Management, 14e (Robbins/Coulter)
Chapter 18 Monitoring and Controlling
1) ________ refers to the process of monitoring, comparing, and correcting work performance.
A) Controlling
B) Checking
C) Measuring
D) Verifying
2) ________ is the final step in the management process, which provides a critical link back to
________.
A) Organizing; planning
B) Planning; controlling
C) Controlling; planning
D) Leading; organizing
3) Which one of the following management responsibilities determines if organizational goals
are being achieved?
A) designing the organization’s structure
B) motivating employees
C) formulating business strategy
D) measuring firm performance
4) Which one of the following observations best explains why the control function is important?
A) An effective control system includes employee empowerment.
B) An effective control system assures that the organization will meet or exceed its goals.
C) An effective control system is the only way managers know whether organizational goals are
being met.
D) Organizational strategies are formed during the controlling stage.
5) Statco, Inc., has struggled to meet projected revenues for each of the past ten quarters. The
firm hired Mark Adams to design a control system and offer suggestions to improve the firm’s
performance. Which one of the following is a key activity that the proposed control system
should perform?
A) organizational planning
B) organizational structuring
C) performance measurement
D) corporate governance
6) Which one of the following represents the controlling function?
A) The die cast machine operator adjusts the settings on the machine.
B) The shift supervisor checks the production schedule for the day.
C) The production manager schedules a new customer order.
D) The quality auditor selects one piece every 15 minutes from the batch of molded products
and, using very precise gauges, measures key dimensions on the part.
7) Having a control system reduces the scope of employee empowerment and autonomy.
8) Controlling is the process of monitoring, comparing, and correcting work performance.
9) Having a control system increases the scope of employee empowerment.
10) Managers engage in controlling activities to protect the organization and its assets.
11) What are the major reasons why the control function is important to managers?
12) The control process assumes that ________.
A) feedback is the only way to improve performance
B) managers will be aware of the actions and activities of their employees
C) performance standards are already in place
D) employee monitoring costs are part and parcel of doing business
13) Sometimes the French fries are rather pale, other times they are golden, sometimes they are
quite dark. Anna cooks them according to how much time she has available between customers.
The variation in appearance can be attributed to ________.
A) customer demand
B) the fact that there is no performance standard
C) differences in the potatoes
D) emphasis of quantity over quality
14) The first step in the control process is ________.
A) setting the desired standards
B) measuring actual performance
C) comparing performance against expectations
D) enforcing managerial control
15) Which one of the following sources of information for measuring performance is time
consuming, obtrusive, and subject to personal biases?
A) oral reports
B) personal observations
C) statistical reports
D) written reports
16) Blanca nods as she watches her new employee as he executes the steps in making French
fries. Her purpose is to make sure he follows the instructions exactly as given. Blanca is using
________.
A) personal observation
B) statistical reports
C) mentoring
D) nonverbal feedback
17) Which one of the following is an advantage of using statistical reports as the source of
information?
A) Statistical reports can be used to obtain firsthand knowledge.
B) Unfiltered information can be obtained using statistical reports.
C) Statistical reports are effective for showing relationships.
D) Statistical reports provide unbiased information.
18) Andrew prefers to get his performance data in the form of charts and graphs. Andrew prefers
________.
A) personal observations
B) statistical reports
C) oral reports
D) written reports
19) Barry wants to use a tool that makes the data easy to visualize and is effective for showing
relationships. Which one of the following tools is best suited for this?
A) personal observation
B) spreadsheets
C) written reports
D) statistical reports
20) Which one of the following sources usually provides filtered information which cannot be
documented?
A) oral reports
B) personal observations
C) online reports
D) written reports
21) Brenda is always ready with a story to tell about performance in her area. Unfortunately,
Brenda sometimes leaves out important facts and makes statements that cannot be corroborated.
Brenda is delivering ________.
A) personal observations
B) statistical reports
C) oral reports
D) anecdotes
22) Which one of the following sources provides information which is comprehensive, formal,
and easy to file and retrieve?
A) oral reports
B) personal observations
C) online reports
D) written reports
23) At the end of every month, the accounting department submits a balance sheet, statement of
profit and loss, and cash flow statement to the senior management team. These are all ________.
A) personal observations
B) statistical reports
C) oral reports
D) written reports
24) For which of the following is a subjective measure most appropriate?
A) level of satisfaction of patient care in a hospital
B) degree of improvement in closing sales in a real estate brokerage
C) quality of a water supply
D) reduction of waste in a manufacturing process
25) The comparing step in the control process determines ________.
A) a company’s relative position in the industry in terms of the standards used
B) a company’s relative position in the industry in terms of performance variances
C) the variation between actual performance and an external benchmark from a noncompetitor
D) the variation between actual performance and the standard
26) At the beginning of every shift, Cody records the amount of pizza sauce in inventory. At the
end of every shift, he records the number of pizzas made and the amount of pizza sauce left in
inventory. Why would he do this?
A) So he can determine if employees are taking sauce home.
B) So he can compare the quantity used with the budgeted amount.
C) So he will know how much pizza sauce to order.
D) So he will know how many customers visited his pizza parlor during his shift.
27) Managers should use subjective measures when ________.
A) work activities cannot be expressed in quantifiable terms
B) work activities are critical to the organization
C) organizational processes and activities are complex
D) employee attitudes are at stake
28) ________ corrects the problem at once to get performance back on track.
A) Basic corrective action
B) Immediate corrective action
C) Verbal feedback
D) Disciplinary action
29) “No, James, you must start the timer after you lower the French fry basket into the fryer, not
before.” This supervisor is using ________.
A) basic corrective action
B) disciplinary action
C) immediate corrective action
D) delayed corrective action
30) If a manager investigates how and why performance has deviated beyond the acceptable
range of variation, and then corrects the source of the deviation, she is using ________.
A) feedback control
B) immediate corrective action
C) basic corrective action
D) concurrent control
31) Mark recommends that the managers at Statco should identify how and why performance has
deviated beyond the acceptable range of variation, and then correct the source of the deviation.
Here, Mark is recommending ________.
A) feedforward control
B) immediate corrective action
C) basic corrective action
D) concurrent control
32) Following a customer complaint, Bigly Mfg. formed a problem solving team to find out why
the system was producing unacceptable parts and make a recommendation to fix it. This is an
example of ________.
A) delayed corrective action
B) immediate corrective action
C) basic corrective action
D) preventive corrective action
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33) Managers could choose to do nothing when ________.
A) an employee fails to attain the standard because of internal problems
B) the difference between actual performance and standard performance is low and acceptable
C) performance standards are acceptable, though the employees have not attained it
D) the variance observed from the expected performance is caused due to unrealistic standards
34) The goal for the sales team at the auto dealership was to sell one new car per day every day
of the month. In August the team sold 33 cars. What should management do?
A) Nothing. The deviation is insignificant.
B) Revise the goal. If the team sold more than the goal, obviously the goal is too low.
C) Wait. See if the performance is duplicated next month before taking any action.
D) Celebrate. Any achievement beyond the goal is deserving of a celebration.
35) Some control criteria, such as employee satisfaction, can be used for any management
situation.
36) Deviations that exceed the acceptable range of variation become significant and need a
manager’s attention.
37) Basic corrective action corrects problems at once to get performance back on track.
38) Managers should do nothing if the variance observed from the standard is acceptable.
39) If the variance between the standard and the actual result is in the organization’s favor,
managers do not need to do anything.
40) In a short essay, list and briefly explain the steps, processes, and best practices managers
typically utilize in the control process. Provide examples where appropriate.
41) Which one of the following best fits the definition of organizational performance which
managers should control?
A) Mr. B’s Pizzeria sold an average of 18 pizzas per hour on Saturday night.
B) The customer ordered the Victorian Rose interior décor.
C) Colin arrived 15 minutes early for his shift.
D) The shipment of parts arrived two days late.
42) Which one of the following refers to the overall output of goods or services produced divided
by the inputs needed to generate that output?
A) yield
B) efficiency
C) effectiveness
D) productivity
43) The plant superintendent wants to know the value of products per man hour. She is
concerned with ________.
A) costs
B) waste
C) productivity
D) profits
44) Festus believes organizational effectiveness is more important to the organization than
organizational productivity. What could be the rationale behind this belief?
A) Organizational productivity is not a measure of organizational performance.
B) Organizational effectiveness is a measure of how well the organizational goals are met.
C) Organizational productivity is not directly related to organizational output.
D) Organizational effectiveness is a quantitative measure of the input-output relationship.
45) ________ is measured by the costs of acquiring and transforming organizational resources
into outputs.
A) Input
B) Quality
C) Profit
D) Leverage
46) Which one of the following is considered the easiest way to increase organizational
productivity?
A) increasing the price of outputs
B) increasing the price of inputs
C) hiring more employees
D) decreasing the value of the products
47) The operations manager suggests a hike in the prices to improve productivity. However, the
marketing manager rules this option out. What could be the possible reason for this?
A) Product prices are not related to organizational productivity.
B) Selling price is negatively correlated to organizational productivity.
C) The industry is characterized by intense competition.
D) Such an action would lead to reduced employee satisfaction.
48) If a manager wanted to increase the ratio of outputs to inputs, she should ________.
A) decrease the selling price
B) increase productivity
C) increase the quality of inputs
D) hire additional employees
49) Buchanan Welders cannot raise its prices in its highly competitive industry. Which one of the
following is an option if Buchanan wants to increase its productivity?
A) introduce a lower-cost model
B) emphasize the importance of quality in its sales materials
C) Exceed customers’ expectations with early deliveries
D) use less expensive inputs
50) Organizational ________ is a measure of how appropriate organizational goals are and how
well an organization is achieving those goals.
A) productivity
B) effectiveness
C) efficiency
D) yield
51) Disciplinary action is helpful to the organization because ________.
A) employees know what to do to correct their undesirable behavior
B) disciplined employees are less likely to leave the organization
C) the manager will monitor the disciplined employee more closely
D) after the first rule violation, problem employees are eliminated from the organization.
52) Productivity decreases when an organization raises the prices of its products.
53) Organizational effectiveness is a measure of how appropriate organizational goals are and
how well those goals are being met.
54) Most employees do their jobs well and never require disciplinary action.
55) Explain the importance of delivering employee performance feedback including the use of
disciplinary action.
56) An organization hires additional personnel as soon as they get a major contract. The
organization is using ________ control.
A) feedforward
B) concurrent
C) feedback
D) management
57) Contours, Inc., knows each drill bit can cut approximately 100,000 holes before the hole size
is smaller than the print specification so it changes drill bits after 95,000 uses. Contours, Inc., is
using ________ control.
A) preventive
B) predictive
C) feedforward
D) concurrent
58) Which one of the following is considered the most desirable type of control to prevent
anticipated problems?
A) feedforward control
B) concurrent control
C) feedback control
D) management by walking around
59) Charles wants to prevent problems before their occurrence. Which one of the following is the
most desirable type of control to achieve this goal?
A) proactive control
B) preventive control
C) feedforward control
D) feedback control
60) The management control that takes place while a work activity is in progress is known as
________ control.
A) immediate
B) concurrent
C) feedback
D) consistent
61) The launch went off without a hitch but the space capsule directed toward Neptune has
veered off course. NASA sends signals to change the direction of flight to get it back on track.
NASA is using ________ control.
A) feedback
B) concurrent
C) preventive
D) feedforward
62) Devon interacts directly with the employees in the work area to identify problem areas. He
works with various departments to obtain a holistic idea of the business. This type of direct
supervision is an example of ________ control.
A) proactive
B) preventive
C) direct supervision
D) feedback