96) This question contains two parts; be sure to answer both.
After Dharma’s father died, Dharma inherited his successful dry cleaning business, Fast Cleaners.
Dharma wants to make sure the company’s culture, which his father built over 40 years, does not
get lost but instead remains embedded in the organization.
First, summarize 4 of the 12 ways that a particular culture can become embedded in an
organization.
Then explain how Dharma might use each technique to keep Fast Cleaners’ corporate culture
strong, with an emphasis on employee development, a family-like atmosphere, and a dedication to
offering the best service and the lowest prices.
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7. Physical design: Dharma can make sure the cleaners has a comfortable, clean place for
customers to drop off clothing, as well as a staff break room that is well stocked with bottles of
water and snacks.
8. Rewards, titles, promotions, and bonuses: Dharma can offer bonuses to staff who exceed their
cleaning goals and promote those who work hard.
9. Organizational goals and performance criteria: Dharma can be very clear regarding the way
success is defined at Fast Cleaners. By telling workers the criteria on which their performance will
be based, Dharma has the opportunity to send a very strong signal about where employees should
be spending their time (and where they should not be spending their time).
10. Measurable and controllable activities: Dharma can use analytics to make sure that the
company is meeting its goals, monitoring its expenses, and meeting its profit expectations.
11. Organizational structure: Dharma can use a flat management structure so that there are very
few (if any) management layers between him and most of his workers, which will allow him to
perpetuate the family atmosphere that his father created.
12. Organizational systems and procedures: Dharma can use the latest technology and other
developments to help his employees communicate and save time.
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Topic: Organizational Culture
Learning Objective: 08-03 Describe the process of culture change in an organization.
Bloom’s: Apply
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
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97) Describe the three types of organizations classified according to the three different purposes
for which they are formed. Give an example of each and the purpose and customers they serve.
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98) This question has two parts; be sure to answer both.
First, describe the four common elements of organizations proposed by Edgar Schein.
Next, imagine that you work for a nonprofit cancer-fighting organization, Fight the Fight.
Describe how each of the four elements relates to that organization’s activities and operations.
Fight the Fight has several full-time employees, plus many volunteers (including oncologists) who
conduct cancer research and care for cancer patients.
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99) This question has two parts; be sure to answer both.
First, define span of control and contrast the two kinds of spans of control.
Second, imagine that you are the manager of the customer-service department for a book retailer,
which has 40 CSRs (customer service representatives) on the phone lines at any given time during
business hours. Can you be effective as a manager with such a wide span of control? Why or why
not?
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100) Contrast power and authority. How do power and authority differ between military
organizations and typical business organizations?
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101) Describe a divisional structure, explaining product divisions, customer divisions, geographic
divisions, and matrix structures. Give an example of each, and draw an organization chart that
depicts each. (For the matrix structure, use Chevrolet or another car company as your example.)
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102) This question has two parts; be sure to answer both.
First, distinguish among a hollow structure, a modular structure, and a virtual structure.
Second, specify whether each of the following companies has a hollow, modular, or virtual
structure.
(a) Supreme Vacation Rentals, Inc., purchases every item that goes into its vacation rentals—from
the furniture to the appliances and the bed linens—from suppliers all around the world. It then
places all of these items into the vacation rentals before listing them for availability on the Internet.
(b) Fan Fiction publishes comic novels. It has only two people on staff who perform the company’s
core publishing functions: an editor who acquires the books from authors, and a marketer who
serves as a publicist. All other functions, such as typesetting, printing, binding, warehousing, and
distribution are outsourced to companies that can perform these services less expensively.
(c) Fly High is a small advertising agency. Its owner lives in Chicago, its account executive lives in
Houston, its ad designer lives in Los Angeles, and its media buyer lives in Georgia. The four
members of the Fly High team use Skype, Google Chats, and e-mail all day long to talk with one
another and with their clients and prospective customers.
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103) Distinguish between a mechanistic organization and an organic organization. Think about a
company you have worked with (or currently work with). Is it more mechanistic or more organic?
Give three reasons for your response.
104) How can culture have both positive and negative effects?
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105) Explain the importance of learning office politics.
106) How can you prepare for you a job interview?
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107) Describe how you can become more adaptable.