MG101 Introduction to Management

Faculty of Business and Economics

School of Management and Public Administration

Final Examination
Semester 1 2016

Face to Face

Duration of Exam: 3 hours + 10 minutes

Reading Time: 10 minutes

Writing Time: 3 hours

Instructions:

This paper has four sections A, B, C and D

Section A, B and D are Compulsory. All questions are to be answered in these
sections
Section C has choices. Answer any six of nine questions

50% of coursework and overall mark

9 pages

No written materials should be allowed at the exam venue since this is a close book
test.
Section A: Multiple Choice Questions (Compulsory)
Total: 20 marks, 1 mark per question

1. In the management process of organizing, the strategic leadership challenge is to

a. choose the best organizational form to fit the strategy and other situational demands.
b. choose strategy to best fit the established organizational form.
c. choose the strategy and organizational form that are easiest to implement.
d. choose the organizational form that adapts the strategy to the demands of the situation.
e. choose the organizational form that employees will like the best.

2. Which of the following is TRUE regarding the purpose of an organization structure?

a. To divide up and coordinate resources and tasks to be done for performance success
b. To identify relationships between suppliers and company buyers
c. To design titles for different types of workers
d. To allocate management authority to department heads
e. To assign daily work tasks to workers

3. Bill, a recent MBA graduate in the field of accounting, is the finance manager of ABC
Company. Bill has a problem with a shadow organization in his division. One sensible first
step in Bill's management strategy might be
a. meeting with his employees to let them know he is the boss.
b. promising bonuses only to those employees who agree with him and work with him.
c. seeking to understand and work with the shadow organization.
d. firing the people who are members of the shadow organisation.
e. assuming his staff are trying to undermine him and act accordingly.

4. As organizations grow in size, they tend to become __________ and subsequently tend to
have __________ in adapting to a changing environment.
a. more bureaucratic … less difficulty
b. more bureaucratic … more difficulty
c. less bureaucratic … more difficulty
d. more organic … less difficulty
e. more organic … more difficulty

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5. Vision, something frequently associated with effective leadership, refers to
a. the capacity to plan, organize and control.
b. a future that one hopes to create or achieve in order to improve upon the present state of
affairs.
c. the ability to spontaneously take charge in a group situation.
d. the capacity to influence one's superiors.
e. the knowledge of when to use position power and when not use it.

6. The three types of position power are __________, __________, and __________
a. Legitimate … expert … coercive
b. Coercive … expert … reward
c. Reward … legitimate … coercive
d. Referent … reward … legitimate
e. Expert … referent … legitimate

7. Which of the following statements is INACCURATE?

a. Both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards can help the manager to lead effectively through
motivation.
b. Trait theories of leadership provide insights into how to accomplish the maximum
motivational impact.
c. Content theories help managers to understand human needs and how people with different
needs may respond to different work situations.
d. Process theories help managers to understand how people give meaning to rewards and
then respond with various work-related behaviours
e. Reinforcement theory helps managers understand the environment as a major source of
rewards and how people's behaviour is influenced by these environmental consequences.

8. Which of the following is NOT characteristic of a transformational leader?

a. Having ideas and a clear sense of direction
b. Delegating truly challenging work
c. Showing little concern for both people and task
d. Being a model of integrity and honesty
e. Identifying heroes and celebrating excellence

9. __________ is the ability to influence the behaviour of other people through identification.
a. Legitimate power
b. Expert power
c. Coercive power
d. Referent power
e. Reward power

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10. Kathy notices that most of her co-workers take extended lunch breaks. Kathy doesn't do this,
but feels she is therefore justified in working a little less hard during the day. Kathy's
decision to work 'less hard' is best explained by the __________ theory of motivation.
a. expectancy
b. equity
c. two-factor
d. goal-setting
e. acquired needs

11. __________ will elicit a desired behaviour more quickly than will intermittent
reinforcement.
a. Continuous reinforcement
b. Positive reinforcement
c. Negative reinforcement
d. Extinction
e. Punishment

12. __________ refers to the presence of 'free riders' that slack off because responsibility is
diffused in teams and others are present to do the work.
a. Social imperfection
b. Poor work ethics
c. Anti-synergy
d. Synergy
e. Social loafing

13. Which of the following does NOT accurately describe virtual teams?

a. Team members from geographically dispersed locations can deal with issues in a time-
efficient fashion.
b. Because of information technology, virtual teams provide a problem-free approach to
dealing with issues among team members at geographically dispersed locations.
c. Interpersonal difficulties that might occur in face-to-face meetings could be minimized or
eliminated.
d. Working relationships can become depersonalised.
e. Advantages of face-to-face meetings are lost.

14. Cross-functional teams are expected to do all of the following EXCEPT

a. share information.
b. explore new ideas.
c. seek creative solutions.
d. focus on purely functional concerns and demands.
e. meet project deadlines.

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15. Most ethical problems in the workplace arise when people are asked to do or are about to do
something that
a. is illegal.
b. goes against work group standards.
c. violates their personal conscience.
d. violates the organisation's policies.
e. violates social norms

16. Suppose that a lecturer's main concern in grading term papers is to evaluate the papers and
assign grades fairly and objectively in light of the requirements and grading scale contained
in the course syllabus. From an ethics perspective, this is an example of the lecturer adopting
which of the following views?
a. The utilitarian view
b. The individualism view
c. The collectivism view
d. The moral-rights view
e. The justice view

17. Quality of work life has many different implications. Which of the following is NOT one of
these implications?
a. Work is an important component of the quality of life.
b. For some people, jobs are a source of pleasure.
c. For some people work is sheer drudgery.
d. For most people, the overall quality of life is affected significantly by the quality of work
life.
e. For most people, the overall quality of life is unaffected by the quality of work life.

18. The job design approach that involves standardizing work procedures so that people work in
well-defined and highly specialized tasks is known as
a. job compression.
b. job simplification.
c. job rotation.
d. job enlargement
e. job enrichment

19. The modified assembly-line job, which allows a worker to perform a greater number of tasks
and periodically change with other workers, illustrates the alternative job design strategies of
a. job enrichment and job rotation.
b. job enrichment and job enlargement.
c. job sharing and job rotation.
d. job sharing and job enlargement.
e. job rotation and job enlargement.

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20. An organisation that is following a(n) __________ social responsibility strategy would
likely take a leadership role in identifying and responding to emerging social issues.
a. obstructionist
b. defensive
c. accommodative
d. proactive
e. ethical

Section B: True/False Questions (Compulsory)

Total: 10 marks, 1 mark per question

1. House’s path-goal theory points out that a leader should only add value to situations by
responding with negative directions in order to direct achievement. T/F

2. Transformational leaders use argumentative conversations to inspire others towards

extraordinary efforts in support of change and performance excellence. T/F

3. The principle of unity of command suggests that managers within an organization should
reach agreement on the goals and objectives of the organization. T/F

4. The functional structure offers a way to decentralize decision making and provide direction
from the teams in the field. T/F

5. Equity theory holds that individuals are more motivated if they perceive they are being
treated unfairly as compared to their fellow workers or those in other firms. T/F

6. The utilitarian view of ethical behaviour is that which a provides the greatest good for
the greatest number of people. T/F

7. Ethics training refers to teaching corporate outlines for formal corporate codes of ethics.
T/F

8. Job enrichment differs from other alternative design strategies in that it seeks to expand
job depth, not just job scope. T/F

9. The individualism view is supposed to promote honesty and integrity but in business
practice it may result in pushing the law to its outer limits T/F

10. Employee share ownership plans involve employees in ownership through the purchase
of shares in the companies that employ them. T/F

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Section C: Short Answers (Choices) Answer six of nine questions
Total: 30 marks, 5 marks per question
1. Explain the interrelationships of environmental uncertainty, technology, strategy and
organizational design.

2. What is the purpose of organizational design? What are the differences between
bureaucratic designs and adaptive designs?

3. What is leadership style? Explain how concern for task and concern for people are related
to leadership style?

4. Explain emotional intelligence and its components. How might a person's level of
emotional intelligence influence his/her effectiveness as a leader?

5. Discuss goal setting theory and how it relates to managing for motivation?

6. Briefly describe various incentive compensation systems that can be used to influence
work motivation?

7. Identify the different types of teams and explain what role each can play in organizations?

8. What is corporate social responsibility? In your opinion, should businesses be socially

responsible? Support your answer with appropriate reasons.

9. Describe the core characteristics model of job enrichment. Explain how this model can
provide guidance to practicing managers?

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Section D: Case Study Total: 40 marks
This Section is Compulsory

Business Communication in Asia

There are many cultural aspects to be aware of when communicating in Asia. In Indonesia,
China and Japan, for example, locals often try to avoid saying ‘no’ directly to a person, for fear
of appearing rude or defiant, or of offending the other person’s ‘face’ (personal integrity).
Saying ‘yes’ is preferred , even though it is actually a ‘no’, it is best to repeat the request, then
follow up.

Conflict avoidance, or harmony, is critical in Asian cultures. Hence, it is necessary to avoid

difficult situations, whereby your guest or host could be embarrassed or uncomfortable or ‘lose
face’. Although this type of sensitivity is also necessary in the West, the practice of harmony is
particularly important in Asia. Hence, direct confrontation or challenging someone’s position or
ideas should be avoided. Apart from avoiding the situations of ‘loss of face’, it might also be
necessary to practice ‘giving face’ in Asia. For example, a simple act of ‘giving face’ could be a
small gift from your firm at the end of a meeting, visit or contract negotiation. Such a small gift
could be in the form of a paper holder with your company logo or other artefacts with your
company logo.

However, when business gifts are involved, there are a few things to note that depend very much
on the ethnic group of the recipient. If the recipient is Chinese, for example, clocks should be
avoided, as they are associated with death. Similarly, the wrapping of gifts in white, blue or
black should be avoided, as these are considered mourning colours in Chinese culture. If the gift
recipient is Malaysian, do not give anything made of pig-skin (Malaysians are generally
Muslims); do not give alcohol; only give halal goods; and avoid white wrapping paper, as it
symbolizes death. Finally, if the recipient is Indian, avoid giving bouquets that include
frangipani, as they are used in funeral wreaths, and avoid wrapping gifts in white or black. Also,
avoid giving leather products to a Hindu. In many Asian countries, including Thailand,
Indonesia and South Korea, it is important to realize that a gift received should not be opened in
front of the person who presented it.

Even the act of exchanging business cards has greater significance in many Asian countries, and
is surrounded by etiquette that is important in terms of communicating respect. When presenting
your business card, it is courteous to hand it over with both hands. When receiving a business
card (again with both hands), it is respectful to show interest in reading the details of the card
before filing it away.

Within individual Asian countries, there can be much potential for diversity in communication.
Singapore provides an example, being a multicultural. Singapore provides an example, being a
multicultural society with a population of about 4.5 million. Many ethnic groups are represented

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in its population, including Chinese (76.8 per cent), Malay (13.9 per cent), and Indian (7.9 per
cent); and many languages are spoken, such as Mandarin (35 per cent), English (23 per cent),
Malay (14.1 per cent), Hokkien (11.4 per cent), Cantonese (5.7 per cent) and Teochew (4.9 per
cent). Since its independence in 1965, Singapore has adopted four national languages; namely
Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English. For business and politics, English is the language of
choice. While Singapore claims to be an egalitarian society, Singaporeans retain strong
hierarchical relationships that can be observed in the relationships between parents and children,
teachers and students, and employers and employees. This reliance on hierarchy is drawn from
Confucianism, which emphasizes respecting elders and status.

This cultural value translates to a more formal approach to business in Singapore than in many
Western countries. Having ‘face’ and giving ‘face’ to others is important aspects of both social
and business interactions. As such, Singaporeans tend to be subtle, indirect and implicit in their
communications. They hint at a point rather than making a direct statement, since that might
cause the other person to lose face. Rather than say ‘no’, they might say ‘ I will try’. This
allows the person making the request to ‘save’ face and thus maintains harmony in the
relationship. Singapore has a group –oriented culture, so links are often based on ethnicity,
education or working for the same company. Most Singaporeans are soft-spoken and believe a
calm demeanour is superior to a more aggressive style.

Case Study Questions

Imagine that you are about to become a manager in a multinational organisation, and will be
required to interact regularly with the both the company’s Asian office and other stakeholder
organisations in Asia. Answer the following questions.

1. What might be some potential barriers to effective communication? (12 marks)

2. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of the various communication channels?
(12 marks)
3. How could perception potentially affect intended communication messages?(10 marks)
4. What factors might you need to be particularly aware of in negotiation situations?(6 marks)

THE END

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