Subscribe to the Largest Online Community of Students of virtual university of Pakistan

vuZs is a forum where students of Virtual University of Pakistan enlighten themselves. A place for the student to interact, exchange ideas in order to discuss issues, studying strategies, quality of education and above all Old papers ,Quizzes, assignments and related stuff is also provided on vuZs page. :::| Official Website: www.vuzs.info >

Translate

Sunday, January 10, 2010

MGT503 Solved MCQ DEFINING ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE 3

COMMON ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGNS

101. Eric is offered a chance to help direct the efforts of some employees assigned to his work group. This is a chance of Eric to experience _______________.

a.         functional structure

b.         divisional structure

c.         responsibility

d.         authority

        (d; moderate; p. 237)


Google Groups
http://groups.google.com/group/vuZs
Visit this group

 

102. Eric sees this new assignment as an obligation or expectation for him to perform at a new level of _______________.

a.         functional structure

b.         divisional structure

c.         responsibility

d.         authority

        (d; moderate; p. 237)

 

103. Eric's job continues to change over the years, and eventually, his department evolves to the point that he is in advanced structure where he continually works on projects. This structure is known as ___________ structure.

a.         simple

b.         functional

c.         divisional

d.         project

        (d; easy; p. 247)

 

General Hospital (Scenario)

 

Michelle is a registered nurse in charge of a new unit at her hospital. She would like to have a more laid-back approach in dealing with her new staff, but the hospital demands that there be strict hierarchical levels and that all decisions must be signed off by Michelle. Sometimes this drives Michelle nuts—the constant filling out of forms, and so forth. She also feels that the numerous levels of hierarchy are unnecessary and place barriers between herself and her staff. She isn't sure why things have to be so "organized" and is thinking about speaking with her boss to attempt changing her unit to have more flexibility and fewer rules.

 

104. Michelle is very concerned about the formal framework by which job tasks within her nursing unit are divided, grouped, and coordinated within her unit.  This framework is known as the unit's ______________.

a.         formal organizational chart

b.         organizational structure 

c.         staff

d.         span of control

        (b; moderate; p. 234)

 

105. Michelle's unit specializes in cardiology cases.  Dividing work units up in such a manner is most representative of _____________ departmentalization.

a.                   functional

b.                   product

c.                   process

d.                   customer

        (d; moderate; p. 237)

 

106. Michelle is required to sign off on all decisions, suggesting the hospital has what kind of decision-making authority?

a.         centralized 

b.         formal

c.         autocratic

d.         strict

        (a; moderate; p. 239)

 

107. Michelle has noticed that everyone is very concerned about the line of authority within the organization.  The line of authority within the organization is also called a(n) ______________.

a.         responsibility

b.         chain of command 

c.         span of control

d.         organizational strategy

        (b; easy; p. 237)

 

108. Michelle was asked to represent her cardiac unit as part of a Total Quality Management (TQM) initiative that is aimed at improving the overall quality of care at the hospital. Other departments, such as Cardiology and ER, also have representatives on this team.  The TQM team exemplifies ________________.

a.                   project management

b.                   a cross functional team

c.                   process integration

d.                   customer departmentalization

      (b;  easy; p. 237)

 

You Can Take That to the Bank (Scenario)

 

Changes in banking regulations, a series of loan defaults by dotcom customers and a decline in the California real estate market have forced Western Bank, a large regional West Coast bank, to downsize in an effort to improve profitability and bolster its sagging stock price. Susan Q., a regional branch supervisor for the Sacramento district, has been tasked with preparing a management report concerning how these cuts are affecting bank operations and customer service. Susan believes that the most important problem that has emerged concerns span of control and decision-making authority within the bank. In the past, bank policy was that no manager should supervise more than six subordinates and only managers could make decisions for their individual units. However, with many of the cuts coming in middle management, upper management has increased its span of control while still insisting on managerial-only decision making at the unit level. The result is that upper managers spend all of their time putting out fires and subordinates feel they are getting answers too slowly.  As a result, lower level employees are requesting greater authority to make decisions on their own. Susan Q believes that structural changes must be made that reflect Western Bank's new situation.  

 

109. Based upon the preceding description of Western Bank's situation, which aspect(s) of the current situation are inconsistent with Western Bank's decision to maintain a centralized form of decision making?

a.                   the environment is uncertain

b.                   wider span of managerial control

c.         the company is large

d.         a and b

      (d;  moderate; p. 239)

 

110. Susan believes that Western Bank should be more highly adaptive and flexible. She would like Western Bank to possess more of a(n) ___________ structure?

a.                   organic

b.                   mechanistic

c.                   formalized

d.                   technological

      (a;  easy; p. 241)

 

111. In her report, Susan cites a case study of the Bank of Montreal, and points to this bank as a model for future restructuring efforts. Key  component(s) to the Bank of Montreal's success include _____________.

a.                   employee empowerment

b.                   geographic departmentalization

c.                   increased work specialization

d.                   a and b

        (d; moderate; pp. 237 and 240)

 

ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN DECISIONS

 

Leather and Lacey (Scenario)

 

Lacey has been hired as a consultant for XYZ Consulting.  Her first assignment is to work with one of XYZ's newest clients, Custom Leather, Inc., a manufacturer of high-end leather furniture. Custom Leather was founded over a decade ago with the idea that great looking, comfortable leather furniture could be custom made and delivered to customers in 30 days. Traditionally, retailers stock leather sofas to satisfy the desire to receive new furniture fastlimiting the choice of colors and style for the consumer. In stark contrast, Custom Leather, offers 13 different styles in over 70 different colorsfrom rich, deep browns to bright, sunflower; sleek, silver grays and bright, ruby redthrough a select group of retail outlets. Each piece is built to the customer's individual requirements and is shipped with in 2–3 weeks.  However, the emergence of a new manufacturing technology has enabled a few, traditionally mass-production competitors to offer greater customization, minimizing some of Custom Leather's competitive advantage. As a result, Custom Leather  is considering sweeping changes to current work processes and organizational structure.  

 

112. At their first meeting, Lacey provides copies of a collection of Joan Woodward's essays for Custom Leather's management to read. Lacey believes that Woodward's work may be particularly pertinent in considering Custom Leather's organizational structure, since Woodward believed that the effectiveness of the organization was related to the fit between the firms's _______________.

a.        employees and products

b.                technology and structure 

c.                size and structure

d.                processes and employees

        (b; moderate; p. 242)

 

113. After reading Woodward's work at Lacey's suggestion, Custom Leather CEO Miles Standish asks her about other contingency factors that should be considered in optimally designing the firm's organizational structure. Lacey responds that other contingency factors linked to structure include _______________. 

a.                   market orientation

b.                   process

c.                   organizational complexity

d.                   none of the above

        (d; moderate; pp. 242-243)

 

114.   Lacey believes that as Custom Leather devises a competitive response to its more intense competitive environment, it is important to ensure that emergent  strategies are coaligned with Custom Leather's  structure.  She explains to Standish that strategy frameworks tend to focus on three dimensions: innovation, cost minimization, and ______________.

a.                market orientation

b.                customization

c.                imitation

d.                none of the above

         (c; moderate; p. 242)

 

115.   Standish is interested in learning more about the link between strategic decision making and organizational structure. Lacey suggested that the research and writings of _________, which were based on studies of U.S. firms in the late 1950s and early 1960s and remain the most seminal study in this area.

a.                Arthur Miller

b.                Joan Woodward

c.                Alfred Chandler

d.                Raymond Kramer

         (c; difficult; p. 242)

 

116.   Standish is considering doubling the size of his workforce in conjunction with expanding the number of retail outlets that carry Custom Leather products.  Lacey tells him that he should expect the organization to become more ____________ as a result of this change.

a.                mechanistic

b.                formalized

c.                organic

d.                complex

         (a; easy; p. 242)

 

 

 

117.   Many of Custom Leather's 75 employees are highly skilled and experienced artisans.  Many long time employees are stock holders and all participate in the profit sharing plan.  While there is division of labor, the jobs most floor employees perform are not highly standardized.  Management has found that employees take great pride in their craft, thus requiring minimal formal rules and little direct supervision.  These traits are most typical of a(n) _________________ organization.

a.                informal

b.                mechanistic

c.                organic

d.                empowered

         (c; moderate; p. 241)

 

118.   Since Custom Leather produces individually customized couches, this could best be referred to as what kind of production?

a.        mass

b.        process

c.        unit 

d.        environmental

         (c; moderate; p. 242)

 

119.   Custom Leather's competitors typically produce its couches in large batches.  This could best be referred to as what kind of production?

a.        mass 

b.        process

c.        unit

d.        environmental

         (a; moderate; p. 242)

 

120.   Lacey tells Standish that studies have found that as environmental uncertainty increases, ________________ designs tend to be most effective.

a.                organic

b.                mechanistic

c.                traditional

d.                centralized

         (a; easy; p. 243)