What is forecasting, and how is it related to the planning function?
> How does the expectancy theory explain the effect of self-doubt on employee motivation?
> What is negative reinforcement?
> What are the core job dimensions in the job characteristics model?
> What are some of the ways that pay-for-performance schemes could backfire if a company doesn’t set them up carefully or effectively manage the factors that affect employee performance?
> What is management by objectives?
> What is expectancy theory?
> What is motivation?
> Concept Integration. Chapter 7 discussed several styles of leadership, including autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire. How do each of these styles relate to Theory X and Theory Y assumptions about workers?
> You manage the customer service department for an online clothing retailer. Customers tend to call or email with the same types of complaints and problems, day after day, and your employees are getting bored and listless. Some are starting to miss more d
> Ethical Considerations. Motivational strategies that reward employees for meeting specific performance targets can encourage them to work hard—sometimes too hard. Overwork can contribute to mental and physical health problems as well as interfere with o
> Why do managers often find it difficult to motivate employees who remain after downsizing? Explain your answer in terms of one or more motivational theories discussed in the chapter.
> What effect will job enhancement likely have on someone with low growth needs? Why?
> How might a deadline that is too easy to meet cause someone to work more slowly than he or she might otherwise work?
> Why is it important to monitor performance variables that are the most meaningful, not those that are the most easily measurable?
> How is management likely to change as companies increasingly use contingent workers over full-time employees?
> What is scalability, in the context of managing a service business?
> What is a lean system?
> What is mass customization?
> Why is offshoring controversial?
> What role does feedback play in a system?
> Concept Integration. How might supply chain management issues influence your decision on how to expand your vitamin and nutritional supplements company internationally?
> You’ve developed a reputation as an outstanding math tutor, and you want to turn your talent into a full-time business after graduation. How will you address the challenge of scalability in your new venture?
> If 30 percent of the patrons eating at your restaurant say they won’t eat there again, what steps would you take to define the problem(s) that needs to be solved, measure the relevant performance variables, and then analyze the root cause of the problem(
> Business is booming. Sales last month were 50 percent higher than the month before, and so far, this month is looking even better than last month. Should you hire more people to accommodate the increase? Explain your answer.
> Ethical Consideration. How does society’s concern for the environment affect a company’s decisions about facility location and layout?
> Why might a service business be more selective than a goods-producing business regarding the customers it pursues or accepts?
> How does perishability affect the delivery of services?
> How can supply-chain management (SCM) help a company establish a competitive advantage?
> Why do some firms now think in terms of value webs instead of value chains?
> Why is important for companies to decide on their core competencies before choosing an organization structure?
> What are the advantages and disadvantages of the unstructured organizational model?
> What are the advantages and disadvantages of functional departmentalization?
> What are the advantages and disadvantages of work specialization?
> What are the characteristics of tall organizations and flat organizations?
> What is an agile organization?
> Concept Integration. Chapter 7 discussed several styles of leadership, including autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire. Using your knowledge about the differences in these leadership styles, which style would you expect to find under the following or
> How does the offshoring controversy reflect the larger question of balancing the competing demands of stakeholder groups?
> Concept Integration. One of your competitors has approached you with a merger proposal. The economies of scale would be terrific. So are the growth possibilities. There’s just one issue to be resolved. Your competitor is organized under a flat structure
> You’ve recently accepted a job as the U.S. sales manager for a German manufacturing company. One of your first assignments is serving on a virtual problem solving team with colleagues from Germany, France, Japan, and South Korea. Budgets are tight, so yo
> You are the leader of a cross-functional work team whose goal is to find ways of lowering production costs. Your team of eight employees has become mired in the storming stage. The team members disagree on how to approach the task, and they are starting
> Ethical considerations. A company executive accidentally emailed you a confidential spreadsheet with the salaries of all the employees in the company. You took only a quick peek before deleting it, but you looked long enough to discover that other manag
> How can companies benefit from using virtual teams?
> What can managers do to help teams work more effectively?
> How can a virtual organization reduce costs?
> Why is cognitive intelligence alone insufficient for effective leadership?
> Why are interpersonal skills important to managers at all levels?
> How does leadership differ from management?
> Review the “Loss of Meaning and Connection” bullet point on page 191 in the discussion of the potential challenges of unstructured organizations. If you were planning to launch an unstructured organization, what steps could you take to help ensure that a
> What is the goal of crisis management?
> What is management? Why is it so important?
> What is the principal difference between a business plan (as discussed in Chapter 6) and a strategic plan?
> Using Welch Allyn’s mission statement on page 150 as a model and the material you learned in Chapter 4, develop a mission statement that balances the pursuit of profit with responsibility to employees and community. Choose either a manufacturer of musica
> You’re the youngest person in your department, and you just got promoted to department manager? What steps could you take to make sure all your employees have confidence in your management and leadership?
> Which would be more difficult to forecast 10 years from now: the number of 60 year-olds or their average disposable income? Why?
> Ethical considerations. Apart from meeting the company’s future talent needs, do managers have a personal ethical obligation to help their employees develop and advance in their careers? Explain your answer.
> Why are coaching and mentoring effective leadership techniques?
> How do autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire leadership differ?
> What are some possible benefits and risks of having teams compete against each other, such as having the sales teams from various regions compete to add the newest customers?
> Who provides the leadership in a self-managed team or other organizational unit without an appointed manager? Explain your answer
> Why is the entrepreneurial spirit vital to the health of the national economy?
> What is a business incubator?
> What are the key reasons for most small-business failures?
> What are the advantages and disadvantages of owning a franchise?
> What are the advantages of buying a business rather than starting one from scratch?
> What are three essential functions of a business plan?
> Concept Integration. Pick a local small business or franchise that you visit frequently and discuss whether that business competes on price, speed, innovation, convenience, quality, or any combination of those factors. Be sure to provide some examples.
> Concept Integration. Entrepreneurs are one of the five factors of production discussed. Review that material and explain why entrepreneurs are an important factor for economic success.
> You’re thinking about starting your own chain of upscale, drive-through espresso stands. You have several ideal sites in mind, and you’ve analyzed the industry and all the important statistics. You have financial backing, and you really understand the c
> What is the difference between a general and a limited partnership?
> How will your experiences as an employee affect the leadership style you adopt when you become a manager?
> What factors should you consider before selecting financing alternatives for a new business?
> Could writing a conventional business plan every cause more harm than good? Explain your answer?
> Do you expect the number of entrepreneurs in the United States will grow in the next 10 years? Why or why not?
> Why is it advisable for partners to enter into a formal partnership arrangement?
> What is the role of a company’s board of directors?
> What is a closely held corporation, and why do some companies choose this form of ownership?
> How does unlimited liability put a business owner at risk?
> What are the three basic forms of business ownership?
> Concept Integration. You’ve developed considerable expertise in setting up new manufacturing plants, and now you’d like to strike out on your own as a consultant who advises other companies. However, you recognize that manufacturing activity tends to exp
> How does the quality of business management affect society as a whole?
> Suppose you and some friends want to start a business to take tourists on wilderness backpacking expeditions. None of you has much extra money, so your plan is to start small. However, if you are successful, you would like to expand into other types of o
> Why might two companies choose to form a strategic alliance rather than pursue a merger or an acquisition?
> How might a company benefit from having a diverse board of directors that includes representatives of several industries, countries, and cultures?
> To what extent do shareholders control the activities of a corporation?
> Why can’t legal considerations resolve every ethical question?
> What is identity theft, and what responsibility do businesses have to prevent it?
> How are businesses responding to the environmental issues facing society?
> What is the difference between defensive and proactive CSR?
> What is a conflict of interest?
> How does ethics differ from corporate social responsibility?
> Is “I don’t like having a boss tell me what to do” a good reason to start your own company? Explain your answer.
> Concept Integration. Is it ethical for state and city governments to entice businesses to relocate their operations to that state or city by offering them special tax breaks that are not extended to other businesses operating in that area?
> If an employee leaves a company to work for a competitor, what types of knowledge would be ethical for the employee to share with the new employer and what types would be unethical to share?
> Based on what you’ve learned about corporate social responsibility, what effect will CSR considerations have on your job search?
> Would it be ethical for U.S. companies to boycott products made in exploitive, low-wage overseas factories if the employees in those factories are grateful to have their jobs? Why or why not?
> What effects have social media had on CSR?
> Why is it important for a company to balance its social responsibility efforts with its need to generate profits?
> How do individuals employ philosophical principles in making ethical business decisions?
> Why would a company choose to work through intermediaries when selling products in a foreign country?
> What is a floating exchange rate?
