knowledge, and skill requirements to facilitate hiring highly matched employees
C)establishing work hours and shift changes that are the most profitable for the organization
D)creating communication channels for immediate and future needs

Question 62

Numerous psychology researchers including Abraham Maslow and Kurt Goldstein, have explored the theory of self actualization. Which of the following would be the best example in support of that theory?

A)An employee deliberately sabotages a team project as revenge against a boss
B)An employee works for the same company for 30 years, rising from office clerk to Regional Vice President
C)An employee's performance appraisal rating drops due to alcohol abuse
D)An employee receives a bonus for achieving a sales quota

Question 63

Under most cases an employer can lawfully demand that a pregnant employee:

A)take a minimum of six weeks leave after delivery
B)supply medical documentation of pregnancy related disability requiring leave
C)work in a different capacity to avoid public or customer contact
D)do all of the above

Question 64

Some experts suggest managers can be divided into two types of styles labeled Theory X and Theory Y. Theory Y, which is more motivating, stresses regular collaboration with staff and soliciting employee input and feedback into decision making. This type of manager is most likely to:

A)publicly reprimand an employee for failure to encourage others to do better
B)rotate the chairperson position at regular staff meetings
C)regularly evaluate employees using a downward appraisal system
D)unilaterally establish department goals and objectives

Question 65

You have assigned a six month project to an experienced team of employees. You want to reinforce task ownership of team members. This could effectively be accomplished by:

A)countermanding any questionable decisions the team makes
B)delegating new tasks to team members to broaden their experience
C)requiring daily progress reports or meetings with team leaders
D)replacing team members who fail to meet goals

Question 66

If you are managing a group of highly trained professionals with demonstrated creativity, motivation, and a history of high performance, they might respond best to which of the following management styles?

A)laissez-faire
B)directive autocratic
C)paternalistic
D)passive autocratic

Question 67

"Which employee at your last job did you get along with the least and how did you handle it?", is a question that you might ask an applicant in an interview to gauge her:

A)performance in stressful situations
B)motivation level
C)genuine interest level in the position
D)suitability for the position's skill requirements

Question 68

Your management team has decided that a Continuous Improvement Plan or CIP, such as the one suggested by Edward Deming, is the best way for the department to meet its long term goals. As part of this plan you will most likely

A)avoid regular appraisal of plan status
B)design a document specifying actions to be taken
C)value quantity over quality
D)A and B

Question 69

Members of management seeking to improve their effectiveness and relationship with employees as well as optimizing the organization's performance, could utilize the appraisal process of:

A)job rotation
B)upward feedback
C)mentoring
D)executive education

Question 70

A U.S. post office branch choosing to hire an employee with no disabilities over a slightly more qualified candidate restricted to a wheelchair, could be a violation of:

A)the Civil Rights Act of 1964
B)the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
C)the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
D)B and C

Question 71

A manager is most likely to have long term success in motivating an employee by focusing on:

A)performance based bonuses and incentives
B)reminders that job continuance requires successful performance
C)a better understanding of the employee's goals and interests
D)developing competition between employees

Question 72

When a manager is using personal involvement as a motivational strategy, the biggest risk is with those employees who:

A)have low self esteem and cannot form high performance expectations
B)make only verbal commitments to their goals
C)make a public commitment as a group instead of as individuals
D)are overconfident in their performance abilities

Question 73

Performance management is one method that can be substituted for:

A)merit pay
B)traditional appraisal systems
C)annual or quarterly bonus schedules
D)quota systems

Question 74

Under FLSA, an exempt employee earning an hourly rate of $28.50 who works 45 hours would earn a paycheck of:

A)$1,282.50
B)$1,353.75
C)$1,710.00
D)$1,923.75

Question 75

Managers should ensure that all employees are provided with clear, accurate job descriptions, the lack of which could expose the employer to:

A)sexual harassment claims by employees
B)lawsuits for violations of the ADA
C)increased payroll costs
D)all of the above

Question 76

Managers can best address the vagueness associated with rating and ranking scales in employee appraisal systems by supplementing standard company forms with:

A)forms and rating scales designed specifically by the manager
B)verbal appraisal of employee performance
C)written comments explaining scale ratings
D)preferable forms used by other companies

Question 77

Management tendencies to skew an evaluation or appraisal positively in all areas due to high employee performance in a few areas should be avoided and is known as:

A)central tendency effect
B)leniency bias
C)halo effect
D)recency effect

Question 78

In conducting an employee evaluation, which of the following is a "soft" area to which employees are most likely to take personal offense?

A)sales figures
B)absenteeism
C)teamwork
D)production quotas

Question 79

Involving numerous people in an employee's evaluation such as co-workers, customers, the employee, and supervisors is known as:

A)360-degree feedback
B)Knowledge management
C)Job coaching
D)All in one evaluation

Question 80

According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, a person will place greater importance on:

A)self-actualization
B)belongingness
C)physiological needs
D)cognitive needs