Final Exam - Chapter 14

Question 1

Centralization

Answer 1

the degree to which decision making authority is concentrated at higher levels in an organization. In centralized companies, many important decisions are made at higher levels of the hierarchy, whereas in decentralized companies, decisions are made and problems are solved at lower levels by employees who are closer to the problem in question.

Question 2

Span of Control

Answer 2

The number of employees reporting to a single manager. In tall structures, the span of control tends to be smaller, resulting in greater opportunities for managers to supervise and monitor employee activities.

Question 3

Functional Structures

Answer 3

group jobs based on similarity in functions. Such structures may have departments such as marketing, manufacturing, finance, accounting, human resources, and information technology.

Question 4

Divisional Structures

Answer 4

departments represent the unique products, services, customers, or geographic locations the company is serving. In other words, each unique product or service the company is producing will have its own department

Question 5

Mechanistic Structures

Answer 5

similar to bureaucracies, as they are highly formalized and centralized. Communication tends to follow formal channels, and employees are given specific job descriptions delineating their roles and responsibilities.

Question 6

Modular Organization

Answer 6

all the nonessential functions are outsourced. The idea behind this format is to retain only the value-generating and strategic functions in-house, while the rest of the operations are outsourced to many suppliers.

Question 7

Kakushin

Answer 7

revolutionary change, as needed. Regardless of the nature of the particular change, there is an overall vision for the company that justifies and explains why change is necessary “to build the dream car of the future.