TW MGMT Chap 8 – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
Planning
answer
Defining the organization's goals, establishing strategies for achieving those goals, and developing plans to integrate and coordinate work activities
question
Formal Goals
answer
Are written and shared
question
Why do Managers Plan
answer
1. Planning provides direction- when employees know what their organization or work unit is trying to accomplish and what they must contribute to reach goals, they can coordinate their activities. 2. Reduces Uncertainty- forcing managers to look ahead, anticipate change, consider the impact of change, and develop appropriate responses. 3.Minimizes waste and redundancy - when work activities are coordinated around plans, inefficiencies become obvious and can be corrected or eliminated. 4. Establishes the goals or standards used in controlling- When managers plan they develop goals and plans. When they control, they see whether the plans have ben carried out and the goals met.
question
Planning and Performance
answer
Organizations that plan don't always our perform but we can conclude that: -Formal planning is associated with positive finical results, higher profits, higher return on assets. -Doing a good job planning and implementing those plans play a bigger part in high performance. -In the organizations where planning didn't lead to higher performance usually external environment was to blame. -Planning-performance time period seems to have a big influence. It seems that at least 4 years of formal planning is required before it begins to affect performance.
question
Goals (Objectives)
answer
Desired outcomes or targets/ provide direction and performance criteria
question
Plans
answer
Documents that outline how goals are going to be met Describe how resources are to be allocated and establish activity schedules
question
Types of Goals
answer
-Financial Goals -Strategic Goals
question
Stated Goals versus Real Goals
answer
Broadly-worded official statements of the organization (intended for public consumption) that may be irrelevant to its real goals (what actually goes on in the organization) "Follies"
question
Types of Plans
answer
Long-Term -Beyond 3 years Short-Term- 1 year or less Strategic-Entire organization, organizations overall goals Operational -Particular operational area of organization Standing - Ongoing plans that provide guidance for activities performed repeatedly Directional- flexible plans that set out general guidelines Specific - Clearly Defined, no room for interpretation Single Use plan - One time plan meet need for unique situation
question
Traditional Goal Setting
answer
An approach to setting goals in which top managers set goals that then flow down through the organization and become subgoals for each organizational area.
question
Management By Objective (MBO)
answer
Management By Objectives (MBO) -Specific performance goals are jointly determined by employees and managers -Progress toward accomplishing goals is periodically reviewed -Rewards are allocated on the basis of progress towards the goals -Key elements of MBO: -Goal specificity, participative decision making, an explicit performance/evaluation period, feedback -Employees must also have the competence to achieve the goals
question
Planning Department
answer
A group of planning specialist who help managers write organizational plans
question
________ involves defining the organization's goals, establishing strategies for achieving those goals, and developing plans to integrate and coordinate work activities.
answer
Planning
question
The effect of planning on managers is that it forces them to ________.
answer
anticipate and respond to change
question
Which of the following is true of the impact of formal planning on organizational performance?
answer
Formal planning is associated with positive financial results.
question
When formal planning fails to lead to higher performance, which of the following is most likely to be the reason for the failure?
answer
Constraints of the external environment.
question
Which aspect of planning refers to documents that outline how results are to be achieved?
answer
Plans
question
Goals are different from plans because ________.
answer
goals are desired outcomes, and plans describe how those outcomes will be accomplished
question
Which of the following statements is true regarding an organization's goals?
answer
Using a single goal such as profit may result in unethical behaviors by employees.
question
Most company's goals can be classified as either ________ or ________.
answer
Strategic, Financial
question
Nike, Inc. is a sportswear and equipment manufacturer that serves a multitude of sports disciplines. Which of the following statements from Nike would be the best example of a strategic goal?
answer
accelerating growth through focused execution
question
An organization's ________ goals are official statements of what an organization says, and what it wants its stakeholders to believe its goals are.
answer
Stated
question
Which of the following is the best indicator of an organization's real goals?
answer
organizational members' actions
question
An organization's mission states that it "is committed to reducing its environmental footprint"; but its facilities do not comply with statutory environmental regulations. This is an instance of how ________.
answer
an organizations stated goals need not be its real goals
question
Organizational plans can be classified on the basis of all of the following characteristics, except on the basis of their ________.
answer
B) attainability
question
Strategic plans are usually ________.
answer
long term, directional, and single use
question
________ plans apply to the entire organization and establish the organization's overall goals.
answer
strategic
question
Operational plans are usually ________.
answer
short term, specific, and standing
question
Plans that encompass only the production or the sales goals of a company are termed ________ plans.
answer
Operational
question
Which of the following factors has contributed to the decline in the number of years used to define short-term and long-term plans?
answer
environmental uncertainty
question
Long-term plans are defined as those with a time frame beyond ________.
answer
Three years
question
Short-term plans are those covering ________ or less.
answer
one year
question
________ plans are plans that are clearly defined and leave no room for interpretation.
answer
Specific
question
What plans are preferable when uncertainty is high in the business environment?
answer
directional plans
question
Which of the following is an example of a single-use plan?
answer
a plan developed to implement new environmental regulations
question
A standing plan is ________.
answer
an ongoing plan that provides guidance for activities performed repeatedly
question
Which of the following is an example of a standing plan?
answer
a fire escape policy establishing practices to be followed in an emergency
question
In ________, goals set by top managers flow down through the organization and become subgoals for each organizational area.
answer
traditional goal setting
question
Which of the following is an assumption associated with traditional goal setting?
answer
Top managers know what is best because they see the "big picture."
question
Which of the following is one of the problems associated with traditional goal setting?
answer
Transition of strategic goals into departmental, team, and individual goals is difficult.
question
A problem associated with traditional goal setting is that ________.
answer
clarity is lost as the goals make their way down from the top of the organization to lower levels
question
Which of the following statements is true of traditional goal setting?
answer
Managers at each level define goals and apply their own interpretations and biases as they make them more specific.
question
A ________ is an integrated network of goals in which the accomplishment of goals at one level serves as the means for achieving the goals, or ends, at the next level.
answer
means-ends chain
question
Which of the following is the first step in MBO?
answer
The organization's overall objectives and strategies are formulated.
question
Which of the following is the last step in MBO?
answer
Progress toward objectives is periodically reviewed, and feedback is provided.
question
________ is a process of setting mutually-agreed upon goals and using those goals to evaluate employee performance.
answer
Management by objectives
question
Which of the following is one of the elements of a management by objectives (MBO) program?
answer
participative decision making
question
Which of the following is one of the elements of a management by objectives (MBO) program?
answer
performance feedback
question
Which of the following reflects the way goals are set in an MBO program?
answer
Apart from being used to ensure that employees are doing what they are supposed to be doing, goals are used as a motivating tool for employees.
question
Which is the first step managers should follow in goal setting?
answer
reviewing the organization's mission
question
A ________ is a broad statement of an organization's purpose that provides an overall guide to what organizational members think is important.
answer
mission
question
Well-written goals are ________.
answer
clear as to a time frame
question
An organization is in the process of goal setting. It has finished reviewing the organization's mission. What should it do next?
answer
evaluate available resources
question
Which of the following is the last step in goal setting?
answer
review results and whether goals are being met
question
When uncertainty is high, plans should be ________ and ________.
answer
specific; flexible
question
The commitment concept says that plans should ________.
answer
extend far enough to meet those commitments made when the plans were developed
question
Top executives are mainly involved in ________ planning.
answer
strategic
question
________ planning dominates managers' planning efforts at lower levels of the organization.
answer
Operational
question
Which of the following is true of the traditional approach to planning?
answer
This approach makes managerial planning thorough, systematic, and coordinated.
question
The statement that all stores should be well maintained both inside and out is an example of a ________.
answer
directional
question
Downs wants to formulate a plan that lays out general guidelines for his employees and leaves room for interpretation. Which of the following types of plans would best suit his requirement?
answer
directional