[BT/F1: Tài liệu ôn thi] Session 2 (Phần 1)

Session 2 (Phần 1) sẽ ôn lại 3 dạng bài tập quan trọng môn Business and Technology (F1) với chủ đề External analysis (continue) và Leadership.

I. Tổng quan:

Topic	Question types	Question index
		MCQ
External analysis	2. Economic factors	21 - 25
	3. Organisational culture	26
Leadership	1. Leadership	27 -32
Reference: BPP ACCA F1 - Business and Technology StudyText

II. Dạng bài tập chi tiết:

1. Topic 2: External analysis (continue)

1.1. Type 2: Economic factors (continue)

Ref: Tóm tắt kiến thức Type 2: Economic factors

Importance: High

Question 21: Freja is preparing a short‐term budget for a cost incurred by her company. She is predicting that the company will experience significant increases in output during the period. How would Freja expect to see the average cost per unit change within the short‐term? A.      The cost per unit would be expected to fall for the entire period due to the increased output B.      The cost per unit would be expected to initially fall, then start to rise again due to diseconomies of scale C.      The cost per unit would be unlikely to change in the short‐term D.     The cost per unit would be expected to initially fall, then start to rise again due to the law of diminishing returns

 Guidance:

Remember the law of diminishing returns and diseconomies of scale in the lectures. They both make the costs fall initially then rise again, but they are different in the period applied.

• Law of diminishing returns is applied for the short
• Diseconomies of scale is applied for the long

Answer: D

As production increases, the cost per unit will initially fall due to the larger number of units being made which the total cost is spread over. However, even within the short‐term, as the number of units of output grows, the efficiency of the production system will fall, leading to a rise in average cost per unit again. This is known as the law of diminishing returns. → Option D is correct

Diseconomies of scale (option B) occur over the long‐term.

Question 22: Country Y has an increasingly high rate of unemployment. Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the effect of this on consumers and businesses? (i)                Businesses may offer lower wages to staff (ii)               Government spending on social security will fall (iii)              Businesses will find it easier to locate new employees (iv)              Businesses may find that demand for their goods and services falls A.      (i), (ii), and (iii) only B.      (i), (iii) and (iv) only C.      (i) and (iii) only D.     All four are correct

Answer: B

• (ii) is incorrect. Given the high rate of unemployment, the government will have to pay more in social security to support the increasing number of workers who are without jobs.
• The other three statements are correct.

Question 23: Increases in unemployment, reduced demand, falling household incomes, and low business confidence and investment are associated most strongly with which of the following? A.      High-interest rates B.      Increase in the money supply C.      A budget deficit D.      Recession

Answer: D

A recession starts when demand begins to fall and leads to reduced purchases of raw materials and increased unemployment; this, in turn, leads to reduced household incomes and a further fall in demand, which can result in a slump.

Question 24: Country K is suffering from a recession. A government minister has recently suggested that the country’s government should ‘focus more on reducing the power of trade unions and the number of state‐owned monopolies and less on worrying about running a budget surplus.’ Which economics theory is the government minister suggesting that country K should adopt? A.      Classical B.      Monetarist C.      Keynesian D.     Demand side

 Guidance:

Remember the economics theories:

• The classical approach: to do nothing and let the economy find its own equilibrium.
• The Keynesian approach (demand side): running a budget surplus/deficit to manipulate the economy and help it reach its equilibrium point.
• The Monetarist approach (supply side): the removal of key market imperfections allowing the economy to naturally find its own equilibrium.

Answer: B

The minister is suggesting the removal of key market imperfections, such as union activity and monopolies. This is a classic supply‐side or monetarist approach.

Question 25: The government of country H is planning to adopt a supply-side approach to dealing with the country’s high unemployment. Which of the following strategies is consistent with a supply-side approach? A.      Do nothing B.      Borrow money from the money markets and increase government spending, creating additional jobs C.      Lower interest rates to make it cheaper for firms to borrow, meaning that they can afford to hire more workers D.     Improve information available to the unemployed to make it easier for them to find work

 Guidance:

Remember the economics theories:

• The classical approach: to do nothing and let the economy find its own equilibrium.
• The Keynesian approach (demand side): running a budget surplus/deficit to manipulate the economy and help it reach its equilibrium point.
• The Monetarist approach (supply side): the removal of key market imperfections allowing the economy to naturally find its own equilibrium.

Answer: D

• Option A is the classical approach → incorrect
• Options B and C are Keynesian, or demand-side, policies designed to manipulate the level of aggregate demand in the economy → incorrect
• Option D is the only monetarist or supply-side, policy that aims to help improve the supply of production factors (in this case people) in the economy → correct

1.2. Type 3: Organizational culture

Ref: Tóm tắt kiến thức Type 3: Organizational culture

Importance: Average

Question 26: Staff in-country G dislike their managers interfering in their work. According to Hofstede, this means that the culture is: A.      Masculine B.      High uncertainty avoidance C.      Low power-distance D.     Collective

 Guidance:

Remember Hofstede’s cultural dimensions:

Answer: C

2. Topic 3: Leadership

Ref: Tóm tắt kiến thức Topic 3: Leadership

Question 27: Antonio is a supervisor within the purchasing department of a large company. His team is responsible for raising purchase orders for raw materials used in the production of the company’s products. The department has been set a limit as to how much raw material they are allowed to purchase each week. Which of the following will not be one of Antonio’s normal functions as a supervisor? A.      Raising purchase orders for raw materials B.      Reporting the total value of purchase orders raised to management on a weekly basis C.      Dealing with queries from his team D.     Changing the size of the purchasing limits

Guidance:

Remember of key functions of supervisors:

• Supervising their team.
• Undertaking technical or operational work, alongside the group they oversee.
• Providing advice and support to their teams in order to help solve problems.
• Monitoring work by means of detailed, daily information.
• Periodically summarizing information and passing it to more senior management for review.

 Answer: D

• Option D is correct. A supervisor would not normally be responsible for changing the objectives (purchasing limits) they have been set by senior management.
• Options A, B, C is incorrect. A supervisor is supposed to help control staff and apply the policies and strategies set by more senior management.

Question 28: Which of the following statements regarding authority and responsibility is correct? A.      Authority cannot be delegated to subordinates B.      Authority is the obligation a person has to fulfill a task they have been set C.      Responsibility is the right to do something because of your position within an organization D.     Responsibility cannot be delegated to subordinates

Guidance:

Remember the definitions of authority and responsibility:

• Authority: is the right to do something, or ask someone else to do something, and expect it to be done.
• Responsibility is the liability of a person to be required to ensure that the given work is done.

Note that students should think of whether authority or responsibility can be delegated to another person.

Answer: D

• Option D is correct. Responsibility can never be delegated, despite the task might be given to another member.
• Option A is incorrect. A is incorrect. Authority can be delegated, as a manager can give a more junior member of staff the right to give orders in a certain area or for a certain length of time.
• Options B, C is incorrect. The definitions for B and C have been reversed.

Question 29: Liam manages a small team of workers. He has recently asked his team for suggestions as to how they can improve their efficiency. The team members have made several suggestions, but Liam does not feel they are practical and has decided to adopt a different approach. According to the Ashridge Management College, what management style is Liam demonstrating? A.      Joins B.      Tells C.      Consults D.     Sells

 Guidance:

Remember the 4 management styles from the Ashridge Management College:

• Tells (autocratic): the manager makes all the decisions and issues instructions that are to be obeyed without question.
• Sells (persuasive): the manager still makes all the decisions, but believes that team members must be motivated to accept them in order to carry them out properly.
• Consults (participative): the manager confers with the team and takes their views into account, although still retains the final say.
• Joins (democratic): the leader and the team members make the decision together on the basis of consensus.

 Answer: C

Liam is asking employees for their opinions, but still retains the final say about what changes are made. This is consistent with a consults (participative) style.

Be cautious to be conflicted with tells and sells style, in which the final decision is also made by the management instead of cooperation among the team.

Question 30: In a recent staff survey, manager Martina has been identified as highly focused on meeting production needs, but having little real concern for the wellbeing of the employees who report to her. According to Blake and Mouton, which key point on the managerial grid is Martina being placed at by the staff survey? A.      Impoverished B.      Team management C.      Country club D.     Task management

 Guidance:

Remember the management styles from the Blake and Mouton managerial grid:

• Management impoverished: this manager only makes a minimum effort in either area and will make the smallest possible effort required to get the job done.
• ‘Country Club’ management: this manager is thoughtful and attentive to the needs of the people, which leads to a comfortable, friendly organizational atmosphere but very little work is actually achieved.
• Task management: this manager is only concerned with production and arranges work in such a way that people's interference is minimized.
• 'Middle of the road management: this is a manager who is ambivalent in style towards the task and people, but achieves only moderately good results on both dimensions.
• Team management: this manager integrates the two areas to foster working together and high production to produce true team leadership.

 Answer: D

• Option D is correct. Martina is focused on meeting production, but not on employee welfare. This plots her at 9,1 on the managerial grid – a task manager.
• Option A is incorrect. Impoverished indicates no concern for production or employees.
• Option B is incorrect. Team management indicates a high concern for both production and employees.
• Option C is incorrect. Country club indicates little concern for production but high concern for employees and team management indicates a high degree of concern for both people and production.

Question 31: Helena is planning on introducing a new IT system into her business. Helen knows that the new system will be complex to use, but has only told her staff that the system will make certain tasks more accurate. She has not mentioned the significant retraining required by the staff as she feels that this will cause resistance to the new system. According to Kotter, which approach to managing change is Helena adopting? A.      Education and communication B.      Facilitation and support C.      Manipulation and co‐optation D.     Negotiation and agreement

 Guidance:

Remember the management styles from Kotter to deal with change resistance:

• Participation and involvement: This approach aims to involve employees, usually by allowing some input into decision-making.
• Education and communication: This approach aims to keep employees informed, usually through presentations about the reasons for the required
• Facilitation and support: For example training or counseling.
• Manipulation and co-optation: The information that is disseminated is selective and distorted to only emphasize the benefits of the change.
• Negotiation and agreement: This approach enables several parties with opposing interests to

 Answer: C

Helena is only outlining the positives of the new system and is distorting the information to stress that the new system will be useful. This is an example of manipulation and co‐optation.

Question 32: A manager is planning on introducing a new computer system into her department. She plans to offer her staff bonuses to encourage them to use the new system, as well as relying on her own personal charisma. Which TWO of the following sources of power is the manager planning to use? A.      Reward B.      Legitimate C.      Referent D.     Coercive

 Guidance:

Remember the 5 types of power from French and Raven:

• Reward power: one person is able to reward another person for carrying out their orders or meeting other requirements.
• Coercive power: one person having the ability to punish another person for failing to carry out their orders satisfactorily.
• Expert power: one person is regarded by others as having special expertise or knowledge that others do not.
• Referent power: is based on the personal qualities of the individual and often occurs when one person identifies with or wishes to imitate another.
• Legitimate power: this is power derived from being in a position of authority within the organization.

Answer: A, C

Staff bonuses mean that the manager is offering her staff a reward for adopting the system.

→ Option A

She is also relying on referent power by using her charisma/relationship with her employees

→ Option C