The evolving business environment has made___a critical managerial function.
managing change
The widely shared values within an organization that provide unity and cooperation to achieve common goals are referred to as the organization’s
culture.
Some firms solicit the services of other companies on an “as needed” basis and then release them when the job is done. These companies form a flexible structure known as a(n)
virtual corporation.
A manager’s need to exert tight controls on subordinates (span of control) is most accurately captured by which statement?
Control will decrease as the manager gets to higher levels in the organization and work becomes less standardized.
Jorge started out with one small print shop. His business has grown so much that he now has two other branches across town. Jorge has found that having three locations has greatly increased his production levels. He also notices that the price he pays for supplies (paper, ink, and packaging materials) has gone down considerably since he can now buy these items in bulk quantities. This exemplifies the principle known as
economies of scale.
This summer, Ryan plans to open a bike rental business near the beachfront trail.
He decides to have one employee greet customers and process payments, and another employee outfit riders with bikes and helmets. By partnering with a local sandwich shop, he intends to offer picnic lunch baskets too. Ryan will supervise everyone as well as handle all maintenance. This planning reflects which aspect of organizational management?
structuring the business
uses communications technology and other means to link
organizations and allows them to work together on common objectives.
Networking
During the recent pandemic, Global Restaurant Supply created a organization when it eliminated several middle management positions and broadened the span of control for the remaining managers. As sales began to rebound, Global Restaurant Supply realized that technology permitted the remaining employees to be just as responsive to customer needs as the firm was. prior to restructuring
flat
Accountants at Gold Standard Financial work with state-of-the-art systems that create financial statements every day, but the interpretation and analysis of those statements can take several hours. The accounting department consists of financial, managerial, and tax accountants. One advantage of departmentalizing the accountants is
for efficiency; the employees can coordinate work within the function.
Franny’s Fresh Industries specializes in growing and selling organic herbs, serving as the largest supplier for restaurants and grocers throughout the state. However, its marketing, accounting, and human resources functions are handled by other firms. For Franny’s, growing and selling herbs is part of its
core competencies.
A large commercial farm provides jobs for over 100 employees. The operatior consists of traditional functional units, which include management, marketing, and finance, and 20 veterinarians who specialize in the bison, cattle, and ostriches owned by the company. Although the firm operates with a CEO, CFO, and a director of marketing, it relies on the veterinarians to make decisions on the animals’ care. Sometimes the veterinary decisions override marketing and financial concerns even though the veterinarians operate at a lower level in the organization structure. The commercial farm operates as a(n) - organization.
inverted
The first step in the process of organizing a business is to
determine the work that needs to be done.
A car company makes four models—a hybrid sport utility, a sports car, a four-door sedan, and a compact car. Employees at the company work on only one type of vehicle, and separate marketing and product development processes are designed for each type of vehicle to better serve customers for each type of vehicle. This company is departmentalized by
product.
In the past, the major purpose of organizational design was to facilitate the needs of management in making their job easier, rather than
pleasing customers.
Division of labor means
tasks are divided into areas of specialization among a group of employees.
A company desires a successful product launch for its new wearable technology.
Looking outside of its industry, the company solicited the advice of two companies known for successful product introductions in past years. The business term used to describe the practice of looking toward others to develop a model approach is called
benchmarking.
Shonda recently started working at a firm which provides financial services for the state’s prison system. Her supervisor provided her with an organizational chart showing everyone’s responsibilities and who they must report to, along with a thick procedural manual. As a recent business graduate, Shonda realized that she will be working in a(n) - environment
bureaucratic
In order to provide a quality product and stay within the time requirements for a major government project, Prime Energy Corporation set up a organization whereby employees from various functions of the business would join a team to see this project through, from start to finish. Upon completion, the team would disband, and members would return to their respective functional
units.
matrix
In the informal organization, the system through which unofficial information flows between and among managers and employees is the
grapevine.
Meera works in information technology for a waste disposal company. Her job is to assist others to be sure they have the software and technology needed to meet organizational goals. Meera’s job would fall under the category of
staff personnel.
The process of setting up individual departments to do specialized tasks is called
departmentalization.
To increase customer responsiveness, a company is changing its organizational structure to give more authority and responsibility to field managers located across the country. These managers spend time with their customers and know what the customers need right away. It appears that this company is moving toward a more____structure.
decentralized
Groups of employees from different departments who work together on a long-term basis and are empowered to make decisions without management approval, are
cross-functional self-managed teams.
Networked organizations are so closely linked online that each can find out what the others are doing instantaneously, as an event takes place. These organizations operate
in real time.
