Fundamentals of Management, 10e (Robbins)
Chapter 1 Managers and Management
1) Which of the following is a common myth about the study of management?
A) Management is just common sense.
B) Managers need to be well disciplined in all of the business areas.
C) Managers are found in all types of organizations, large and small.
D) Many of today’s managers are minorities.
2) An organization is ________.
A) the physical location where people work
B) any collection of people who perform similar tasks
C) a deliberate arrangement of people to accomplish some specific purpose
D) a group of individuals focused on profit-making for their shareholders
3) All organizations have ________ that define(s) the organization’s purpose and reason for
existing.
A) limits
B) rules
C) structure
D) goals
4) One of the common characteristics of all organizations is ________ that define(s) rules,
regulations, and values of the organization.
A) a set of written bylaws
B) an explicit goal
C) a systematic structure
D) a stated purpose
5) A fraternity is an example of an organization because it is comprised of people who
________.
A) share the same values, traditions, and customs
B) share the same goals and values
C) share goals and function within a common structure
D) function under the same set of rules and regulations
6) Which of the following is a key difference between managerial and nonmanagerial
employees?
A) Managerial employees receive higher pay compensation.
B) Nonmanagerial employees have less formal education.
C) Nonmanagerial employees do not oversee the work of others.
D) Managerial employees work longer hours.
7) The primary job of a manager is to ________.
A) make decisions that help an organization grow
B) tackle tasks that are too difficult for nonmanagerial employees
C) coordinate between organization leaders and ordinary employees
D) direct and oversee the work of others
8) The work of a manager ________.
A) is strictly limited to overseeing and monitoring the work of others
B) may involve performing tasks that are not related to overseeing others
C) involves only high-level tasks that require a sophisticated skill set
D) does not involve interaction with nonmanagerial employees
9) Supervisor is another name for which of the following?
A) team leader
B) middle manager
C) first-line manager
D) top manager
10) Which of the following types of managers is responsible for making organization-wide
decisions and establishing the plans and goals that affect the entire organization?
A) team leader
B) top manager
C) department head
D) project leader
11) Which is an important job responsibility for a middle manager?
A) defining the organization’s long-term goals
B) translating goals defined by top managers into action
C) helping top managers define goals
D) performing tasks that are not related to long-term goals
12) Which of the following identifies a manager who does NOT typically supervise other
managers?
A) unit chief
B) shift manager
C) vice president
D) division manager
13) Of the following, which is the lowest level of management?
A) a nonmanagerial employee
B) an individual involved in defining the organization’s philosophy
C) a vice president
D) a middle manager
14) All levels of management between the supervisory level and the top level of the organization
are termed ________.
A) middle managers
B) first-line managers
C) supervisors
D) team leaders
15) Which of the following levels of management is associated with positions such as executive
vice president, chief operating officer, chief executive officer, and chairperson of the board?
A) team leaders
B) middle managers
C) first-line managers
D) top managers
The Perfect Manager (Scenario)
Brenda Kraft has proven herself to be an able manager. Her section has a high project
completion rate with the highest-quality product and the lowest defects in her division. In
addition, she accomplishes this with fewer full-time people than other managers. Co-workers say
that the secret of her success is in her ability to determine what needs to be done and by whom,
and her understanding of the basic “management processes.”
16) Brenda’s high project completion rate indicates that she is ________.
A) an efficient manager
B) an effective manager
C) a good spokesperson
D) a good resource allocator
17) If Brenda accomplished her projects on time with high-quality results, but she took more
time than other managers in the process, you could say that as a manager she was ________.
A) efficient, but not effective
B) a leader, but not a top manager
C) project oriented, but not effective
D) effective, but not efficient
18) Part of what defines an organization is its purpose.
19) All organizations have a structure that in some ways serves to define and limit the behavior
of members of the organization.
20) In order to be considered a manager, an individual must direct or oversee the work of others.
21) A manager does not work directly on tasks for the organization.
22) Supervisors and team leaders may both be considered first-line managers.
23) In a short essay, compare the tasks, priorities, and responsibilities of first-line, middle, and
top managers.
24) Another term for efficiency is ________.
A) doing the right things
B) doing things right
C) making sure things get done
D) doing things at the right time
25) Which of the following might be an example of increased efficiency in manufacturing?
A) cutting the amount of labor required to make the product
B) cutting the price of the product
C) increasing sales of the product
D) increasing advertising for the product
26) Another term for effectiveness is ________.
A) doing the right things
B) doing things right
C) doing things intelligently
D) doing things when necessary
27) Effectiveness is synonymous with ________.
A) cost minimization
B) smart management
C) goal attainment
D) efficiency
28) Efficiency refers to ________.
A) the relationship between inputs and outputs
B) the additive relationship between inputs and outputs
C) the inverse relationship between inputs and outputs
D) decreasing inputs only
29) Good management strives for ________.
A) low efficiency and high effectiveness
B) high efficiency and low effectiveness
C) high efficiency and high effectiveness
D) moderate efficiency and moderate effectiveness
30) A candy manufacturer would increase both efficiency and effectiveness by making
________.
A) better candy at the same cost
B) better candy at a lower cost
C) the same candy at a lower cost
D) the same candy at the same cost
31) A candy manufacturer that made candy at a lower cost without improving the quality of the
candy could be said to ________.
A) increase effectiveness without increasing efficiency
B) increase efficiency without increasing effectiveness
C) increase both effectiveness and efficiency
D) decrease both effectiveness and efficiency
32) The “father” of scientific management was ________.
A) Henri Fayol
B) Robert L. Katz
C) Henry Mintzberg
D) Frederick Winslow Taylor
33) Taylor began to develop his theory of ________ after a result of viewing workers in steel
companies.
A) the functions of management
B) ethics-based management
C) management skills
D) scientific management
34) A major contribution that Taylor made to the study of management was ________.
A) to measure efficiency on a 4-star scale
B) to identify the one best way to get a job done
C) to identify the three best ways to get a job done
D) to measure inefficiency on a 4-star scale
35) Which of the following did Taylor NOT find “appalling” in his study of workers in steel
companies?
A) Workers “took it easy” on the job.
B) Workers employed different techniques for the same job.
C) Workers would only attempt to perform a job if they were shown to have aptitude for it.
D) Worker output was only about one-third of what was possible.
The Perfect Manager (Scenario)
Brenda Kraft has proven herself to be an able manager. Her section has a high project
completion rate with the highest-quality product and the lowest defects in her division. In
addition, she accomplishes this with fewer full-time people than other managers. Co-workers say
that the secret of her success is in her ability to determine what needs to be done and by whom,
and her understanding of the basic “management processes.”
36) Brenda’s ability to determine what needs to be done and by whom is evidence that she excels
at which management function?
A) planning
B) controlling
C) leading
D) organizing
Joe, the Manager (Scenario)
As a production supervisor, Joe determines the number of output units his department will
produce each week. On Monday, he informs his team that the schedule is going to be difficult
this week due to the increased number of output units. He goes on to tell them that he is
confident that they can fulfill the schedule because they are tough, talented, and “when the going
gets tough, they are the ones who get going.” Each day during the week, Joe checks the amount
of output that the employees have completed and the number of units that have been rejected.
37) When Joe decides the number of output units his team will be able to produce this week,
which management process is he performing?
A) controlling
B) leading
C) planning
D) organizing
38) Effectiveness refers to the relationship between inputs and outputs.
39) A goal of efficiency is to minimize output costs while maximizing input costs.
40) Effectiveness refers to the attainment of the organization’s goals.
41) Managers who are effective at meeting organizational goals always act efficiently.
42) The four contemporary management processes are planning, organizing, leading, and
commanding.
43) In a short essay, discuss the difference between efficiency and effectiveness.
44) In a short essay, explain through examples how a process can be (a) efficient but not
effective and (b) effective but not efficient.
45) Today, the basic management functions are considered to be ________.
A) planning, coordinating, leading, and monitoring
B) planning, organizing, leading, and motivating
C) commanding, organizing, leading, and decision making
D) planning, organizing, leading, and controlling
46) How many management functions were originally proposed by Henri Fayol?
A) three: plan, organize, lead
B) four: plan, organize, lead, control
C) five: plan, organize, command, coordinate, control
D) ten: 3 interpersonal, 3 informational, 4 decisional
47) Which of the following is NOT considered to be a part of the planning function of a
manager?
A) defining goals
B) motivating
C) mapping out strategy
D) making decisions
48) The controlling management function is largely a matter of ________.
A) resolving conflicts
B) determining what needs to be done
C) monitoring to see that tasks are accomplished
D) enforcing rules for employees
49) Organizing includes ________.
A) defining organizational goals
B) resolving conflicts
C) motivating organizational members
D) determining who does what tasks
50) Resolving a conflict would be considered to fall under which managerial function?
A) controlling
B) planning
C) directing
D) leading
51) An important part of the controlling function is ________.
A) evaluating
B) structuring
C) coordinating
D) punishing
52) ________ developed a categorization scheme for defining what managers do, consisting of
10 different but highly interrelated roles.
A) Henri Fayol
B) Robert L. Katz
C) Henry Mintzberg
D) Henry Ford
53) Giving a speech at an organization banquet would fall into which Mintzberg category?
A) informational
B) interpersonal
C) decisional
D) entrepreneurial
54) Mintzberg developed his ten managerial roles by ________.
A) sending out questionnaires to thousands of managers
B) observing hundreds of managers over several years
C) closely monitoring the work activities of five chief executives
D) using common sense to analyze the situation
55) According to Mintzberg, which of the following fit into the category of interpersonal roles?
A) figurehead, leader, and liaison
B) negotiator, liaison, and figurehead
C) monitor, leader, and resource allocator
D) disturbance handler, liaison, and negotiator
56) A pharmaceutical company manager attending a meeting of academic scientists would be
functioning in which role?
A) informational
B) figurehead
C) liaison
D) decisional
57) A finance manager who reads the Wall Street Journal on a regular basis would be
performing which role?
A) leader
B) monitor
C) disseminator
D) liaison
58) The emphasis that managers give to various activities is generally based on their ________.
A) organizational level
B) tenure with the organization
C) experience in their field
D) skill specialty
59) The current research on managerial skill points to four general management skills. Which of
the following is NOT one of the four skills?
A) Political
B) Interpersonal
C) Conceptual
D) Scientific
60) The four managerial functions first described by Fayol are considered the “best” because
________.
A) they were devised a long time ago
B) most sources still use them
C) they date back to ancient Greece and Rome
D) they are no longer popular today