Questions and Answers of Essentials Of Management

Would you be comfortable if the details of your decision were reported on the front page of your local newspaper, on a popular Web site or blog, or through your company’s e-mail system? This
Would you tell your child (or young relative) to do it? This question is based on the deontological principle of reversibility, referring to reversing who carries out the decision. LO.1
How does it smell? This question is based on a person’s intuition and common sense. For example, underpaying many accounts payable by a few dollars to save money would “smell” bad to a sensible
If many of these charges about Wal-Mart being unethical and socially irresponsible are true, why does the company keep growing in size and profits? LO.1
Recommend several additional actions Wal-Mart might take to develop a better reputation for ethics and social responsibility. LO.1
Has the information just presented had any impact on your propensity to shop or not shop at Wal-Mart? Explain. LO.1
What is your reaction to the following statement made by many business graduates? “It may be nice to study ethics, but in the real world the only thing that counts is money.” LO.1
Give examples of rights that you think every employee is entitled to. LO.1
The Vice Fund (http://www.vicefund.com) is a mutual fund that favors “products or services often considered socially irresponsible,” including investments in tobacco, alcoholic beverages,
According to several religious and community leaders, companies can become more socially responsible by allowing homeless people to stay overnight in the office lobby. The need is particularly urgent
Suppose a person makes extensive use of work/life benefits offered by the company. How might using these benefits frequently have a negative effect on his or her career? LO.1
Get together with a group of people and rank the occupations listed next in terms of your perception of their ethical reputation. The most ethical occupation receives a rank of one. (The list that
Search the print media or the Internet for an example of an act of high social responsibility by a business firm. Explain why you think the actions taken by the firm reflect high social
What conflict of interest for doctors appears to be involved in this case? LO.1
What conflict of interest for the whistle blower appears to be involved in this case? LO.1
So what’s wrong with taking doctors to strip clubs for a little fun? LO.1
What do you recommend that Medtronic do about its approach to influencing doctors to use their spinal implants on patients? LO.1
What is your evaluation of the ethics of domainname companies getting commissions when people insert ordinary names into their Internet browser? LO.1
What about the ethics of Google and Yahoo getting involved by paying ad revenues to the domain-name companies? LO.1
What possible links are there between domain-name companies and click fraud? LO.1
Summarize a general framework for planning and apply it to enhance your planning skills. LO.1
Describe the nature of business strategy. LO.1
Explain how business strategy is developed, including SWOT analysis. LO.1
Identify levels of business strategy, competitive forces, and types of business strategies. LO.1
Explain the use of operating plans, policies, procedures, and rules. LO.1
Present an overview of management by objectives. LO.1
Why might this story about PepsiCo be considered an example of business strategy? LO.1
Which business strategy or strategies are illustrated in this story about PepsiCo? LO.1
In what way does planning control the future? LO.1
How can you use the information in this chapter to help you achieve your career and personal goals? LO.1
Some business owners make a statement something to the effect, “We’re too busy to bother with strategy.We have to take care of the present.” What might be wrong with their reasoning? LO.1
How realistic is Microsoft’s mission (or vision)? “To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential.” LO.1
Why are companies willing to spend up to $50,000 for business students to propose solutions to their strategic dilemmas? Shouldn’t the company be relying on experienced business people? LO.1
Using the information presented in Exhibit 4-7 as a guide, prepare an effective goal for a callcenter customer-service worker who is responsible for resolving call-in problems about digital
Give an example of how a rule could fit the corporate strategy of cost leadership. LO.1
What do you think will be the effectiveness of Burton returning Zales Jewelers to its regular business strategy? In your answer, define or categorize that strategy. LO.1
What should Burton do about the ethical and legal problems facing Zales? LO.1
Do you think Mary Forté had a good strategy in attempting to move Zales upscale? As part of your answer think of your own experience at Zales, or anybody else who has shopped there. LO.1
If you were a board member at Zales would you be concerned about the job-hopping of Mary Burton? LO.1
Identify several business strategies Dell has used so far. LO.1
Suggest a plan to Dell executives for continuing its past successes into the future. LO.1
Advise Dell management as to whether they should be so concerned about their recent downturn in sales. LO.1
What is your opinion of the quality of Dell desktops and laptops based upon what you have observed personally and what people in your network have said. LO.1
Differentiate between nonprogrammed and programmed decisions. LO.1
Explain the steps involved in making a nonprogrammed decision. LO.1
Understand the major factors that influence decision making in organizations. LO.1
Appreciate the value and potential limitations of group decision making. LO.1
Understand the nature of creativity and how it contributes to managerial work. LO.1
Describe organizational programs for improving creativity and innovation. LO.1
Implement several suggestions for becoming a more creative problem solver. LO.1
Is there any company not on this list that you would have voted to be included? LO.1
Is there any company on this list that you would not have voted to be included? LO.1
Does being on this list of 25 most innovative companies influence whether you would want to work for a particular company? LO.1
Why might bean-bag chairs, comfy couches, and adjustable lighting contribute to creativity? LO.1
From the standpoint of innovation, why does it help Fisher-Price to have toy designers work with marketers? LO.1
Describe a problem the manager of a new restaurant might face, and point to the actual and ideal conditions in relation to this problem. LO.1
How might emotional factors in decision making influence the potential purchase of a business franchise, such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Service Master among hundreds of others? LO.1
How might the use of Internet search engines help you make better decisions on the job? LO.1
Which one of the factors that influence decision making would likely give you the most trouble? What can you do to get this factor more in your favor? LO.1
What is a potential disadvantage of giving employees prizes, such as a leather jacket for submitting 100 ideas in the idea quota program? LO.1
Describe the general approach a firm of five real-estate developers might take to use the nominal group technique for deciding which property to purchase next. LO.1
What would you advise Jack and Sarah to do about pricing their condo for sale? LO.1
In what way are the sellers displaying neuroeconomics in making a decision about selling their condominium? LO.1
If you were Wendy McMaster, how would you attempt to convince Jack and Sarah to accept a lower price for their condo? LO.1
Why should Rubber Bandits be classified as a creative idea? LO.1
What does this story illustrate about how creative ideas surface? LO.1
In what way might having studied both business and engineering helped Adrian Chernoff become an inventor? LO.1
Explain how managers use data-based decision making. LO.1
Explain the use of forecasting techniques in planning. LO.1
Describe how to use Gantt charts, milestone charts, and PERT planning techniques. LO.1
Describe how to use breakeven analysis and decision trees for problem solving and decision making. LO.1
Describe how to manage inventory by using the economic order quantity(EOQ), the just-in-time (JIT)system, and LIFO versus FIFO. LO.1
Describe how to identify problems using a Pareto diagram. LO.1
Why might employees and customers be a valuable source of input for Hurd in making decisions about the future of HP? LO.1
In what way is employee input shaping the future of HP? LO.1
What, if any, ethical issues might there be in collecting input from employees about fixing the company, then laying off 14,500 of them? LO.1
In what way did using just-in-time inventory management help the supplier, Arvin Sango? LO.1
In what way did using just-in-time inventory management help the customer, Toyota? LO.1
Visualize yourself as the manager of an athletic club.Give three examples of data you might be able to use in making decisions about how to improve the profitability of the club. LO.1
What is the difference between a milestone chart and a to-do list? LO.1
Describe two possible job applications for a PERT network. LO.1
What similarities do you see between the purposes of break-even analysis and a decision tree? LO.1
How might the Pareto principle apply to the profits an automobile company earns on the sales of its vehicles? LO.1
At least one-half of new restaurants fail within the first couple of years, even when these restaurants appear to be busy much of the time. Describe how two of the techniques described in this
An important part of management is dealing with people. Where is the human touch in any of the techniques described in this chapter? LO.1
How many cameras will you have to sell each month before you start to make a profit? LO.1
If the average cost of your cameras rises to $35, how many cameras will you have to sell each month if you hold your price to $65 per unit? LO.1
How suitable is the just-in-time inventory management system for the University of Utah Hospital(as well as for other large hospitals)? LO.1
What recommendations would you make to the hospital in question to have drugs available to deal with a pandemic or other emergency? LO.1
Recommend a technique that Family Services can use to evaluate how much of their time is being spent on a relatively few number of clients. LO.1
After making this analysis and perhaps furnishing some illustrative data, explain what can be done about the situation. LO.1
How might forecasting techniques help Family Services do a better job of managing their workload? LO.1
Explain the four major dimensions of job design plus job specialization and job descriptions. LO.1
Describe job enrichment, including the job characteristics model. LO.1
Describe job involvement, enlargement, and rotation. LO.1
Explain how workers use job crafting to modify their jobs. LO.1
Illustrate how ergonomic factors can be part of job design. LO.1
Summarize the various modified work schedules. LO.1
Explain how job design can contribute to a highperformance work system. LO.1
How can a retailer like Best Buy offer telecommuting to employees? What about serving customers face to face? LO.1

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