Question 1

Alan Questrom's primary goal in turning J. C. Penney was to find ways to increase revenues.

Accepted Answer

Alan Questrom's primary goal in turning around J.C. Penney was to stabilize the company financially by cutting costs and improving the efficiency of its operations, rather than focusing solely on increasing revenues.

Question 2

J. C. Penney found that they needed to centralize their purchasing practices as part of their "renewed emphasis on expense control."

Accepted Answer

Centralizing purchasing practices allows for better negotiation with suppliers, bulk purchasing discounts, and streamlined operations, all of which contribute to more effective expense control.

Question 3

J. C. Penney actually owns Walgreen's.

Accepted Answer

J.C. Penney is a separate retail company and does not own Walgreens. Walgreens is part of the Walgreens Boots Alliance.

Question 4

Most employees do some type of managerial work.

Accepted Answer

Not all employees perform managerial work; many have roles that do not involve management responsibilities.

Question 5

"Managers" is a title given to those in charge of a profit-making enterprise.

Accepted Answer

Managers can be in charge of various types of organizations, not just profit-making enterprises, including non-profits, government agencies, and educational institutions.

Question 6

Managerial roles are linked and are played out simultaneously on occasion.

Accepted Answer

Managerial roles often overlap and can be performed simultaneously because managers need to adapt to dynamic environments, multitask, and integrate various roles to effectively lead and make decisions.

Question 7

Managers are responsible for setting goals, employees are responsible for achieving them.

Accepted Answer

While managers often set goals, both managers and employees share responsibility for achieving them. Managers provide guidance, resources, and support, while employees work towards the goals.

Question 8

Middle managers are removed from the technical aspects of production work. Lacking hands-on experience, many of them must develop new skills to cope with top management's demands.

Accepted Answer

Middle managers often focus on the coordination and communication between upper management and the operational levels, which means they may not be directly involved in the technical aspects of production work. As a result, they need to develop managerial and strategic skills to effectively bridge the gap between top management's strategic goals and the operational execution of these strategies.

Question 9

Meg Whitman is the CEO of eBay. As a top manager, Whitman's primary management task is planning and leading.

Accepted Answer

Meg Whitman is the CEO of eBay, and as a top manager, her primary management task is planning and leading.

Question 10

A small organization usually has only one level of management-often the founder or the owner or an executive director.

Accepted Answer

In small organizations, the management structure is typically flat, with one level of management that includes the founder, owner, or an executive director, who directly oversees all operations and makes most of the decisions.

Question 11

Managers play a key role in creating the culture and climate that affect both the ethics and the social responsibility of an organization.

Accepted Answer

Managers set the tone for organizational culture and climate through their behavior, decisions, and leadership styles, influencing the organization's ethical standards and commitment to social responsibility.

Question 12

As middle managers have assumed more authority in recent years, the public relations duties of top managers have decreased.

Accepted Answer

While middle managers have indeed assumed more authority in various aspects of business operations, the public relations duties of top managers have not decreased. In fact, in many cases, these duties have become more critical as top managers are often seen as the face of the company and play a key role in communicating with external stakeholders, including the media, investors, and the public.

Question 13

Dee Hock, founder of Visa Card, has found that self-management of ethics, character, and conduct takes up nearly 90 percent of a manager's time.

Accepted Answer

Dee Hock, indeed the founder of Visa, has expressed views on organizational management and the importance of decentralized control, but there is no specific evidence or widely recognized statement from him claiming that self-management of ethics, character, and conduct takes up nearly 90 percent of a manager's time. His writings and interviews focus more broadly on leadership principles and the structure of organizations.

Question 14

The Container Store has been able to cut costs by implementing programs for new employees that minimize the amount of training required.

Accepted Answer

The Container Store invests heavily in employee training, offering around 260 hours of training for new hires compared to the industry average, which significantly exceeds the minimal training approach.

Question 15

At Southwest Airlines, effective teamwork makes it possible for ground crews to turn around a plane at the gate in less than 17 minutes. Except for the pilots, every employee is on the team that accomplishes this goal.

Accepted Answer

The answer of At Southwest Airlines, effective teamwork makes it...

Question 16

Among the components of strategic action competency, budgeting and financial management is highly important.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Among the components of strategic action competency,...

Question 17

Global awareness is different from the understanding of multiple cultures.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Global awareness is different from the understanding...

Question 18

Proctor & Gamble has been highly successful in its standardized global branding strategy that provides maximum name recognition to customers.

Accepted Answer

Proctor & Gamble employs a mixed strategy of global branding for some products while adapting others to fit local markets, rather than strictly using a standardized global branding strategy. This approach allows them to achieve both global name recognition and local market relevance.

Question 19

Which of the following is not one of Allen Questrom's strategies for the J.C. Penney turnaround?
A) sold the credit card division
B) centralized purchasing
C) sold Eckerd drugstores
D) refocused product strategies

Accepted Answer

Eckerd drugstores were not sold as part of Allen Questrom's turnaround strategies for J.C. Penney.

Question 20

What strategic abilities did Vanessa Castagna bring to her job as chief operating officer at J. C. Penney?
A) permitted store managers to work with vendors
B) successful experience with Sears
C) reduction in operating expenses
D) previous experience at Kmart

Accepted Answer

Vanessa Castagna's strategic ability to reduce operating expenses was a key factor in her success as chief operating officer at J. C. Penney.

Quiz 1: Managing in a Dynamic Environment