Principles-of-Management Principles of Management at Western Governors University(IAC1) Questions and Answers

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​​.

The purpose of value chain analysis is to enable a company to understand the various activities involved in producing and delivering a product or service and to identify opportunities to gain a competitive advantage. The concept of the value chain was introduced by Michael Porter and involves examining all activities a firm performs and how they interact to create a competitive advantage.

Definition and Purpose:

A value chain describes the series of activities that an organization carries out to create value for its customers.

The primary purpose is to systematically identify and analyze these activities to understand where value is added to the final product or service, which can then be leveraged to gain a competitive advantage​​.

Components of Value Chain:

Primary Activities: These include inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and services. Each of these activities adds value directly to the production and delivery of the product.

Support Activities: These include procurement, technology development, human resource management, and firm infrastructure. These activities support the primary activities and add value indirectly​​.

Systematic Approach:

By analyzing each activity in the value chain, a firm can identify areas where efficiencies can be improved or where innovation can be introduced.

This systematic approach helps the firm to focus on optimizing these activities to reduce costs, improve quality, and differentiate its products from competitors, thus developing a competitive advantage​​.

In summary, value chain analysis allows a company to use a systematic approach in developing a competitive advantage by identifying and optimizing the activities that create value​​.

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.

A company offering a no-frills product to be efficient is pursuing a low-cost strategy. This strategy focuses on minimizing costs and offering products at the lowest possible price to attract cost-conscious customers. This approach involves strict cost control and operational efficiency to maintain profitability while offering lower prices than competitors​​.

When developing a quality management system, the step that involves answering the question, "If you were the customer, how would you like us to operate?" is known ascustomerization. This process is focused on tailoring and personalizing the customer experience to meet individual needs and preferences, thus ensuring that the company's operations align closely with customer expectations and desires. By prioritizing the customer's perspective, businesses can enhance satisfaction and loyalty, which are critical components of an effective quality management system​​.

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 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​​.

The purpose of the Six Sigma Quality approach is to analyze the causes of product defects and to reduce variability in manufacturing and business processes. Six Sigma uses statistical methods to identify and eliminate defects, aiming for near perfection in production processes. It involves steps like defining the problem, measuring key aspects, analyzing the data, improving processes, and controlling the future process performance​​.

To stimulate conflict and get a different perspective, bringing in outsiders is the most appropriate technique.

Bringing in Outsiders(Answer A): This technique involves introducing new individuals who have different viewpoints, which can stimulate conflict and provide new perspectives that might be overlooked by the current team. It helps in shaking up the status quo and encouraging innovative thinking​​.

Appointing a Devil's Advocate(Answer B): While also effective in stimulating conflict, this technique involves someone within the group challenging ideas to ensure thorough evaluation. However, it might not provide as fresh a perspective as bringing in outsiders.

Authoritative Command(Answer C) andCompromise(Answer D): These are more about resolving conflict rather than stimulating it.

The strategy the corporation is using to overcome resistance to change is participation and involvement. This approach involves engaging employees who are affected by the change,soliciting their input, and incorporating their suggestions into the change process. By involving employees, the organization can reduce resistance and gain valuable insights that facilitate smoother implementation of changes​​.

The value chain describes the full range of activities that businesses go through to bring a product or service from conception to delivery and beyond. The concept was popularized by Michael Porter in his 1985 book "Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance."

Definition and Scope: A value chain encompasses all the processes involved in the creation of a product or service. This includes:

Sourcing raw materials.

Production processes.

Marketing and sales.

Distribution and delivery.

Customer service post-delivery.

Primary Activities:

Inbound Logistics: Receiving, storing, and disseminating inputs of the product.

Operations: Transforming inputs into the final product.

Outbound Logistics: Collecting, storing, and distributing the product to customers.

Marketing and Sales: Persuading customers to purchase the product.

Services: Activities that maintain and enhance the product's value, such as customer service.

Support Activities:

Procurement: Acquiring the resources a company needs to operate.

Technology Development: Research and development, IT, automation, etc.

Human Resource Management: Recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining workers.

Firm Infrastructure: Organizational structure, control systems, company culture, etc.

Example of Value Chain: The textbook provides an example of Walmart's value chain to illustrate how a company adds value at each step of the process, from procurement to delivery​​.

Importance: Understanding and optimizing the value chain allows companies to identify where they can add value, reduce costs, and gain competitive advantage. Companies can use this analysis to find opportunities for improvement, innovation, and efficiency in their processes.