Theories

Question 1

What is theory x?

Answer 1

The idea that workers don’t like work and need close supervision

Question 2

What is theory y?

Answer 2

The idea that workers are interested, important and should be involved in decision making

Question 3

What is the Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum?

Answer 3

It shows management styles based upon how decisions are made and communicated with staff

Question 4

What is the Blake Mouton Grid?

Answer 4

It identifies a mangers style based on their concern for staff and production, e.g. Country club management or produce or perish style

Question 5

What is the product life cycle?

Answer 5

Shows the sales of a product over its life

Question 6

What are the stages of the product life cycle?

Answer 6

Development, introduction, growth, maturity, decline

Question 7

What is the Boston Matrix?

Answer 7

It plots the position of a business in terms of market share and relative growth

Question 8

What are the 4 categories on the Boston Matrix?

Answer 8

Dog, rising star, problem child, cash cow

Question 9

What did Taylor say about workersand motivation?

Answer 9

He believed workers are only interested in money as a motivator and should be strictly supervised

Question 10

What did Maslow say about motivation?

Answer 10

Workers have a hierarchy of needs and firms must fulfill these needs starting at the bottom

Question 11

What did Maslow’s hierachy of needs look like?

Answer 11

Bottom - physiological needs (Food, shelter)
Security needs (contracts)
Social needs (relationships with employees)
Esteem needs (recognition)
Top - Self actualisation (fulfilling potential)

Question 12

What did Herzberg say about motivation?

Answer 12

Hé believed workers have hygiene factors (physiological and security needs). He said that these wouldn’t motivate but need to be fulfilled before workers can become motivated

Question 13

What was Hackmann and Oldham’s theory about?

Answer 13

Job design

Question 14

What did Hackmann and Oldham say?

Answer 14

They said that a good job design must include 5 things:
Task significance (role useful to the firm)
Skill variety (worker must use several skills)
Task identity (worker has to complete something)
Autonomy (worker has some decision making freedom)
Feedback (worker gets info back on their performance)

Question 15

What did Prahalad and Hamal say about core competences?

Answer 15

That in order to be a core competency it must have 3 qualities:
. Be significant for consumers
. Allow firm to access a variety of markets
. Be hard for rivals to replicate

Question 16

What idea did Kaplan and Norton devise?

Answer 16

The balanced scorecard

Question 17

What is the balanced scorecard?

Answer 17

A process that assess performance in 4 areas:
. Financially
. In terms of customer value, i.e. Customer satisfaction
. Process performance
. Learning and growth performance

Question 18

What is Ellington’s Triple Bottom line?

Answer 18

A process that looks at performance in 3 areas:
. Profit
. People (how socially responsible the firm are)
. Planet

Question 19

What is Carroll’s CSR pyramid?

Answer 19

It shows how a firm meets its social responsibilities

Question 20

What are the 4 parts of Carroll’s CSR pyramid?

Answer 20

Top- philanthropic responsibilities (being a good corporate citizen)
Ethical responsibilities (doing what is right)
Legal responsibilities (obeying the law)
Bottom - economic responsibilities (being profitable)

Question 21

What are Porter’s 5 forces related to?

Answer 21

The things which are key in affecting the competitive environment

Question 22

What are Porter’s 5 forces?

Answer 22

The bargaining power of suppliers
The bargaining power of the buyers
Competitive rivalry
Threat of new entrants
Threat of new substitute products

Question 23

What is Ansoff’s Matrix

Answer 23

A tool that managers can use to compare strategies they could use and the risk involved

Question 24

What are the 4 parts of Ansoff’s Matrix?

Answer 24

Market penetration - existing market and products
Market development - new market and and existing products
Product development - new product, exiting market
Diversification - new market new product

Question 25

What is Bowmann’s strategic clock?

Answer 25

This shows the different strategic positizoning options available to firms in terms of price and value for the customer

Question 26

What is Greiner’s model about?

Answer 26

Growth

Question 27

What are the 6 phases and 5 crises of Greiner’s model

Answer 27

Growth through creativity - leadership crisis (leader can’t now do everything themselves)
Growth through direction - autonomy crisis (local managers need freedom to take local decisions)
Growth through delegation -control crisis (because local managers now have too much indépendance)
Growth through co-ordination - red tape crisis (too many rules, procedures to follow)
Growth through collaboration - growth crisis (firm has run out of ideas for internal growth)
Growth through alliances

Question 28

What is Bartlett and Ghoshal’s theory about?

Answer 28

This helps managers decide on the best international approach for their situation

Question 29

what are the 2 axis on Bartlett and Ghosal’s theory?

Answer 29

x - need for local responsiveness

y - need for close integration of all parts of the business

Question 30

what are the quadrants on Bartlee and Ghoshal’s theory?

Answer 30

low integration, low responsiveness - international approach
low integration, high responsiveness - multi domestic
high integration, low responsiveness - global approach
high integration, high responsiveness - transnational approach

Question 31

What does Greiner’s model of growth suggest?

Answer 31

Growth goes through several stages with a crisis at the end of each stage that must be overcome in order to reach the next stage of growth

Question 32

What are the stages on Greiner’s model?

Answer 32

creativity - leadership crisis
direction - autonomy crisis
delegation - control crisis
coordination - red tape crisis
collaboration - growth crisis
external growth

Question 33

What did Kotter and Schleshinger say are the main reasons for staff resistance?

Answer 33

1) parochial self interest
2) misunderstanding about need for change
3) low tolerance to change
4) disagreement over the need for change

Question 34

How did Kotter and Schleshinger say a firm can overcome resistance?

Answer 34

1) better comm. to staff
2) allow those affected to be involved in change
3) Help employees through change
4) Negotiation and bargaining about the change
5) manipulation, e.g. buy people off
6) coercion, e.g. threats

Question 35

What are Handy’s 4 types of organisational culture?

Answer 35

1) power
2) role
3) person
4) task

Question 36

What are Hofstede’s national cultures?

Answer 36

A method of identifying differences between cultures of different countries

1) Power distance
2) individualism v collectivism
3) uncertainty avoidance
4) Macs. v fem.
5) short termisn v long termism