BMGT 3310 Exam 2 | Questions and Answers (Complete Solutions)

BMGT 3310 Exam 2 | Questions and Answers (Complete Solutions) Edgar, the production manager at a textile factory, has noticed a decline in the production capacity of the factory. He wants to understand the reason behind this trend and make a decision on how to resolve the issue. In the context of rational decision making, which of the following is the first step that Edgar should ideally take? a. Identifying and defining the problem b. Computing the optimal decision c. Generating alternative courses of action d. Identifying decision criteria In the context of operational plans, which of the following is a difference between single-use plans and standing plans? a. Single-use plans cover unique, one-time-only events, whereas standing plans handle frequently recurring events. b. Single-use plans use quantitative planning, whereas standing plans use qualitative planning. c. Single-use plans include policies and procedures, whereas standing plans include rules and regulations. d. Single-use plans are operational plans, whereas standing plans are tactical plans. The chief financial officer of Benjampt, a manufacturing company, disagrees with the rest of the senior managers about the renewal of the company's manufacturing license. They have conflicting interests because of their different career experiences. However, they are willing to weigh their opinions and arrive at the best possible solution. In this scenario, the conflict among the senior members best exemplifies _____. a. a-type conflict b. affective conflict c. c-type conflict d. channel conflict The marketing managers of Point Inc. are having a conflict over how they can improve the marketing strategies of their company. The managers are disagreeing on the views presented by each other based on their experiences and knowledge. In this scenario, the managers are engaging in _____. a. a-type conflict b. a personal conflict c. c-type conflict d. channel conflict Lee, the chief financial officer of a bank, prepares a plan with a detailed estimate of the company's fixed long-term expenditures. This plan will be presented at the Annual General Meeting every year. In this scenario, Lee has most likely prepared a _____. a. impromptu plan b. standing plan c. tactical plan d. single-use plan The managers of Danestump, a hardware manufacturing company, are expected to follow standing plans before approving long leaves applied by their subordinates. The standing plans detail the specific steps to be followed when approving such leaves. Given this information, the standing plans in this scenario can be referred to as _____. a. Artifacts b. Heuristics c. Prototypes d. Procedures Plastbolt, a company that manufactures and supplies plastic bottles, wants to acquire a smaller company. It plans to invest in two smaller plastic manufacturing companies and buy the one that it finds yields better returns. In this scenario, Plastbolt is most likely using _____. a. reverse planning b. options-based planning c. time-based planning d. rigid planning Jim is the operations manager of a car manufacturing company in the United States. He wants to set up production plants in three other countries by the end of the current year. After he has set this goal, which of the following is the next step he should ideally take in order to achieve this goal? a. Determine the profits the production plants will make b. Track progress toward goal achievement c. Develop commitment to the goal d. Reward hard working employees for their work The senior accountants at Spicedam have a disagreement with each other about the calculation of the company's annual budget because of their different industry experiences. However, they are willing to have a rational discussion and arrive at the optimal solution. In this scenario, the conflict among the senior accountants at Spicedam best exemplifies _____. a. a-type conflict b. affective conflict c. c-type conflict d. channel conflict Sarah, the cofounder of a start-up company that sells sports goods, prepares a purpose statement for the company. In the purpose statement, she clarifies how the company will deal with its competitors and provide services to its customers. In this scenario, Sarah has most likely contributed to developing the company's _____. a. strategic plan b. single-use plan c. tactical plan d. operational plan Jimmy is the sales manager of, Packaday, a packaging and shipping company. He has created a plan that will increase Packaday's customer base by 2.5 percent in the next two months. In this scenario, Jimmy has set a _____. a. recurrent goal b. passive goal c. visionary goal d. proximal goal During a discussion about the budget for a project, the discussion gets personal between two managers of Trion LLC. They digress from the topic and start venting their anger on each other. In this scenario, the managers have _____. a. an ethical conflict b. a-type conflict c. c-type conflict d. an intellectual conflict Omega Corp. has a goal of increasing its production and reducing its overhead costs. To achieve this goal, the company has developed four alternate action plans. Its idea is to monitor how these plans work and then invest more in the plan that shows maximum results. This type of planning that allows for flexibility is known as _____. a. reverse planning b. options-based planning c. time-based planning d. traditional planning Claire is a manager at an information technology (IT) firm. She notices a consistent drop in the productivity of her employees. She is not able to find the reason behind this drop. In the context of rational decision making, which of the following steps should Claire take first? a. Computing the optimal decision b. Defining the problem c. Generating alternative courses of action d. Identifying decision criteria Lancencus, a software company, plans to double its workforce in the next 10 years. To achieve this goal, the human resources manager of the company sets a target to increase the company workforce by 20% each year. In this scenario, Lancencus's plan to double its workforce in the next 10 years is an example of a _____. a. recurrent goal b. productivity goal c. operative goal d. distal goal Shoerls, a footwear manufacturing company, had been purchasing its raw materials from Douglem. When Douglem increased the prices of its products, the production managers at Shoerls decided to purchase the raw materials from a different supplier that they believed would be a good-enough alternative. This scenario best illustrates the concept of _____. a. counterconditioning b. overregularizing c. Maximizing d. satisficing Henncom, a company that manufactures computer spare parts, runs its operations in a small office. Owing to the increase in the demand for its products, the company needs to hire more employees. Instead of opting for the temporary solution of reducing each employee's workspace to accommodate more employees, Carl, the operations manager, decides to go with the optimal solution of shifting the company to larger premises. In this scenario, Carl is most likely _____. a. maximizing b. counterconditioning c. overregularizing d. satisficing At a canning factory, employees are strictly instructed to wear a uniform while working around the canning machines. Which of the following kinds of standing plans is exemplified in this scenario? a. Rules and regulations b. Norms c. Policies d. Purpose statements The team leaders in the production department at Virginiastalk, an automobile manufacturer, follow standing plans that specify the detailed steps they are expected to follow when an export order gets canceled. Given this information, the standing plans in this scenario can be referred to as _____. a. Artifacts b. Prototypes c. Heuristics d. Procedures Kyle, the human resources manager of an electrical company, is preparing an estimate of the recruitment requirements, training overheads, and induction expenditure for the next six months to present to the chief human resources officer of the company. In this scenario, Kyle is most likely creating a(n) _____. a. strategic plan b. single-use plan c. tactical plan d. operational plan Floyd, the chief finance officer of a company that sells rubber sheets, prepares an estimate that helps in calculating the rates of Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) and Free on Board (FOB) contracts. This pricing estimate is used every time the company gets an export order. In this scenario, Floyd has most likely prepared a _____. a. single-use plan b. tactical plan c. standing plan d. impromptu plan Todd's manager rejected his leave application because project deadlines were getting closer. Todd considered this a personal offence and got into an argument with his manager. In this scenario, the disagreements between Todd and his manager can best be classified as _____. a. c-type conflict b. cognitive conflict c. a-type conflict d. constructive conflict The senior managers of Clockence, a clock manufacturing company, have a disagreement about the quantity of inventory to be allotted to each production team. Each of them views the problem differently, but they are willing to discuss it and arrive at the best possible solution. In this scenario, the conflict among the senior managers at Clockence best exemplifies _____. a. a-type conflict b. affective conflict c. c-type conflict d. channel conflict Autowizic Inc., an automobile manufacturing company, plans to move its operations to a different city by the end of the year. It sets a target of moving one department by the end of each month, so that all the departments can be moved within a year. In this scenario, Autowizic's plan of moving its operations to a different city by the end of the year is an example of a _____. a. provisional goal b. foundational goal c. proximal goal d. distal goal Betty runs a boutique. She buys semi-automatic sewing machines for her tailors because she cannot afford the fully automatic ones. This scenario best illustrates the concept of _____. a. Maximizing b. counterconditioning c. overregularizing d. Satisficing The production team members of Agrimotor, an agricultural machinery manufacturer, are expected to follow standing plans when any of the machinery used for production stops functioning. These standing plans describe what they should and should not do. They also detail how to deal with the situation. Given this information, the standing plans in this scenario can best be referred to as _____. a. purpose statements b. rules and regulations c. principles and rationales d. recommendation forms In the context of group decision making, which of the following is a difference between the nominal group technique (NGT) and the Delphi technique? a. Unlike the NGT, the Delphi technique requires all panel members to gather together in one place. b. Unlike the Delphi technique, the NGT produces better decisions than the devil's advocacy and dialectical inquiry approaches. c. Unlike the Delphi technique, the NGT increases a-type conflicts. d. Unlike the NGT, the Delphi technique involves creating a series of open-ended questions for group members. Woolplank is an apparel company that specializes in woolen clothes. It heavily invested in five sheep farms last year. This year, it plans to buy the most profitable sheep farm out of the five. In this scenario, Woolplank is most likely using _____. a. reverse planning b. options-based planning c. time-based planning d. rigid planning Which of the following is the first step in the process of management by objectives? a. Collectively selecting goals b. Discussing possible goals c. Jointly developing tactical plans d. Reviewing progress regularly An organization's _____ is defined as a more specific goal than the organization's purpose that unifies company-wide efforts, stretches and challenges the organization, and possesses a finish line and a time frame. a. vision statement b. single-use plan c. strategic objective d. mission statement In the context of brainstorming, _____ is the fear of what others will think of one's ideas. a. dialectal inquiry b. cognitive conflict c. production blocking d. evaluation apprehension In the context of operational plans, which among the following is the most specific type of standing plans? a. Policies b. Procedures c. Single-use plans d. Rules and regulations _____ are defined as the standards used to guide judgments and decisions. a. Standing plans b. Purpose statements c. Decision criteria d. Judgement liens _____ occurs when a group member must wait to share an idea because another member is presenting an idea to the group. a. Dialectal inquiry b. Groupthink c. Satisficing d. Production blocking A _____ is a type of operational plan that saves managers' time because once the plan is created, it can be used repeatedly to handle frequently recurring events. a. standing plan b. budget plan c. single-use plan d. tactical plan _____ are standing plans that indicate the specific steps that should be taken in response to a particular event. a. Policies b. Procedures c. Single-use plans d. Options-based plans