Chapter 11 Flashcards
- The process of choosing a course of action among alternatives is referred to as _____.
A. supervision
B. directing
C. decision making
D. controlling
C. decision making
- Researchers have found that _____ teams feature higher team orientation, flatter organizational hierarchies, and more open-minded and informal work attitudes.
A. Japanese
B. French
C. Indian
D. Swedish
D. Swedish
- Which of the following statements is true in the context of the decision-making process?
A. The decision-making process is often linear, though looping back is common.
B. Decision-making process is limited to helping a subsidiary respond to economic and political demands of a host country.
C. Cultural differences fail to inspire and motivate both decision-making process and its outcome.
D. If decision-making process is centralized, decisions are delegated to operating personnel.
A. The decision-making process is often linear, though looping back is common.
- Which of the following is a new line of thought about quality that is now emerging?
A. Training is costly.
B. Quality is everyone’s job.
C. Haste makes waste.
D. Quality improvement takes time.
B. Quality is everyone’s job.
- In Japan, what should be done is called _____, while what one really feels, which may be quite different, is called _____.
A. tatemae; honne
B. honne; ringisei
C. honne; tatemae
D. ringisei; tatemae
A. tatemae; honne
- Kaizen is a Japanese term that means _____.
A. employee empowerment
B. continuous improvement
C. quality comes first
D. teamwork
B. continuous improvement
- German automakers Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW all share the same goal of leading the international luxury vehicle market. Audi has made the decision to target younger professionals in established markets and this decision is reflected in the company’s new, trendy body designs. Audi’s approach of targeting younger professionals in established markets is a strategic move aimed at _____.
A. reducing costs
B. increasing quality
C. attacking competition
D. diversifying risks
C. attacking competition
- If decentralized decision making is in place, decisions are:
A. made at the top management level.
B. made at the middle management level.
C. delegated to operating personnel.
D. contracted to external consultants.
C. delegated to operating personnel.
- Which of the following is a factor that influences centralization of decision making in subsidiary operations?
A. Heterogeneous product lines
B. High level of product diversification
C. Large geographic distance between home office and subsidiary
D. High degree of interdependence between units
D. High degree of interdependence between units
- Which of the following factors encourage the use of decentralized decision making in subsidiary operations?
A. Homogeneous product lines
B. Low level of product diversification
C. Weak volume-to-unit cost relationship
D. High degree of technology
C. Weak volume-to-unit cost relationship
- Identify a factor that encourages the use of centralized decision making in subsidiary operations.
A. Little experience in international business
B. Moderate to low degree of technology
C. Small geographic distance between home office and subsidiary
D. Little importance attached to brand name and patent rights
C. Small geographic distance between home office and subsidiary
- A multinational company (MNC) is likely to centralize its decision making when:
A. it has a mature product line and the subsidiary managers are experienced.
B. it is a high-tech, research-intensive firm dealing with sophisticated levels of technology.
C. a subsidiary has superior staff and resources which is likely to become increasingly skilled in manufacturing and marketing products at the local level over time.
D. the home office has more confidence in delegating to the local level and less to gain by making all the important decisions.
B. it is a high-tech, research-intensive firm dealing with sophisticated levels of technology.
- A multinational company (MNC) is likely to decentralize its decision making when:
A. a subsidiary is selling new products in growing markets.
B. it is a high-tech, research-intensive firm dealing with sophisticated levels of technology.
C. the home office has a lot of confidence in delegating to a local level.
D. local subsidiary managers are inexperienced or ineffective.
C. the home office has a lot of confidence in delegating to a local level.
- In domestic situations, when competition increases, management of a multinational company (MNC) is likely to:
A. integrate product or service lines.
B. centralize authority.
C. decentralize authority.
D. diversify product and service lines.
B. centralize authority.
- Today, multinational companies (MNCs) taking a total quality management (TQM) approach are _____.
A. decentralized
B. top heavy
C. customer-driven
D. reengineered
C. customer-driven
- An organizational strategy and the accompanying techniques that result in the delivery of high-quality products or services to customers is referred to as _____.
A. total quality management
B. just-in-time management
C. reengineering
D. ISO 9000
A. total quality management
- Centralized decision making in a multinational company (MNC) is more likely when:
A. domestic competition increases and management wants a local subsidiary manager to have greater decision-making authority.
B. the home office has more confidence in delegating to the local level and less to gain by making all the important decisions.
C. there are important brand names or patent rights involved and a multinational company (MNC) wants to create as much protection as possible.
D. a subsidiary has superior staff and resources that is likely to become increasingly skilled in manufacturing and marketing products at the local level over time.
C. there are important brand names or patent rights involved and a multinational company (MNC) wants to create as much protection as possible.
- One of the primary areas where total quality management (TQM) is having a big impact is in _____.
A. human resources management
B. manufacturing
C. marketing
D. finance
B. manufacturing
- The process of giving individuals and teams the resources, information, and authority they need to develop ideas and effectively implement them is referred to as _____.
A. total quality management
B. reengineering
C. empowerment
D. kaizen
C. empowerment
- ISO 9000 refers to the International Standards Organization (ISO) certification to ensure _____.
A. quality products and services
B. on-time delivery
C. safety standards
D. compliance with worldwide workplace equality standards
A. quality products and services