1. Contemporary managers are learning many things because of the impact of the 21st century environment. Which of the following is NOT one of the things that contemporary managers are learning to do?
E. Contemporary managers are learning to operate in a world that devalues information, quality and speed.
2. An organisation can create a __________ by utilising a __________ that clearly sets it apart from its competitors and gives it an advantage over them in the marketplace.
C. competitive advantage, core competency
3. An organisation can achieve a competitive advantage through which of the following ways?
D. All of the above
4. The key result of achieving a competitive advantage is
A. an ability to consistently do something of high value that one's competitors cannot replicate or do as well.
5. __________ is especially important in the demanding global economy because nowhere in the world can managers rest on past successes and ignore what others are doing, either at home or abroad.
D. Competitive advantage
6. The __________ consists of all the background conditions in the external environment of an organisation that form a general context for managerial decision making.
B. general environment
7. General environment conditions exclude which one of the following categories?
C. Human relations conditions
8. Which of the following would NOT be a condition in the general environment?
E. Extent and nature of competition
9. Economic conditions in the general environment include
B. inflation, income levels, gross domestic product and unemployment.
10. Legal-political conditions in the general environment include
D. philosophy and objectives of political parties, as well as laws and governmental regulations.
11. Technological conditions in the general environment include
B. development and availability of technology in the environment, including scientific advancements.
12. Differences in general environment factors are most noticeable when
C. organisations operate internationally.
13. Natural environment conditions in the general environment include
E. general state of nature and conditions of the natural environment.
14. The specific environment can be described in terms of which of the following?
D. All of the above
15. Persons, groups, and institutions that are affected in some way by the organisation's performance are referred to as
B. stakeholders
16. All of the following are important stakeholder elements in the task environment of most organisations EXCEPT
D. supervisors
17. Which of the following would NOT be an important stakeholder element in the specific environment of most organisations?
B. Employees
18. __________ are specific consumer or client groups, individuals and organisations that purchase the organisation's goods and/or use its services.
D. Customers
19. __________ are specific providers of the human, information and financial resources and raw materials needed by the organisation to operate.
A. Suppliers
20. __________ are specific government agencies and representatives, at the local, state, and national levels, that enforce laws and regulations affecting the organisation's operations.
D. Regulators
21. __________ means that there is a lack of complete information regarding what developments will occur in the external environment.
C. Environmental uncertainty
22. All of the following are true statements regarding environmental uncertainty EXCEPT
A. most organisations encounter relatively little uncertainty in their environments.
23. The greater the level of environmental uncertainty, the
D. All of the above.
24. Which of the following types of organisations are becoming more flexible in an attempt to better deal with high amounts of environmental uncertainty?
D. All of the above
25. Individuals in an organisation who depend on the results of others' work in order to do their own jobs well are called
A. internal customers.
26. Gloria assembles circuit boards in a computer manufacturing plant. She gets the chips for the boards from David, assembles the boards, and then forwards them to Judy, who puts them into the finished components. This example illustrates the concept of
A. internal customers, who use the results of others' work to do their job.
27. Which one of the following statements does NOT accurately describe a practical implication of the concept of internal customers?
C. Internal customers refer only to jobs that are directly involved with the manufacture of a product.
28. __________ and __________ are two important lessons that have been learned by contemporary successful businesses.
E. Always protect your reputation for quality products/services always treat your customers right
29. Harold, a dot-com entrepreneur, made the following statement in a meeting with his key managers: 'We need to focus our attention on determining what our customers want, where they want it, and when they want it.' Based on this statement, Harold is most likely trying to build
A. a customer-driven organisation.
30. Which of the following operations objectives should be used to guide value-added efforts in developing and maintaining a customer-driven organisation?
A. High quality, low costs and on-time delivery
31. Since customer service can be an important source of competitive advantage, progressive managers
D. All of the above
32. Establishing and maintaining effective customer service can be an important source of
A. competitive advantage.
33. The use of __________ in the pursuit of competitive advantage is rapidly evolving with the support of information technology that allows organisations to maintain intense communication with customers as well as to gather and utilise data regarding the customers' needs and preferences.
B. customer relationship management
34. Achieving efficiency in all aspects of the __________ while ensuring the necessary flow and on-time availability of quality resources for customer-driven organisations is the fundamental goal of __________.
D. supply chain supply chain management
35. __________ involves strategic management of all operations relating an organisation to the suppliers of its resources.
B. Supply chain management
36. Organisations that want to compete in the world marketplace as 'world-class companies' can gain a competitive advantage by having their operations meet
D. ISO standards.
37. To receive ISO 9000 certification, companies must __________ and __________.
B. refine and upgrade quality in all operations ... undergo a rigorous assessment by outside auditors.
38. Which of the following characteristics does NOT accurately describe the process of total quality management?
D. Committing the organisation to the use of self-managing work teams
39. Philip Crosby has developed what he calls the 'four absolutes' of management for total quality control. Which of the following is NOT one of Crosby's 'four absolutes' of management?
D. Quality comes from multiple defect inspections.
40. According to W. Edwards Deming, a quality problem could be attributed to which of the following causes?
D. All of the above are potential causes of quality problems.
41. W. Edwards Deming's comprehensive, rigorous, and learning-based approach to quality emphasises
A. constant innovation, use of statistical methods and a continuous commitment to up-to-date training.
42. Employee involvement and participation in the search for quality solutions is an important part of any
E. quality management process.
43. The basic philosophy of __________ is that organisation members should never be satisfied with current performance.
E. continuous improvement
44. An important aspect of __________ is the belief that organisation members should find ways to serve customers' needs more quickly.
C. continuous improvement
45. The main objective of using a(n) __________ is to have the members assume responsibility for quality and to apply everyone's full creative potential in achieving it.
C. quality circle
46. A(n) __________ is a group of employees who meet regularly to discuss ways of improving the quality of their products or services.
D. quality circle
47. Cost savings from improved quality and greater customer satisfaction as well as improved worker morale and commitment are among the benefits that can be provided by a
E. quality circle.
48. Information technology can be used to improve quality management in all of the following ways EXCEPT
C. to improve relationships with governmental regulatory agencies.
49. Which one of the following characteristics does NOT accurately describe the role that technology plays in the quality aspects of operations?
E. Boutique engineering
50. __________ uses new technologies to streamline systems and allow work to be performed with fewer workers and smaller inventories.
E. Lean production
51. Providing individualised products quickly and with the production efficiencies once only associated with the mass production of uniform products can be accomplished by using techniques such as __________ and __________.
C. agile manufacturing à mass customisation
52. Modern production systems utilise __________ to better integrate the various aspects of manufacturing as well as to permit modifications to be made quickly and in a cost-efficient fashion.
E. computer-based technology
53. Progressive manufacturers that create a design that lowers production costs and improves quality in all stages of production are using a practice known as
D. design for manufacturing.
54. Mike's work focuses on making a difference in how things are produced and at what level of cost and quality. His job is concerned with
E. developing a 'good' product design.
55. A manufacturing approach that designs products with attention to how their component parts will be used when the product life ends is called
C. design for disassembly.
56. The internal culture of an organisation has the potential to
D. All of the above
57. Jimmy is new to the ZYX Organisation. He asks his supervisor why production standards are not modified to reflect market competition. His supervisor says, 'That is the way we do things around here.' The supervisor's comment is an example of
B. the organisational culture.
58. The best organisations that have strong cultures will likely do all the following EXCEPT
C. discourage innovation.
59. Observable culture is seen through which of the following elements of organisational life?
C. Stories, symbols, heroes and rites and rituals
60. While walking through the offices during an interview with the marketing director, John notices the way people dress, the arrangement of their offices, and how the employees treat each other when passing in the hallways. This information about the company reflects its
C. observable culture.
61. An investment firm is reviewing the performance of a small corporation, noting its track record in product innovation, the quality of work life of employees, and the organisation's degree of involvement in environmental concerns. The investment firm seems to be interested in gathering information about which aspect of the company's culture?
B. Core culture
62. Highly successful companies typically emphasise which of the following core values?
B. Performance excellence, innovation, social responsibility, integrity, worker involvement, customer service and teamwork.
63. The underlying beliefs that influence the behaviour of organisation members and actually give rise to the different aspects of observable culture can be described as the
A. core values.
64. Good __________ highlight the observable culture by repeatedly telling key stories and frequently using rites and rituals to glorify the performance of the organisation and its members.
C. symbolic leaders
65. Leaders at any level of the organisation should promote core values that
D. All of the above
66. Relevance, pervasiveness, and strength are the three criteria for evaluating the
B. core values of an organisation's culture.
67. A __________ is someone who uses symbols well to establish and maintain a desired organisational culture.
C. symbolic leader
68. Newly hired workers at Disney World are counselled to always think of themselves as more than employees; they are key 'members of the cast'. They are told that Disney is not just any business, but an 'entertainment' business. This is an example of Disney World's use of
B. language metaphors.
69. Which of the following statements accurately describe the direction(s) in which organisational culture is developing?
D. All of the above
70. Which of the following statements does NOT accurately describe an attribute or characteristic of diversity?
E. Race and gender are the only diversity dimensions that are relevant to the workplace.
71. Organisations that display characteristics such as pluralism and the absence of prejudice and discrimination are examples of
D. multicultural organisations.
72. __________ refers to pluralism and the respect for diversity in the workplace.
E. Multiculturalism
73. __________ display characteristics such as structural integration, informal network integration, and minimum inter-group conflict.
E. Multicultural organisations
74. Denise is applying for a position with a medium-sized, but rapidly growing insurance company. She notices that there are several senior citizens and female managers of different racial backgrounds. They all seem to be very supportive of the other workers. Denise surmises that this company must be
C. a multicultural organisation
75. Which of the following is NOT a subculture that can be found in an organisation?
E. Educational subcultures
76. Which of the following statements provides an accurate description about subcultures?
C. Gender subcultures reflect differences in the values and beliefs of women and men.
77. One of the following statements does NOT correctly describe the challenges faced by minorities. Which statement is the incorrect statement?
A. In Australia and New Zealand, disabled workers have benefited as much as other groups have from the economic growth of the 1990s.
78. The daily work challenges that can be faced by minority subcultures in organisations include all of the following EXCEPT
C. clear advancement paths.
79. The __________ is a hidden barrier that limits the advancement of minorities in some organisations.
E. glass ceiling
80. In addressing diversity issues, organisational leaders should realise that __________ want respect for their talents and a work setting that allows them to achieve their full potential.
C. minority workers
81. As the newly appointed manager of a one of the major divisions of a large company, Barbara stated that one of her objectives was to create a workplace environment that allows all kinds of people to reach their full potential in the pursuit of the division's objectives. Barbara's statement indicates that she is committed to
A. managing diversity
82. __________ is a leadership approach to diversity in which leadership commits the organisation to hiring and advancing minority groups and women.
A. Affirmative action
83. __________ is a leadership approach to diversity in which leadership commits the organisation to education and training program designed to help people better understand and respect individual differences.
B. Valuing diversity
84. __________ is a leadership approach to diversity in which leadership commits to changing the organisational culture to empower and include all people.
B. Managing diversity
85. Which of the following statements about a diverse workforce is NOT true?
A. A diverse workforce presents little management challenge in addressing various human resources issues.
86. Which of the following statements does NOT accurately describe a characteristic of effective diversity leadership?
C. It promotes a culture that highly values the talents, ideas and creative potential of the majority members.
87. In contemporary business, the concept of inclusiveness involves all of the following elements EXCEPT
E. ensuring that all stakeholders receive their fair share of the 'corporate pie'.
88. A diversity-mature individual is someone who can positively and honestly answer all of the following questions EXCEPT
A. Do you allocate resources on the basis of personal friendship?
89. A diversity-mature individual is someone who can positively and honestly answer which of the following questions?
