Management question bank

1. Managers are often referred to as

a.

decision makers.

b.

peace makers.

c.

conflict creators.

d.

unnecessary layer of employees.

e.

profit suppressor.

2. ____ is a vital part of good management
because decisions determine how the organization solves its problems, allocates
resources, and accomplishes its goals.

a.

Organizing

b.

Competitive visioning

c.

Proper alignment

d.

Good decision making

e.

Leadership

3. Which of the following is a choice made from
available alternatives?

a.

Decision

b.

Plan

c.

Goal

d.

Tactic

e.

Strategy

4. Choosing between a differentiation strategy
and an overall cost leadership strategy is an example of

a.

a plan.

b.

an objective.

c.

an alternative.

d.

a decision.

e.

a strategy.

5. Mark, a production manager at Kaylie’s
Kookware, recently chose to schedule his workers to work overtime. His
alternative was to hire more workers. He is now monitoring the consequences of
his choice. This is an example of

a.

planning.

b.

decision-making.

c.

organizing.

d.

controlling.

e.

leading.

6. ____ refers to the process of identifying
problems and then resolving them.

a.

Organizing

b.

Controlling

c.

Decision-making

d.

Planning

e.

Leading

7. ____ decisions are associated with decision
rules.

a.

Nonprogrammed

b.

Unique

c.

Programmed

d.

Ill-structured

e.

Novel

8. Programmed decisions are made in response to
____ organizational problems.

a.

unusual

b.

recurring

c.

significant

d.

minor

e.

unique

:

9. Bierderlack has a policy that states that
more than three absences in a six-month period shall result in a suspension.
Colleen, the manager, has just decided to suspend one of her shift employees
for violating this policy. This is an example of

a.

a programmed decision.

b.

a nonprogrammed decision.

c.

an insignificant decision.

d.

poor management.

e.

personal grudge.

10. Nordstrom Department Store’s “No questions asked – Return’s
Policy” is an example of a(n)

a.

programmed decision.

b.

nonprogrammed decision.

c.

novel decision.

d.

poor management.

e.

unstructured decision.

11. If your instructor has an attendance policy, she/he is using a(n)

a.

programmed decision.

b.

unique approach.

c.

condition of ambiguity.

d.

nonprogrammed decision.

e.

none of these.

12. Nonprogrammed decisions are made in response to situations that
are

a.

unique.

b.

unstructured.

c.

important to the organization.

d.

all of these

e.

unique and important to the
organization.

13. Examples of nonprogrammed decisions would include the decision to

a.

reorder supplies.

b.

develop a new product or service.

c.

perform routine maintenance on one of
the machines in manufacturing.

d.

terminate an employee for violation of
company rules.

e.

fill a position.

14. Good examples of ____ decisions are strategic decisions.

a.

nonprogrammed

b.

programmed

c.

insignificant

d.

recurring

e.

structured

15. When a small community hospital decides to add a radiation therapy
unit, it is considered a

a.

programmed decision.

b.

structured decision.

c.

nonprogrammed decision.

d.

poor management decision.

e.

certainty decision.

16. Two area banks, Bank A and Bank B, decided to merge their
operations. This is an example of a

a.

programmed decision.

b.

nonprogrammed decision.

c.

decision rule.

d.

structured decision.

e.

bad community decision.

17. Associated with the condition of ____ is the lowest possibility of
failure.

a.

ambiguity

b.

uncertainty

c.

certainty

d.

risk

e.

all of these

18. Which of the following means that all the information the
decision-maker needs is fully available?

a.

Certainty

b.

Risk

c.

Uncertainty

d.

Ambiguity

e.

None of these

:

19. Under conditions of ____, statistical analyses are useful.

a.

certainty

b.

ambiguity

c.

risk

d.

uncertainty

e.

conflict

:
20. Which of the following means that a decision has clear-cut goals
and that good information is available, but the future outcomes associated with
each alternative are subject to chance?

a.

Certainty

b.

Risk

c.

Uncertainty

d.

Ambiguity

e.

Brainstorming

21. ____ means that managers know which goals they wish to achieve,
but information about alternatives and future events is incomplete.

a.

Certainty

b.

Risk

c.

Uncertainty

d.

Ambiguity

e.

Advocacy

22. Bobby, a product manager, wants to increase the market share of
his product. He is unsure about how to go about it, not knowing for sure how
costs, price, the competition, and the quality of his product will interact to
influence market share. Bobby is operating under a condition of

a.

risk.

b.

ambiguity.

c.

certainty.

d.

uncertainty.

e.

brainstorming.

23. When managers know which goals they wish to achieve, but
information about alternatives and future events is incomplete, the condition
of ____ exists.

a.

risk

b.

uncertainty

c.

ambiguity

d.

certainty

e.

problem

24. ____ has the highest possibility of failure.

a.

The condition of certainty

b.

The condition of ambiguity

c.

The condition of uncertainty

d.

The condition of risk

e.

All of these

25. ____ is by far the most difficult situation for a decision-maker.

a.

Certainty

b.

Risk

c.

Uncertainty

d.

Ambiguity

e.

Brainstorming

26. Which of the following means that the goals to be achieved or the
problem to be solved is unclear, alternatives are difficult to define, and
information about outcomes is unavailable?

a.

Certainty

b.

Risk

c.

Uncertainty

d.

Ambiguity

e.

Brainstorming

27. The condition under which ambiguity occurs is when:

a.

alternatives are difficult to define.

b.

objectives are well defined.

c.

information about outcomes is readily
available.

d.

all the alternatives are known.

e.

decisions are already made.

28. The classical model of decision making is based on ____
assumptions.

a.

philosophical

b.

irrational

c.

economic

d.

uncertainty

e.

technological

29. Riley is a manager at the Tinker Tools. She is expected to make
decisions that are in the organization’s best economic interests. Her decisions
should be based on which of the following models?

a.

The administrative model of decision
making

b.

The garbage can model of decision
making

c.

The scientific management model of
decision making

d.

The classical model of decision making

e.

The humanistic model of decision
making

30. Which of these assumptions are included in the classical model of
decision making?

a.

Problems are unstructured and ill
defined.

b.

The decision-maker strives for
conditions of certainty.

c.

Criteria for evaluating alternatives
are unknown.

d.

The decision-maker selects the
alternatives that will minimize the economic return to the organization.

e.

The situation is always uncertain.

31. Which approach defines how a decision-maker should make
decisions?

a.

normative

b.

scientific

c.

descriptive

d.

reflective

e.

humanistic

32. ____ is the approach that defines how a decision maker should make
decisions and provides guidelines for reaching an ideal outcome for the
organization.

a.

Administrative

b.

Descriptive

c.

Normative

d.

Bounded rationality

e.

None of these

33. The ____ model of decision making is most valuable when applied to
____.

a.

administrative, programmed decisions

b.

classical, nonprogrammed decisions

c.

classical, programmed decisions

d.

classical, ambiguous decisions

e.

administrative, structured decisions

34. ____ approach describes how managers actually make decisions,
where as ____ approach defines how a decision-maker should make decisions.

a.

Normative, descriptive

b.

Normative, classical

c.

Descriptive, normative

d.

Descriptive, administrative

e.

Normative, administrative

35. Which model of decision making is associated with satisficing,
bounded rationality, and uncertainty?

a.

classical

b.

administrative

c.

quantitative

d.

rational

e.

political

36. The ____ model of decision making describes how managers actually
make decisions in situations characterized by nonprogrammed decisions,
uncertainty, and ambiguity.

a.

normative

b.

classical

c.

administrative

d.

scientific management

e.

objective

37. The concept that people have the time and cognitive ability to
process only a limited amount of information on which to base decisions is
known as

a.

satisficing.

b.

bounded rationality.

c.

classical model of decision making.

d.

normative approach.

e.

scientific approach.

38. The essence of ____ is to choose the first solution available.

a.

bounded rationality

b.

creativity

c.

decision maximization

d.

satisficing

e.

the classical model of decision making

39. Melissa is a manager at InStylez Clothing. Her job is very complex
and she feels that she does not have enough time to identify and/or process all
the information she needs to make decisions. Melissa’s situation is most
consistent with which of the following concepts?

a.

Bounded rationality

b.

The classical model of decision making

c.

Satisficing

d.

Brainstorming

e.

Scientific management

40. Intuition is based on ____, but lacking in ____.

a.

conscious thought, practicality

b.

experience, applicability

c.

a solid analysis, applicability

d.

experience, conscious thought

e.

thought-process, guts

41. Most managers settle for a ____ rather than a(n) ____ solution.

a.

minimizing; maximizing

b.

satisficing; maximizing

c.

top-level; bottomline

d.

maximizing; satisficing

e.

challenging; simple

:

42. Which of the following is the process of forming alliances among
managers during the decision making process?

a.

Networking

b.

Socializing

c.

Coalition building

d.

Satisficing

e.

Passing the buck

43. The ____ model closely resembles the real environment in which
most managers and decision-makers operate.

a.

normative

b.

administrative

c.

descriptive

d.

classical

e.

political

44. All of these are basic assumptions of the political model EXCEPT

a.

organizations are made up of groups
with diverse interests, goals, and values.

b.

information is clear and complete.

c.

managers do not have the time, resources,
or mental capacity to identify all dimensions of the problem.

d.

managers engage in the push and pull
of debate to decide goals and discuss alternatives.

e.

all of these are basic assumptions of
the political model.

45. All of the following are characteristics of the classical decision
making model EXCEPT

a.

clear-cut problems and goals.

b.

conditions of certainty.

c.

rational choice by individual for
maximizing outcomes.

d.

limited information about alternatives
and their outcomes.

e.

all of these are characteristics of
classical decision making model.

46. All of the following are characteristics of the administrative
decision making model EXCEPT

a.

vague problem and goals.

b.

conditions of certainty.

c.

limited information about alternatives
and their outcomes.

d.

satisficing choice.

e.

all of these are characteristics of
administrative decision making model.

47. Shirley works in the human resource department at Turtle Shells,
Inc. She believes she is seeing an increase in drinking problems among the
workforce. She thinks she needs to investigate further. She is at what stage of
the managerial decision making process?

a.

Diagnosis and analysis of causes

b.

Development of alternatives

c.

Recognition of decision requirement

d.

Evaluation and feedback

e.

Selection of desired alternatives

48. A(n) ____ occurs when the organizational accomplishment is less
than established goals.

a.

strength

b.

threat

c.

diagnosis

d.

opportunity

e.

problem

49. ____ is the step in the decision-making process in which managers
analyze underlying causal factors associated with the decision situation.

a.

Analysis

b.

Diagnosis

c.

Recognition

d.

Judgment

e.

Identification

50. Which of the following is the first step in the managerial
decision making process?

a.

Evaluation and feedback

b.

Development of alternatives

c.

Recognition of decision requirement

d.

Diagnosis and analysis of causes

e.

Selection of desired alternatives

:

51. ____ is the last step in the decision making process.

a.

Evaluation and feedback

b.

Development of alternatives

c.

Implementation of chosen alternative

d.

Selection of desired requirement

e.

Recognition of decision requirement

52. “When did it occur” and “how did it occur” are
questions associated with which step of the decision making process?

a.

Diagnosis and analysis of causes

b.

Recognition of decision requirement

c.

Development of alternatives

d.

Selection of desired alternative

e.

None of these

53. The recognition of the decision requirement step in the managerial
decision making process requires managers to

a.

develop alternative solutions.

b.

integrate information in novel ways.

c.

use the classical model of decision
making.

d.

focus on generating ideas.

e.

select undesirable alternatives.

54. The decision-maker must ____ once the problem has been recognized
and analyzed.

a.

evaluate and provide feedback

b.

choose among alternatives

c.

generate alternatives

d.

prioritize the alternatives

e.

reanalyze the problem

55. For a programmed decision,

a.

alternatives are usually difficult to
identify.

b.

alternatives are usually easy to
identify.

c.

there are usually few alternatives.

d.

there are usually few alternatives and
they are difficult to identify.

e.

there are no alternatives.