1) Decision opportunities arise when problems or opportunities are recognized through critical thinking. Which of the following components may be a reason that managers ignore problems?\tA.\u00a0 The manager’s sense of urgency toward problems precludes action.\u00a0\t\u00a0B.\u00a0 The manager is exercising intellectual courage in the face of resistance to problem solving.\u00a0\t\u00a0C.\u00a0 A lack of intellectual empathy makes it difficult to recognize stakeholder considerations.\u00a0\t\u00a0D.\u00a0 Some businesses exist in a problem free environment.\u00a0\u00a0\t\u00a0E.\u00a0 The manager prefers risk over certainty.\u00a0\t\t2) Critical thinking may be stored for use in future decision making. Examples of mechanisms used to “store”\ufffd critical thinking for future programmed decisions include\u00a0\tA.\u00a0 a Pareto Chart\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 a SWOT Analysis\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 a troubleshooting decision tree\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 a Stakeholder Analysis\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 a regression analysis\u00a0\t\t3) Decision tools and techniques influence the use of critical thinking in decision making. According to the decision steps model, what is a proper response when an unstructured problem is presented?\tA.\u00a0 Implement a decision\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 Make the decision\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 Frame the problem\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 Frame alternatives\u00a0\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 Measure the impact of a decision\u00a0\t\t4) A critical thinker balances effectiveness and efficiency when deciding how to approach a problem. Depending upon the situation, a proper approach may be to do nothing, to use a ready-made solution, or to design a custom made solution. Choosing a ready-made solution, rather than designing a custom made solution, implies\u00a0\tA.\u00a0 increased costs\u00a0\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 gathering diverse perspectives\u00a0\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 time savings\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 more time spent evaluating alternatives\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 greater specificity to the circumstances of the current problem\u00a0\t\t5) Despite all the measures followed, successful decisions are not always guaranteed so it is important to\u00a0\tA.\u00a0 develop appropriate measurements for the impacts of decisions\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 use logical thinking to guarantee a correct outcome\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 develop contingency plans\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 only allow the most senior leaders to influence decisions\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 accept that some decisions will not work and move on to other issues\u00a0\t\t6) Kathy is a manager deciding between two applicants for a position reporting to her. One applicant for the position is a close personal friend of Kathy’s. Because Kathy is concerned that self serving bias may influence her to incorrectly see her friend as the best candidate, she should\u00a0\tA.\u00a0 eliminate her bias by not allowing her friend to apply\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 seek input from others before making the decision.\u00a0\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 allow someone else to make the decision.\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 any of the above would be an equally valid choice from a critical thinking perspective\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 ignore her bias and be strictly objective\u00a0\t\t7) Critical thought involves the consideration of diverse perspectives. Disadvantages of group decision making include\tA.\u00a0 increased security of confidential information\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 a more autocratic environment\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 a decision that accounts for the interests of diverse stakeholders\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 all of the above are disadvantages of group decision making\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 a process that is more time consuming\u00a0\u00a0\t\t8) One way for a leader to develop alternative perspectives for decision making is to\tA.\u00a0 consult with internal stakeholders in other departments\u00a0\u00a0\t\u00a0B.\u00a0 apply past decision successes to current decision opportunities\u00a0\t\u00a0C.\u00a0 increase the use of the logical thinking style\u00a0\t\u00a0D.\u00a0 rely on the intellectual component of stereotyping\u00a0\t\u00a0E.\u00a0 increase the homogeneity of his or her team\u00a0\t\t9) The completeness of our thought is limited by selective perception of relevant inputs one example is\u00a0\tA.\u00a0 using starbursting to ensure that we are considering all relevant questions\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 evaluating which stakeholders are most directly affected by a decision\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 considering the ways in which the current situation differs from substantially similar past experiences\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 using brainstorming to gather a number of ideas\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 overreliance on past and current experience\u00a0\u00a0\t\t10) Considerations when framing a problem include\u00a0\tA.\u00a0 measuring the impacts of a decision\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 identification of stakeholders affected by the problem\u00a0\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 framing alternative courses of action\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 identifying causes of the problem\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 developing contingency plans\u00a0\t\t11) During problem formulation, the decision maker must account for the interests of diverse stakeholders. An important step toward this outcome is the establishment of\tA.\u00a0 contingency plans\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 decision Implementation Processes\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 measurements for the decision\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 criteria, goals, and objectives\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 timelines and resource allocations\u00a0\t\t12) The characteristics of a problem may influence the thinking and tactics used in problem formulation and identification. A decision opportunity or problem that is important and not time-sensitive is\tA.\u00a0 non-urgent and non-critical\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 complex and critical\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 obvious and urgent\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 urgent and non-critical\u00a0\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 critical and non-urgent\u00a0\t\t13) A deductive logical argument in proper form is said to be\tA.\u00a0 functional\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 scientific\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 true\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 valid\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 sound\u00a0\t\t14) What is the most comprehensive definition of a problem?\u00a0\tA.\u00a0 An increase in the cost of doing business.\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 A declining economy resulting in reduced revenues\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 A positive situation that requires action in order to fully leverage an opportunity.\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 A negative situation that requires action to mitigate damage\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 Gap between current situation and some future desired state\u00a0\u00a0\t\t15) Survey data, combined with this thinking style, can be used to identify a problem through statistical analysis.\tA.\u00a0 Inductive logical\u00a0\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 Deductive logical\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 Scientific\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 Creative\u00a0\t\t16) Problems may become apparent to stakeholders through the use of tools which compare actual results to expected results. An example of such a tool is a\tA.\u00a0 Fishbone diagram\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 Financial report\u00a0\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 SWOT analysis\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 Force Field Analysis\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 Pareto chart\u00a0\t\t\u00a0\t\u00a0\t17) Of the decision styles listed below, this one should be used for a non-urgent, yet critical and unusual problem affecting multiple stakeholders.\tA.\u00a0 Programmed decision making\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 Autocratic\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 Collaborative\/participative\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 Leader decides\u00a0\t\t18) While this decision style offers an opportunity for stakeholder input, it most lessens accountability for decision making.\tA.\u00a0 Consensus\u00a0\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 Collaborative\/participative\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 Democratic\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 Leader decides\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 Autocratic\u00a0\t\t19) A manager may properly choose to ignore a problem\u00a0\tA.\u00a0 when a SWOT analysis indicates an environmental opportunity\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 when the costs of doing nothing are less than the cost of addressing the problem\u00a0\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 when the problem is surfaced through a positive trigger point\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 when a Pareto chart has properly clarified the causes of a problem\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 because of a bias against change\u00a0\t\t20) Jan is the owner of a retail store, and is evaluating the need for changes to the store’s commission structure for sales personnel. She has decided to exclude the sales personnel affected from the decision making process. Jan is probably seeking to minimize this force of influence on the decision making process.\tA.\u00a0 Lack of political support\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 Resource availability\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 Resistance from external stakeholders\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 Ethical considerations\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 Self serving bias\u00a0\u00a0\t\t21) Urgent crisis conditions might call for a decision making style that is\u00a0\tA.\u00a0 collaborative\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 democratic\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 autocratic\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 participative\u00a0\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 consensus\u00a0\t\t22) Upon review of the customer comment cards dropped in the box in his convenience store, Bob sees that 61% of the customers filling out a card have expressed dissatisfaction with waiting times. Bob decides to add an additional cashier during the day. Bob is using the ______ thinking style in order to make this decision.\tA.\u00a0 metaphorical\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 deductive logical\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 inductive logical\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 creative\u00a0\t\t23) Managers would typically use this tool to develop an overall strategic approach to their business.\tA.\u00a0 Financial reports\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 Gantt chart\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 Surveys\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 SWOT Analysis\u00a0\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 Fishbone diagram\u00a0\t\t24) Shakil works for a large contractor. Company policy requires that in hiring subcontractors, at least three bids must be received and that the lowest bid which meets specifications will be accepted. This programmed decision structure provides for ______ as a benefit, but does not account for ______.\tA.\u00a0 faster decision making, cost control\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 quality control, reduced costs\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 reduced costs, feed forward control\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 creativity, special orders\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 reduced costs, quality considerations\u00a0\u00a0\t\t25) In the course of developing a SWOT analysis, Bob determines that a large competitor is moving into one of his company’s key service areas. Bob has uncovered\tA.\u00a0 an opportunity\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 a positive trigger point\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 a strength\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 a weakness\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 a threat\u00a0\u00a0\t\t26) When deciding between decision alternatives, this tool helps the manager to focus scarce resources on the most common causes of a problem.\tA.\u00a0 Force Field Analysis\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 Pareto chart\u00a0\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 Benchmarking\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 Venn Diagram\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 SWOT analysis\u00a0\t\t27) The initial step in framing the problem is to ______, and the first step in making the decision is to ______.\tA.\u00a0 identify the cause of the problem, implement the decision\u00a0\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 evaluate the decision, determine who is affected\u00a0\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 select an alternative, identify the problem\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 identify the problem, frame alternatives\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 identify the problem, identify causes of the problem\u00a0\u00a0\t\t28) In response to declining profits, a company decides that it needs to become world class, but is having difficulty developing an implementation plan around the goal of “becoming world class.”\ufffd Rather than implement this decision, the company would be well advised to return to the ______ step of decision making.\tA.\u00a0 determine measurements\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 frame alternatives\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 develop criteria, goals, and objectives\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 evaluate the decision\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 make the decision\u00a0\t\t29) One way to manage the risk of a far reaching decision is to\tA.\u00a0 ensure that ample financial resources are dedicated to implementation\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 insist on compliance from key stakeholders\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 implement the decision gradually, in phases\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 reduce the number of contingency plans in order to avoid confusion\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 implement the decision quickly, in order to prevent problems from affecting the decision that has been made\u00a0\t30) The best way to mitigate employee resistance to a decision is to\u00a0\tA.\u00a0 write clear policies outlining permitted and forbidden actions\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 establish clear penalties for non compliance with decisions\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 clearly communicate the “who what when and why”\ufffd during implementation\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 ensure that all employee concerns are fully solved for in every decision\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 limit influence over decisions to senior leadership\u00a0\t\t31) ______ plans might be referred to as what-if plans.\tA.\u00a0 Contingency\u00a0\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 Strategic\u00a0\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 Single-use\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 Standing\u00a0\u00a0\t\t32) Resistance to change during implementation could be a result of\u00a0\tA.\u00a0 sensitivity to the needs of external stakeholders\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 a decision that has been delayed by a lengthy collaborative\/participative decision making style\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 a problem statement that is not representative of relevant stakeholder interests\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 The manager’s decision to allow discussion of both internal and external stakeholder concerns, which introduced conflicting objectives into the problem formulation and identification process\u00a0\t\t33) When implementing a decision, a company must ensure that its actions remain consistent with its\u00a0\tA.\u00a0 past practices and procedures\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 organizational mission\u00a0\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 current resource allocations\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 manager’s thinking styles\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 employee’s preferences\u00a0\t\t34) A situation, problem, or opportunity in which an individual must choose among several actions that must be evaluated as morally right or wrong is called\tA.\u00a0 an ethical issue\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 business ethics\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 a personal issue\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 morale issue\u00a0\u00a0\t\t35) Susan has the opportunity to choose among several options, including going along with her coworkers and filling out inaccurate time records, telling her manager what is happening, attempting to persuade her coworkers to stop doing this, or, doing nothing. This is an example of\tA.\u00a0 an ethical issue\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 a time when Susan should ignore the problem\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 a situation that is not a problem\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 a moral rights issue\u00a0\t\t36) Bill is an automotive mechanic, paid on the basis of the repair dollars that he generates for his employer. A customer has informed Bill that he believes he needs major repair work to his automobile. Upon examination of the car, Bill discovers that an inexpensive adjustment is all that is needed. He knows that if he informs the customer of this, he will miss out on the substantial commission he would earn by performing the work that the customer already expects. The compensation structure employed by Bill’s garage has created the ethical dilemma of\tA.\u00a0 a conflict of interest\u00a0\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 joint and several liability dilemma\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 proper allocation of resources\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 impartial third party mediator\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 the good of the individual vs the good of society\u00a0\t\t37) A measurement that evaluates the amount of inputs used to achieve outputs is a measure of\tA.\u00a0 organizational precision\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 organizational stability\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 organizational efficiency\u00a0\u00a0\tD.\u00a0 organizational fluctuation\u00a0\tE.\u00a0 organizational effectiveness\u00a0\t\t38) The objective to “reduce rework significantly within 6 months”\ufffd is not sufficiently meaningful nor measurable because it is not sufficiently\tA.\u00a0 relevant\u00a0\tB.\u00a0 specific\u00a0\tC.\u00a0 time bound\u00a0&<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
1) Decision opportunities arise when problems or opportunities are recognized through critical thinking. Which of the following components may be a reason that managers ignore problems? A.\u00a0 The manager’s sense of urgency toward problems precludes action.\u00a0 \u00a0B.\u00a0 The manager is Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-227573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227573\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}