Strategic Management Ch 12 MC – Flashcards

62. An example of the external labor market is the situation where a. an assessment center operated by an external consulting firm evaluates company managers for promotion potential. b. a new vice president of marketing is hired from a competitor. c. the senior vice president of finance is promoted to CEO. d. a vice president of human resources is sent to a university executive MBA program for professional development.

63. In the balanced scorecard framework ___ controls are used to assess the organizational success in creating a climate that supports change and innovation. a. learning and growth b. financial c. operational d. innovational

64. Two key strategic leadership actions include a. monitoring the hiring of key employees and focusing on growth but not learning initiatives. b. designing and then implementing the balanced scorecard. c. setting appropriate financial targets and establishing an effective business level synergy. d. determining strategic direction and establishing balanced organizational controls.

65. The Enron employee who reported the financial manipulations at the company to her superiors can be considered to have engaged in a. managerial opportunism. b. white-collar crime. c. vindictive disloyalty. d. an act of courage.

66. Shaping and reinforcing a new organizational culture requires all of the following EXCEPT a. effective communication. b. effective performance appraisals. c. adherence to the firm's traditional core values. d. an appropriate reward system.

67. Which of the following will increase the probability that a lower-level manager will become a successful strategic leader? a. Appointing many outside board members. b. Increasing the firm's sales. c. Increasing the homogeneity of the top management team. d. Training and development programs.

68. Billy Kroghmen is the son of a very prominent Fortune 500 CEO. Billy has had troubles. He failed out of multiple colleges, universities, and correspondence schools. He finally received his undergraduate degree from a university with only a post office box for an address. He then enrolled in the school's combined graduate accounting and law school programs, graduating with honor with degrees in both areas. After graduation, he twice failed both the CPA and bar exams, managing to set record low scores on the ethics portions of both. Despite these academic setbacks, Billy's career now seems to be thriving. He has been appointed to a number of "blue ribbon" government committees, is on the board of directors of two corporations and one prestigious not-for-profit organization. In at least one instance, a donor credited Billy with the idea for making a large contribution to the not-for-profit. Widespread speculation is that his career advancement is based largely on social relationships through friends and family. We would classify Billy as on capital, and on capital. a. high; social; low; human b. high; human; high; social c. high; human; low; social d. None of these options are correct.

69. The most effective leadership style is leadership. a. pragmatic b. charismatic c. inspirational d. transformational

70. A heterogeneous top management team is composed of individuals with a. different functional backgrounds, experience, and education. b. similar commitments to the organization's core ideology and culture. c. a high level of education and industry expertise. d. long tenure in the organization who have held various functional positions.

71. Clarita Cosmetics is confronting a decline in sales due largely to a general economic downturn. The top management team is debating whether to lay off employees. In the debate, the following statements are made. Which of the statements is FALSE? a. If Clarita Cosmetics lays off a large number of employees, there will be a significant loss of human capital that will cause further downturns in the firm's performance. b. A moderate-sized layoff at Clarita Cosmetics will probably improve firm performance. c. If Clarita Cosmetics restructures, it ought to increase investments in training and development. d. A layoff will increase the slack at Clarita Cosmetics and allow the firm to absorb the increased number of errors employees may make until they learn their new tasks.

72. The effective development and management of the firm's may be its only sustainable competitive advantage. a. capital base b. human capital c. technology d. organizational culture

73. The premise of the balanced scorecard is that firms jeopardize future performance possibilities when they a. overemphasize financial controls and neglect strategic controls. b. overemphasize strategic control and neglect financial controls. c. overemphasize strategic and financial controls and neglect ethical controls. d. neglect short-term controls of all kinds in favor of long-term strategic controls.

74. The board of directors for TundraPro, Inc., is searching for a new CEO. The firm is in need of new direction after suffering several years of declining performance and increasingly demoralized management and employees. The board has decided it needs a CEO who can be a transformational leader. To this specific end, the board needs to identify applicants who have a. high levels of honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity. b. high emotional intelligence. c. Both A and B are correct. d. low tolerance for ambiguity.

75. Which of the following is NOT associated with heterogeneous top management teams? a. higher firm performance b. innovation and strategic change c. diminished debate among top managers d. better strategic decisions

76. Organizational controls provide a. the parameters within which strategies are to be implemented. b. goals and objectives that must be achieved. c. information on action steps to be taken to implement the corporate strategy. d. managers with guidelines on how to treat employees.

77. Which of the statements about CEO duality is FALSE? a. CEO duality is associated with high CEO power. b. CEO duality has been blamed for slow response to change by the organization. c. CEO duality is relatively rare in the U.S. except in large Fortune 500 firms. d. If the CEO acts a steward, CEO duality facilitates effective decisions and actions.

78. Which key strategic leadership action plays a key role in influencing how the firm conducts its business and regulates and controls employees' behavior? a. Effectively Managing the Firm's Resource Portfolio. b. Determining Strategic Direction. c. Regulating and Controlling Employees. d. Sustaining an Effective Organizational Culture.

79. Determining the strategic direction of a firm involves a. implementation of a balanced scorecard. b. developing an entrepreneurial mind set. c. specifying the vision and the strategy to achieve that vision over time. d. exploiting and maintaining core competencies.

80. Which of the following factors most encourages stability in a firm's strategy? a. a new CEO hired from outside the firm but within the industry b. internal CEO succession and a homogeneous top management team c. external CEO succession and a heterogeneous top management team d. a new CEO hired from outside the industry

81. The more heterogeneous the top management team, the a. more difficult it will be for the team to implement strategies. b. more likely it is that the team will be cohesive. c. less innovative the team's decisions will tend to be. d. less diverse the team membership will be.

82. Competitive aggressiveness describes a firm's a. tendency to engage in new ideas and creative processes. b. willingness to allow employees to take actions free of organizational constraints. c. ability to be a leader in the marketplace. d. propensity to take actions that allow it to outperform rivals consistently and substantially.

83. Which of the following is NOT related to a CEO having long tenure in his or her position? a. more effective strategic control b. greater influence on board decisions c. more limited perspective d. a broader knowledge base

84. Firms needing to change their strategies should a. create more heterogeneous top management teams. b. focus on their core customer base. c. implement transformational leadership. d. emphasize the training and development of internal managerial talent.

86. The top management team is composed of the a. heterogeneous group of advisors selected by the CEO. b. CEO and chairperson of the board. c. key individuals who are responsible for selecting and implementing a firm's strategy. d. officers listed in a firm's annual report and the board of directors.

87. A characteristic of the manager that may affect managerial discretion is his/her a. amount of industry experience. b. level of education. c. tolerance for ambiguity. d. length of tenure.

88. Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding effective organizational cultures? a. Once a corporate culture is developed, strategic leaders can focus on other activities. b. A strategy that is historically new for a firm should be implemented by incremental changes in the organization's culture. c. A central task of strategic leaders is to revise the corporate culture on an annual basis after analyzing the changes occurring in the competitive environment. d. Organizational culture can be a source of competitive advantage because it influences employee behavior and how the firm's conducts its business.

89. All of the following are correct about the status of CEO succession (Chapter 12 Strategic Focus) EXCEPT a. there is considerable CEO turnover in North American and European firms hence the need for succession plans. b. IBM has a succession plan for CEO Sam Palmisano. c. most formal succession plans call for the use of executive search firms. d. over 90 percent of firms have succession plans.

90. The __ assess their performance is a framework firms can use to verify that they have established both strategic and financial controls to a. managerial model b. holistic control system c. balanced scorecard d. internal auditing system

91. The top management team at Ingenuity, Inc., has assigned a team of scientists to a multi-year project to investigate the viability of growing large amounts of fur from cloned cells of minks and foxes to produce no-kill fur products for coats and other clothing items. This idea would satisfy all the dimensions of the entrepreneurial orientation EXCEPT a. innovativeness. b. risk taking. c. proactiveness. d. competitive autonomy.

85. Normally, the more involved a board of directors is in shaping the firm's strategic direction, the a. more balanced the organization is. b. higher the corporation's performance is. c. more rapidly executive decisions can be make. d. more difficult it becomes to make effective executive decisions.

92. Human capital refers to a. the net present value of the future competencies of the workforce. b. the amount of money purchasers of the firm would pay for the continuing employment of the present workforce. c. the value-added that the firm's workforce contributes to each product produced or service rendered. d. knowledge and skills of the firm's work force.

93. Strategic control focuses on the ___ of strategic actions, whereas financial controls focus on the __ of strategic actions. a. revenues; costs b. long-term financial outcomes; short-term financial performance c. content; outcomes d. outcomes; content

94. Four perspectives are integrated to form the balanced scorecard framework. The financial perspective focuses on the view of the firm by the a. customer. b. employee. c. shareholder. d. general society.

95. When the top management team is homogeneous and a new CEO is selected from inside the firm, it is a. unlikely that the current strategy will change. b. likely that product innovation will continue. c. likely there will be a change in strategy. d. unlikely the new CEO will have a long tenure.

96. Actions that effective strategic leaders can take to develop an ethical organizational culture include all of the following EXCEPT a. relying on the fundamental goodness of individuals. b. using reward systems that recognize acts of courage. c. communicating goals that describe the firm's ethical standards. d. creating a work environment where individuals are treated with dignity.

97. Monahegan Plasma Company is facing a performance downturn and realizes that a major rethinking of its strategy is in order. Under these circumstances, Monahegan Plasma would benefit from a(n) a. internal CEO with short tenure. b. external CEO with a heterogeneous top management team. c. dual CEO/chairperson with a homogenous top management team. d. CEO with long tenure who has a strong sense of hubris.

98. Executive headhunters have approached Charles about taking the position of senior vice president of marketing for a well-known company. Although this company has been highly successful since 1995, Charles has heard persistent rumors of overly aggressive marketing tactics, questionable reporting of sales data, and an atmosphere of intolerance of criticism. The CEO is a powerful and charismatic individual, who built the company from a small regional firm to an international powerhouse in only a decade. The other top managers have been hand-picked by the CEO, as have a number of the members of the board of directors. The salary for this position is very high and includes generous stock options. It would be a major step up in Charles's career and would position him to move to CEO of another company in the future. Charles has prided himself on his high moral values and is viewed as an exceptionally ethical person by his peers. What should Charles do? a. Charles should take the job because he can effect real change in the culture of the organization, and take advantage of the personal financial and career opportunities. b. Charles should realize that personal moral values and the realities of the corporate world differ in both quality and degree. Consequently, he can take a job in an ethically borderline company without tainting his personal moral standing. c. Charles should not rely on rumors to dissuade him from making an advantageous career decision. d. Charles should not take the job because the culture of the organization is set by the CEO and other top managers. He would have little influence on the organizational culture as one of many top managers.

99. The primary responsibility for effective strategic leadership of the organization rests with the a. board of directors. b. top management team. c. CEO. d. stakeholders.

100. The ability to attract and manage may be the most important skill a strategic leader must have. a. human capital b. financial resources c. responses to competitors' actions d. investment strategies

101. capital increases cooperation among individuals inside and outside the firm. a. Human b. Social c. Visionary d. Cultural

102. Which of the following is NOT a factor that determines the amount of a manager's decision discretion? a. characteristics of the manager b. characteristics of the organization c. cohesiveness of the board of directors d. the external environmental

103. Christina is evaluating Maximum Brands as an investment opportunity. She is very concerned about future financial performance by Maximum Brands. Christina does not believe that the CEO can act as a steward. Christina will probably be most concerned if a. there is CEO duality. b. many of the members of the board of directors are outsiders. c. the positions of chairman of the board and CEO are held by different persons. d. there is an independent board leadership structure.

104. Faced with declining enrollment and increased competition from not-for-profit organizations offering inexpensive art courses for new hobbyists, the for-profit Delta Academy of Art has steadfastly stayed true to its mission of offering high-quality classical art instruction for both beginners and advanced artists at high tuition. Delta has been noted for the excellence of its artistic training for decades. This is an example of a. adhesion to the status quo. b. lack of an envisioned future. c. competence becoming a liability. d. failure to have a clear core ideology.

105. Criteria for reevaluating internal business processes using the balanced scorecard include all of the following EXCEPT a. asset utilization improvements. b. improvements in employee morale. c. increases in employee skills. d. changes in turnover rates.

106. A CEO's breadth of knowledge base is constrained by a. his or her relationship with the board of directors. b. whether he or she is also the chairperson of the board of directors. c. his or her long tenure with the firm. d. the level of social capital in the firm.

107. The CEO/chairman of PharmaPacifica was recently killed in an airplane crash. This tragedy has thrown PharmaPacifica into turmoil as there is no one in the organization qualified to step into the former CEO's shoes. This is an example of a. a failure of succession management. b. managerial hubris. c. the risk inherent in CEO duality. d. excessive reliance on the internal managerial labor market.

108. The goal of investing in human capital is to a. increase the number of employees in the firm. b. reduce organizational slack. c. maximize current productivity per employee. d. develop a workforce capable of continuous learning.

109. Research shows that firm's ethical ___ is the most effective means of ensuring that employees comply with the requirements. a. a written code of ethics b. a statement in the firm's mission statement c. a speech on ethics by the CEO of the company d. a value-based culture

110. Which of the following is NOT one of the five dimensions thought to characterize an employee's entrepreneurial mind-set? a. autonomy b. reactivity c. risk taking d. innovativeness

111. The CEO of CLEO, Inc., in all her communications to employees consistently refers to her dream of CLEO becoming the company of choice for employee assistance programs. She keeps this theme uppermost and it is reflected in the firm's motto, the title of its Web newsletter, and even on the company t-shirts and mugs. This is an example of the firm's a. core ideology. b. organizational culture. c. strategy. d. envisioned future.

112. An organization's ____ firm's strategies. a. top management team b. board of directors c. keiretsu d. governance circle

13. All of the following are external environmental sources that affect managerial discretion EXCEPT a. industry structure. b. corporate culture. c. market growth rate. d. potential for product differentiation.

114. Which of the following is NOT a benefit to the firm using the internal labor market to select a new CEO? a. Internal hiring results in an increased level of innovation. b. Insiders are familiar with the firm's products, markets, technologies, and operating procedures. c. Use of the internal labor market reduces turnover among existing employees. d. Insiders are more familiar with a firm's operating procedures.

115. Omicron Artificial Intelligence is able to respond quickly to competitors' actions and to opportunities in the marketplace. This is an example of a. agility. b. a core competency. c. flexibility. d. responsiveness.

116. A CEO gains power from all of the following circumstances EXCEPT a. when many of the outside directors are appointed by the CEO. b. when the CEO is also the chairman of the board. c. when tenure of the top management team is shorter than the tenure of the board. d. the fact that inside board members report to the CEO.

117. Which of the following is NOT one of the four perspectives in the balanced scorecard framework? a. entrepreneurial b. financial c. customer d. learning and growth

118. ______ provide information about the results of past actions, but do not communicate the drivers of the firm's future performance. a. Financial controls b. Accounting information systems c. Policies and procedures d. Strategic feedback systems

119. Recently, Sony selected Sir Howard Stringer as CEO. Sir Howard is not Japanese and he was not a Sony employee before his selection. Which of the following statements is FALSE? a. Sony's top management team will be more heterogeneous with the addition of Sir Howard. b. Sir Howard will have a broader perspective of the firm and its competitive environment than would a Sony insider. c. If Sony's top management team is homogeneous, Sir Howard's future impact on Sony's strategy is ambiguous. d. The decision-making process on Sony's top management team will be smoother and faster with the addition of Sir Howard.

120. To successfully implement a firm's strategy, the workforce must be viewed as a a. variable cost. b. depreciating asset. c. resource to be maximized. d. renewable asset.

121. The firm of Bergeron has existed for hundreds of years, having made exquisite clocks and watches. In its advertising it refers to clocks the firm made for such past royalty as Marie Antoinette and the Czars of Russia. Employees are constantly reminded of the firm's rich history and its long tradition of excellence of design and execution. Bergeron is motivating its employees through its a. core ideology. b. envisioned future. c. organizational culture. d. business strategy.

122. Exploiting and maintaining core competencies is part of the key strategic leadership action "Effectively Managing the Firm's Resource Portfolio." Which of the following is most important for developing and using core competencies? a. extensive financial assets b. transformational leadership c. high-quality human capital d. an ethical organizational culture

123. The CEO of Icon Image Associates wishes to radically change the corporate culture of the firm. She knows that she must convince others at Icon Image of the necessity for the culture change and gain their active support. The CEO knows that the key players in energizing the culture change and fostering alignment with the new strategic vision are a. the members of the board of directors. b. top management team members. c. the CEO, top managers, and middle managers. d. rank-and-file employees.

124. CEO duality refers to a. firms where there is both a president and a CEO. b. CEOs who sit on the board of directors of other firms. c. CEOs who hold office in more than one company. d. the situation where the CEO is also chairperson of the board of directors.

125. Managerial actions that support development of an ethical organizational culture include all of the following EXCEPT a. establishing a code of conduct. b. disseminating the code of conduct to all stakeholders to inform them of the firm's ethical standards and practices. c. creating a work environment in which people are treated with dignity. d. disciplining whistle-blowers.