Question

24. There are many roles played in the planning process for a typical company. Depending on the organizational level, the planning focus and the effort devoted will be different. Which of the following statements is true about planning within an organization? a. In their role in the planning process, top management focuses on short-term operational objectives for the company. b. Only top management spends time focused on strategic and operational planning activities for the organization. c. Middle management employees spend more of their time focusing on planning than other levels of the organization. d. Supervisors are tasked with developing specific programs and tactics for achieving the goals of their responsibility areas. e. Middle managers are primarily focused on strategic planning considerations. 25. Matching an internal strength with an external opportunity produces a situation known as: a. leverage. b. constraint. c. vulnerability. d. plateau. 26. Operational planning: a. should be used to establish the fundamental strategies of the organization. b. is used to determine departmental rules and procedures. c. is the primary responsibility of the top management. d. should be completed at the same time the total budget is prepared. 27. Budweiser and its stable of beer brands including Michelob, Bud Lite and Budweiser Platinum have faced significant inroads in sales by craft breweries such as Boston Beer Company and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. The craft breweries represent an to Budweiser. a. threat b. weakness c. strategic window d. opportunity 28. Billboards for the city's national football league team are positioned within 5 miles of the stadium. This is an example of a. form utility creation b. place marketing c. organization utility d. sports marketing

Answer 1

24. a] False. The top management is concerned about the long term planning of the organisations functioning and not just short term. Planning is to design on the future, to anticipate the problems that may arise and also imagining success. Hence it is both short term and long term planning of the management that marks the success.

b] False. Only top management spends time focusing on strategic and operational planning activities is not true. Operational planning comes under the supervisory management who further implement the tactical plans of middle management.

c] False. Even though all levels of management are involved in the planning process, it is the top level managers who spend more time in planning than the lower level managers and in this question, middle management.

d] True. The supervisors come under the supervisory management of a company. Operational planning is the main responsibility of the supervisors. Supervisors have to not only plan out the specific strategies and tactics but also make sure that those goals are achieved by their respective departments.

e]True. Middle mangers are primarily concerned with the strategic planning considerations. They receive broad strategic plans from their top managements which are then turned into blueprints of operations which lay down specific objectives and programs.

25. B. Leverage. The situation produced when the internal strengths are matched with the external strengths are called leverage. This happens when weaknesses of the organisation exposes them to environmental threats.

26. a. Operational planning is used to implement the strategic and tactical planning of the organisation.  Operational planning is the responsibility of the supervisory management.

27. a. Threat. Craft breweries represent a threat to Budweiser as competition with craft breweries led the Budweiser inroads which means that they was a fall in the sales of Budweiser.

28. b. Place marketing. 5 miles from the stadium means that the promotion is of the particular place in this case the stadium.