Mary Thoma

Administrative Management
Tomas Breitinger
4/25/2015
Review and Discussion
Chapter 3
3. Under what circumstances are short-term plans preferred? Under what circumstances are
specific plans preferred?
Short term is defined as a timeline less than one year. When a company is facing adversity or there is
uncertainty in the plan, this is when it should be short-term.
Generally speaking, specific or goal-oriented plans are preferable to loosely guided plans. When the
certainty is high is when specific plans or more commonly used.
4. Why do companies benchmark their operations with other organizations in their industry?
Benchmarking allows companies to prove to their customers that the products they are producing
are quality. With this, companies can also boast their qualifications, putting them above their competitors.
5. Do you believe that obtaining certifications such as six sigma or ISO 9000 really helps an organization
compete? Discuss.
Oh, most certainly. I have no doubt. If I were to examine a product produced by two different
companies, I would pick the more certified company. With these international certifications, I am able to
place more faith and trust into these companies, as I know they have put more work into their products.
10. What differentiates a traditional supervisor in a small business from an entrepreneurial supervisor? An
intrapreneur?
Supervisors are more likely to have a formal strategy, a set of guidelines. With entrepreneurs, they
will be looking for new ways, new advantages to beat out the competition. They will go outside of the
box, take more risks.

Chapter 4

2. How might wider spans of control lead to cost reductions for an organization?
The answer is simple; wider spans indicate a supervisor has the ability to watch over
more employees. With this capability, fewer supervisors are required. Less supervisors = less
payroll.
4. What happens when authority and responsibility are out of balance?
When responsibility is handed out to a supervisor without providing that supervisor with
the proper authority, that supervisor is limited. Imbalance needs to be resolved.
8. Is delegation synonymous with abdication? Discuss.
No, delegation should not be considered synonymous with abdication. Empowering
others is not the same as renouncing your position of authority, in my opinion, it is further
establishing your authority.
9. A learning organization make supervision obsolete. Do you agree or disagree with this
statement? Defend.
I disagree. If we are talking about an institution such as a school, I believe that teachers
would be supervisors. I think that teachers would be considered supervisors with the principal
being an a manager.