84) You work as the sales manager for a company that sells paper supplies to businesses of all
sizes. Because the profit margins are razor-thin, you need to ensure that you are getting the very
best prices on all paper supplies from the manufacturers. When reviewing the quarterly profit
statement, you realize that your costs are higher than they should be, and you trace the higher costs
back to an employee who has been lax about getting competitive bids to ensure the lowest prices.
When you conduct your research to determine the reason for the higher costs, and take action to
bring those costs back down, in which of the key management processes are you taking part?
A) planning
B) organizing
C) leading
D) controlling
E) mentoring
85) In medium- and large-sized cities, such as Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Chicago, and New York,
many residents have been getting rid of their cars. Keeping a car in a city can be very expensive
and quite a hassle due to a lack of parking and strong parking regulations that lead to expensive
tickets for even minor parking infringements. Residents have learned that they can join services,
such as ZipCar, that allow them to “borrow” cars from a fleet when they need them. They pay a
monthly fee for the service, and they use an online application to “reserve” a car for when they
need it. All of the hassle is gone; the car is ready for them when they need it; and parking is always
guaranteed. ZipCar and other companies like it are examples of
A) the sharing economy.
B) the information society.
C) intrapreneurship.
D) an internal locus of control.
E) a start-up.
86) Which of the following is an example of a disruptive innovation?
A) Apple begins selling its up-market iMac computer, and then it introduces an even more
expensive version of the computer with a new screen designed for top-quality display.
B) A small pizza parlor located in the parking lot of a gas station becomes so popular that it takes
over a large building and takes most of the customers that used to patronize the local Dominos and
Pizza Hut.
C) Amazon announces that it will begin offering electronic books for lower prices on its electronic
Kindle reading device.
D) An upscale department store, such as Neiman Marcus, decides to add a free personal shopping
service for all customers who spend a minimum of $10,000 per year at the store.
E) A manufacturer of scales decides to change the basic design of its product so that the readout of
a person’s weight is presented digitally, in large glowing numbers that are easy to read.
87) Comics for All is a small publisher that specializes in publishing comics and anime. Mostly
Comics for All does not maintain an office. Rather, its four employees work from their homes.
One lives in Los Angeles, one lives in Philadelphia, one lives in Miami, and one lives in Atlanta,
Oregon. The staff collaborate using Skype, Google Hangouts, WebEx, phone conference calls, and
other business applications that allow them to meet in real time. Comics for All is an example of
A) Big Data at work.
B) E-commerce.
C) sustainability in action.
D) a virtual organization.
E) intrapreneurship.
88) Which of the following jobs in a high-tech company would be considered a “high-touch job”?
A) traveling sales reps who meet with the owners or managers of electronics stores
B) the bookkeepers who work in the company’s accounts payable department
C) the building’s maintenance managers, who make sure the physical plant remains in good
working order
D) the warehouse staff who fulfill customers’ orders
E) the web designer who designs and continuously updates the company’s website
89) Ben learns that the company was going to be laying off several employees over the next
several months. He knew that the rumor mill was going to start, and he wanted to head off
misinformation and get ahead of the curve. Which of the following options should he take?
A) Meet with the individuals that would most likely be laid off.
B) E-mail the employees who seem to start most of the rumors.
C) Post an announcement in the breakroom for all to see.
D) Call an all staff meeting and give everyone the news at once.
E) Walk to every cubicle and speak directly to each staff person individually.
90) Which is better: mindfulness or multitasking?
A) Multitasking is better because you can do many things at once.
B) Mindfulness is better because you are focusing on one thing until it is completed.
C) Mindfulness is better because you can do many things at one time.
D) Multitasking is better because you are prioritizing tasks and doing them in order.
E) Multitasking is better because it allows you to spread your attention across many different tasks.
91) Career readiness represents the extent to which you possess the ________ desired by
employers.
A) skills, attributes, and references
B) knowledge, degree, and motivation
C) knowledge, skills, and degree
D) knowledge, skills and attributes
E) motivation, skills, and self-awareness
92) Darla is an experienced plant manager. She has been assigned to help a struggling plant meet
its target goals. On her first day she asks for the organizational chart and the last month’s
productivity reports. What would Darla do with those two documents?
A) She might move managers into other areas to test their knowledge.
B) She might order more materials and hire additional staff.
C) She might reorganize the management team and rethink the work processes.
D) She might lay-off line workers to save money and add managers to the line.
E) She might suggest to upper management that the plant needs to close.
93) The management team at Imagine Advertising is trying to land a new client. Carla, the CEO,
has set targets for how much the contract needs to be and has delegated out the tasks. Dominic and
Stella are sent out to meet with the client. In the past, they have been successful at helping clients
see the big picture and how their advertising team can help the client realize their goals. What
principal function do Dominic and Stella possess?
A) controlling
B) leading
C) planning
D) organizing
E) motivating
94) Sanjay is the top executive at a hospital. He is known for being the first person at work in the
mornings and the last to leave. Some even say that he seems to live there. He is always accessible
by phone, even when on vacation. Last year, he worked meetings to be standing meetings that
lasted only 15 minutes. Using Mintzberg’s findings, how would you characterize Sanjay?
A) a manager who relies more on written communication than verbal
B) a manager who works long hours at an intense pace
C) a manager who relies more on verbal than written communication
D) a manager whose work is characterized by fragmentation, brevity and variety
E) a manager who is mindful and focused
95) Julia wanted to test out a new product for her company. She scheduled several small group
lunches and learns with internal staff and then a few town hall meetings with external clients and
the community. She wanted to make sure that product would meet the needs of the consumers, but
also would be a product that the staff would be excited to produce. Because Julia chose to seek
input from others, what type of managerial role do you think she prefers to play?
A) informational
B) interpersonal
C) liaison
D) decisional
E) negotiator
96) What is efficiency? What is effectiveness? Imagine you manage a local gas station. Which
criteria might you use to determine your efficiency as a manager? Which criteria might you use to
determine your effectiveness?
97) Suppose you are the dean of the business school at your college or university. In addition to
your academic duties, you must manage your department. Discuss some ways you might meet the
challenges of managing information technology for students and faculty.
50
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written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
The rise of artificial intelligence has led to more automation in the workforce. Artificial
intelligence (AI) is the discipline concerned with creating computer systems that simulate human
reasoning and sensation.
While AI is still in its infancy, it is likely that it will lead to job losses. Managers must consider the
implications of AI for staffing, training, and professional development (for both themselves and
their employees). Already some schools have begun to replace traditional instruction with
computerized, remedial instruction. For example, in a business communication course, students
may focus on different types of business documents in class but get up to speed with grammar and
punctuation through online tutorials that they complete on their own time.
Technology is also leading to organizational changes: shifts in structure, jobs, goals, and
management. Managers must manage in an era where telecommuting and videoconferencing have
become common. Today’s students demand online courses; as a department chair, you will need to
determine the best way to offer these courses.
Today’s managers can use project management software (programs for planning and scheduling
the people, costs, and resources to complete a project on time) and collaborative computing to help
people work together better. All such forms of interaction will require managers and employees to
be more flexible, and to implement systems and practices to increase the sharing of knowledge and
information throughout an organization. Most colleges have an intranet that allows faculty and
staff to communicate about important issues.
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Management
Learning Objective: 01-06: Identify the seven challenges faced by most managers.
Bloom’s: Understand
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
98) Define and explain the three roles that managers play, according to Henry Mintzberg. Also
explain and give an example for the sub roles within each category.