Discuss the role of communication in customer service.
> What is operations management?
> In what ways is managing a project different from managing a department or other structured work area? In what ways are they the same?
> A coworker takes credit for the excellent job you’ve performed. Frustrating! It’s probably happened to you or someone you know. How did it happen? Perhaps you shared an idea with a coworker and then hear her present it as her own in a meeting. Or perhaps
> The Wall Street Journal and other business periodicals often carry reports of companies that have not met their sales or profit forecasts. What are some reasons a company might not meet its forecast? What suggestions could you make for improving the effe
> Do intuition and creativity have any relevance in quantitative planning tools and techniques? Explain.
> It’s a waste of time and other resources to develop a set of sophisticated scenarios for situations that may never occur.” Do you agree or disagree? Support your position.
> What is project management, and what are the steps managers use in planning projects?
> Why is flexibility so important to today’s planning techniques?
> How does PERT network analysis work?
> Describe the four techniques for allocating resources.
> What might be some early warning signs of (a) a new competitor coming into your market, (b) an employee work stoppage, or (c) a new technology that could change demand for your product?
> Describe the different approaches to assessing the environment.
> Every individual employee in an organization plays a role in controlling work activities.” Do you agree with this statement, or do you think control is something that only managers are responsible for? Explain.
> The 2019 Women’s FIFA World Cup saw viewer ratings soar with over 750 million viewers across the world; a 20 percent increase on the men’s World Cup in 2018. The coverage of the games have inspired a new generation of girls to get involved in football, a
> In Chapter 7 we discussed the white-water rapids view of change, which refers to situations in which unpredictable change is normal and expected and managing it is a continual process. Do you think it’s possible to establish and maintain effective standa
> Why is control important to customer interactions?
> Explain the balanced scorecard approach to evaluating organizational performance.
> What do the two liquidity ratios, current and acid, measure and reveal?
> Discuss the four main workplace discipline problems related to controlling employee performance.
> State the information sources for measuring performance.
> Why is control an essential managerial function in all types of organizations?
> Do the followers make a difference in whether a leader is effective? Discuss.
> Do you think most managers in real life use a contingency approach to increase their leadership effectiveness? Explain.
> Discuss whether a leader can get power from multiple sources.
> One company that appears to be getting it right on the diversity front is L’Oréal, a popular French cosmetics organization founded in 1909, with over 86,000 employees operating across 130 countries. In 2018, the Thomson Reuters Diversity and Inclusion In
> You are a team leader. What are your daily priorities for your team?
> What is the purpose of a charismatic leader’s enthusiasm and self-confidence?
> Explain Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership styles and the two key behaviors associated with it.
> Briefly explain what a managerial grid is.
> What are the ten traits of effective leaders?
> Can an individual be too motivated? Discuss.
> Identify examples of pay-for-performance programs used by some organizations.
> What do you understand by the term open-book management? Is it effective?
> Briefly explain equity theory and what happens if there are iniquities at work.
> What are the different job design approaches to motivation?
> An unexpected ethical issue arose when Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria joined the European Union (EU). The start of the free movement of workers across the EU meant that workers from these countries could effectively undercut the domestic workforce. Wages
> How do goal-setting, reinforcement, and equity theories explain employee motivation?
> Describe each of the four early theories of motivation.
> What is motivation? Explain the three key elements of motivation.
> Explain the relevance of managers using shaping behavior
> On what basis does the attribution theory attempt to explain how we judge people differently?
> Discuss the impact of self-esteem on employee performance and job satisfaction.
> How does the cognitive dissonance theory seek to explain the relationships between attitudes and behavior?
> Satisfied and happy employees make for better productivity, lower absenteeism and turnover rate. Discuss.
> What are the goals of organizational behavior?
> Which employee behaviors are more critical to organizational success?
> How do you successfully manage a growing international company? Co-founder and chairperson of the Singaporean BreadTalk group, George Quek believes in a hands-on approach and believes that being physically present is key in navigating the often-complex p
> Everyone has a different personality. How would an organization make a diverse group of individuals work together harmoniously and effectively?
> Ethical communication includes all information, is true in every sense, and is not deceptive in any way.” Discuss
> How can changes in the physical work environment have a direct impact on communication systems?
> Define active listening.
> What are barriers to communication? What can managers do to reduce the chances of barriers to communication from occurring?
> Thanks a lot.” Can this phrase mean more than one thing? Explain why.
> Discuss whether men and women communicate differently.
> What is communication and how can a manager ensure proper communication exists in the organization?
> Describe the key benefits of teams.
> Although 44 countries have signed up for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Anti-Bribery Convention to outlaw bribery and corruption, the problem is still present. Let us consider Greece, which the OECD censored for failing
> Discuss how having clear goals can make a team more effective.
> Why are virtual teams not suitable for all situations?
> What are group norms?
> Discuss how group structure, group processes, and group tasks influence group performance and satisfaction.
> What is an informal group and can informal groups form within an organization?
> How does knowing the five stages of group development help you as the manager?
> What do you understand by the term family-friendly benefits? Give some examples of such benefits in action.
> List the factors that influence employee compensation and benefits.
> Distinguish between MBO and BARS as appraisal strategies.
> Describe the different types of training. How do organizations provide each type of training?
> In 2013, a clothing factory in Bangladesh collapsed, killing 1,138 people.25 Some 27 global brands, including Walmart and Benetton, were using the factory. One year on, these two corporations were amongst 22 of the 27 yet to contribute toward a compensat
> Mintzberg suggests that managerial roles should encompass interpersonal, decisional, and informational roles. Clearly, this is an idealized vision of the manager. They are encouraged to encompass all of these characteristics but this is an unattainable g
> What were some of the more obvious reasons for the SI crisis?
> The next expected dividend for Sun, Inc., will be $1.20 per share and analysts expect the dividend to grow at a rate of 7 percent indefinitely. If Sun stock currently sells for $22 per share, what is the required rate of return?
> Describe the main source of funds for credit unions. Why might the average cost of funds to credit unions be relatively stable even when market interest rates are volatile?
> Explain (using intuition instead of math) why stock prices may decrease in response to a higher risk-free rate according to the CAPM. In some periods, the risk-free rate rises in response to higher economic growth. Explain (using intuition instead of mat
> At the time that a management group of RJR Nabisco initially considered engaging in a leveraged buyout, RJR’s stock price was less than $70 per share. Ultimately, RJR was acquired by the firm Kohlberg, Kravis, and Roberts (KKR) for about $108 per share.
> Explain the meaning and use of implied volatility.
> Describe the value-at-risk method for measuring risk.
> Describe the role of the designated market maker on the New York Stock Exchange.
> Explain how underwriters use the overallotment option in IPOs.
> Explain why private equity funds use a very high degree of financial leverage, and how this affects their risk and potential return on investment.
> What are some possible disadvantages to investors who invest in stocks listed on a private stock market?
> Describe the dilemma of securities firms that served as underwriters for Facebook’s IPOs, when attempting to satisfy Facebook and the institutional investors that invested in Facebook’s stock. Do you think that the securities firms satisfied Facebook or
> Explain why some public firms decided to go private in response to the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act.
> Some critics argue that insider trading should not be regulated, because it allows market prices to more quickly reflect the inside information. Write a short essay that supports or refutes this opinion.
> Explain the incentive for private equity funds to invest in a firm and improve its operations.
> Businesses valued at less than $50 million or so rarely go public. Explain the limitations to such businesses if they did go public.
> Explain the dilemma of stock analysts who work for securities firms and assign ratings to large corporations. Why might they prefer not to assign low ratings to weak but large corporations?
> Explain how venture capital (VC) funds finance private businesses, as well as how they exit from their participation in a firm.
> Describe international ETFs and explain how ETFs are exposed to exchange rate risk. How do you think an investor decides whether to purchase an ETF representing Japan, Spain, or some other country?
> Explain how shareholder protection varies among countries. Explain how enforcement of securities laws varies among countries. Why do these characteristics affect the valuations of stocks?
> Denton Co. plans to engage in an IPO and will issue 4 million shares of stock. It is hoping to sell the shares for an offer price of $14. It hires a securities firm, which suggests that the offer price for the stock be $12 per share to ensure that all th
> Briefly describe the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Discuss how this act affects the monitoring performed by shareholders.
> How do you think accounting irregularities affect the pricing of corporate stock in general? From an investor’s viewpoint, how do you think the information used to price stocks changes in response to accounting irregularities?
> Describe spinning and laddering in the IPO market. How do you think these actions influence the price of a newly issued stock? Who is adversely affected as a result of these actions?
> The credit crisis that occurred in 2008-2009 could also be called an equity crisis due to systemic risk. Write a short essay to explain the impact of the credit markets on the equity markets during the crisis.
> Explain how the Financial Reform Act of 2010 attempted to prevent biased ratings of mortgage-backed securities by credit rating agencies.
> An insurance company maintains a large portfolio of U.S. stocks. Which of the following would be more appropriate? Sell stock index futures contracts. Remain unhedged. Defend your recommendation.
> Would you recommend high-risk or low-risk money market securities? Would you recommend high-risk or low-risk bonds? Why?
> Assume that the perceived risk of corporations in the United States is expected to increase. Explain how the yield of newly issued U.S. corporate bonds will change to a different degree than will the yield of newly issued U.S. Treasury bonds.
> How will economic growth in the United States be affected by the event? How might this influence the values of securities?
> Should investors have confidence in ratings by analysts who are affiliated with securities firms that provide consulting services to firms? Explain.
