Deck 5: Decision Making in Administration

Question 1

According to Downs, the type of bureaucrat who is least motivated by personal self-interest is the "statesman."

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Because there are multiple values competing in the public arena, there is no use in developing ethical standards for decision making.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The less generalized a goal statement is, the more likely it is to be widely supported in the political arena.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In some instances, agencies seek to continue making progress in certain directions but do not expect to actually accomplish all of their goals.

Question 5

Which of the following individuals criticized incrementalism for promoting the status quo?

A)Dror
B)Simon
C)Etzioni
D)Downs

Question 6

Of the following types of officials, which is most likely to base a pollution-control decision on substantive grounds?

A)The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
B)The technician who conducted the pollution tests
C)The chief of the Air Quality Division of the EPA
D)The president

Question 7

Goal congruence among members of an organization is the exception, not the rule.

Question 8

According to Anthony Downs, the term "mixed-motive bureaucrat" describes which of the following?

A)Conserver
B)Zealot
C)Advocate
D)Both A and C
E)Both B and C

Question 9

All of the following are reasons for enforcing ethics in public organizations except

A)enhancing employee effectiveness.
B)improving morale.
C)better community relations.
D)increased profit.

Question 10

An organizational goal related primarily to activities that impact the external environment is called

A)transitive.
B)reflexive.
C)symbolic.
D)none of the above.

Question 11

The "mixed scanning" analogy of the high-altitude weather satellite was formulated by

A)Wildavsky.
B)Etzioni.
C)Simon.
D)Dror.

Question 12

Common issues that policy makers have to balance in their decision making include

A)financial costs.
B)military costs.
C)benefits received.
D)none of the above.
E)all of the above.

Question 13

The "garbage can" or "organized anarchy" model was formulated to assist decision makers in

A)waste management policies.
B)pursuing purely economic rationality.
C)dealing with ambiguity in decision environments.
D)seeking to reorganize.

Question 14

Which of the following is not present in nearly all decision processes?

A)Some uncertainty
B)Financial criteria for measuring gains or losses
C)An element of risk
D)Some expenditure of resources

Question 15

An organizational goal related primarily to activities that impact an organization's survival and maintenance is called

A)substantive.
B)transitive.
C)reflexive.
D)programmatic.

Question 16

Limitations on information in decision making have the greatest impact on the assumptions and values of the rational decision-making approach.

Question 17

An example of a social phenomenon only recently defined as a problem requiring government attention is

A)the ethics of administrative decision making.
B)dilapidated housing.
C)all of the above.
E)urban overcrowding.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a constraint on the attainment of rationality if it is present in the decision-making process?

A)Information cost problems
B)Accurate cost-benefit analysis
C)Time constraints
D)Lingering uncertainty

Question 19

The modification of agency goals virtually always occurs at the initiative of those inside the agency, not those outside.

Question 20

Conceptually, the costs and complications involved in an organization's reversing a policy direction are part of

A)information scarcity.
B)unanticipated consequences.
C)mixed scanning.
D)sunk costs.

Question 21

The Obama administration's health care reform is a goal rather that an objective.

Question 22

Ethical considerations play an increasingly insignificant role in public-sector decision making.

Question 23

To "satisfice" as fully as possible is one major concern of the rational decision maker.

Question 24

Goal congruence isn't necessary for an organization to become efficient.

Question 25

Incrementalism has been criticized on two grounds: first, that it fails to take into account fundamental needs and problems in decision-making systems; and second, that it encourages those who resist change in organizations.

Question 26

Efforts have been made by government employees and their associations to set ethical standards and enforce ethical behavior.

Question 27

Some alternative decisions are effectively denied to decision makers because of past choices and policies put into effect by previous decision makers.

Question 28

One of the most important factors in decision making is human judgment.