British Columbia Institute of Technology

BUSA 1305

Chapter 1 Supervision Fundamentals

1)__is a systematic grouping of people brought together to accomplish some specific purpose.

1. A work group
2. An organization
3. A corporation
4. A special projects unit
5. A team

2. A group of people responsible for establishing an organization’s overall objectives and developing the policies to achieve those objectives is known as:
   1. Top management
   2. Strategic managers
   3. Chief operating officers
   4. Boards of directors
   5. Operatives

3. All organizations share which of the following characteristics?
   1. Vision, mission, and values
   2. Purpose, structure, and role definition
   3. Purpose, people, and systematic structure defining roles
   4. People, mission, and values
   5. Legal structure, role definition, and goals

4. Titles of typical top management positions include the following EXCEPT                                     .
   1. district manager
   2. president
   3. comptroller
   4. chief executive officer
   5. senior vice-president

5. Generally speaking, organizations can be divided into several distinct levels:

                                                                                                        .

1. 1. operative employees, senior managers, and top management

1. 2. front-line employees, supervisors, senior managers, and top management
   3. operative employees, middle managers, senior managers, board of directors
   4. front-line employees, operative employees, top management, board of directors
   5. operative employees, supervisors, middle managers, and top management.

6. The Taft-Hartley Act states that a supervisor may hire, suspend, transfer, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline other employees while                              .
   1. on duty
   2. using independent judgment
   3. following orders from management

3. using independent judgment
4. on work premises
5. training new hires

7. Generally speaking, organizations can be divided into four distinct levels. Briefly discuss each level and their general responsibilities.

8. The primary activities supervisors perform are                                                        .
   1. related to oversight of employees
   2. related to processes
   3. related to revenue generation
   4. related to strategic initiatives
   5. related to business analysis

9. Typically, which functional level focuses on strategic planning, such as determining in what overall business a company should be?
   1. Board of directors
   2. Operatives
   3. Strategic planning committee
   4. Supervisors
   5. Top management

10. The four generally recognized functions of management are:                                                                          .
    1. planning, organizing, reviewing, and controlling
    2. organizing, directing, leading, and review
    3. organizing, leading, reviewing, and controlling
    4. planning, organizing, leading, and controlling
    5. leading, reviewing, controlling, and constraining

11. The                                  encompasses defining an organization’s goals, establishing an overall strategy for achieving those goals and developing a comprehensive hierarchy to integrate and coordinate activities.
    1. planning function
    2. organizing function
    3. integration function
    4. directing function
    5. controlling function

12. Which of the following describes the function that includes determining which tasks will be done, who will do them, how the tasks will be grouped, who will report to whom, and when decisions will be made?
    1. integration function
    2. directing function
    3. integration function
    4. organizing function
    5. controlling function

13. Setting goals keeps the work to be done in its proper focus and helps organizational members

                                                           .

1. 1. achieve financial goals and objectives
   2. keep their attention on what is most important.
   3. successfully complete tasks
   4. keep their attention on production objectives
   5. achieve personal and career goals

14. Which of the following helps ensure things are going as they should and previously set goals are achieved?
    1. leading function
    2. directing function
    3. planning function
    4. organizing function
    5. controlling function

15. The term management refers to                                                        through and with other people.
    1. the process of getting results
    2. the overall process of performance improvement
    3. the oversight of processes and procedures
    4. quality and process improvement
    5. the process of getting things done, effectively, and efficiently

16. Top management is concerned with structuring the overall organization, whereas supervisors focus on

                                                                                           .

1. 1. structuring the jobs of individuals and workgroups.
   2. primarily oversight of individuals.
   3. hiring and firing.
   4. oversight, hiring, and firing.
   5. primarily structure and deployment of workgroups.

17. The term “management” refers to the process of getting things done, effectively and efficiently, through and with other people. Discuss and explain each term in terms of supervision.

18. The Gallup Organization found that                             is the single most important variable in employee productivity and loyalty.
    1. the opportunity for training and education

1. 2. the combination of pay and pay increases
   3. the relationship between employees and their supervisors
   4. a benefit package
   5. workplace environment

19. If you hear an executive describe the word “supervisor” in terms of today’s environment, which of the following would he or she most likely NOT use?
    1. Trainer
    2. Mentor
    3. Coach
    4. Facilitator
    5. Boss

20. The supervisor’s job is unique in that it bridges the management ranks with the operating employees. Of the following, which does NOT reflect a supervisor’s ambiguous role?
    1. Key person
    2. Authoritarian
    3. Person in the middle
    4. Just another person

1. 5. Behavioral specialist

21. Organizations are implementing                                              to cut costs and increase productivity.
    1. significant new technology solutions
    2. significant changes in benefit programs
    3. significant changes to offshoring and manufacturing
    4. significant change and quality programs
    5. significant changes in hiring and contracting

22.                                               is a company’s ability to achieve its business goals and increase long- term shareholder value by integrating economic, environmental, and social opportunities into its business strategies..
    1. Sustainability
    2. Expediency
    3. Value creation
    4. Strategic management
    5. Management by objectives

23. Of the following, which is NOT a consideration in running a business in a more sustainable way:
    1. Making informed business decisions based on thorough communication with various stakeholders
    2. Understanding stakeholder requirements
    3. Making sustainability decisions based only on financial outcomes
    4. Start factoring economic and environmental considerations into goals
    5. Start factoring social considerations into goals

24. Organizations recognize the need to add products that will meet the challenges of a changing world. Contemporary corporate action affirms sustainability and green management have become mainstream issues for supervisors. Briefly describe sustainability and its importance in contemporary corporate environments.

25. Being a supervisor can present challenges. Of the following, which is NOT one of those factors which is frequently mentioned being overwhelming:
    1. Meeting goals.
    2. Supervising employees.
    3. Hiring and firing.
    4. Making appropriate decisions,
    5. Being the communication vehicle for information.

26. Because                                                               the importance of conceptual competence increases as managers move up in the organization.
    1. the challenges become much more common,
    2. the types of problems managers encounter and decisions they make at higher levels,
    3. no clear solutions exist for most problems
    4. there is an increased focus on innovation,
    5. of global and domestic issues and problems,

27. Employers tend to promote operative employees to first-line management jobs for several reasons. Of the following, which is NOT one of those reasons:
    1. Operative employees know how the operations function.
    2. Operative employees understand how things are done in the organization.
    3. Operative employees typically know the employees they supervise
    4. The organization knows a lot about the candidate.
    5. Operative employees make better strategists.

28. Discuss sustainability and its importance to a supervisor.

29. Professor Robert Katz and others found that successful supervisors must possess four critical competencies. Which of the following is NOT one of those critical competencies?
    1. technical
    2. conceptual
    3. interpersonal
    4. financial
    5. political

30. Most supervisors manage within areas of specialized knowledge. Of the following, which would NOT be expected to possess technical competencies?
    1. Vice-president of human resources
    2. Supervisor of health claims

2. Chief executive officer
3. Director of computer resources
4. Regional sales manager
5. Chief executive officer

31. The ability to work well with people, understand needs, communicate well, and motivate others describes which of the following competencies?
    1. Interpersonal skills
    2. Technical skills
    3. Conceptual skills
    4. Supervisory skills
    5. Political skills

32. Strong                          allow a supervisor to see that the organization is a complex system of many

interrelated parts and that the organization itself is part of a larger system that includes the organization’s industry, the community, and the nation’s economy.

1. 1. interpersonal skills
   2. conceptual skills
   3. technical skills
   4. supervisory skills
   5. political skills

33. On a practical level,                                                            help managers make good decisions.
    1. Interpersonal abilities
    2. Political abilities
    3. Conceptual abilities
    4. Technical abilities
    5. Supervisory abilities

34. When a supervisor attempts to influence the advantages and disadvantages of a situation, this demonstrates what competency or skill?
    1. Political skills
    2. Interpersonal skills
    3. Management skills
    4. Conceptual abilities
    5. Motivational skills

35. Although supervisors need to possess all the four competencies, the importance of each competency in any manager’s job varies                                                                                                     .
    1. with the individual’s level of education.
    2. with the individual’s years in management.
    3. with the individual’s psychological profile.
    4. with the individual’s career ambitions
    5. with the individual’s level in the organization.

36. Technical abilities typically have the greatest relevance for                                                    .

1. 1. first-level managers
   2. top management
   3. boards of directors
   4. middle managers
   5. technology managers

37. There is overwhelming evidence that                                            are critical at all levels of management.
    1. political abilities
    2. technical abilities
    3. interpersonal abilities
    4. supervisory abilities
    5. conceptual abilities

38.                          competence becomes more critical the higher one climbs in the organization's hierarchy.
    1. Managerial
    2. Interpersonal
    3. Political
    4. Conceptual
    5. Technical

39. Professor Robert Katz and others have found that successful supervisors must possess four critical competencies: technical, interpersonal, conceptual, and political competencies. Define and briefly discuss each of these four critical competencies.

                      -

40. A skill is the ability to demonstrate a system and sequence of behavior that is functionally related to

                                           .

1. 1. completing a task.
   2. an organization’s objectives.
   3. cooperating with a team.
   4. attaining a performance goal.
   5. completing a technical implementation.

41. One of the keys to becoming an effective supervisor is                                                                     
    1. to build loyalty by hiring those you’ve worked with in the past.
    2. to build trust and credibility with your employees.
    3. to set stringent goals for your employees.
    4. to micro-manage your employees to make sure things get done.
    5. to only hire employees you can trust.

42. A supervisor needs to develop                          skills to help influence others in order to be effective.
    1. interpersonal
    2. collaborative
    3. conceptual
    4. political
    5. motivational

43. Keeping skills and knowledge up-to-date about a subject is important for you but also important because                                                         .
    1. it demonstrates to employees that continuing education is important.
    2. it positions you for future career advancement.
    3. it makes you appear “cutting edge” and knowledgeable
    4. gives you an edge other employees may not have.
    5. makes you appear eager for challenges.

44. Being a successful and effective supervisor includes the ability to                                       .
    1. be a friend to employees.
    2. be a disciplinarian.
    3. hire the right people for the right task.
    4. socialize after work.
    5. show tolerance and celebrate differences.

45. Why is it important for a supervisor to understand the legitimate power he or she has been given in an organization?

46. Supervision is commonly needed in all organizations because of which of the following reasons?
    1. Employees need oversight.
    2. It results in the ability to meet financial objectives.
    3. Organizations flourish with the structure close supervision provides.
    4. People interact with organizations every single day.
    5. Employees cannot think for themselves.

47. Because of the widespread need for supervisors to                                       , we want to find ways to improve the way organizations are supervised.
    1. plan, organize, lead, and control
    2. primary organize and control
    3. achieve goals and objectives
    4. create a financially successful organization
    5. primarily plan and lead

48. Supervision is not done the same way everywhere;                                                         , not function.
    1. it is mostly a matter of degree and emphasis
    2. it varies from individual to individual
    3. it mostly depends on the education of the manager
    4. it varies by the level of the individual in the organization
    5. it depends on employees that are being supervised.

49. Organizations that                                         will develop a loyal employee and customer base, grow, and prosper, even during challenging times.
    1. hire high-quality employees
    2. are financially sound
    3. have generous benefit packages
    4. are well-supervised
    5. offer training and continuing education

50. Why is important that students understand supervision concepts and how supervisors think?