Uncategorized

MGT 521 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE

1) When a manager makes use of a SWOT analysis, one of his or her objectives is to

A. identify the best employees to fill each position in the organization

B. formulate appropriate strategies to exploit strengths, protect against threats, and correct weaknesses

C. set specific short-term performance standards for each department

D. evaluate the desirability of issuing stocks or bonds in the current financial climate

2) A company that wants to distinguish itself from the competition in the marketplace is most likely using which of the following strategies?

A. Focus strategy

B. Differentiation strategy

C. Functional strategy

D. Generic strategy

3) An organization’s ________ goals are official statements of what an organization says its goals are.

A. stated

B. real

C. implicit

D. synthetic

4) When planning for unexpected events, a company is using which of the following techniques?

A. SWOT analysis

B. Benchmarking

C. Contingency planning

D. Financial forecasting

5) The ________ determines the number of levels and managers in an organization.

A. delegation of authority

B. unity of command

C. chain of command

D. span of control

6) Which of the following is a characteristic of an organic organization?

A. High specialization

B. Cross-functional teams

C. Rigid departmentalization

D. Narrow span of controls

7) Which of the following is a characteristic of a matrix organization?

A. It conforms to the unity of command principle.

B. It has a single chain of command for functional managers to report to.

C. It has formal departments to which employees return after completing a project.

D. It is free of internal and external boundaries.

8) Searching for new ideas beyond an organization’s boundaries and allowing changes to easily transfer inward and outward is known as ________.

A. strategic partnering

B. knowledge management

C. organizational osmosis

D. open innovation

9) Which of the following stages is when the group structure is in place and accepted by the group members?

A. Performing

B. Norming

C. Storming

D. Adjourning

10) Conflicts can be resolved by satisfying one’s own needs at the expense of others. This conflict- management technique is known as ________.

A. collaborating

B. Compromising

C. Avoiding

D. Forcing

11) Which of the following statements is true about group decision making?

A. It generates more complete information and knowledge.

B. It takes less time to reach a solution than it would an individual.

C. It prevents any one minority from dominating or influencing the final decision.

D. It is most suitable for matters that must be critically evaluated.

12) According to the Ohio State studies, which of the following dimensions of leader behavior refers to the extent to which a leader is likely to define and structure his or her role and the roles of group members to meet goals?

A. Intelligence structure

B. Psychological structure

C. Initiating structure

D. Consideration structure

13) Which leadership theory is derived from the belief that a leader’s job is to remove pitfalls and roadblocks so followers can achieve their work goals?

A. Fiedler’s theory

B. Contingency theory

C. Leader participation model

D. Path-goal theory

14) If Carol Reece is a charismatic leader, which of the following characteristics is she most likely to possess?

A. A strong need to be in control

B. A fear of taking risks

C. An external locus of control

D.A sensitivity to environmental constraints and follower needs

15) Indira Patel has been working in her organization’s computer security department for the past 10 years. If another employee follows Indira’s recommendations in a given situation, based on her expertise in computer security, which source of power is Indira using?

A. Coercive power

B. Legitimate power

C. Referent power

D. Expert power

16) Melvin manages a team of 10 employees, including Jane and Jared. Jared is leaving the organization to find a job as a manager in another field. Meanwhile, due to performance issues, Melvin terminates Jane’s employment with the company. Both of these are examples of what type of employee behavior?

A. Absenteeism

B. Employee productivity

C. Job satisfaction

D. Turnover

17) Thomas often annoys his coworkers with his talkativeness and assertive personality. According to the Big Five Model of personality, Thomas would be described as high in the trait of ________.

A. conscientiousness

B. agreeableness

C. openness to experience

D. extraversion

18) Kelly is interviewing candidates to fill a vacancy on her team. One candidate has a degree from a prestigious university, and Kelly is impressed. In speaking with her fellow members of the interview panel, however, Kelly finds that no one else enjoyed the interview with the candidate, finding her to be pompous, aggressive, and self-serving. In her focus on only the candidate’s education, Kelly may have fallen victim to _______.

A. stereotyping

B. selectivity

C. the halo effect

D. assumed similarity

19) It is crucial to determine an acceptable _____ during the comparing step in the control process.

A. ideal standard

B. written report

C. measure of organizational performance

D. range of variation

20) If a manager rationalizes that he or she does not have time to investigate the source of a problem and instead resorts to putting out fires, the manager is missing the use of ________.

A. bureaucratic control

B. immediate corrective action

C. basic corrective action

D. concurrent control

21) Why are feedforward controls more rarely implemented as compared to other types of controls?

A. Feedforward controls are time-consuming for managers because they must continually monitor progress.

B. Feedforward controls result in wasted time and money.

C. Feedforward controls require managers to interact directly with employees.

D. Feedforward controls require timely and accurate information that is hard to obtain.

22) On Monday, Jim’s Taco Shop identified a problem with tainted ground beef that was used to make tacos and nacho platters for its lunch customers. If the staff at Jim’s did not identify the problem until after the lunch rush, what type of control would this demonstrate?

A. Feedforward control

B. Concurrent control

C. Proactive control

D. Feedback control

23) If a firm wanted to identify how much money was being made for each sale of a given product (above and beyond the costs associated with making that product), what type of ratio would it use?

A. Liquidity ratios

B. Leverage ratios

C. Activity ratios

D. Profitability ratios

24) Budgets can be used as tools within which two functions of management?

A. Organizing and leading

B. Controlling and organizing

C. Planning and leading

D. Controlling and planning

25) The balanced scorecard measures organizational performance against previously established standards. Which of the four functions of management relates most closely to setting these standards?

A. Controlling

B. Leading

C. Organizing

D. Planning

26) During benchmarking, an organization can compare its processes and products to competitors in its own industry and to noncompetitors outside the industry. What is a main benefit of comparing a firm’s performance against an organization it does not consider a competitor?

A. A noncompetitor may allow an organization to see its practices more readily than a competitor in the same industry.

B. There is no benefit to benchmarking a firm against a noncompetitor.

C. A noncompetitor may be easier to find and benchmark, because the top firms in the world are so diverse.

D. A noncompetitor may be the world leader in a specific process or practice, and an organization can learn from it.

27) ________ is defined as a business firm’s intention, beyond its legal and economic obligations, to do the right things and act in ways that are good for society.

A. Social obligation

B. Social responsibility

C. Social screening

D. Values-based management

28) In the ________ approach of going green, organizations respond to the environmental preferences of customers.

A. legal

B. market

C. stakeholder

D. activist

29) What can be said about a manager who believes she worked hard and met her organization’s productivity goals despite unfavorable conditions?

A. She has an external locus of control.

B. She has a high ego strength.

C. She has a low ego strength.

D. She has an internal locus of control.

30) Which business practice would likely encourage ethical behavior?

A. Strong emphasis on individual productivity

B. Strong emphasis on leading by example

C. Cultural values for obedience to authority

D. Intense competition for valued rewards

Back to list
Older 1) A consultant is best described as A. a person who makes things happen within the organization B. someone who fixes what is wrong in an organization C. a person who has some influence but no direct power to make changes D. the person who owns the problem 2) According to Block, every consulting project, regardless of size, must go through five phases. Why is that so important? A. This text is the supreme authority on consulting, so we should follow the advice given. B. The client would expect us to complete the five phases. C. It is only by completing each step in each phase that we can be assured of delivering competent consulting advice. D. Having a methodology is essential for any project to succeed. 3) What is the purpose for an initial contact with a client regarding a project? A. To identify who is the boss and where the work will be done B. To kick off the project and meet all stakeholders C. To discuss past performance by getting to know each other D. To explore the problem and to determine whether the consultant is the right person to work on the issue 4) According to Block, the feedback and decision to act phase of the five phases of consulting includes which of the following? A. Setting up ultimate goals and selecting the best action B. Setting up large amounts of data and selecting an alternative action C. Determining what feedback to offer and suggesting decisions D. Offering suggestions on the issues and how to decide to act 5) Journals, abstracts, scholarly books, and the materials located in the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) are examples of ______ sources. A. primary B. secondary C. tertiary D. general 6) What does author Salkind suggest as the initial step in the process of writing a literature review? A. Read other literature reviews. B. Ask your boss where to start. C. Copy other literature reviews. D. Just start writing. 7) What are the main functions of the operations functional area? A. Keeps the organization profitable and distributes merchandise B. Produces products, services, and benefits C. Produces the products and services and generates revenues and cash flows D. Keeps the organization cash flow positive and distributes merchandise 8) Providing the funding for all organizational day-to-day operations is the responsibility of which functional area? A. Operations B. Accounting C. Finance D. Management 9) Why is the human resources department affected by most business problems? A. They are deeply involved with the people aspect and have actions that influence virtually every functional area in a business. B. They are responsible for all legal compliance issues within the organization. C. They are the only department that deals with health care benefits. D. They are deeply involved in organizational decisions and can influence leadership. 10) The marketing and sales department reacts to a problem by A. looking at the future planning, analyzing past results, and conducting customer surveys B. looking to the future, analyzing the past, and writing white papers C. developing strategies, gauging changes, and creating presentations D. considering options done in the past and asking others for their opinion 11) The presenting problem from the client and the real problem are A. usually the same B. usually different C. always the same D. always different 12) The purpose of the discovery phase is to A. distract the client from the real problem B. initiate who has control C. define the problem D. mobilize action on a problem 13) What is the first step in the data-collection process? A. Identify the data to be collected. B. Collect data. C. Reproduce the client’s problem. D. Identify the presenting problem. 14) One step to prepare for data-collection meetings and to prepare for any resistance is to A. use the meeting as a gripe session to clear the air B. convene and bring people together informally C. help people question their current reality D. generate interest 15) Which statement is a good method of engaging in new conversations and limiting the discussion of history? A. Ask what you can do to move forward. B. Ask only open-ended questions. C. Ask for the facts. D. Ask about what the team wants to create together. 16) Creating higher interaction among clients during engagement is how to bring ________ into the implementation phase. A. installation B. solutions C. resolutions D. responsibility 17) Which statement best describes a practical way to structure a meeting? A. Restrict the conversation. B. Practice transparency and the public expression of doubt. C. Decide for the client. D. Decide what not to do in a meeting. 18) What are the two conditions of accountability that support high-commitment implementation strategies? A. Accountability to self and others B. Accountability to peers and project manager C. Accountability to manager and regulators D. Accountability to peers and boss 19) The steps to be followed when handling resistance are A. identify the kind of resistance, name the resistance, and wait for a response B. identify when resistance is taking place, view it as a natural process, and do not support the client C. ignore the resistance and do not take the expression of resistance personally D. find the resistance and remove it 20) The key to understanding the nature of resistance is to realize that A. it is an emotional process that is irresolvable B. there are difficult organizational problems C. understanding the client is one of the most difficult aspects a consultant must deal with D. resistance is a reaction to an emotional process taking place within the client 21) The purpose of the feedback meeting is more than just a presentation of data; it is also an opportunity to A. restate the original contract and make sure you are on the right track B. state the obvious problems and talk about the unknown C. request the client’s action plan D. get the client’s reaction to the data, recommendations, and action 22) What is the most useful guideline for giving feedback? A. Be assertive. B. Be aggressive. C. Be nonassertive. D. Be nonaggressive. 23) Which statement best describes one of the goals in consulting? A. Teaching clients how to solve problems themselves B. Teaching clients that you need to take over at some point C. Teaching clients that it is all right to implement the project D. Teaching clients what not to expect from you 24) __________ empowerment should be considered during the implementation phase. A. Employee B. Employee and consultant C. Consultant D. Public 25) A consultant may choose engagement over installation when A. the change requires following a pre-defined set of steps B. the change involves carefully defined objectives and measures C. the change requires finding a solution for a mechanical problem D. the change involves intangible goals such as building relationships 26) What benefits does the engagement strategy offer that the installation strategy does not? A. The engagement strategy provides clearly defined objectives and measures. B. The engagement strategy builds support for the business or planned technical change. C. The engagement strategy offers a defined set of steps. D. The engagement strategy usually results in cosmetic change. 27) Creating learning helps bring value to the client. What does this mean when building elements through the implementation process? A. There is a need to bring change to the forefront to design a package. B. There is a need to package an answer in order to learn. C. There is a need to design a method to teach learning. D. There is a need to design our efforts to support learning at the expense of teaching. 28) Why is the question more important than the answer during the learning and change process? A. The way we ask questions answers who caused the problem. B. The way we develop answers comes from asking how things were done. C. The way we ask the question drives the kind of answer we develop. D. The way we develop answers comes from asking when the problem began. 29) The promise of consulting is to A. commit to care and to service B. teach the client process improvement C. establish effective client relationships D. create new business opportunities 30) Saying no to inappropriate projects, avoiding no-win consulting situations, should happen A. when checking financial resources and learning the client does not have the money to pay B. when the client is absent C. when there is no chemistry with the client D. when you over promise and under deliver