Management Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. An employee's reports are accurate but routinely arrive late. Which feedback is most useful?
“The last three reports arrived one day late; let's identify the obstacle and agree on an earlier checkpoint.”
“Everyone has noticed that you are unreliable.”
“Try to manage your time better from now on.”
“Your overall attitude needs improvement.”
2. A company has already spent heavily on an unsuccessful product. Evidence shows future revenue will not cover the additional cost of launch. Which decision best avoids the sunk-cost fallacy?
Launch because stopping would make the earlier spending feel wasted
Base the decision on how strongly the original sponsor supports the product
Continue until total revenue equals all spending already incurred
Evaluate only future costs and benefits when deciding whether to continue
3. Which principle states that an employee should generally receive direct instructions from one designated manager?
Management by exception
Scalar chain
Division of work
Unity of command
4. Which reporting arrangement is characteristic of a matrix organizational structure?
Each employee belongs to a self-contained geographic division only
All employees report directly to the chief executive
Employees may report to both a functional manager and a project or product manager
Temporary workers supervise permanent departmental managers
5. A project manager wants an indicator that can provide early warning of a possible deadline miss. Which measure is most suitable?
Customer satisfaction measured after the finished product launches
The project's final completion date
The total project cost recorded after closure
The percentage of critical-path tasks completed on schedule each week
6. What does centralization mean in an organization's decision structure?
Employees are grouped according to geographic region
Departments share equal authority over every decision
Decision authority is concentrated toward higher organizational levels
Routine decisions are transferred to external suppliers
7. Employees are resisting a new workflow because they believe it ignores practical customer-service problems. What is the most constructive first response from the manager?
Invite affected employees to explain concerns and help refine implementation
Implement it immediately so employees can adjust through experience
Cancel the change because any resistance proves the plan is flawed
Focus communication exclusively on the penalties for noncompliance
8. In organizational design, what does a manager's span of control describe?
The number of employees who report directly to the manager
The number of hierarchy levels below senior management
The variety of products controlled by one department
The geographic area served by the organization
9. A team has established a performance standard and collected actual results. What should normally happen next in the control process?
Replace the standard with the team's actual result
Delegate responsibility for the result to another department
Redesign the organizational structure before examining the data
Compare results with the standard and address meaningful deviations
10. A manager wants to support intrinsic motivation for an experienced design team. Which action is most directly aligned with that aim?
Offer a cash payment for each design submitted
Give the team meaningful ownership and discretion over how it solves the design problem
Increase monitoring and prescribe the exact method for every task
Publish a weekly ranking based only on output volume
11. A manager is selecting a supplier, and one bidder is owned by a close relative. What is the most appropriate way to manage the conflict of interest?
Choose the relative's company if its price is reasonably competitive
Disclose the relationship and withdraw from the supplier decision
Remain on the selection panel while promising to judge every bid fairly
Keep the relationship undisclosed but ask a colleague for informal advice
12. Which management function involves setting objectives and deciding in advance how to achieve them?
Organizing
Planning
Leading
Controlling
13. Which objective is the best example of a SMART goal?
Become the industry's best operations team someday
Process customer orders much more efficiently
Reduce average order-processing time from 48 to 36 hours by September 30
Encourage everyone to work faster whenever possible
14. What is the central idea of the contingency approach to management?
Managers should use the same proven method in every organization
Informal relationships should replace formal organizational structures
The most suitable management action depends on the situation and relevant conditions
Managers should prepare backup plans for every possible event
15. A capable employee is assigned responsibility for preparing a monthly report. Which action best demonstrates effective delegation?
Clarify the expected result, deadline, authority, and check-in points
Give the task but retain authority over every minor choice
Transfer the task without explaining how success will be judged
Remain jointly responsible for completing every step of the work
16. Two colleagues disagree about how to allocate a limited budget, and both have information the other needs. Which conflict approach is most likely to produce an integrative solution?
Postpone the discussion until one colleague loses interest
Explore both sets of interests and jointly develop alternatives
Split the budget equally without considering operational needs
Ask the more senior colleague to impose a preferred solution