1. Managers must make decisions whenever they perform any of the five management functions—planning, organizing,
staffing, controlling, and leading.
a. True
b. False
2. Supervisors must make more decisions more frequently—and often more quickly—than other managers.
a. True
b. False
3. Span of management is the number of decisions a manager can make in one day.
a. True
b. False
4. Decision making is considering and selecting a course of action from among alternatives.
a. True
b. False
5. Even if an outcome is inevitable, a decision is always needed.
a. True
b. False
6. A supervisor’s decision always contains an element of uncertainty.
a. True
b. False
7. Joan reported late for work on several occasions this week. In handling this situation, her supervisor Jim will
probably use a programmed decision.
a. True
b. False
8. Programmed decisions are decisions that occur infrequently and require a different response each time.
a. True
b. False
9. Handling a severe accident warrants a programmed decision.
a. True
b. False
10. Whom to promote to a supervisory position is an unprogrammed decision.
a. True
b. False
11. A situation that is viewed as a source of anxiety or distress can best be called an opportunity.
a. True
b. False
12. When solving a problem, it is important to identify the factors causing the problem.
a. True
b. False
13. Every effective supervisor must be a good detective.
a. True
b. False
14. Supervisors are, first and foremost, “fixers.”
a. True
b. False
15. Sometimes policies, procedures, and rules provide information that affect a decision.
a. True
b. False
16. In a cost/benefit analysis, a supervisor evaluates what each alternative will cost in terms of financial resources alone.
a. True
b. False
17. Determining whether a decision is achieving results involves the control function of management.
a. True
b. False
18. Decision makers attempt to minimize the possibility of risk by not attempting to forecast outcomes or variables.
a. True
b. False
19. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) helps identify a group’s problem-solving style.
a. True
b. False
20. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, people who rely on intuition tend to be patient and realistic.
a. True
b. False
21. The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator measures four dichotomies of personality types.
a. True
b. False
22. The Vroom-Yetton model provides guidelines on the extent to which subordinates are involved in decision making or
problem solving.
a. True
b. False
23. The autocratic style is the only style that the Vroom-Yetton model describes.
a. True
b. False
24. Synergy means that the whole is less than the sum of the parts.
a. True
b. False
25. Brainstorming is a process that is used as a technique to foster creative problem solving.
a. True
b. False
26. The Crawford Slip technique makes use of two elements that are important to creativity: fluency and leniency.
a. True
b. False
27. Fluency is the ability to let ideas flow out of your head like water over a waterfall.
a. True
b. False
28. The nominal group technique is structured and generates ideas through round-robin individual responses.
a. True
b. False
29. Ethics are the standards that are used to judge rightness or wrongness of a person’s behavior toward others.
a. True
b. False
30. The highest level of ethical behavior is the legal level, adhering to the “law of the land.”
a. True
b. False
31. Which of the following is true of managers?
a. Top managers must make more decisions more often.
b. Supervisors direct employees’ behavior toward achieving their own goals.
c. Employees look to top managers for more direction, guidance, and protection than do subordinates of
managers at lower levels.
d. The lower the level of management, the smaller the span of management.
32. The is the number of immediate employees a supervisor can supervise effectively.
a. span of organization
b. span of management
c. span of leadership
d. span of decision making
33. The lower the level of management, .
a. the wider the manager’s span of management
b. the less frequently the manager needs to make decisions
c. the lesser the managers spend time interacting with their subordinates
d. the higher the manager’s authority
34. is best defined as the conscious consideration and selection of a course of action from among available
alternatives.
a. Creative planning
b. Decision making
c. Scenario planning
d. Balancing
35. Which of the following statements is true of decision making?
a. If a given event is inevitable, a decision need not be made.
b. Decisions should never contain an element of uncertainty.
c. The possibility of doing nothing is not an alternative in the decision making process.
d. A decision is made only when there is a single solution to a problem.
36. Which of the following is true of the elements involved in decision making?
a. In many supervisory situations, no decision is needed, and decision making would be in vain.
b. A supervisor‘s decision making is oriented towards the present only and should never contain an element of
uncertainty.
c. Decision making involves an unconscious process of selection.
d. The decision to do nothing is always the best decision for a supervisor, because it it is always best to let the
top management to make decisions.
37. If there is only one alternative, .
a. the rank-and-file employees make the decision for the whole organization
b. it is best for the supervisor to take no action against the problem
c. no decision to needs to be made.
d. the outcome is always undesirable.
38. A is one which is routine and repetitive.
a. non–programmed decision
b. linear decision
c. programmed decision
d. reflexive decision
39. A non–programmed decision:
a. is routine and repetitive.
b. is the decision taken by a supervisor when a given situation is inevitable.
c. requires different responses each time.
d. is handled by supervisors in a systematic way as it requires the same response each time.
40. The decision about how frequently to do maintenance servicing is an example of a:
a. single–use decision.
b. programmed decision.
c. reflexive decision.
d. non–programmed decision.
41. A fire accident just occurred in the department that Tom supervises. Which type of decision must Tom make in the
given situation?
a. A non-programmed decision
b. An opportunity decision
c. A programmed decision
d. A repetitive decision
42. Which of the following statements is true of problem solving?
a. The golden rule of management is that a supervisor should always consider a problem as an opportunity.
b. Decision making is unrelated to problem solving.
c. Effective supervisors analyze problems, and solve them by eliminating their causes.
d. Placing greater emphasis on problems can help a supervisor to identify opportunities.
43. Improving an already effective preventive maintenance system is an example of:
a. a non-programmed decision.
b. opportunity decision making.
c. problem solving.
d. an organizational policy.
44. The first step in the decision making process is to:
a. provide feedback.
b. define the problem.
c. select alternatives for the problem.
d. develop alternatives for the problem.
45. is a good technique to use to generate a full set of alternatives.
a. Marketing
b. Testing the communication systems
c. Brainstorming
d. Checking out office rumors
46. In deciding between two alternatives, the supervisor should choose the one that:
a. gives the greatest payoff at the lowest cost.
b. gives the greatest payoff at the highest cost.
c. gives the least payoff at the lowest cost.
d. gives the least payoff at the highest cost.
47. is used to select the preferred alternative once the alternatives have been developed and information about
them has been collected.
a. A Gantt chart
b. A cost/benefit analysis
c. A PERT chart
d. The critical path method
48. Following up on decision making involves exercising the management function of:
a. downsizing.
b. centralizing.
c. leading.
d. controlling.
49. The last step in the decision-making process is:
a. selecting the preferred alternative.
b. implementing the decision.
c. following up and evaluating decisions.
d. evaluating and interpreting alternatives.
50. According to Myers and Briggs, people who rely primarily on tend to be patient, practical, and realistic.
a. sensing
b. thinking
c. intuition
d. feeling
51. According to Myers and Briggs, people who prefer tend to be successful in applying skills in interpersonal
and human relations.
a. thinking
b. sensing
c. feeling
d. intuition
52. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, people who prefer are skillful in dealing with matters that
require logic, objectivity, and careful examination of facts.
a. feeling
b. intuition
c. thinking
d. sensing
53. When a supervisor solves a problem or makes the decision himself, using the information available to him, he is using
the _____.
a. autocratic approach
b. group concensus approach
c. consultative approach
d. optimum decision style
54. means that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
a. Synergy
b. Energy
c. Fluency
d. Equity
55. According to the Crawford Slip technique, is the ability to use free association to generate or classify ideas in
categories.
a. fluency
b. tactility
c. flexibility
d. synergy
56. is one of the two elements of the Crawford Slip technique.
a. Fluency
b. Rigidity
c. Responsibility
d. Synergy
57. Which of the following is TRUE about the nominal group technique?
a. Round-robin responses are used in this technique.
b. All responses are expressed verbally in this technique.
c. It is a non-structured technique.
d. It inhibits creativity.
58. are the standards used to judge the “rightness” or “wrongness” of one person’s behavior toward others.
a. Policies
b. Objectives
c. Rules
d. Ethics
59. Discuss how decision making relates to the five management functions.
60. Why do supervisors need to make decisions more frequently than other managers?
61. Define decision making and give an example.
62. Differentiate between programmed and non-programmed decisions, and give an example of each.
63. List and discuss the six steps in the decision-making process.
64. What does the cost/benefit analysis entail?
65. Describe the four internal dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and some of the characteristics
of the people who demonstrate each dimension.
People who use sensing become aware of things through their five senses and are
66. Describe what brainstorming is used for and the four guidelines that are part of this technique.
67. Describe the two elements that are important in achieving creativity in the Crawford Slip technique.
68. What role do ethics play in the decision process?