Learn Smart 11

Question 1

which of the following policies encourage the development of a workforce committed to quality?

Answer 1

• screening applicants for their attitudes about workplace excellence
• providing valuable employee training experiences

Question 2

Statistical information is generally the most useful if it is provided

Answer 2

in real time

Question 3

which of the following are important aspects of using benchmarking to identify best practices?

Answer 3

• adaptation of practices that have proves successful in other companies
• the enlistment of influential employees in making necessary changes

Question 4

Employers can avoid heavy-handed scrutiny of employees by

Answer 4

closely monitoring day to day operating data

Question 5

Which of the following are nearly always necessary when a company adopts a new strategic plan?

Answer 5

• adjustment of resources

- changes in budget allocatoins

Question 6

in order to be successful, any quality program must be integrated with

Answer 6

a company’s overall business strategy

Question 7

Emerging businesses can facilitate rapid growth by doing which of the following?

Answer 7

• putting efficient communication systems in place

- creating flexible infrastructures geared to handle expansion

Question 8

which of the following groups isv best placed to make constructive use of best practice information derived from other companies?

Answer 8

frontline employees who are committed to change

Question 9

which of the following are nonmonetary rewards used to boost employee performance?

Answer 9

• awards and acknowledgements
• a friendly work environment
• internal promotion

Question 10

Incentive compensation systems are based on the idea that

Answer 10

all employees should be rewarded for high levels of performance

Question 11

business statistical information are chiefly geared to tracking data concerning which of the following?

Answer 11

• customers
• employees,
• suppliers and strategic partners

Question 12

A recommended tool in monitoring the performance of empowered employees in self managed work groups is

Answer 12

peer review

Question 13

Which of the following are motivational practices that facilitate good strategy execution?

Answer 13

• inviting and acting on ideas and suggestions from employees
• promoting from within whenever possible
• sharing information with employees about financial performance and strategy

Question 14

In order for a business incentive program to achieve the desired results

Answer 14

employees must understand how incentive pay is calculated.

Question 15

Structured use of benchmarking, total quality management, and six sigma techniques

Answer 15

• a corporate culture of operating excellence

- a competitive advantage in the marketplace

Question 16

which of the following factors of effective incentive compensation?

Answer 16

• prompt payment upon accomplishment of a goal
• fair and objective administration
• realistic performance goals

Question 17

Why do some company leaders, such as google’s chair eric schmidt, avoid six stigma program implementation in their organizations?

Answer 17

six stigma principles can impede innovation in fields that rely on creative activities

Question 18

Which of the following are likely outcomes if a new strategic business initiative has insufficient resources and too little funding?

Answer 18

–organizational units will not be able to efficiently execute their roles

-progress will be slowed

Question 19

Eliminating differences in the operating practices of different factory locations accomplishes which of the following?

Answer 19

it helps to ensure and enforce consistency in how execution-critical activities are performed

Question 20

A new strategic initiative has been announced at upton software, but it must be implemented without adding to company expenses. Jake, a manager, must do which of the following to ececute the plan?

Answer 20

• Jake should shift resources to higher priority activities

- Jake will need to study the existing budget and look for ways to trim costs

Question 21

Which of the following is the most likely to lead to competitive advantage in the marketplace?

Answer 21

a long range plan dedicated to building an understanding of the importance of excellence on every level of business activity

Question 22

which of the following are likely outcomes if a new strategic business initiative has too much funding an overabundance of resources?

Answer 22

• financial performance will be reduced and suffer

- organizational resources will be wasted

Question 23

Successful business often seek to attract

Answer 23

ambitious employees who enjoy a challenge

Question 24

Ambidextrous organization employ an alternative approach to six stigma implementation in that they

Answer 24

• continue to employ improvements in the efficiency of operating procedures
• provide flexibility in creative decisions such as R&D that rely on variability to achieve results

Question 25

One way well-conceived policies and operating procedures facilitate strategy execution is by providing top down guidance regarding how things need to be done this top down guidance includes which of the following

Answer 25

• it restricts ineffective independent action and keeps the focus on supporting the plan
• it aligns the actions and behavior of personnel in an efficient manner
• it provides guideline to channel individual and group efforts along a strategy-supportive path

Question 26

Successful Totally quality management is demonstrated by

Answer 26

limited, but regular, daily improvement

Question 27

which of the following changes helped general electric improve product delivery from its circuit breaker division

Answer 27

• instituting an automated design system
• consolidating manufacturing areas
• introducing a more streamlined management system

Question 28

In general, employee incentive compensation should be tied to

Answer 28

effective implementation of business strategies

Question 29

When existing ways of doing things pose a barrier to strategy execution initatives, management must establish and enforce new policies and operating practices which of the following statements explain why this is useful?

Answer 29

–people who are resisrtantto change can understand the important of following company policies and will adapt

• people will try not to violate company policy
• the action aligns behavior of personnel with the requirements for good strategy execution

Question 30

critics of business process reengineering fclaim that it promotes

Answer 30

downsizing

Question 31

Which of the following has been identified as a major drawback of six sigma approach?

Answer 31

a reduction in creativity and innovation

Question 32

Helping to ensure consistency in how execution critical activities are performed in one of the ways policies and procedures facilitate good strategy execution. which of the following statements about how to enfore consistency in strategy-critical activities are true?

Answer 32

• policies and procedures improve the quality and reliability of strategy execution
• policies and procedures help coordinate the strategy execution efforts of personnel throughout the organization

Question 33

which relationship is most crucial in the successful development of an ambidextrous organization?

Answer 33

the relationship between the highest levels of management to ensure cohesion between units

Question 34

For factory workers, incentive payments are generally based on which of the following?

Answer 34

• avoiding work stoppages
• meeting production deadlines
• cost of manufacturing

Question 35

Total quality management is distinguised form other approachers to promoting excellence by

Answer 35

its focus on improvement in every area of work