Mid-Terms

Question 1

What is an organisation?

Answer 1

1. A social entity
2. Goal directed
3. Designed as a deliberately structured & coordinated activity system.
4. Linked to the external environment.

Question 2

What is the importance of organisations?

Answer 2

1. Bring resources together to achieve goals.
2. Produce goods and services efficiently.
3. Facilitate innovation.
4. Create value for customers, owners, and employees.

Question 3

What are the structural dimensions?

Answer 3

1. Formalisation
2. Specialisation
3. Complexity
   - Vertical, Horizontal, Spatial
4. Hierarchy of Authority
5. Centralisation

Question 4

What is the concept of organisational structure?

Answer 4

1. Formal Reporting Relationships
2. Identifies grouping
3. Includes design of systems

Question 5

What are the contingency factors?

Answer 5

1. Size
2. Organisational Technology
3. Organisation’s goals & strategy
4. Culture

Question 6

What are the Organisational Design Alternatives?

Answer 6

1. Required work activities
2. Reporting relationships
3. Departmental grouping options

Question 7

What are the departmental grouping options?

Answer 7

1. Departmental
2. Functional
3. Multifocused
4. Divisional
5. Horizontal
6. Virtual Network

Question 8

What are the different elements in the changing environment?

Answer 8

1. Dynamism
2. Complexity
3. Abundance

Question 9

How do you adapt to complexity & dynamism?

Answer 9

1. Adding positions and departments
2. Building relationships
3. Differentiation & integration
4. Organic vs. Mechanistic processes
5. Planning, forecasting and responsiveness

Question 10

What are the 4 theories under the Framework for Interorganisational Relationships?

Answer 10

1. Resource Dependence
2. Population Ecology
3. Collaborative Network
4. Institutionalism

Question 11

What are the benefits of Global Expansion?

Answer 11

1. Economies of scale
2. Economies of scope
3. Low-cost production factors

Question 12

What are the stages of international development?

Answer 12

1. Domestic
2. International
3. Multinational
4. Global

Question 13

What is the role of global teams?

Answer 13

• Definition: cross-border work groups made up of multiskilled, multinational members whose activities span multiple countries.
• 2 types: Intercultural teams and virtual global teams
• Not easy; cultural and language differences.

Question 14

What is the Transnational Model of Organisation?

Answer 14

• A highly differentiated model to address the complexities of the global environment.
• Useful for large multinational companies.
• Achieving coordination, a sense of participation and involvement by subsidiaries, and sharing of info, knowledge, new tech, and customers is very difficult, so this transnational model addresses these challenges by creating an INTEGRATED NETWORK OF INDIVIDUAL OPERATIONS that are linked together to achieve the multi-dimensional goals of the overall organisation.
• Distinguishing factors:
  1. Assets and resources are dispersed worldwide into highly specialised operations
  2. Structures are flexible and ever-changing
  3. Emphasis on corporate culture rather than formal structures and systems
  4. Strategies implemented as a whole

Question 15

What are the different structures for international organisational design?

Answer 15

1. Global Product
2. Global Matrix
3. International Division
4. Global Geographic

Question 16

What are the measures of Organisational Effectiveness?

Answer 16

1. Goal Approach
2. Resource-Based Approach
3. Internal Process Approach
4. Strategic Constituents Approach