Question 1

A fast-food restaurant is querying prospective customers about the features they would like to see in a new panini sandwich. What kind of control is being used?
A) concurrent control
B) feedback control
C) feedforward control
D) anticipation control

Accepted Answer

C) Since the company is asking for input before the actual product exists, feedforward control is being used, making this choice the correct response. Feedback control would have participants making comments about the sandwich after it was created, while concurrent control would have customers participate in the actual creation of the sandwich. Anticipation control is not a recognized control term.

Question 2

A basketball coach showing players how to position themselves on the court during practice is carrying out ________, a form of concurrent control.
A) unstructured supervision
B) direct supervision
C) indirect supervision
D) feedback supervision

Accepted Answer

B) Coaching is a form of direct supervision since the coach is directing the actions of individuals while the activity (playing basketball) is taking place, making "direct supervision" the correct response. Coaching would not qualify as feedback since it occurs as the activity is taking place, nor is coaching indirect or unstructured since the coach is directly interacting with players in a highly formalized manner.

Question 3

Immediate corrective action is designed ________.
A) to get to the root cause of a problem
B) to get performance back on track
C) to shake up an organization
D) to punish employees for poor performance

Accepted Answer

B) Immediate corrective action is the simplest corrective action a manager can take. It solves the problem at hand quickly and effectively without necessarily getting at root causes or shaking up the organization. While immediate corrective action may include punishment, it would not necessarily require punishment, so that choice is not a correct response. These factors make "get performance back on track" the correct response as it is the only choice that deals purely with performance.

Question 4

A cell phone maker tests its new model with a sample audience when it is fully operational. What kind of control is this?
A) pre-market control
B) feedback control
C) concurrent control
D) feedforward control

Accepted Answer

B) Since the phone has already been created, the company is using feedback control because the samplers are reporting on features that already exist. Concurrent control would have samplers participate in the designing and manufacturing processes themselves. Feedforward control would have samplers participate in the planning of the phone. Pre-market control is not a recognized control term.

Question 5

In many cases, immediate corrective action rather than basic corrective action is taken by managers because they ________.
A) want to be thorough
B) lack time
C) lack information
D) don't understand the situation

Accepted Answer

B) Many managers occupy their time "putting out fires" and don't have the time to get to the root causes of deviations, so they take immediate corrective action rather than basic corrective action to solve problems. This makes "lack time" the correct answer and rules out other choices.

Question 6

All of the following are dangers of revising production goals downward EXCEPT ________.
A) it destroys incentive to work harder
B) it increases incentive to work harder
C) it gives employees an excuse to be less productive
D) it gives employees something to blame for their lack of effort

Accepted Answer

B) Destroying incentive and giving employees excuses or something to blame are legitimate reasons not to revise production goals downward, so they are incorrect responses. Revising goals downward does not increase incentive, so "it increases incentive" is the correct response here since it is untrue.

Question 7

An action show producer has a read-through of a half-written show in which actors, writers, producers, and the director are free to make comments and changes before the show is filmed. What kind of control is being used?
A) feedback control
B) concurrent control
C) spontaneous control
D) feedforward control

Accepted Answer

D) Feedforward control is being used because the participants can make changes in the show before it is filmed Feedback control would have participants making comments about the show after it was finished, while concurrent control would have participants talk about what they would like to see in the show while it is the process of being filmed. Spontaneous control is not a recognized control term.

Question 8

Which kind of control takes place after the actual work has been carried out?
A) feedback
B) forward
C) feedforward
D) concurrent

Accepted Answer

A) Feedback control occurs after an activity has taken place in an attempt to correct actions that have already occurred and prevent future mistakes, making "feedback" the correct response. Feedforward control occurs prior to the actual activity taking place in an attempt to prevent problems before they occur. Concurrent control occurs during the activity itself in an attempt to get live input into the process itself. Forward control is not a recognized control term.

Question 9

After an extended period of unseasonably warm and sunny weather, revenues at an indoor tennis club are down sharply during the month of November, but are in line with what managers expected for the month. The best strategy for the club manager is to ________.
A) do nothing
B) run a sale on hourly rates
C) raise hourly rates to increase revenue
D) change her monthly goals for December

Accepted Answer

A) The deviation in this case falls within an acceptable range. The drop in customers had an explainable cause-unusually nice weather-that is not likely to become a chronic problem. There is no reason to assume that December will be just as warm as November, so the manager should not change her goals, run a sale, or raise rates. The best strategy is to sit tight and wait for the customers to come in during December, making "do nothing" the correct response.

Question 10

Which kind of control takes place before the actual work is carried out?
A) feedback
B) concurrent
C) recurrent
D) feedforward

Accepted Answer

D) Feedforward control occurs prior to the actual activity taking place in an attempt to prevent problems before they occur, making "feedforward" the correct response. Feedback control occurs after the activity has taken place in an attempt to correct actions that have already occurred and prevent future mistakes. Concurrent control occurs during an activity in an attempt to get live input into the process itself. Recurrent control is not a recognized control term.

Question 11

A professor gives a new test to an otherwise typical class and finds that only 10 percent of the students get grades of C or above. What is the most appropriate and fair response?
A) do nothing
B) revise the grading curve downward
C) revise the grading curve upward
D) revise the test itself

Accepted Answer

D) Doing nothing would leave most of the class with a poor grade, so that is an unappealing and probably unfair response. Revising the curve upward is inappropriate since it would mean even fewer students get acceptable grades. Revising the curve downward would remedy the grading problem, but it would not be the best response because there is probably something wrong with the test itself since a typical class performed so poorly. Thus, the best response would be to change the test itself, making that choice the correct response.

Question 12

Which kind of control takes place while the actual work is carried out?
A) feedback
B) concurrent
C) reverse
D) feedforward

Accepted Answer

B) Feedforward control occurs prior to the actual activity taking place in an attempt to prevent problems before they occur. Feedback control occurs after the activity has taken place in an attempt to correct actions that have already occurred and prevent future mistakes. Concurrent control occurs during the activity itself in an attempt to get live input into the process itself. Reverse control is not a recognized control term.

Question 13

For addressing the hardships accompanying unemployment, this is an example of immediate corrective action.
A) a job training program
B) food stamps
C) a task force to see why jobs were lost
D) a job placement agency

Accepted Answer

B) Immediate corrective action should directly remedy the problem at hand. While training programs, task forces, and job agencies might help a person who lost a job in the long term, over the short term, only food stamps address the problem at hand, which is the lack of ability to feed one's family, making "food stamps" the correct response.

Question 14

For addressing unemployment, this is an example of basic corrective action.
A) a task force to see why jobs were lost
B) food stamps
C) unemployment compensation
D) a job training program

Accepted Answer

A) Basic corrective action gets at root causes of performance deviations. Food stamps, unemployment compensation, and training programs do not identify root causes of unemployment, they simply remedy unemployment. A task force can determine root causes of unemployment, making that choice the correct response.

Question 15

A law firm manager finds that one lawyer who consistently outperforms other lawyers at the firm is threatening to leave. Which immediate corrective action should the manager take?
A) none
B) offer a bonus
C) disciplinary action
D) a study to see why she outperforms others

Accepted Answer

B) Although no action might sound like a reasonable response, this performance is recognized as a significant deviation, so some kind of corrective action is required. Disciplinary action can be ruled out since it is a punishment rather than a reward, while a study is a basic corrective action, not an immediate corrective action. The only action that makes sense is a monetary reward, offering a bonus.

Question 16

A law firm manager finds that the firm loses too many of its civil cases while it wins an inordinately high number of its criminal cases. Which basic corrective action can the manager take?
A) pay criminal lawyers more
B) pay civil lawyers less
C) analyze civil and criminal cases
D) fire civil lawyers

Accepted Answer

C) Paying lawyers more or less and firing lawyers are immediate corrective actions that will not get at the root cause of the problem. Only an analysis of the situation, a basic corrective action, might uncover the disparity in the two kinds of cases, making "analyze civil and criminal cases" the correct response.

Question 17

Due to a recent construction of an upscale housing community near a tennis club, customer use has skyrocketed during the year and the club is operating at all-time high levels, far beyond the goals set the previous year. The best strategy for the manager is to ________.
A) do nothing
B) run a sale to increase customers
C) advertise
D) change goals for the following year

Accepted Answer

D) In this situation, advertising and running a sale are likely to increase customers beyond what the club can handle, so those choices can be ruled out. Doing nothing may not harm the situation, but a better response to increased demand is to change the club's goals so performance and goals once again fall within an acceptable range of variation.

Question 18

Which of the following would constitute basic corrective action for employees whose production has dropped?
A) changing the pay scale
B) taking away employee privileges
C) looking for causes of the production drop
D) changing how the work is carried out

Accepted Answer

C) The three incorrect choices are short-term immediate corrective actions that address the problem but not the cause of the problem. Changing pay, removing privileges, and changing work practices may increase production, but these acts may not get at the cause of the production drop. Only "look for causes" gets at causes of the production drop, so it is the correct response.

Question 19

When might a manager be justified in revising a standard rather than taking corrective action to remedy a significant performance deviation?
A) when performance exceeds the standard
B) when performance falls slightly short of the standard
C) when performance falls far short of the standard
D) when the standard is unrealistic

Accepted Answer

D) The only reason to revise standards is when they are proven to be unreasonable or unrealistic for some reason, making that choice the correct response. Whether or not performance measures up to the standard is a reason to take corrective action, not change standards, unless, of course, those standards are flawed in some way.

Question 20

Direct supervision of employees is a form of ________ control.
A) concurrent
B) ineffective
C) feedback
D) feedforward

Accepted Answer

A) The best-known form of concurrent control occurs when a manager directly supervises an employee, telling him or her what to do while the work is being carried out. This makes "concurrent" the correct response and rules out all other responses.

Quiz 17: Foundations of Control

A fast-food restaurant is querying prospective customers about the features they would like to see in a new panini sandwich. What kind of control is being used?

A basketball coach showing players how to position themselves on the court during practice is carrying out ________, a form of concurrent control.

Immediate corrective action is designed ________.

A cell phone maker tests its new model with a sample audience when it is fully operational. What kind of control is this?

In many cases, immediate corrective action rather than basic corrective action is taken by managers because they ________.

All of the following are dangers of revising production goals downward EXCEPT ________.

An action show producer has a read-through of a half-written show in which actors, writers, producers, and the director are free to make comments and changes before the show is filmed. What kind of control is being used?

Which kind of control takes place after the actual work has been carried out?

After an extended period of unseasonably warm and sunny weather, revenues at an indoor tennis club are down sharply during the month of November, but are in line with what managers expected for the month. The best strategy for the club manager is to ________.

Which kind of control takes place before the actual work is carried out?

A professor gives a new test to an otherwise typical class and finds that only 10 percent of the students get grades of C or above. What is the most appropriate and fair response?

Which kind of control takes place while the actual work is carried out?

For addressing the hardships accompanying unemployment, this is an example of immediate corrective action.

For addressing unemployment, this is an example of basic corrective action.

A law firm manager finds that one lawyer who consistently outperforms other lawyers at the firm is threatening to leave. Which immediate corrective action should the manager take?

A law firm manager finds that the firm loses too many of its civil cases while it wins an inordinately high number of its criminal cases. Which basic corrective action can the manager take?

Due to a recent construction of an upscale housing community near a tennis club, customer use has skyrocketed during the year and the club is operating at all-time high levels, far beyond the goals set the previous year. The best strategy for the manager is to ________.

Which of the following would constitute basic corrective action for employees whose production has dropped?

When might a manager be justified in revising a standard rather than taking corrective action to remedy a significant performance deviation?

Direct supervision of employees is a form of ________ control.