WGU Principles-of-Management Principles of Management at Western Governors University(IAC1) Exam Practice Test

High cooperativeness and high assertiveness are characteristics of the collaborating conflict management strategy. Collaborating involves working together with the other party to find a mutually beneficial solution. It is assertive in that it involves actively engaging in the conflict, and it is cooperative in seeking a solution that satisfies all parties involved​​.

Entrepreneurs who want to start a new business need to assess levels of risk and innovation involved in establishing a new venture. The tool commonly used to assess these dimensions is the Entrepreneurial Strategy Matrix.

Entrepreneurial Strategy Matrix(Answer D): This matrix helps entrepreneurs evaluate their business ideas by plotting the level of innovation (low to high) against the level of risk (low to high). This analysis aids in understanding the feasibility and potential success of the new venture by identifying which strategies are likely to succeed given the level of risk and innovation involved​​.

Collaboration Tracking Matrix(Answer A) andInnovation Creation Diagram(Answer B): These are not standard tools used to assess risk and innovation in entrepreneurship as described in the textbook.

Entrepreneurial Loss Function Diagram(Answer C): This is not a recognized tool for assessing risk and innovation in entrepreneurial ventures as per the principles of management.

The activity of creating a corporate project team to develop a new product is called intrapreneurship. Intrapreneurship refers to the practice of fostering innovation and entrepreneurial skills within an organization by allowing employees to act like entrepreneurs while working within the company. This approach encourages the development of new products and services and enhances organizational growth​​.

Religious preference inappropriately affects decision making when a real estate agent uses her religious background as a basis for accepting bids on property that is for sale. This situation reflects discrimination and bias, as decisions are being influenced by personal religious beliefs rather than objective criteria. Such actions can lead to unethical practices and violate principles of fair treatment and equality​​.

To determine how well an individual can participate in a variety of physical job requirements, a performance test is most appropriate.

Performance Test(Answer C): This type of test assesses a candidate's ability to perform specific tasks or activities that are part of the job. It is particularly useful for jobs requiring physical abilities and skills​​.

Cognitive Ability Test(Answer A),Personality Ambitions Test(Answer B), andIntegrity Test(Answer D): These tests evaluate mental capabilities, personality traits, and honesty, respectively, but do not measure physical job performance.

The primary purpose of the control process is to ensure that the activities of individuals are directed towards achieving the organizational goals.

Directing Activities Towards Goals(Answer C): The control process involves monitoring and evaluating organizational activities to ensure they align with the set goals and taking corrective actions when necessary. This ensures that individual efforts contribute effectively to the organizational objectives​​.

Fostering Communication(Answer A) andDeveloping Market Saturation(Answer B): While important, these are not the primary purposes of the control process.

Building a Dynamic Organization(Answer D): This is more related to organizational development than the control process itself.

The intrapreneurship activity described is bootlegging. Bootlegging refers to the informal and often unauthorized projects undertaken by employees who use company resources to work on new ideas outside their regular duties. These projects are not officially sanctioned but are tolerated or encouraged by supervisors to foster innovation within the company​​.

The process that includes automation or support of customer processes, direct communication with customers, and analysis of customer data for a broad range of purposes is Customer Relationship Management (CRM). CRM systems help organizations manage interactions with current and potential customers, streamline processes, and improve profitability by using customer data analysis for various business strategies​​.

An effective diversity training program commonly includes building awareness among employees. This involves educating employees about the importance of diversity, the benefits it brings to the workplace, and how to recognize and appreciate differences among colleagues. Awareness-building helps in creating a more inclusive and respectful work environment, which is essential for the success of diversity initiatives.

Building Awareness(Answer A): Effective diversity training programs focus on increasing cultural competencies, valuing differences, and understanding how diversity enhances business decisions​​.

Completing a Skills Inventory(Answer B),Analyzing Feedback(Answer C), andIdentifying Informal Networks(Answer D): While these activities may support diversity efforts, they are not core elements of diversity training programs as described in the textbook.

The type of organizational design used when a company groups employees according to the tasks they perform is a functional structure. In a functional structure, employees are organized based on their specific roles or functions within the organization, such as marketing, finance, production, or human resources. This allows for specialization and efficiency within each functional area​​.

The type of cross-cultural communication barrier experienced by the executive who did not understand the meaning of "lift" is a barrier caused by semantics. Semantics barriers arise from differences in the meaning of words and phrases used in different cultures or regions. In this case, "lift" is a British English term for what is known as an "elevator" in American English, leading to confusion​​.

The process used to verify that deliverables are correct and complete is known as Quality Control. Quality control involves the operational techniques and activities used to fulfill requirements for quality. It includes activities such as measuring, examining, and testing to gauge one or more characteristics of a product or service and the comparison of these with specified requirements to determine conformity.

Quality Control(Answer A): This process is a part of the quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements. It involves monitoring specific project results to determine if they comply with relevant quality standards and identifying ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory performance​​.

Quality Assurance(Answer D): This process is about ensuring that quality standards and processes are adhered to, and that the final products meet those standards. While it helps prevent defects by focusing on the process used to make the product, it is not directly involved in verifying the deliverables themselves​​.

Quality Collaboration(Answer B) andQuality Cooperative(Answer C): These terms are not standard processes in quality management as defined in the principles of management, thus making them incorrect choices for this question.

The textbook clearly states that quality control involves the steps taken to monitor results and ensure that they meet the required standards, making it the correct choice for verifying that deliverables are correct and complete​​.

A feature of a bureaucracy (vertical) organization is that formal position authority is generally the primary means of running the organization. This means that decisions and directives come from a hierarchical chain of command, and roles, responsibilities, and processes are clearly defined and standardized.

Formal Position Authority(Answer B): Bureaucratic organizations rely on a clear hierarchy where authority and decision-making processes are well-defined and based on formal positions​​.

Decentralized Decision Making(Answer A),Collaboration Across Departments(Answer C), andAnswering to Multiple Bosses(Answer D): These features are more characteristic of organic or matrix organizations rather than traditional bureaucracies.

When a computer manufacturer purchases the company that supplies computer chips for the company, it is using a vertical integration strategy. Vertical integration involves expanding a company's operations into different stages of production within the same industry, such as acquiring suppliers or distributors, to increase control over the supply chain and reduce costs​​.