Chapter 8: Structuring Organizations for Today's Challenges

1. Max Weber promoted an organizational structure composed of middlemanagers who implement the orders of top managers. He believed less-educated workers were best managed if supervisors gave them strict rules and regulations to follow and monitored their performance. What industries or businesses today would benefit by using such controls?

2. A broad span of control allows one supervisor to be responsible for manyworkers whose work tasks are predictable and standardized. In addition to assembly lines, can you think of other management situations that might benefit from a broad span of control?

3. After the material for footballs has been cut and sewn in the Wilson Sporting Goods factory, it moves on to the lacing department where workers like this one open up the deflated balls and prepare them for lacing. What are the advantages and disadvantages of departmentalizing by processes like this?

Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management

1. Unlike their predecessors, modern factory robots can safely work side byside with humans. What do you think about manufacturing being driven more and more by automated labor?