Fundamentals of Management, 10e (Robbins)
Chapter 14 Foundations of Control
1) The control management function ensures that ________ in an organization.
A) goals are set
B) goals are met
C) plans are made
D) plans are realistic
2) A major part of the controlling function of management is to ________.
A) formulate strategies
B) set goals
C) correct performance problems
D) structure an organization
3) The more a control system helps an organization ________, the more successful it is judged to
be.
A) meet government guidelines
B) help employees achieve job satisfaction
C) meet its goals
D) increase sales
4) A well-run company that has well-thought-out plans, motivated and productive workers, and
an efficient organizational structure ________.
A) always attains its goals
B) may not always attain its goals
C) rarely attains its goals
D) has no reason to monitor its performance
5) The value of the controlling function is seen in three specific areas: planning, ________.
A) organizing, and leading
B) protecting employees, and empowering the workplace
C) protecting employees, and protecting the workplace
D) empowering employees, and protecting the workplace
6) Controlling is the ________ in the management process.
A) first step
B) final step
C) most important step
D) least important step
7) Controlling compares ________ to see if goals are being achieved.
A) planned performance to standard performance
B) standard performance to ideal performance
C) actual performance to competitor performance
D) actual performance to planned performance
8) Effective controlling can help managers ________.
A) empower their employees
B) set their goals
C) maximize risk
D) minimize employee empowerment
9) The controlling function helps managers protect an organization’s ________.
A) reputation for honesty
B) assets
C) position in the community
D) good name
10) Control is the process of monitoring and evaluating activities to ensure that they are being
accomplished as planned.
11) The criterion that determines the effectiveness of a control system is how well it reduces
unnecessary costs.
12) Control is the managerial function that allows managers to make sure that organizational
goals are being met.
13) The value of the control function lies in three areas: planning, organizing, and motivating.
14) An effective control system can help managers delegate authority to employees with
confidence.
15) The control function is not intended to protect the organization from threats.
16) Motivation and leadership are two primary parts of the controlling function.
17) Controlling provides a critical link back to planning that compares actual outcomes to
planned outcomes.
18) In a short essay, define and describe the management function of control.
19) The first step in the control process is to ________.
A) take action
B) measure actual performance
C) compare performance against a standard
D) compare a standard against an ideal
20) Managers always use these for performance standards during the control process.
A) goals created during the planning process
B) employee opinions
C) generic performance standards for the industry
D) standards developed by performance experts
21) A manager measuring actual performance is like a teacher ________.
A) composing a test
B) grading a test
C) helping a student study for a test
D) making an assignment
22) This is the most informal form of performance measurement.
A) oral reports
B) written reports
C) statistical reports
D) personal observation
23) MBWA stands for management by ________.
A) work area
B) work action
C) written action
D) walking around
24) An advantage of management by walking around is ________.
A) perceptual biases
B) obtrusiveness
C) personal contact
D) objectivity
25) For a baseball player, a statistical report would feature such things as ________.
A) a newspaper profile of the player
B) batting average and slugging percentage
C) filmed highlights of great plays
D) scouting reports on the player
26) A disadvantage of a statistical report is that it may leave out ________ measurements of
performance.
A) subjective
B) objective
C) positive
D) negative
27) This type of performance measurement format would be most likely to include graphs,
tables, and computer outputs.
A) oral report
B) statistical report
C) MBWA
D) written report
28) This kind of performance measurement method is fast and is a good platform for feedback,
yet it can be private and scheduled for a single employee ahead of time.
A) written report
B) MBWA
C) oral report
D) statistical report
29) The most comprehensive form of performance measurement is this.
A) MBWA
B) oral report
C) graphs
D) written report
30) Steve has a taped record of a one-on-one meeting with his boss.
A) a statistical report
B) an oral report
C) MBWA
D) a written report
31) Jessie’s assigned work section consists of three work groups who were assessed by this
method of performance measurement and were informally judged to be “creative, innovative,
hard-working, and fun-loving.”
A) MBWA
B) written report
C) statistical report
D) oral report
32) These forms of performance measurement provide the best and most immediate forms of
feedback.
A) oral report and written report
B) written report and statistical report
C) MBWA and oral report
D) statistical report and MBWA
33) What managers choose to measure is largely determined by
A) what an organization does well.
B) the organization’s structure.
C) the company’s image.
D) the leaders and leadership style of those in the organization.
34) A car company that puts more effort into measuring quality than total units sold most likely
wants to excel at ________.
A) customer satisfaction
B) efficiency
C) employee satisfaction
D) cost per unit
35) A software company that puts almost all of its performance measurement effort into
measuring the total number of units that the company and its competitors sell most likely wants
to excel at ________.
A) efficiency
B) market share
C) cost per unit
D) labor per unit
36) A state motor vehicles agency that is interested in serving the public might choose to
measure ________.
A) total revenue rather than customer wait time
B) total customers rather than total revenue
C) customer wait time rather than total customers
D) employee turnover rather than customer wait time
37) Which of the following performance measurement categories must be measured subjectively
rather than in objective or quantifiable terms?
A) budget
B) absenteeism
C) efficiency
D) job satisfaction
38) The second step in the control process is to ________.
A) compare a standard against an ideal
B) measure actual performance
C) compare performance against a standard
D) take action
39) To carry out the second step of the control process, managers at an electric shaver company
need to compare the number of actual shavers sold to ________.
A) a competitor’s sales totals
B) planning goals for sales totals
C) sales totals from last year
D) the number of possible shaver customers
40) In the second step of the control process, actual performance can be considered acceptable as
long as the performance doesn’t fall ________.
A) short of goals by more than 15 percent
B) short of goals by more than 30 percent
C) inside an acceptable range of variation
D) outside an acceptable range of variation
41) In general, ________ that falls outside an acceptable range of variation must be dealt with by
a manager.
A) an overperformance
B) an underperformance
C) any deviation
D) a small overperformance or a large underperformance
42) The third step in the control process is to ________.
A) measure actual performance
B) compare a standard against an ideal
C) take action
D) compare performance to a standard
43) When actual performance falls outside an acceptable range of variation, it is termed a(n)
________.
A) significant deviation
B) insignificant deviation
C) acceptable deviation
D) large deviation
44) When should a manager’s course of action be to do nothing?
A) when the cause of the variation has been identified
B) when the standard is acceptable
C) when the standard is not acceptable
D) when the variance is acceptable
45) Actual performance falls far short of planned goals, yet a manager takes no action. Assuming
this manager is a reasonable person and is not mistaken, what is the most likely cause of his
inaction?
A) He does not trust the data.
B) He does not consider the deviation significant.
C) He does not trust the goals that were set.
D) He does not believe in corrective action.
46) Which of the following is NOT a recognized possible course of action for managers to take
when actual performance falls outside an acceptable range of variation?
A) take corrective action
B) change the standards
C) editing the performance data
D) do nothing
47) If a manager of a tennis store sees sales totals for a particular racquet significantly exceeding
goals and deviating from acceptable range of variation, she might ________.
A) do nothing since sales exceeded goals
B) run a sale on the racquet
C) run a sale on other products
D) inquire about ordering more racquets
48) After an extended period of unseasonably warm and sunny weather, revenues at an indoor
tennis club are down sharply during the month of November, but are in line with what managers
expected for the month. The best strategy for the club manager is to ________.
A) do nothing
B) run a sale on hourly rates
C) raise hourly rates to increase revenue
D) change her monthly goals for December
49) Due to a recent construction of an upscale housing community near a tennis club, customer
use has skyrocketed during the year and the club is operating at all-time high levels, far beyond
the goals set the previous year. The best strategy for the manager is to ________.
A) do nothing
B) run a sale to increase customers
C) advertise
D) change goals for the following year
50) Immediate corrective action is designed ________.
A) to get to the root cause of a problem
B) to get performance back on track
C) to shake up an organization
D) to punish employees for poor performance
51) For addressing the hardships accompanying unemployment, this is an example of immediate
corrective action.
A) a job training program
B) food stamps
C) a task force to see why jobs were lost
D) a job placement agency
52) For addressing unemployment, this is an example of basic corrective action.
A) a task force to see why jobs were lost
B) food stamps
C) unemployment compensation
D) a job training program
53) In many cases, immediate corrective action rather than basic corrective action is taken by
managers because they ________.
A) want to be thorough
B) lack time
C) lack information
D) don’t understand the situation
54) Which of the following would constitute basic corrective action for employees whose
production has dropped?
A) changing the pay scale
B) taking away employee privileges
C) looking for causes of the production drop
D) changing how the work is carried out
55) A law firm manager finds that one lawyer who consistently outperforms other lawyers at the
firm is threatening to leave. Which immediate corrective action should the manager take?
A) none
B) offer a bonus
C) disciplinary action
D) a study to see why she outperforms others
56) A law firm manager finds that the firm loses too many of its civil cases while it wins an
inordinately high number of its criminal cases. Which basic corrective action can the manager
take?
A) pay criminal lawyers more
B) pay civil lawyers less
C) analyze civil and criminal cases
D) fire civil lawyers
57) When might a manager be justified in revising a standard rather than taking corrective action
to remedy a significant performance deviation?
A) when performance exceeds the standard
B) when performance falls slightly short of the standard
C) when performance falls far short of the standard
D) when the standard is unrealistic
58) A professor gives a new test to an otherwise typical class and finds that only 10 percent of
the students get grades of C or above. What is the most appropriate and fair response?
A) do nothing
B) revise the grading curve downward
C) revise the grading curve upward
D) revise the test itself
59) All of the following are dangers of revising production goals downward EXCEPT ________.
A) it destroys incentive to work harder
B) it increases incentive to work harder
C) it gives employees an excuse to be less productive
D) it gives employees something to blame for their lack of effort
60) The control process is a two-step process that measures and compares.
61) The development or identification of objectives or standards must precede the control
process.
62) Personal observation as a form of control measurement requires little time.