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Test Bank for MGMT : principles of

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Chuck Williams, Ike Hall, Terri
Champion, ISBN: 0176703489, ISBN:
9780176703486
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Chapter 1 - Management

Test Bank for MGMT : principles of management, 3rd


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1. What is the term for getting work done through others?


a. management
b. planning
c. organizing
d. strategizing
ANSWER: a

2. Ruth was hired to be the second-in-command at Graham Mailing Services. She was told that her job was to
deal with the employees to make sure they met the customers’ mailing specifications. She has not been
instructed on how to run machines or in any other technical area. What is her position?
a. marketing
b. relationship control
c. management
d. strategizing
ANSWER: c

3. A manager strives to accomplish tasks that help fulfill organizational objectives. What is the manager trying
to improve?
a. organizational efficiency
b. organizational effectiveness
c. organizational functionality
d. organizational productivity
ANSWER: b

4. The response to the 2016 Fort McMurray, Alberta wildfires was reportedly hampered by incompatible radio
systems between different agencies. Which concept would a manager use to resolve this situation?
a. operations
b. management
c. effectiveness
d. efficiency
ANSWER: d

5. What is the term for the accomplishment of tasks that help fulfill organizational objectives?
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Chapter 1 - Management
a. optimizing
b. satisficing
c. efficiency
d. effectiveness
ANSWER: d

6. To achieve its goal of increased market share, a coffee and donut shop launched a program in London,
Ontario, that awards grade-school students a free donut for every “A” on their report cards. What management
function was used to create this program?
a. controlling
b. leading
c. planning
d. organizing
ANSWER: c

7. Nestlé was unsuccessful in early attempts to sell its chocolate in India. It discovered its chocolate bars were
not suitable for the Indian markets because the candy became messy from sitting in direct sunlight without the
benefit of air conditioning. Nestlé adopted an innovative strategy and developed Chocostick, a liquid chocolate
that is now very popular. Which management function did Nestlé use to solve its problem?
a. planning
b. controlling
c. organizing
d. leading
ANSWER: a

8. What management function is being engaged when a manager is determining organizational goals and the
means for achieving them?
a. planning
b. organizing
c. leading
d. controlling
ANSWER: a

9. A recently opened bakery’s 2018 objectives were to increase its revenues by at least 15 percent and reduce
its net losses by at least 25 percent. According to your textbook, what management function would be
instrumental in setting and meeting these goals?
a. leading
b. planning
c. organizing
d. controlling
ANSWER: b

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Chapter 1 - Management
10. A manager is monitoring progress toward goal achievement, and taking corrective action when needed.
What management function is being engaged?
a. leading
b. controlling
c. planning
d. organizing
ANSWER: d

11. A business school administrator is determining what classes will be offered, in which rooms, and who will
teach each class. What management function is involved in this work?
a. planning
b. organizing
c. controlling
d. leading
ANSWER: b

12. A Canadian Armed Forces drill instructor is motivating new recruits to challenge themselves. What
management function is being engaged?
a. planning
b. organizing
c. controlling
d. leading
ANSWER: d

13. A Canadian magazine published a recipe for dinner rolls and the description had a religious connotation.
The ensuing controversy forced the magazine to pull its issue off newsstands and issue an apology. Which
management function did the magazine employ by issuing an apology to readers?
a. planning
b. organizing
c. controlling
d. leading
ANSWER: c

14. In 2016, a major food manufacturer was forced to recall strained prunes because they contained pieces of
rubber. What management function did the recall entail?
a. controlling
b. leading
c. planning
d. organizing
ANSWER: a

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Chapter 1 - Management
15. A human resource manager had to find inexpensive ways to reward employees and bolster morale during a
sales-flattening economic downturn. Which management function would need to be engaged?
a. planning
b. organizing
c. leading
d. controlling
ANSWER: c

16. Designers such as Marimekko and Marant have partnered with Swedish retailer Hennes & Mauritz (better
known as H&M) to sell an affordable line of exclusively designed high-fashion clothing. Hennes & Mauritz
will take responsibility for manufacturing and marketing the clothes. What management function guided the
alliance between the designer and the retailer?
a. controlling
b. leading
c. planning
d. organizing
ANSWER: d

17. Jane is in charge of her sports team’s annual fundraising auction. She will decide who will ask local
businesses for prizes, who will determine the site, who will sell tickets to customers, and who will work the
night of the auction. Which of the following activities is she engaged in?
a. planning
b. leading
c. controlling
d. organizing
ANSWER: d

18. The Dilawri Group, a Winnipeg-based automotive firm, wants to ensure its employees are “happy to walk
into its buildings every single day.” Which management function is being used to make this happen?
a. leading
b. organizing
c. planning
d. controlling
ANSWER: a

19. Suncor has experienced significant financial and operational challenges in the previous three years. Who is
expected to develop the long-term plans needed to ensure the company’s stability and survival?
a. supervising manager
b. top manager
c. first-line manager
d. middle manager
ANSWER: b

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Chapter 1 - Management
20. Which of the following functions is typically performed by middle managers?
a. planning and implementing subunit strategies for achieving organizational goals
b. developing in employees the attitudes of commitment to and ownership of the company’s
performance
c. creating a positive organizational culture through language and action
d. monitoring the business environment
ANSWER: a

21. In 2016, Coca-Cola, starting with Mexico, decided to redesign its packaging. Who would be responsible for
implementing this change?
a. middle management
b. first-line management
c. team leaders
d. product supervisors
ANSWER: a

22. Which of the following job responsibilities is typically fulfilled by a middle manager for a manufacturing
firm?
a. monitoring how consumers feel about environmental waste
b. scheduling vacation time for employees
c. determining how the company will implement a plan calling for a 10 percent decrease in costs
d. maintaining a positive organizational culture
ANSWER: c

23. Which of the following duties would be performed by a top manager for a management consulting firm?
a. establishing a positive organizational culture
b. ensuring that employees are attired according to the company dress code
c. evaluating the performance of individual consultants
d. monitoring expense statements turned in by consultants
ANSWER: a

24. Professors at a typical business school are assigned to departments, such as accounting or marketing. The
chairs of the departments are managers. Which title best describes them?
a. supervising manager
b. first-line manager
c. middle manager
d. department manager
ANSWER: b

25. Who in a police department is typically responsible for determining which police officers will work
overtime?
a. middle managers
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Chapter 1 - Management
b. administrative managers
c. irst-line managers
d. team leaders
ANSWER: c

26. Who is typically responsible for creating a positive organizational culture through language and action?
a. top managers
b. middle managers
c. team leaders
d. group facilitators
ANSWER: a

27. Which of the following titles represents the level of a marketing manager?
a. supervising manager
b. top manager
c. middle manager
d. department manager
ANSWER: c

28. Which of the following terms would typically be used to describe the position of a human resource
manager?
a. supervising manager
b. top manager
c. middle manager
d. department manager
ANSWER: c

29. Who is typically responsible for setting objectives consistent with organizational goals and then planning
and implementing the subunit strategies for achieving these goals?
a. top managers
b. first-line managers
c. team leaders
d. middle managers
ANSWER: d

30. Which of the following functions is typically performed by a middle manager?


a. responding to customer complaints
b. coordinating groups and departments
c. ensuring printers, faxes, and other office machines are maintained regularly
d. setting long-term strategies for the organization
ANSWER: b

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Chapter 1 - Management
31. Who typically coordinates and links groups, departments, and divisions within a company?
a. top managers
b. middle managers
c. team leaders
d. first-line managers
ANSWER: b

32. Who is typically responsible for developing intermediate plans, designed to produce results within 6 to 18
months?
a. middle managers
b. first-line managers
c. group facilitators
d. team leaders
ANSWER: a

33. Which of the following tasks are first-line managers most likely to perform?
a. reviewing the performance of corporate investments
b. encouraging, monitoring, and rewarding employee performance
c. determining how to deal with long-term environmental changes
d. periodically observing the company’s organizational culture
ANSWER: b

34. Who typically trains and supervises the performance of non-managerial employees and are directly
responsible for producing the company’s products or services?
a. general managers
b. middle managers
c. first-line managers
d. team leaders
ANSWER: c

35. At which level of management would a manager typically plan an employee picnic, select and order
performance awards to be presented at the picnic, and encourage workers to attend the event?
a. marketing
b. first-line
c. top
d. middle
ANSWER: b

36. Walker supervises operations on the chassis assembly line for a large vehicle manufacturer. Most of his
time is spent on ensuring quality control maintenance, scheduling workers, and training new employees. What
type of manager is he?
a. first-line manager
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Chapter 1 - Management
b. middle manager
c. team leader
d. group facilitator
ANSWER: a

37. Which of the following tasks would a first-line manager for a large electric generator manufacturer
perform?
a. monitoring how customers feel about electric-powered engines
b. determining whether the company needs to increase its production by adding a shift
c. monitoring and managing the performance of the company’s international subsidiaries
d. managing the performance of the employees who build the generators
ANSWER: d

38. Who is responsible for placing orders for food and paper supplies and for setting up weekly work schedules
at a fast-food restaurant?
a. corporate vice president
b. middle manager
c. first-line manager
d. top manager
ANSWER: c

39. Which of the tasks listed below will middle managers most likely have to perform?
a. facilitating a bottom-up planning approach to supervising
b. managing the performance of entry-level employees
c. implementing the changes generated by top managers
d. developing employees’ commitment to and ownership of the company’s performance
ANSWER: c

40. A shoe company expects its designers to operate like a team when they create new shoe designs. Most of its
designers do not have a background in fashion, so it is important that they share their expertise. What task
would each team leader most likely be responsible for?
a. developing organizational codes of ethics
b. managing external and internal team relationships
c. developing growth strategies
d. coordinating the performances of all teams
ANSWER: b

41. Which of the following is a typical responsibility of a corporate team leader?


a. conducting quality control audits
b. managing external and internal relationships
c. acting as a department liaison
d. overseeing strategy implementation
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Chapter 1 - Management
ANSWER: b

42. Which of the following responsibilities would be typical of a team leader in business?
a. managing internal and external relationships
b. monitoring and managing the performance of subunits
c. making detailed schedules and operating plans
d. monitoring the organizational culture
ANSWER: a

43. According to Henry Mintzberg, what are the three major roles that managers fulfill while performing their
jobs?
a. informational roles, interpersonal roles, and decisional roles
b. coordination roles, ethical roles, and organizational roles
c. interpersonal roles, ethical roles, and coordination roles
d. informational roles, decisional roles, and organizational roles
ANSWER: a

44. Which of the following is an example of an interpersonal role?


a. figurehead
b. monitor
c. disseminator
d. spokesperson
ANSWER: a

45. The marketing manager of a packaged goods company was asked to meet with the organization’s research
and development department to explain why the company needed to change its product naming conventions.
What interpersonal role would the marketing manager take on in this situation?
a. liaison
b. disseminator
c. figurehead
d. resource allocator
ANSWER: a

46. A university president is often seen as a figurehead. Which of the following duties are they most likely to
perform in that role?
a. They distribute critical information to students.
b. They monitor the political environment.
c. They help faculty adapt to incremental changes.
d. They perform ceremonial duties when new facilities open.
ANSWER: d

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Chapter 1 - Management
47. After the death of her husband, Miriam McAllister became the CEO of a company that is the world’s
leading manufacturer of kidney dialysis machines. When she took the position, it was believed that she would
perform only ceremonial duties and would not want to take active part in running the company. In other words,
what role was it assumed she would choose?
a. resource allocator
b. monitor
c. spokesperson
d. figurehead
ANSWER: d

48. Henry Mintzberg would describe sisters Kendall and Justine Barber, the co-founders of Poppy Barley
Shoes, as taking leader roles within the organization. In this role, how do the sisters spend much of their time?
a. negotiating
b. responding to instrumental change
c. performing ceremonial duties
d. motivating and encouraging employees
ANSWER: d

49. A marketing manager was hired by a plumbing fixtures manufacturer to operate information booths at more
than 20 different international trade shows annually. According to Henry Mintzberg, which managerial role
would this marketing manager have?
a. resource allocator
b. figurehead
c. communicator
d. spokesperson
ANSWER: d

50. In a speech delivered to a forum for retail leaders, Dr. Hans-Joachim Koerber stated, “Sustained growth is
essential. Sustaining growth is a challenge for virtually every company.” What informational role did Dr.
Koerber assume?
a. liaison
b. resource allocator
c. figurehead
d. spokesperson
ANSWER: d

51. The WE Charity’s board of directors made a commitment to ask their stakeholders for feedback about their
experiences with and perceptions of the organization’s signature event, WE Day. The head of the organization
volunteered to conduct the environmental scanning and share what he learned with the others. Which
informational roles did the head of the organization assume?
a. liaison and spokesperson
b. liaison and resource allocator
c. monitor and disseminator
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Chapter 1 - Management
d. monitor and negotiator
ANSWER: c

52. After the death of her husband, Miriam McAllister became the CEO of a company that is the world’s
leading manufacturer of kidney dialysis machines. Even though she was not expected to, she was quick to ask
company employees to develop ideas for new products that would lead to organizational growth in a changing
environment. What decisional role did McAllister assume?
a. leader
b. disseminator
c. resource allocator
d. entrepreneur
ANSWER: d

53. In what decisional role do managers adapt themselves, their subordinates, and their units to incremental
change?
a. resource allocator
b. entrepreneur
c. disturbance handler
d. liaison
ANSWER: b

54. Bombardier announced a turnaround plan in 2015, and has provided regular updates to the media and
financial world since. According to Henry Mintzberg, which managerial role would have been adopted in order
to make these announcements?
a. disturbance handler
b. controller
c. spokesperson
d. entrepreneur
ANSWER: c

55. Connie O’Day is a middle manager for the publishers of Maclean’s magazine, a Canadian news and general
interest publication targeted at Canadians from a wide variety of backgrounds. O’Day spends much of her day
conducting interviews with groups of Canadians to determine what they consider most important in their lives.
She also keeps an eye on the sales and content of other news and general interest magazines. Which
informational role does O’Day perform?
a. entrepreneur
b. monitor
c. spokesperson
d. liaison
ANSWER: b

56. Which informational role do managers play when sharing information they have collected with their
subordinates and others in the company?
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Chapter 1 - Management
a. monitor
b. figurehead
c. resource allocator
d. disseminator
ANSWER: d

57. The sales manager is in charge of monitoring the expense accounts of her sales force. Which of the
following roles is most closely associated with her actions?
a. resource allocator
b. entrepreneur
c. disturbance handler
d. disseminator
ANSWER: a

58. Recent Facebook and Twitter advertisements for washing machines by LG Canada were accused of being
sexist, and a backlash ensued. What role were the LG Canada managers forced into?
a. entrepreneurs
b. disturbance handlers
c. liaisons
d. disseminators
ANSWER: b

59. According to Henry Mintzberg, which role would a manager assume if trying to convince union members to
accept a significant reduction in pay in order to keep the manufacturing plant open?
a. resource allocator
b. entrepreneur
c. liaison
d. negotiator
ANSWER: d

60. Which of the following skills is most exhibited by an accountant who has the ability to create a budget,
compare the budget to the actual income statement, and determine unnecessary expenses?
a. technical skill
b. human skill
c. conceptual skill
d. motivation to manage
ANSWER: a

61. Which types of skills tend to be most important to the success of lower-level managers?
a. decisional skills
b. human skills
c. motivation to manage
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Chapter 1 - Management
d. technical skills
ANSWER: d

62. An advertisement for a beer company was criticized for promoting skiing out of bounds, which has a
significant cost to search and rescue organizations. Which kinds of skills would the company’s marketing
manager need most to determine that the advertisement was creating bad publicity for the company?
a. informational
b. conceptual
c. interpersonal
d. decisional
ANSWER: b

63. Which of the following skills is demonstrated by helping others express their thoughts and feelings, while
being sensitive to others’ needs and viewpoints?
a. human skill
b. conceptual skill
c. interpersonal skill
d. decisional skill
ANSWER: a

64. Which types of skills tend to be equally important at all levels of management?
a. technical skills
b. human skills
c. decisional skills
d. motivation to manage
ANSWER: b

65. Martha has been with her company for 15 years. She started at the lowest level in manufacturing and
worked her way up through all the management levels. She is now the vice president of operations. Which skill
was Martha most likely equally adept at through each level of her progress?
a. technical skills
b. human skills
c. decisional skills
d. motivation to manage
ANSWER: b

66. Which set of skills increases in importance for success as people rise through the managerial ranks?
a. human skills and technical skills
b. human skills and the motivation to manage
c. conceptual skills and the motivation to manage
d. conceptual skills and human skills
ANSWER: c
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Chapter 1 - Management

67. Which of the following characteristics is most likely to indicate a leader who may be at risk of a
“derailment”?
a. builds solid working relationships with colleagues
b. has a track record of achievement in a functional context
c. has a track record of learning from their past mistakes
d. understands their team’s strengths and uses them extensively
ANSWER: b

68. Why is preventing leadership derailment important to organizations?


a. There are significant impacts to followers, leaders, and the organization.
b. They want to ensure leaders have significant functional depth.
c. Leaders learn more from their failures.
d. Teams work better when their leader tries to keep things the same.
ANSWER: a

69. The strategies used to help prevent leaders derailing most reflect which of the following statements?
a. Leaders need to be self-aware, so they can manage to their personality strengths.
b. Training supports leaders in the long run more than coaching does.
c. Managers need to understand early warning signs of burnout and plan to avoid it.
d. Leadership development represents a long-term investment in a company’s success.
ANSWER: d

70. After six months in the role, what do new managers most typically believe their job is?
a. to exercise formal authority
b. to maintain control and avoid delegation
c. to develop people’s potential
d. to solve problems for subordinates
ANSWER: d

71. What do managers tend to do after their first year of managerial experience?
a. They exercise more formal authority.
b. They do less listening and more telling.
c. They view themselves as the boss.
d. They use more positive reinforcement.
ANSWER: d

72. After a year as a manager, what do new managers typically realize to be their job’s most frequent role?
a. troubleshooting
b. managing tasks
c. problem solving
d. developing people
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Chapter 1 - Management
ANSWER: d

Narrative 1-1
Michael Medline held the CEO position of Canadian Tire Corporation for about 15 months until July 2016,
when the board asked its former CEO, Stephen Wetmore, to return. The board was concerned about the long-
term digital strategy Medline proposed, despite strong financial results. Medline had extensive operational
experience, including running two of Canadian Tire Corporation’s apparel divisions in addition to the core auto
parts and petroleum businesses.
73. Refer to Narrative 1-1. Which of the following most contributed to Medline’s ouster?
a. effectiveness
b. synergy
c. advocacy
d. efficiency
ANSWER: a

74. Refer to Narrative 1-1. Which management function did the board argue Medline had failed to perform at
the time of his departure?
a. planning
b. controlling
c. leading
d. organizing
ANSWER: a

75. Refer to Narrative 1-1. Which of the following tasks would Medline, as the CEO of Canadian Tire
Corporation, have been responsible for?
a. developing plans to address digital initiatives
b. making sales calls
c. ensuring that the ecommerce functions were operating efficiently on a daily basis
d. sourcing new suppliers for the most popular items sold in-store
ANSWER: a

76. Refer to Narrative 1-1. What role did Medline play in terms of determining which initiatives should be
highest-ranked?
a. the managerial role
b. the informational role
c. the decisional role
d. the organizational role
ANSWER: c

77. Refer to Narrative 1-1. According to the textbook, managers need four skills to be successful. The fact that
Medline had been a successful leader across many different functions indicates he had which type of skill?
a. technical

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Chapter 1 - Management
b. interpersonal
c. conceptual
d. human
ANSWER: c

Narrative 1-2
In April 2013, Volkswagen reported a net profit increase of 41 percent. While the future looks bright for VW
today, it was not always so. In August 2005, VW’s past chief executive officer, Bernd Pischetsrieder,
announced another restructuring plan for the company. VW is Europe’s largest carmaker and needed to make
itself profitable once again. To do so, VW cut thousands of jobs through natural attrition, early retirement, and
buyouts of worker contracts. The carmaker also reviewed its component parts factories in Brunswick, Kassel,
and Wolfsburg to help it accomplish its organizational goal. Pischetsrieder blamed much of the company’s
problems on restructuring that was done in 1993. He insisted that the company missed a whole generation of
managers because its former CEO eliminated a whole management layer. As a result, 45 percent of the
managers at that time went into retirement over the following three to four years.
78. Refer to Narrative 1-2. What is VW examining in its component parts factories?
a. efficiency
b. synergy
c. effectiveness
d. autonomy
ANSWER: c

79. Refer to Narrative 1-2. Which of the following management functions is most involved in the restructuring
efforts?
a. leading
b. planning
c. controlling
d. organizing
ANSWER: d

80. Refer to Narrative 1-2. Which of the following management functions is most involved in deciding how to
replace retiring managers?
a. leading
b. planning
c. controlling
d. organizing
ANSWER: a

81. Refer to Narrative 1-2. What role is Bernd Pischetsrieder an example of?
a. supervisor
b. middle manager
c. team leader
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Chapter 1 - Management
d. top manager
ANSWER: d

82. Refer to Narrative 1-2. Which role did Bernd Pischetsrieder assume in making his announcement about
restructuring?
a. figurehead
b. spokesperson
c. liaison
d. monitor
ANSWER: b

83. Refer to Narrative 1-2. Bernd Pischetsrieder flew to Brussels to meet with employees at a VW plant and
explain his plans for improving the company’s profitability. What role did the CEO assume?
a. figurehead
b. spokesperson
c. liaison
d. disseminator
ANSWER: d

Narrative 1-3
From the start, Amazon.com has been in a hurry to be a success. According to company founder and chief
executive officer (CEO) Jeff Bezos, “Our initial strategy was very focused and very unidimensional. It was
GBF: Get big fast.”

With billions to spend from its initial stock offering (Amazon’s stock quickly rose to over $100 per share),
Amazon spent $400 million to build eight high-tech warehouses across the country. Each was capable of
shipping 60 million items per year, and Amazon needed to control the entire buying transaction, beginning with
online ordering, proceeding to quick warehouse handling and boxing, and ending with timely shipping and
delivery.

Unfortunately, Amazon grew so fast that it soon lost control of the basics. Amazon burned money so quickly
that it had to issue bonds to raise another $2.2 billion to keep the company running. Still, it had only enough
business and cash to run six of those new warehouses. Consequently, the company took a $400 million loss to
close two of the warehouses and lay off 1,500 people. Furthermore, the six remaining warehouses were poorly
run. Defective products, which should have been returned to manufacturers, sat on the shelves wasting space.
Mystery orders kept showing up. Instead of declining the deliveries, workers put whole truckloads of unordered
items on the shelves. Amazon had so much unsold inventory in its warehouses that CEO Bezos sent out an
email with a point-blank message: “Get the crap out.” Amazon’s problem was not its sales, which were growing
exponentially, but rather in poor management. As a result, its stock, once valued at over $100 per share,
dropped to a low of $6. Amazon has lost more than $3 billion since its inception. As for profits, founder Bezos
cautioned patience.

In the year that Amazon reported its first quarterly profit that profit amounted to only $5 million on $1.12
billion in sales in its fourth quarter, and Amazon still lost $45 million for the year. Furthermore, it still has long-
term debt of $2.2 billion to pay off at the rate of $120 million per year. Results like these would have cost any
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Chapter 1 - Management
other CEO their job. If Amazon is ultimately to survive and be profitable, what does it need to do to become a
more efficiently run company?
84. Refer to Narrative 1-3. CEO Jeff Bezos must wrestle with basic management issues, such as how to get
more done at Amazon with a minimum of effort, expense, or waste. In other words, which of the following will
be the goal of the CEO’s management strategy?
a. increasing effectiveness
b. finding synergies
c. making the company more environmentally friendly
d. increasing efficiency
ANSWER: d

85. Refer to Narrative 1-3. Which traditional management function was key in achieving the goal of getting rid
of thousands of dollars’ worth of unsold inventory?
a. organizing
b. leading
c. planning
d. controlling
ANSWER: c

86. Refer to Narrative 1-3. Which traditional management function will be key in ensuring that Amazon is
never again burdened with thousands of dollars’ worth of unsold inventory?
a. organizing
b. leading
c. planning
d. controlling
ANSWER: d

87. Refer to Narrative 1-3. What is Jeff Bezos most responsible for as CEO of Amazon?
a. developing employee commitment to the company’s performance
b. monitoring and managing the performance of subunits and individual managers who report to him
c. setting objectives consistent with top management’s goals
d. coordinating and linking groups, departments, and divisions within the company
ANSWER: a

88. Refer to Narrative 1-3. Amazon has had nearly a billion dollars in losses because of poor decisions, such as
overbuilding warehouses and investing in failed dotcom companies. Which of the following skills is most
important for Amazon’s top managers to have to become more effective?
a. technical skills
b. human skills
c. conceptual skills
d. motivating skills
ANSWER: c
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Narrative 1-4
In 2014, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo launched two mid-calorie sodas, Coca-Cola Life and Pepsi Next (in Canada),
banking on the health-conscious trend. Health-conscious consumers rejected the drinks en masse since one
serving of the new drinks contains about a day’s worth of sugar for women.
89. Refer to Narrative 1-4. Which word best describes the product introductions, given that the objective of
both soft-drink manufacturers was to increase their market share?
a. synergistic
b. empathetic
c. inefficient
d. autonomous
ANSWER: c

90. Refer to Narrative 1-4. Which level of management at each company was responsible for determining that
the soda should be added to the product line?
a. middle management
b. team leaders
c. product supervisors
d. top management
ANSWER: d

91. Refer to Narrative 1-4. Which of Mintzberg’s managerial roles would have been used to determine that a
potential market niche existed for a lower-sugar cola?
a. the managerial role
b. the informational role
c. the decisional role
d. the organizational role
ANSWER: b

92. Refer to Narrative 1-4. Earlier attempts to enter the less-sweetened cola market with Coca-Cola C2 and
Pepsi Edge failed. Which problem most likely explains why Coca-Cola’s leadership decided to re-enter the
market?
a. failure to meet business objectives
b. too narrow a functional orientation
c. problems with interpersonal relationships
d. difficulty in changing or adapting
ANSWER: d

93. Good management is basic to starting and growing a business, but once some measure of success has been
achieved, it becomes less important.
a. True
b. False

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Chapter 1 - Management
ANSWER: False

94. Managers are responsible for doing the basic work in the company.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

95. Companies that plan have larger profits and faster growth than companies that don’t.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

96. The classical functions of management are (1) making things happen, (2) meeting the competition, (3)
organizing people, projects, and processes, and (4) leading.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

97. Top managers are the managers responsible for facilitating team activities toward goal accomplishment.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

98. Typical titles used for top managers are general manager, plant manager, regional manager, and divisional
manager.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

99. Top managers are responsible for creating a context for change in the organization.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

100. First-line managers are responsible for setting objectives consistent with organizational goals, and for
planning and implementing subunit strategies for achieving these objectives.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

101. Middle managers are typically responsible for coordinating and linking groups, departments, and divisions
within a company.
a. True
b. False

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ANSWER: True

102. First-line managers are the only managers who do not supervise other managers.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

103. Middle managers engage in plans and actions that typically produce results within two weeks.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

104. The job of team leader is a management position.


a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

105. Team leaders direct the work of individuals within the team structure.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

106. Team leaders are responsible for managing both internal team relationships and external relationships with
other teams, departments, and divisions in a company.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

107. Team leaders are less reliant on interpersonal conflict management because it is a critical skill for first-line
managers.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

108. The three interpersonal subroles are monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

109. Henry Mintzberg concluded that managers fulfill three major roles while performing their jobs. These
roles are categorized as interpersonal roles, organizational roles, and decisional roles.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
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110. The decisional roles consist of four subroles: entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and
spokesperson.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

111. In the entrepreneur role, managers adapt themselves, their subordinates, and their units to incremental
change.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

112. Companies look for a total of three sets of skills in individuals to identify potential managers. These
desired skills are technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

113. Technical skill refers to the ability to see the organization as a whole, how the different parts affect each
other, and how the company fits into or is affected by its environment.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

114. For many managers, the knowledge, skills, and abilities that led to success early in their careers—that is,
before their promotion into the ranks of management—may not necessarily help them succeed as managers.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

115. Conceptual skills are most important for lower-level managers.


a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

116. Upper-level managers may spend more time dealing with people than lower-level managers.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

117. The number one mistake made by managers who were “derailed” from their fast-track movement up the
managerial ranks was that they didn’t develop the necessary technical skills.
a. True
b. False

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ANSWER: False

118. Define efficiency and effectiveness, and explain their relationship to the process of management.
ANSWER: Managers need to be concerned with both efficiency and effectiveness in the work process.
Efficiency is getting work done with a minimum of effort, expense, or waste. By itself, efficiency is
not enough to ensure managerial success. Managers must also strive for effectiveness, which is
accomplishing tasks that help fulfill organizational objectives.

119. List and briefly identify the four classical functions of management.
ANSWER: The four classical functions of management are planning (determining organizational goals and the
means for achieving them), organizing (deciding where decisions will be made, who will do what
jobs and tasks, and who will work for whom), leading (inspiring and motivating workers to work
hard to achieve organizational goals), and controlling (monitoring progress toward goal achievement
and taking corrective action when needed).

120. Identify the four different kinds of managers. List one of the basic responsibilities for each of these four
different manager types.
ANSWER: Top managers are responsible for creating a context for change, developing attitudes of commitment
and ownership, creating a positive organizational culture through words and actions, and monitoring
their company’s business environments. Middle managers are responsible for planning and allocating
resources, coordinating and linking groups and departments, monitoring and managing the
performance of subunits and managers, and implementing the changes or strategies generated by top
managers. First-line managers are responsible for managing the performance of non-managerial
employees, teaching people who directly report to them how to do their jobs, and making detailed
schedules and operating plans based on middle management’s intermediate-range plans. Team
leaders are responsible for facilitating team performance, managing external relationships, and
facilitating internal team relationships.

121. What are the four major responsibilities of the typical middle manager?
ANSWER: The four major responsibilities of middle managers are (1) setting objectives consistent with top
management’s goals and planning and implementing subunit strategies for achieving these
objectives; (2) coordinating and linking groups, departments, and divisions within a company; (3)
monitoring and managing the performance of subunits and individual managers who report to them;
and (4) implementing the changes or strategies generated by top managers.

122. Specify the differences in the time frames involved in planning done by top, middle, and first-line
managers.
ANSWER: Top managers typically create long-term plans, designed to produce results three to five years out.
Middle managers are responsible for intermediate plans (6 to 18 months out). First-line supervisors
engage in plans and actions that typically produce results within two weeks.

123. Among the four kinds of management jobs, specify the one that is the most recent addition to
organizations. List the basic responsibilities of that management job.
ANSWER: The fourth kind of manager is a team leader. This relatively new kind of management job developed
as companies shifted to self-managing teams, which, by definition, have no formal supervisor. Team

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leaders are responsible for facilitating team performance (but the team itself is responsible for
performance), managing external relationships, and facilitating internal team relationships.

124. List and briefly identify the three basic managerial roles identified by Henry Mintzberg. Include a list of
the basic subroles that characterize each of these roles in your definition.
ANSWER: Managers fulfill three major roles while performing their jobs: (1) interpersonal roles (e.g., talking to
people), which include the subroles of figurehead, leader, and liaison; (2) informational roles (e.g.,
gathering and giving information), which include the subroles of monitor, disseminator, and
spokesperson; and (3) decisional roles (e.g., making decisions), including the subroles of
entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator.

125. List and briefly identify the three kinds of skills that companies look for in managers.
ANSWER: When companies look for employees who would be good managers, they look for individuals who
have technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills, as well as the motivation to manage.
Technical skills refer to the ability to apply the specialized procedures, techniques, and knowledge
required to get the job done. Human skills are the ability to work well with others. Conceptual skills
relate to being able to see the organization as a whole, to appreciate how the different parts of the
company affect one another and how the company fits into or is affected by its external environment.

126. Within the three sets of skills that companies look for in managers, specify those that tend to be more
important or more prevalent in higher-level than lower-level managers.
ANSWER: When companies look for employees who would be good managers, they look for individuals who
have technical skills (the ability to apply the specialized procedures, techniques, and knowledge
required to get the job done), human skills (the ability to work well with others), and conceptual
skills (the ability to see the organization as a whole and understand how the different parts of the
company affect one another and how the company fits into or is affected by its external
environment), and are motivated to manage (an assessment of how enthusiastic employees are about
managing the work of others). The latter characteristic tends to be stronger in higher-level managers.
Conceptual skill increases in importance as managers rise through the management hierarchy.

127. Identify three of the five most significant mistakes that managers make.
ANSWER: Five of the most critical mistakes made by managers are (1) being abrasive and intimidating; (2)
being cold, aloof, or arrogant; (3) betraying trust; (4) being overly ambitious; and (5) overmanaging
and failing to delegate.

128. Top managers are responsible for (1) creating a context for change, (2) developing attitudes of
commitment and ownership, (3) creating a positive organizational culture through words and actions, and (4)
monitoring their company’s business environment. Of these four dimensions, which ones do you think can also
be subject to a significant impact from the day-to-day actions of middle managers, first-line managers, and team
leaders? Explain the rationale for your answer.
ANSWER: In their day-to-day activities, lower-level managers probably do not have a significant impact on two
of the four dimensions: creating a context for change and monitoring their company’s business
environment. Regarding both of these dimensions, lower-level managers have neither the time
available to collect the necessary information for analysis, synthesis, and decision making, nor the
authority to develop and put in place overall strategies, visions, or mission statements. On the other
hand, when it comes to the dimension of developing attitudes of commitment and ownership, the
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day-to-day treatment of peers, subordinates, and other employees will often have an impact on the
attitudes and commitment of those employees and their personal acceptance of responsibility for their
share of the company’s performance. Similarly, by their actions, lower-level managers can
demonstrate the importance of, and their commitment to, company values and strategies, thereby
addressing the dimension of creating a positive organizational culture through words and actions.
They can support and enhance a positive organizational culture through their actions and language by
living those values and commitments and demonstrating this to all employees through personal
behaviour. Employees will be more likely to accept and support the organization’s culture if they see
managers at all levels “living the culture” in their day-to-day work.

129. Compare and contrast the managerial roles of liaison, spokesperson, and negotiator. Explain both the
similarities that link these roles behaviourally and the differences that are used by Henry Mintzberg to
differentiate them.
ANSWER: The roles of liaison, spokesperson, and negotiator are all subroles within Mintzberg’s larger
framework of three major roles fulfilled by managers while performing their jobs. The liaison is an
interpersonal subrole, the spokesperson is an informational subrole, and the negotiator is a decisional
subrole. From the behavioural point of view, each of these subroles is characterized by direct
communication between the manager and other people. Specifically, in the liaison role, managers
deal with people outside their units. For example, a production manager might meet with an
engineering manager to develop solutions to problems. In the spokesperson role, managers share
information with people outside their departments and companies. For example, a CEO might
explain company performance to the board of directors. In the negotiator role, managers negotiate
schedules, projects, goals, outcomes, resources, and employee raises, as in negotiating a union
contract, for example. Thus, from the perspective of the behaviour of the manager, there is
considerable similarity and overlap in these roles—Mintzberg differentiates them in terms of their
primary focus. In the case of behaviour associated with the liaison role, the primary focus is on
dealing with people outside of the managers’ unit (as opposed to their own subordinates or bosses),
and thus the role is interpersonal. In the case of the spokesperson, the primary focus is on the sharing
of information with people outside their units or companies, and thus the role is informational.
Finally, in the case of the negotiator, the primary focus is on making or influencing decisions in a
manner that will benefit the company, and thus the role is decisional.

130. Compare and contrast the relative importance of the three characteristics that companies look for in
managers as they rise through the management hierarchy. In other words, describe the similarities and
differences in these characteristics among lower-, middle-, and upper-level managers, and explain the reasons
for the differences.
ANSWER: Companies look for three sets of characteristics in individuals to be promoted into the managerial
ranks at any level. These characteristics are technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills.
Thus, in terms of similarities, all three of these skills are required in anyone who wants to be a
manager. Companies do not want one-dimensional managers. They want managers with a balance of
skills. They want managers who know their stuff (technical skills), are equally comfortable working
with blue-collar and white-collar employees (human skills), are able to assess the complexities of
today’s competitive marketplace and position their companies for success (conceptual skills), and
want to assume positions of leadership and power (motivation to manage). There are, however,
differences in the relative importance of each of these characteristics to managerial success at
different levels of the management hierarchy. Technical skills are most important for lower-level
managers because these managers supervise the line workers who produce products or serve
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customers. Team leaders and first-line managers need technical knowledge and skills to train new
employees and help them solve problems, as well as to solve the problems that their employees
cannot handle. Although technical skills become less important as managers rise through the
managerial ranks, they retain importance at all levels. Human skill (the ability to work well with
others) is equally important at all levels of management. However, since lower-level managers spend
much of their time solving technical problems, upper-level managers may spend more time dealing
directly with people. Conceptual skills increase in importance as managers rise through the
managerial ranks. Conceptual skill relates to being able to see the organization as a whole and to
understand how the different parts of the company affect one another and how the company fits into
or is affected by its external environment, such as the local community, social and economic forces,
customers, and competition. Good managers have to be able to recognize, understand, and reconcile
multiple complex problems and perspectives, making conceptual skills particularly important to
upper-level managers.

131. Describe the transition to management during the first year. Explain how this illustrates the chapter’s
emphasis on human skills as being more important than technical skills for success or failure in management.
ANSWER: Managers often begin their jobs by using more formal authority and emphasizing their role as boss in
the management of tasks. New managers typically do not believe that their job is to manage people,
other than handling the tasks of hiring and firing. However, most managers find that being a manager
has little to do with “bossing” their subordinates. After six months on the job, many managers were
surprised at the fast pace, the heavy workload, and the reaction that “helping” their subordinates was
viewed as interference. In short, they came to realize that their initial expectations about managerial
work had been wrong. After a year on the job, most of the managers no longer thought of themselves
as doers, but as managers who get things done through others. In making the transition, they finally
realized that people development was the most important part of their job. By the end of one year,
most managers will have abandoned their authoritarian approach for one based on communication,
listening, and positive reinforcement. In completing this classic transition from doer to manager, they
stop trying to do everything themselves and emphasize getting work done through others. In this
way, their previous satisfaction (as individual contributors) with the direct production of goods or
services is replaced with the “thrill” of coaching and developing the people who work for them. As
the basic activities occupying their time change, their need for technical skills becomes less, while
their need for human skills remains crucial to their success. In fact, five of the most critical mistakes
that managers make revolve around people skills rather than technical skills: these are being abrasive
and intimidating; being cold, aloof, or arrogant; betraying trust; being overly ambitious; and failing to
build a team and then delegate to that team. Thus, human skills clearly are more important than
technical skills for success or failure in management.

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Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
THE BLACK POPLAR.
There are several of the poplars that are not easily distinguished,
and the different and various accounts of them by botanists have
increased this confusion. Part of the difficulty arises from the
diœcious character of the poplar, causing in some instances the male
and female trees to be mistaken for different species. This is
particularly remarkable in the Balm of Gilead poplar. The female tree
is smaller than the male, with larger leaves, and annoys us by the
abundance of cottony down that covers the ground for a considerable
space around it. The male tree is taller and more spreading, and
would hardly be recognized as the same species.
The Black Poplar is often planted by roadsides with the Canada
poplar, and may be distinguished from it by the greater elegance of
its proportions, its smaller foliage, and, when in flower, by its reddish
and purple catkins. It is preferred to other species on account of an
inferior tendency to that suckering habit which is so disagreeable in
the poplar tribe. It seems to me that no persons who should see the
Canada poplar and the Black Poplar growing side by side, would
hesitate in giving preference to the latter, which is in almost every
point a more beautiful tree.
This species is called in Europe the Athenian Poplar. According to
Selby, “the classic appellation of Athenian Poplar led to the
supposition in England that this species is indigenous to Greece, and
that it derived its name from the city of Minerva. Several learned
botanists were misled by this name; but it was finally ascertained
that North America is its native country, and from its abundance in a
particular township called Athens it received the imposing title of
Athenian Poplar.”
THE RIVER POPLAR.
The River Poplar is not rare in the New England forest, but it is
little known as an ornamental tree. Emerson says: “It is much the
tallest and most graceful of those which grow naturally in New
England. Its foliage is equal to that of the Balm of Gilead in size, and
superior to it in depth of color; and the abundance of its aments in
the spring, and the rich colors of its leaf-stalks and young branches,
when growing in somewhat dry situations, make it a beautiful
object.” The aments of this tree are not olive-colored, like those of
the two aspens, but inclining to red, though not so bright as those of
the black and Lombardy poplars. It is very justly called the River
Poplar, being found chiefly in wet places, near brooksides, on the
banks of rivers, and in alluvial valleys which are liable to be
inundated in spring. This tree displays the characteristic peculiarities
of the family in giving out its lateral branches at a sharp angle and
subordinate to the trunk.
SOUNDS FROM TREES.

“The earliest chant,” says Momsen, “in the view of the Romans,
was that which the trees sang to themselves, in the green solitudes of
the forest. The whisperings and pipings of the favorable spirit in the
grove were repeated by the singer, with the accompaniment of the
pipe.” Certain trees belonging to the sacred groves gave oracular
sounds, which were interpreted by musicians, and received by all
men with faith and reverence. From the earliest ages men have
listened to sounds from trees as music and as the voice of some deity,
affording auguries of future events; for, as they reasoned, if a deity
speaks to us, what sounds would be a more appropriate medium of
communication than those of the trees which formed their temples
and their altars? The sanctity attributed to certain groves by the
ancients was probably owing to some peculiar sounds emitted by the
trees, no less than to the grandeur and impressiveness of their
assemblages.
Every tree, when swept by the winds, gives a sound in harmony
with the character of its leaves and spray. The sounds from the lofty
branches of firs and pines remind the listener of the murmuring of
waters, and inspire the most agreeable sensations. How often have I
sat under the shade of a pine wood, and listened to the fancied
roaring of the distant waves of the sea, as the winds passed through
their foliage. When the breeze commences, we hear the first soft
rippling of the waves; as it increases, succeeding waves of fuller swell
flow tremulously upon the strand, and as the wind subsides melt into
silence as they recede from the shore. Other trees produce very
different sounds. The colors of their leaves, and the glittering lights
from their more or less refractive surfaces, do not differ more than
the modifications of sound drawn from them by the passing winds.
Every tree is a delicate musical instrument, that reminds us of the
character of the tree and the season of the year, from the mellow
soothing tones of willow leaves in summer to the sharp rustling of
the dry oak-leaf that tells of the arrival of winter.
The sounds from trees are a very important part of the music of
nature; but their agreeableness comes rather from certain emotions
they awaken than from the melody of their tones. Nature has
accommodated her gifts to our wants and sensibilities, so that her
beneficence is never so apparent as in the pleasures we derive from
the most common objects. If we are afflicted with grief or wearied
with care, we flee to the groves to be soothed by the quiet of their
solitudes, and by the sounds from their boughs which are tuned to
every healthful mood of the mind. Among the thousand strings that
are swept by the winds, there is always a chord in unison with our
feelings; and while each strain comes to the ear with its accordant
vibration, the mind is healed of its disquietude by sounds that seem
like direct messages of peace from the guardian deities of the wood.
We find in the works of Ossian frequent allusions to the sounds
from trees, to heighten the effect of his descriptions. As the “Spirit of
the Mountain,” he addresses the wind that bends the oaks, and gives
out that deep melancholy sound that precedes a storm, “when
Temora’s woods shake with the blast of the inconstant winds.” He
speaks of the “sons of song” as having gone to rest, while his own
voice remains, like the feeble sounds of the forest, when the winds
are laid. When the aged oak of Morven bends over the stream, its
sounds are mournful, like those of a harp when swept by the wind.
According to Ossian, it is the oak that blends its music with the
sounds of lamentation, and sings the dirges of departed heroes. And
the bard declares that he will cease to mourn for them only when the
music of the oak shall no longer be heard in the groves of echoing
Cona.
When a strong wind prevails, the leaves of all trees are put in
motion, and their sounds cannot be distinguished; and during a
storm the roar of winds among their branches is almost deafening.
This is the grand chorus of the elements; but the sounds that affect
us most agreeably are such as come from light movements of the
wind and harmonize with the warbling and chirping of birds. It is the
aspen that gives out those lulling melodies that spring from the
gentle gales of summer. When we are sitting at an open window on a
still evening, or sauntering in a wood, or musing in the shade of a
quiet nook, when the wind is so calm that the hum of the invisible
insect-swarms, hovering in the air, is plainly audible, then is the
trembling motion of the aspen leaves peculiarly significant of the
serenity of the elements. They produce a tranquillizing sound,
associated with rest in the languor of noonday, or with watching in
the still hours of a summer night.
When the quiet of the atmosphere begins to yield to the
movements of a rising tempest, the aspen, by its excessive agitation,
gives prophetic warning of its approach. Often, in a sultry evening,
the first notice I have received of a rising thunder-storm came from
the increased trepidation of an aspen that stood before my window.
So delicate and sensitive is the foliage of this tree that it is excited to
action by atmospheric changes before that of any other tree is
moved. Thus, while the rustling of the aspen leaf, when gentle,
indicates the tranquillity of summer weather, there is likewise an
expression of melancholy in its tones when more severely agitated,
that forebodes a general stirring of the winds as they come up from
the gathering-place of the storm.
I have spoken only of those sounds from trees which are caused by
the action of the winds upon their leaves and branches. But there are
incidental sounds belonging to the woods, which are modified so as
to produce feelings awakened by no other situation. It is in the deep
stillness of the forest, and over spacious and uninhabited plains, that
we feel most sensibly the peculiar effect of bells, whether it be the
solemn peal of a bell from a church tower or the tinkle of a cow-bell
that reminds us of simple rural life. The ordinary toll of bells is much
more impressive than a chime in these solitudes, because the
artificial melody of the chime does not so agreeably harmonize with
natural sounds.
In winter the sounds from trees, except in a pine wood, are greatly
modified by the absence of foliage. It is at this season, therefore, that
we pay the most attention to incidental sounds. When the snow upon
the ground has been hardened by repeated freezing and thawing, I
have often chosen this occasion for winter rambling in the woods.
The loneliness inspired by their seclusion is never so keenly felt as at
this season, when there are but few sounds from birds and insects.
Then does the stroke of the woodman’s axe affect us with the most
cheerful emotions. It reminds us of the presence of other human
beings in the wood, and enlivens the solitude, as the sight of a little
cottage in a wilderness affords the traveller a sensation of the joys of
home.
THE LOMBARDY POPLAR.

There are not many trees that take the shape of a long spire; but
Nature, who presents to our eyes an ever-charming variety of forms
as well as colors, has given us this figure in the arbor-vitæ, the
juniper, and the Lombardy Poplar. This was the species which was
cultivated by the Romans, the classic Poplar of Rome and Athens. To
this tree Ovid alludes when he describes the resinous drops from the
Poplar as the tears of Phæton’s sisters, who were transformed into
poplars. Smith says: “Groves of poplar and willow exhibit this
phenomenon, even in England, in hot calm weather, when drops of
clear water trickle from their leaves like a slight shower of rain.”

The Lombardy Poplar is interesting to thousands in this country,


who were familiar with it in their youth as an ornament of roadsides,
village lanes, and avenues. It was once a favorite shade-tree, and still
retains its privileges in some ancient homesteads. A century ago,
great numbers of Lombardy Poplars were planted by village
waysides, in front of dwelling-houses, on the borders of public
grounds, and particularly in avenues leading to houses that stand at
some distance from the high road. A row of these trees is even now
suggestive of an approach to some old mansion, that still retains its
primitive simplicity.
LOMBARDY POPLAR.

Great numbers of Lombardy Poplars were destroyed at the


beginning of this century, from the notion that they generated a
poisonous worm or caterpillar. But some of these ancient rows of
poplars are occasionally seen in old fields where almost all traces of
the habitation they accompanied are gone. There is a melancholy
pleasure in surveying these humble ruins, whose history would
illustrate many of the domestic habits of our ancestors. The cellar of
the old house is now a part of the pasture land; and its form may be
dimly traced by an angular depression of the surface. Sumachs and
cornel-bushes have supplanted the exotic shrubbery in the old
garden; and the only ancient companions of the Poplar now
remaining are a few straggling lilacs, some tufts of houseleek, and
perhaps, under the shade of a dilapidated fence, the white Star of
Bethlehem is seen meekly glowing in the rude society of the wild
flowers.
But the Lombardy Poplar, once a favorite wayside ornament, a sort
of idol of the public, and, like many another idol, exalted to honors
beyond its merits, fell suddenly into contempt and neglect. After
having been admired by every eye, it was spurned and ridiculed, and
cut down in many places as a cumberer of the ground. The faults
attributed to it were not specific defects of the tree, but were caused
by a climate uncongenial to its nature. It was brought from the sunny
clime of Italy, where it had flourished by the side of the orange and
myrtle, and transplanted to the snowy plains of New England. The
tender habit of the tree made it incapable of enduring our winters;
and every spring witnessed the decay of many of its small branches.
It became prematurely aged, and in its decline carried with it the
marks of its infirmities.
With all these imperfections, it was more worthy of the honors it
received from our predecessors than of its present neglect. It is one
of the fairest of trees in the greenness of its youth, far surpassing any
other poplar in its shape and in the density and general beauty of its
foliage; but nearly all these old trees are gone, and few of the same
species are coming up to supply their places. While I am writing, I
see from my window the graceful spire of one solitary tree, towering
above the surrounding objects of the landscape. It stands there, the
symbol of decayed reputation; in its old age still retaining the
primness of its youth, neither drooping under its infirmities nor
losing in its decrepitude the fine lustre of its foliage. In its disgrace, it
still bears itself proudly, as if conscious that its former honors were
deserved, and not forgetting the dignity that becomes one who has
fallen without dishonor.
There is no other tree that so pleasantly adorns the sides of narrow
lanes and avenues, or so neatly accommodates itself to limited
enclosures. Its foliage is dense and of the liveliest verdure, making
delicate music to the soft touch of every breeze. Its terebinthine
odors scent the vernal gales that enter our open windows with the
morning sun. Its branches, always turning upwards and closely
gathered together, afford a harbor to the singing birds, that make
them a favorite resort; and its long, tapering spire, that points to
heaven, gives an air of cheerfulness and religious tranquillity to
village scenery.
THE ASPEN.

All lovers of nature admire the Aspen on account of its name,


which, like that of the willow, is poetical, both from its musical sound
and from association. There is no tree more celebrated in
emblematical literature than the Aspen. Its sensitiveness to the least
movement of the wind, its restless motions, as if some morbid
occasion of disquiet unceasingly attended it, have given it a place in
the poetry of all nations. But setting aside its symbolical meanings,
its suggestions of fickleness and caprice, of levity and irresolution, of
impatience and instability, and the use that has been made of it in
satirical writings to symbolize the “inconstant temper of woman,” the
beauty and motion of its foliage alone would always attract
admiration. As the Aspen is the only tree whose leaf trembles when
the wind is apparently calm, its gentle rustling is always associated
with still summer weather.
THE GREAT AMERICAN ASPEN.
The Great American Aspen is a remarkable tree. In height it is
unsurpassed by any of the poplars, though there is little about it that
is attractive except its great height and its peculiar foliage. It is
seldom of large dimensions, and it is without symmetry or elegance
in its ramification. Its branches seem to have a straggling growth, not
extending so widely, nor at so acute an angle, as those of the poplar.
Its foliage is its principal ornament. This would be very dense if it
were not for the scarcity of small branches, which are so far apart as
to give the tree a meagre appearance, even when full of leaves. The
leaf is beautiful, being round ovate, deeply serrate, and put in motion
by the slightest breeze. As a standard the Great Aspen is not highly
prized. It is easily broken by the wind, and is without symmetry,—a
necessary quality in a tree of the poplar tribe, which possesses none
of the properties of grandeur. But when the trees of this species form
a dense wood, they are unsurpassed in the beauty of their perfectly
straight shafts, with their smooth, greenish bark extending upward
to an immense height without a branch. The Great Aspen is very
common in the woods of Maine and New Hampshire, where the
second growth of timber predominates.
The specific name of this tree, grandidentata, always affected me
ludicrously, when I considered that it was applied to it merely from
the deep indentations on the edge of its serrate leaves. Excelsa would
be a more appropriate name for the species, on account of its
superior height.
THE SMALL AMERICAN ASPEN.
This tree resembles the great aspen in almost every particular
except size. It is a very common tree in our woods, but is so little
esteemed that it has received no protection and is seldom planted by
our roadsides. It is found chiefly in copses on the sides of some
gravelly bank, growing almost alone, with a few cherry-trees and
white birches, and an undergrowth of brambles and whortleberry-
bushes. It is often abundant on little dry elevations that rise above an
oak wood standing on a clay level. It is remarkable for its slenderness
of habit and the smoothness of its pale-green bark, which becomes
whitish and rough as the tree grows old. Its principal defect is the
thinness of its foliage and spray; its small branches are few and far
apart, and its leaves small and sparse. Yet the beauty of each
individual leaf is unrivalled. It is heart-shaped, finely serrate, and
when young is fringed with a soft, silky, and purple down. It would
be difficult to select a branch from any other tree, when in leaf, so
beautiful as a spray of the Small Aspen.
I do not understand the botanical difference between the Aspen
and the poplar, except that the former includes certain species that
possess in an exaggerated degree the family characteristic of a
tremulous leaf. The Aspen, however, is the proverbial tree, the tree of
romance and fable. Hence we regard it with more interest, though in
America the two aspens fall short of the poplars in almost every point
of elegance and beauty.
RELATIONS OF TREES TO POETRY AND
FABLE.

From the earliest period of history, mankind have looked upon


trees and woods with veneration, regarding them as special gifts of
the gods to the human race. The ancient priests and philosophers
used them as their places of retirement, both for the study of wisdom
and the services of religion. Hence arose that early custom of
planting trees in circles, forming a kind of amphitheatre, for religious
assemblies. The teachers of philosophy used the same circular
groves. These were held in the greatest reverence; and no man dared
to commit the sacrilegious act of cutting down any part of them or
defacing any of the trees. By means of these circular groves, wise and
holy men obtained that seclusion and quiet which it was not easy to
find in towns and cities. They were both schools and chapels, devoted
to religion and philosophy. Hence the often-quoted remark of Pliny
that “the groves were the first temples of the gods.”
It is not improbable that many of the ancient superstitions relating
to trees and groves originated with wise men, who believed that such
holy fears alone would restrain the people from devastating the
whole earth by the destruction of trees. Science now supplies
mankind with rational motives for their preservation, in place of the
religious scruples of ancient communities. I am inclined to believe
that many a rational principle has been advocated by wise men under
the guise of theology. The druidical priesthood foresaw that the oak,
from the superior value of its timber, could not be saved from the
woodman’s axe except by certain ceremonies on their part that
should render it sacred in the eyes of the people. To impress this idea
of its sanctity upon their minds, they made use of its leaves and
branches to consecrate all important private or public transactions.
In still more ancient times, the priests adopted the expedient of
dedicating to some one of the gods, particularly to Jupiter, certain
woods and groves, which were thenceforth held in veneration by all
men, including even invading armies, whose chiefs, while respecting
neither the lives nor the property of the enemy, held these
consecrated groves sacred and inviolable. Hunting was forbidden
within them by this superstition, and its injunctions were in all cases
religiously observed. It is even asserted that the wild animals in these
sacred groves had become so tame, from the permanent security they
enjoyed, that they did not flee from the presence of man.
Many persons formerly believed that trees felt the stroke of the
woodman’s axe, which disturbed the repose of some resident spirit.
The ancient Greeks supposed certain trees to be inhabited by wood-
nymphs, and that these deities uttered groans when the axe was laid
upon the tree. These sounds gave origin to the sacred oracle of
Dodona. There were two kinds of nymphs supposed to inhabit trees,
—an inferior class that lived during the life of the tree, and died when
it perished; and a superior class, like the dryads, who could pass at
will from one tree to another. “One might fill a volume,” says Evelyn,
“with the history of groves that were violated by wicked men who
came to untimely ends; especially those upon which the mistletoe
grew, than which nothing was reputed more sacred.”
The custom of planting a tree at the birth of a child has prevailed
among certain nations from the earliest times, and is still observed in
some parts of Europe. Connected with this custom was the idea that
the fate of the child was mysteriously associated with that of the
natal tree, which created the strongest motives, arising from parental
affection, to preserve the tree, and on the part of the child to protect
it when he attained his manhood. Nothing is more evident than the
beneficial tendency of all these superstitions, at an early age of the
world, when men were not wise enough to be governed by the
principles of reason and science.
The ancients placed the Naiad and her fountain in the shady arbor
of trees, whose foliage gathers the waters of heaven into her fount
and preserves them from dissipation. From their dripping shades she
distributed the waters which she garnered from the skies over the
plain and the valley; and the husbandman, before he learned the
marvels of science, worshipped the beneficent Naiad, who drew the
waters of her fountain from heaven, and from her sanctuary in the
forest showered them upon the arid glebe, and gave new verdure to
the plain. After science had explained to us the law by which these
supplies of moisture are preserved by the trees, the Naiad still
remained a sacred theme of poetry. We would not remove the
drapery of foliage that protects her fountain, nor drive her into exile
by the destruction of the trees, through which she holds mysterious
commerce with the skies, and preserves our fields from drought.
Evelyn says: “Innumerable are the testimonies I might produce
concerning the inspiring and sacred influence of groves from the
ancient poets and historians. Here the noblest raptures have been
conceived; and in the walks and shades of trees poets have composed
verses which have animated men to glorious and heroic actions. Here
orators have made their panegyrics, historians their grave relations;
and here profound philosophers have loved to pass their lives in
repose and contemplation.”
As man is nomadic before he is agricultural, and a maker of tents
and wigwams before he is a builder of houses and temples, in like
manner he is an architect and an idolater before he becomes a
student of wisdom. He is a sacrificer in temples and a priest at their
altars before he is a teacher of philosophy and an interpreter of
nature. After the perfection of mechanical science, a higher state of
mental culture succeeds, causing us to see all nature invested with
beauty, and fraught with imaginative charms, adding new wonders to
our views of creation and new dignity to life. Man learns now to
regard trees in other relations beside their capacity to supply his
physical and mechanical wants. He looks upon them as the principal
ornaments of the landscape, and as the conservatories in which
nature preserves certain plants and small animals and birds that will
thrive only under their protection, and those insect hosts that charm
the student with their beauty and excite his wonder by their
mysterious instincts. Science has built an altar under the trees, and
delivers thence new oracles of wisdom, teaching men how they are
mysteriously wedded to the clouds, and are the instruments of their
beneficence to the earth.
It is difficult to estimate how great a part of all that is cheerful and
delightful in the recollections of our life is associated with trees. They
are allied with the songs of morn, with the quiet of noonday, with
social gatherings under the evening sky, and with the beauty and
attractiveness of every season. Nowhere does nature look more
lovely, or the sounds from birds and insects affect us more deeply,
than under their benevolent shade. Never does the blue sky look
more serene than when its dappled azure glimmers through their
green trembling leaves. Their recesses, which in the early ages were
the temples of religion and science, are still the favorite resorts of the
studious, the scenes of sport for the active and adventurous, and the
very sanctuary of peaceful seclusion for the contemplative and
sorrowful.
In our early years we are charmed with the solitude of groves, with
the flowers that dwell in their nooks, with the living creatures that
sport among their branches, and with the birds that convey to us by
their notes a share of their own indefinable happiness. Nature has
made use of trees to wed our minds to the love of homely scenes, and
to make us satisfied with life. How many recollections of village
merry-makings, of rural sports and pastimes, of the frolics of
children and of studious recreation, come to us when we sit down
under some old familiar tree that stands in the open field or by the
wayside! Trees are among the most poetic objects of creation. Every
wood teems with legends of mythology and romance; every tree is
vocal with music; and their flowers and fruits do not afford more
luxury to the sense than delight to the mind. Trees have their roots in
the ground; but they send up their branches toward the skies, and
are so many supplicants to Heaven for blessings on the earth.
In whatever light we regard trees, they deserve attention as the
fairest ornaments of nature; and the more we study them, the more
do we think upon the dangers that await them from the
improvidence of man. He takes but a narrow view of their
importance who considers only their economical value. The painter
has always made them a particular branch of his study; and the poet
understands their advantages in increasing the effect of his
descriptions, and considers them the blessed gifts of nature to render
the earth a beautiful abode and sanctify it to our affections.
THE ALDER.

All persons, however ignorant of trees in general, are familiar with


the common Alder. It abounds everywhere in wet places, skirting the
banks of small rivers, bordering the sides of old turnpike roads,
where they pass over wet grounds, filling up the basins of muddy
canals, and covering with its monotonous green foliage many an
unsightly tract of land, hiding and then revealing the glittering
surface of sluggish stream and lonely mere. The Alder is a homely
shrub, employed by Nature merely for the groundwork of her living
pictures, for covering stagnant fens with verdure in company with
the water-flag and the bog-rush, and as a border growth to the fenny
forest, graduating its foliage by a pleasing slope down to the verdure
of the plain. The assemblages of Alder constitute the plain
embroidery of watercourses, and form the ground upon which many
a beautiful flowering shrub is represented and rendered more
interesting.
The Alder among shrubs takes the place which the grasses occupy
among herbs; having no beauty of its own, but contributing to set off
to advantage the beauty of other plants that flourish in the same
ground. Nature likewise employs the roots of this tree as a
subterranean network, to strengthen the banks of streams and
defend them from the force of torrents. The Alder in New England is
seldom large enough to be called a tree; it rarely stands alone, but
almost invariably in clumps or larger assemblages, the different
individuals of the collection forming each a single stem, almost
without branches, making an outward curve a few feet from the
ground, and bending inwards toward their summit.
The foliage of the Alder is homely, but not meagre, and its color is
of a very agreeable tone. It is indeed a very important feature of the
landscape in summer; but in autumn it remains unaffected by the
general tinting of the season, and retains its verdure till the leaves
fall to the ground. Nature seems to regard this tree as a plain and
useful servant, not to be decked with beautiful colors or grand
proportions for the admiration of the world. But, homely as it is, it
bears flowers of some beauty. These consist of a profusion of
purplish aments containing a mixture of gold, and hanging
tremulously from their slender sprays. The extreme length and
flexibility of these clusters of flowers render them exceedingly
graceful, and permit them to be set in motion by the slightest breeze.
The buds are seen hanging from the branches all winter, ready to
burst into bloom when vivified by the first breath of spring.
THE WITCH-HAZEL.

The Witch-Hazel, or American Hamamelis, has many superficial


points of resemblance to the common alder, beside its attachment to
wet, muddy soils. Its ramification is peculiar; its side branches are
very short, and, like the alder, it sends from one root a number of
branches diverging outwards, but with an inward curvature of their
extremities. The leaves are alternate and ovate, narrowest toward the
stem and feather-veined. They turn to a sort of buff-color just before
the flowers appear, which are yellow, having long linear petals,
without beauty, growing in a cluster of four or five in the axils of the
leaves. This tree is worthy of attention chiefly as a curiosity. Like the
witch-elm of Great Britain, it was formerly used for divining-rods. Its
magic powers might have been suggested by its remarkable habit of
bearing flowers late in the autumn, thereby reversing the general
order of nature; also by producing buds, flowers, and fruit in
perfection at the same time. All such phenomena might be supposed
to have some connection with witchcraft.

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