The Management Challenge

Cultural differences from country to country have a profound impact on which management approaches will be effective in a particular location.

True / False
True
Efficiency is doing the right thing, at the right time, to achieve the right results.

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False
Middle managers are responsible for developing long range plans for the business.

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False
First line managers coordinate the work of others who aren't themselves managers.

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True
An example of a middle manager is a manager of a retail store.

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True
Conceptual skills are extremely critical to first line managers.

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False
An example of a figurehead role would be the manager who "makes an appearance" at the wedding of a subordinate's daughter.

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True
The liaison role involves observing the internal and external environments to discover information, changes, opportunities, and problems that affect the work.

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False
Frederick Taylor has been called "the father of scientific management."

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True
Henri Fayol is associated with "bureaucracy."

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False
The Hawthorne Effect is associated with the "Behavorial Science Approach."

True / False
False
The systems approach to management consider organization and management problems by focusing on the interaction of the individual components to form a functional whole.

True / False
True
Tom Peters and Robert Waterman wrote "In Search of Excellence."

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True
W. Edwards Deming is known for developing the concept of total quality management.

True / False
True
"Zero Defects" means that managers must learn that goods cannot be produced with zero defects.

True / False
False
analytical skill:
The ability to solve problems by applying basic principles in a logical manner.

behavioural science approach:
The approach to management that attempts to incorporate findings of social scientists, recognizing the complexity of individuals and what interests and motivates them.

bureaucracy:
Management of an organization by specialization of labour, a hierarchy of authority, specific selection and promotion criteria, and adherence to a rigid set of rules; also the people who manage an organization that follows this pattern.

classical organizational theory:
The management theory that is primarily focused on the organization, its functions, and how it should be organized for greatest efficiency.

classical theories of management:
The general category describing early studies of management.

communication skill:
The ability to listen actively and to transmit to others ideas, concepts, and directions.

competitiveness:
The capacity of an organization, in a free and fair market, to produce goods and services that meet the needs and wishes of customers, without causing environmental degradation, while simultaneously maintaining or expanding the real incomes of its employees and owners. It is the ultimate measure of potential for effective operations.

computer skill:
Having sufficient understanding of how computers can facilitate decision making, in order to be able to make effective selection and use of hardware and software.

conceptual skill:
The ability to think in abstract terms, to analyze and diagnose problems, and to make use of lateral thinking when appropriate.

contingency management approach:
The theory of management that recognizes that the appropriate managerial response to a particular situation is contingent on the specific characteristics of the situation.

controlling:
The function of management that involves monitoring performance, comparing results with planned objectives, and providing feedback and, if necessary, correction.

decision-making skill:
The ability to choose solutions from alternatives, and to have the courage to take definitive action when required.

effectiveness:
Doing the right thing, at the right time, to achieve the right results.

efficiency:
The ability to achieve business objectives with the minimum of effort, expense, or waste.

feedback:
(1) Information concerning results of activity that is conveyed to the policymakers or authority figures, enabling them to confirm, amend, or abandon the policy in question; (2) The receiver's response to the sender's message, communicated back to the sender.

Hawthorne effect:
The tendency of workers to increase their productivity when management pays attention to them, and also to respond as they believe researchers intend them to.

human relations approach:
The management approach that focuses on the interaction of individuals within groups, and pays heed to the individual's needs, goals, and expectations.

inputs:
The influences on an organization from various aspects of its environment, including reactions of suppliers, customers, the general public, shareholders, and employees; effects of competition; governmental actions; and economic factors.

leading:
The function of management concerned with demonstrating by example and by teaching, directing, and motivating employees to perform effectively to achieve the objectives of the organization.

managerial role:
The behaviour pattern of a manager, incorporating interpersonal, informational, and decisional roles.

managers:
Top-level managers are responsible for developing long-range plans for the business; middle managers are responsible to top-level managers for directing and managing one or more business units or functions; first-line managers are responsible to middle managers for direct supervision of the performance of non-management employees.

organizing:
The function of management that arranges appropriate staffing and assigns responsibilities and tasks to individuals and groups, in order to best achieve the objectives established by planning.

outputs:
The products or services produced by an organization.

people skill:
The ability to work effectively with and motivate others.

planning:
The function of management that determines the objectives of the business, and how best to achieve those objectives.

role:
A behaviour pattern expected of, or exhibited by, an individual in a given situation.

scientific management:
The theory that there is one best way to do any particular job, that it can be ascertained and taught to employees, and that workers are motivated primarily by money.

skill:
Ability or proficiency in performing a particular task or kind of task.

system:
A collection of individual parts that are coordinated to accomplish a common purpose.

systems approaches:
Approaches to management based on the assumption that an organization is a collection of parts, and that is primarily concerned with the interactions of those parts.

technical skill:
The ability to apply specific knowledge, technique, or expertise to perform a task.

time and motion studies:
Timing each aspect of a job to determine the actual physical movements that will allow it to be done most efficiently.

transformation:
The process of change that occurs as an organization processes inputs and changes a product or service from the form in which it was received to the form in which it is delivered to a customer, or to the next stage of production.

universalist management approach:
The theory of management that presupposes that for every problem there is a "best" answer, and that the manager's task is to find that answer and apply it universally.