Chapter 1: Staffing
Q1: Discuss the following statement: An individual who owns a business should be able to hire anyone and shouldn’t have to worry about government interference.
Q3: Many managers believe line managers should not have to worry about human resource needs and this function should be handled by the human resource department. What do you think?
Chapter 2: Employee Training and Development
Q1: Discuss the following statement: Why should we train our employee? It is a waste of money because they soon leave and another organization gets the benefits.
Q3: Discuss the following statement: Management games are fun, but you don’t really learn anything from them.
Chapter 3
Q1: Discuss your reviews on this statement: Most people can be motivated with money.
Q3: As a manager, would you prefer a motivated or a satisfied group of employee? Why?
Q5: Discuss the following statement: A satisfied employee is one that is not being pushed hard enough.
Chapter 4
Q1: Discuss the following statement: Leaders are born and cannot be developed:
Q3: Do you think the variance in leadership styles of such people as Adolf Hitler, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King Jr., can be explained by any of the theories discussed in this chapter? Elaborate your answer.
Chapter 5
Q1: Should the manager attempt to avoid conflicts at all time? Explain.
Q3: How can managers reduce destructive stress in organization?
Q5: Examine your personal situation and identify some ways that might reduce stress in your day-to-day activities.
Chapter 6
Q1: Take the position on the following statement and be prepared to defend it: Most people resist change, not because the change is harmful but because they are lazy.
Q3: Pick an organization or industry you think will need to change its culture if it is to thrive in the future (as the airlines have had to do since September 1, 2001, and as book publishers are currently having to do). Be prepared to explain why you think this change must occur.
Chapter 7
Q1: If you were implementing a new control system designed to track more closely the expenses of your salespeople, what actions might you take to minimize negative reaction?
Q3: How should you deal with managers who are so “Married†to their departmental budgets that they will not let you spend $1 to make $10?
Chapter 8
Q1: What are your thoughts on discussing salary rises and promotions during the performance appraisal interview?
Q3: It has been said that incentive plans work for only a relatively short time. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Chapter 9 Operations Management and Planning
Q1: Explain how you might take production line approach (transferring the concepts and methodologies of operations management) to a service organization such as a branch bank.
Q3: Why should all of the phases in designing an operating system be integrated?
Q5: What can the computer do to help with modern assembly-line planning? How might simulations be used?
Chapter 10 Operations Control
Q1: Given that quality is a relatively concept, how does a manager ever know if the quality level is optimal?
Q3: What do you think are the most significant barriers to the implementation of TQM programs? What would you recommend to fix the problems?
Q5: It has been said that good inventory management can make the difference between success and failure in the certain industries. Name several industries in which this statement is particularly applicable, and discuss the reason for your answer.