91.
New Horizons is a communication and information technology corporation. The company
makes it a point to stress to its employees that innovation is its core strength. The
employees even get an hour a day to brainstorm and come up with out-of-the-box ideas.
This highlights the _____ of the company.
92.
Pedro has been offered jobs at two different retail companies and needs to decide which
one to accept. Which of the following can be a useful clue about each organization’s
culture?
93.
Which of the following statements about organizational culture is true?
94.
According to the competing values model, if an organization’s culture is based on control,
efficiency, formal structures, and secure employment, it could be best described as a(n)
_____.
95.
According to the competing values model, if an organization’s culture is competitive and
goal oriented, its leaders are results oriented, and the focus is on achievement and
winning, it could be best described as a(n) _____ culture.
96.
The attitude and behavior patterns that shape people’s experience of an organization is
called an organizational _____.
1. Marietta has recently purchased more inventory than in the past. The people from
whom she buys are selling off more knickknacks because their children are not interested
in this type of decorative items and they would prefer to liquidate unnecessary household
items to help them with their daily expenses.
2. Marietta discovered that her business is in a historical preservation district. As she
considers remodeling the shop, she realized that she must pay attention to the guidelines
set forth in the governing laws.
3. Marietta’s buyer-customer base seems to be changing. The tastes of the younger
generation near her shop are shifting to modern decor, so the customer base to which she
sells is shrinking.
4. Marietta has been told that she should consider selling her inventory via the Internet,
but she does not own (or understand how to use) a computer.
5. In reading a survey of regional business, Marietta discovered that there are no other
antique knickknack stores within 200 miles.
97.
In Scenario A, which of the following elements of the macroenvironment was part of
Marietta’s findings?
98.
When Marietta read the survey of regional businesses, she was investigating _____.
99.
Findings about changing customer preferences and others who sell antique knickknacks
are associated with the
100.
Which of the following elements of the macroenvironment is most closely associated with
the findings about the historical preservation district?
Scenario B. Bryan and his wife are investigating the possibility of starting a new bed and
breakfast in Silver Eagle, a small town in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It has been
Bryan’s lifelong dream. Bryan has won a lottery and is trying to decide if this is what he
wants to do with the prize money. He decides to do an analysis of the competitive
environment. After his analysis, he discovers several important issues. First, it will cost
most of Bryan’s lottery winnings to finance a bed and breakfast in Silver Eagle. Second, it
will be difficult to attract new customers because they have so many lodging choices
available to them in Silver Eagle and the surrounding towns. Finally, the competition in the
bed and breakfast industry is considered fierce by industry analysts and this is frightening
to someone, like Bryan, who has never worked in that industry.
101.
Which of the following factors would Bryan have considered while analyzing the
competitive environment?
102.
The information that Bryan has collected in his competitive analysis can be referred to as
_____.
103.
From Scenario B, based on Bryan’s analysis of the competitive environment, it can be
inferred that
2-110
104.
Which of the following factors is indicated by the fact that it will require a large capital
investment to start a new bed and breakfast?
Scenario C. Parker Brothers is a high-end furniture manufacturer located in the Midwest.
Mr. Herbert “Bud” Parker started the firm as a young man in the 1960s. The firm has
grown, but with growth, it has never forgotten the vision of Mr. Parker: to be creative in all
that the firm does while rewarding employees who show innovation and entrepreneurial
leadership. Each year the Budding Genius Award is given to the employee who comes up
with the best design or marketing idea. New employees are told of the organization’s
history of product innovation and are taken on a tour of the “Wall of Parker Legends,”
where pictures of outstanding employees are hung with descriptions of their
accomplishments. Managers at the firm encourage their team members to take risks in
proposing new ideas. The company prides itself on its product leadership.
105.
The stories about the “Parker Legends” and the organization’s most innovative designs are
all clues to understanding the _____.
106.
The culture at Parker Brothers can be best described as a(an) _____ culture.
2-112
107.
Based on the information in Scenario C, which of the following is likely to be the dominant
attribute of Parker Brothers?
Scenario D. Lupe works for a small company that makes bottled ketchup, salsa, and other
condiments. She reports to the CFO. It is her job to predict the costs of raw materials for
the next five years. She uses various research sources, including the news, to learn who
the competitors are and what they have been doing. In fact, she subscribes to an analyst
e-newsletter that tells her about crop availability and weather conditions all around the
globe. Every month she develops a spreadsheet for her boss indicating the likely costs of
vegetables given the type of weather conditions expected in each area of the world and
thus the availability of particular crops. She is also involved in a team that is investigating
how to cut production costs. They have recently met with Fresh Sips, a company that
bottles water. Fresh Sips is considered the top company in the bottled water industry,
especially in bottling process knowledge. Lupe’s team is comparing their processes to
those of Fresh Sips to see how they might improve.
108.
When predicting the costs for her company, Lupe is engaging in _____.
109.
The information Lupe is using to compete in a better way is called _____.
110.
The spreadsheet that Lupe uses gives her a chance to examine different projections,
which is a form of _____.
111.
Which of the following are Lupe and her team using when they learn from Fresh Sips
about its bottling process?
Essay Questions
112.
List the elements of a firm’s macroenvironment and illustrate how each affects the firm.
Answers will vary.
113.
Give an example of a current societal trend and how it might affect a specific business.
Explain the impact by using specific details.
Answers will vary.
114.
Explain how technology can help an organization.
Answers will vary.
115.
Discuss how immigration patterns influence the management of the U.S. labor force.
Answers will vary.
116.
Explain how sustainability and natural environment affect the management of an
organization.
Answers will vary.
117.
Identify the different types of competitors that organizations must consider when
analyzing their competitive environment.
Answers will vary.
118.
List actions and attitudes that result in excellent customer service.
Answers will vary.
119.
As environmental uncertainties increase, managers must develop techniques and methods
for collecting, sorting through, and interpreting information about the environment.
Discuss four of these methods, explaining when and why each would be used.
Answers will vary.
120.
Differentiate between unattractive and attractive competitive environments, using Porter’s
model of the competitive environment.
Answers will vary.
121.
Summarize the different approaches of strategic maneuvering that organizations can take
to change the environment they are in.
Answers will vary.
122.
Explain two general types of proactive responses that managers and organizations can
take to change the environment.
Answers will vary.
123.
Contrast bureaucratic and organic organizations.
Answers will vary.
124.
Explain the different characteristics of strong corporate cultures and weak corporate
cultures.
Answers will vary.
125.
What are the clues to understanding an organization’s culture? List the characteristics of a
strong culture.
Answers will vary.
2-120
126.
Describe the culture of an organization that you have either worked in or studied about.
Which of the four types of organizational culture described in the chapter does the
organization illustrate? Justify your answer.
Answers will vary.