ME (Module 3-4) Midterms Flashcards
1
Q
The output of planning, , provides a methodical way of achieving desired results. It serves as a useful guide.
A
Plan
2
Q
Aspects of changing environment are:
A
- Changes in Technology
- Changes in Government Policy
- Changes in all overall economic activity
- Changes in the nature of competition
- Changes in social norms and attitudes
3
Q
It is a function of management in which a conscious choice of patterns of influence is determined for decision makers so that many decisions will be coordinated for some period of time and will be directed toward the chosen broad goal.
A
Planning
4
Q
It is a predetermined course of action.
A
Plan
5
Q
It is developed after considerable detailed study of a routine set of actions, can serve as a predetermined pattern, which will ensure correct future action with a maximum of rethinking on the part of the operator.
A
Checklist
6
Q
According to them, planning refers to ”the management function that involves anticipating future trends and determining the best strategies and tactics to achieve organizational objectives.” This definition is useful because it relates the future to what could be decided now.
A
Nickels and others
7
Q
They define planning as “the selection and sequential ordering of tasks required to achieve an organization goal. “ The definition centers on the activity to accomplish the goals.
A
Aldag and Stearns
8
Q
Their definition provides a better guide on how effectively perform this vital activity. Planning according to them is “deciding what will be done, who will do it, where, when, and how it will be done and the standards to which it will be done.
A
Cole and Hamilton
9
Q
The process of planning:
A
- Setting organizational, divisional, or unit goals
- Developing strategies or tactics to reach those goals
- Determining resources needed, and
- Setting standard
10
Q
The first task of the engineer manager is to provide a sense of direction to his firm (if he is the chief executive), to his division (if he heads a division), or to his unit (if he is a supervisor).
A
Setting Organizational, Divisional, Unit Goals
11
Q
This may be defined as the “precise statement of the results sought, quantified in the time and magnitude, where possible”.
A
Goals
12
Q
To which organizational level does attaining a return on investment of 25% belongs to?
A
Company
13
Q
To which organizational level does increasing the number of projects undertaken by the company belongs to?
A
Division
14
Q
To which organizational level does increasing the number of project engineers belong to?
A
Unit
15
Q
After determining the goals, the next task is to devise some means to realize them.
A
Developing Strategies or Tactics to Reach Those Goals
16
Q
The ways to realize the goals.
A
Strategies
17
Q
It may be defined as “a course of action aimed at ensuring that the organization will achieve its objectives.”
A
Strategy
18
Q
It is a short-term action taken by management to adjust to negative internal or external influences.
A
Tactics
19
Q
These are the general and ultimate ends toward which they are aimed. Different organizations have different goals.
A
Goals of Organizations
20
Q
It is the specific and well defined roles and activities on which the organization elects to concentrate its effort.
A
Mission of Organizations
21
Q
Strategies must be tailored to the specific situation in which an organization find itself. A strategy that has been successful for one company may not be good for another.
A
Strategy of Organizations
22
Q
When particular sets of strategies or tactics have been devised, the engineer manager will, then, determine the human and non-human resources requires by such strategies or tactics
A
Determining Resources Needed
23
Q
The standards for measuring performance may be set at the planning stage. When actual performance does not match with the planned performance, corrections may be made or reinforcement given.
A
Setting Standards
24
Q
It may be defined as “a quantitative or qualitative measuring device designed to help monitor the
performances of people, capital goods or processes.”
A
Standard
25
Planning activities undertaken at various levels are:
1. Top management level- strategic planning
2. Middle management level- intermediate planning
3. Lower management level- operational planning
26
This term refers to the process of determining the major goals of the organization and the policies and the strategies for obtaining and using resources to achieve those goals. The top management of any firm is involved in this type of planning.
Strategic planning
27
The output of strategic planning is the _____________ which spells out “the decision about long-range goals and the course of action to achieve the goals.
Strategic plan
28
It refers to “the process determining the contributions that subunits can make with allocated resources.” This type of planning is undertaken by middle management.
Intermediate planning
29
It refers to “the process of determining how specific task can best be accomplished on time with available resources.” This type of planning is a responsibility of lower management. It must be performed in support of strategic plan
Operational planning
30
This is design to support the strategic plan
Intermediate plan
31
Useful Generalizations of Planning
1. A plan should be directed toward well-defined objectives.
2. Plans made by different specialists should be coordinated through adequate communication among specialists.
3. Planning is a prerequisite to other functions of management.
4. Planning pervades the hierarchy of an organization.
5. A manager should relate the degree of commitment of his resources to the need of definite plans.
6. Plans should retain flexibility.
32
Plans are different types. They may be classified in terms of:
- Functional areas
- Time horizon
- Frequency of use
33
This is the written document or blueprint for implementing and controlling an organization’s marketing activities related to particular marketing strategy.
Marketing Plan
34
This is the written document that states the quantity of output of a company must be produced in broad terms and by product family.
Production Plan
35
It is a document that summarizes the current financial situation of the firm, analyzes financial needs and recommends a directions for financial activities.
Financial Plan
36
It is a document that indicates the human resource needs of a company detailed in terms of quantity and quality and based on the requirements of the company’s strategic plan.
Human Resource Management Plan
37
These are plans intended to cover a period of less than one year. First-line supervisors are mostly concerned with these plans.
Short-range Plan
38
these are plans covering a time span of more than one year. These are mostly undertaken by middle and top management.
Long-range Plan
39
These are plans that are used again and again, and they focus on managerial situations that recur repeatedly.
Standing Plans
40
These plans are specifically developed to implement courses of action that are relatively unique and are unlikely to be repeated.
Single-Use Plan
41
They are broad guidelines to aid managers at every level in making decisions about recurring situations or functions
Policies
42
They are plans that describe the exact series of actions to be taken in a given situation.
Procedures
43
They are plans that describe the exact series of actions to be taken in a given situation.
Rules
44
It is a single-use plans that is usually more limited in scope than a program and is sometimes
prepared to support a program.
Project
45
According to Weston and Brigham, is “a plan which sets forth the projected expenditure for a certain activity and explains where the required funds.
Budgets
46
It is a single-use plan designed to coordinate a large set of activities.
Program
47
_______________ maintains that the following must be included in the marketing plan:
William Cohen
1. The Executive Summary
2. Table of Contents
3. Situational Analysis and Target Market
4. Marketing Objectives and Goals
5. Marketing Strategies
6. Marketing Tactics
7. Schedules and Budgets
8. Financial Data and Control
48
It presents an overall view of the marketing project and its potential.
The Executive Summary
49
The production plan must contain the following:
1. The amount of capacity the company must have
2. How many Employees are required?
3. How much material must be purchased?
50
The components of the financial plan are follows:
1. An analysis of the firm’s current financial condition as indicated by an analysis of the most recent statements
2. A sales forecast
3. The Capital Budget
4. The cash budget
5. A set of pro Forma (or Projected) financial statements
6. The external financial plan
51
The human resources plan must contain the following:
1. Personnel requirements of the company
2. Plans for recruitment and selection
3. Training plan
4. Retirement plan
52
The strategic plan must contain the following:
1. Company or corporate mission 2. Objectives or Goals
3. Strategies
53
It refers to the “strategic statement that identifies why an organization exists, its philosophy of management, and its purpose as distinguished from other similar organizations in terms of products, services, and markets.
Company or corporate mission
54
Planning may be successful if the following are observed:
1. Recognize the planning barriers
2. Use of aids to planning
55
The planning barriers, according to ___________, are follows:
Plunkett and Attner
1. Managers inability to plan
2. Improper planning process
3. Lack of commitment to the planning process
4. Improper information’ 5. Focusing on the present at the expense of the future
6. Too much reliance on the planning department
7. Concentrating on only the controllable variables
56
Among the aids to planning that may be used are:
1. Gather as much information as possible
2. Develop multiple sources of information
3. Involve others in the planning process
57
It is a management function which refers to “the structuring of resources and activities to
accomplish objectives in an efficient and effective manner.”
Organizing
58
The arrangement or relationship of positions within an organization is called the _________. It is the result of the
organizing process.
Structure
59
The structure serves some very useful purposes. They are the following:
1. It defines the relationships between tasks and authority for individuals and departments.
2. It defines formal reporting relationships, the number of level in the hierarchy of the organization, and the span of control.
3. It defines the groupings of individuals into departments and departments into organization.
4. It defines the system to effect coordination of effort in both vertical (authority) and horizontal (tasks) directions.
60
Determining the scope of work and how it is combined in job.
Division of labor
61
The process of assigning various degrees of decision making authority subordinates.
Delegation of authority
62
The grouping related jobs, activities, or processes into major organizational subunits.
Departmentation
63
The number of people who report directly to given manager.
Span of control
64
The linking of activities in the organization that serves to achieve a common goal or objective.
Coordination
65
It is “structure that details lines of responsibilities, authority, and position”. It is “the planned structure” and it “represents the deliberate attempt to established patterned relationships among components that will meet the objectives effectively”.
Formal organization
66
It is a diagram of the organization’s official positions and formal lines of authority.
Organization chart
67
It provides written descriptions of authority relationships, details the functions of major
organizational units and describes job procedures.
Organizational manual
68
It describes personnel activities and company policies.
Policy manuals
69
Since the authority and responsibility of all the employees have been already fixed, inefficient employees can easily be apprehended and in this way their accountability can be fixed.
Easy to Fix Accountability
70
Everything moves in an orderly manner. Therefore, there is no possibility of any work being left out or unnecessarily duplicated.
No Overlapping of Work
71
It is possible to observe the principle of unity of command in view of the presence of scalar chain of authority.
Unity of Command Possible
72
It is easy to achieve the goals of the organization because there is an optimum use of all the material and human resources.
Easy to Get Goals
73
All the people work by observing rules and remain confined within the domain of their authority. This leads to the establishment of good relationship which, in turn, leads to stability to the organization.
Stability in Organization
74
This group occur when members of an organization spontaneously form a group with friendship as a
principal reason for belonging. It is not a part of the formal organization and it does not have a formal performance purpose.
Informal Group
75
The ____________, useful as it is, is “vulnerable to expediency, manipulation and opportunism,” according to Valentine. Its low visibility, Valentine added, makes it “difficult for management to detect these perversions and considerable harm can be done
Informal organization
76
A manager’s right to tell subordinates what to do and then see that they do it.
Line Authority
77
A staff specialist’s right to give advice to a superior.
Staff Authority
78
A specialist’s right to oversee lower level personnel involved in that specialty, regardless of where the personnel are in the organization.
Functional Authority
79
They perform tasks that reflect the organizations primary goal and mission. In a construction firm, the department that negotiates and secures contracts for the firm is a line department. The construction division is also a line function.
Line Department
80
They include all those that provide specialized skills in support of line departments. Examples of staff departments include those which perform strategic planning, labor relations, research, accounting, and personnel.
Staff Department
81
It is one given to a person or a work group to make decisions related to their expertise even if
these decisions concern other departments. This authority is given to most budget officers of organizations, as well
as other officers.
Functional Authority
82
Those individuals assigned to a specific manager to provide needed staff services.
Personnel Staff
83
Those individuals providing needed staff services for the whole organization.
Specialized Staff
84
When certain formal groups are deemed inappropriate to meet expectations, ____________ are oftentimes harnessed to achieve organizational goals
committees
85
A ___________ is a formal group of persons formed for a specific purpose.
committee
86
Described by ________, is “often staffed by top executives from marketing, production, research, engineering, and finance, who work part-time to evaluate and approve product ideas."
Product planning committee, Millevo
87
One created for short-term purpose and has a limited life. An example is the committee created to manage the anniversary festivities of a certain firm.
Ad Hoc Committee
88
It is a relatively permanent committee that deals with issues on an ongoing basis. An example is the grievance committee set up to handle initially complaints from employees of the organization.
Standing Committee
89
He suggests that “it might be useful to set up some procedures to make the committee a more effective tool to accomplish our goals.”
Delany
90
This is a form of departmentalization in which everyone engaged in one functional activity, such as engineering or marketing, is grouped into one unit.
Functional organization
91
This refers to the organization of a company by divisions that brings together all those involved with a certain type
Product or market organization
92
Reasons or Factors for Joining or Forming an Informal Group
- Friendship
- Common interest
- Proximity
- Need satisfaction
- Collective power
- Group goals
93
These are very effective in smaller firms, especially “single-business firms where key activities revolve around well-defined skills ad areas of specialization.”
Functional organization
94
Functional organizations have certain advantages. They are the following:
1. The grouping of employees who perform a common task permit economies of scale and efficient resource use.
2. Since the chain of command converges at the top of the organization, decision-making is centralized, providing unified direction from the top.
3. Communication and coordination among employees within each department are excellent.
4. The structure promotes high quality technical problem-solving.
5. The organization is provided with in depth skill specialization and development.
6. Employees are provided with career progress within functional departments.
95
The disadvantages of the functional organizational are the following:
1. Communication and coordination between the departments are often poor.
2. Decisions involving more than one department pile up at the top management level and are often delayed.
3. Work specialization and division of labor, which are stressed in a functional organization, produce routine, no motivating employee tasks.
4. It is difficult to identify which section or group is responsible for certain problems.
5. There is limited organizational goals by view of employees.
6. There is limited general management training for employees.
96
The _________________, with its feature of operation by divisions, is “appropriate for a large
corporation with many product lines in several related
Product or market organization
97
The advantages of a product or market organization are as follows:
1. The organization is flexible and responsive to change.
2. The organization provides a high concern for customer’s needs.
3. The organization provides excellent coordination across functional departments.
4. There is easy pinpointing of responsibility for product problems.
5. There is emphasis on overall product and division goals.
6. The opportunity for the development of general management skills is provided.
98
The disadvantages of the product or market organization are as follows:
1. There is a high possibility of duplication of resources across divisions.
2. There is less technical depth and specialization in divisions.
3. There is poor coordination across divisions.
4. There is less top management control.
5. There is competition for corporate
99
According to ______________, “is a structure with two (or more) channels of command, two lines of budget authority, and two sources of performance and reward.”
Thompson and Strickland, Matrix organization
100
He declared that “the matrix structure was designed to keep employees in a central pool and to allocate them to various projects in the firm according to the length of time they were needed."
Higgins
101
The matrix organization is afforded with the following advantages:
1. There is more efficient use of resources than the divisional structure.
2. There is flexibility and adaptability to changing environment.
3. The development of both general and functional management skills are present.
4. There is interdisciplinary cooperation and any expertise is available to all divisions.
5. There are enlarged tasks for employees which motivate them better.
102
The matrix organization has some disadvantages, however. They are the following:
1. There is frustration and confusion from dual chain of command.
2. There is high conflict between divisional and functional interests.
3. There are many meetings and more discussion than action.
4. There is a need for human relations training for key employees and managers.
5. There is a tendency for power dominance by one side of the matrix.
