You Can Take That to the Bank (Scenario)

question 110

Multiple Choice

You Can Take That to the Bank (Scenario)
Changes in banking regulations, a series of loan defaults by customers, and a decline in the real estate market have forced Eastern Bank, a large regional Gulf bank, to downsize in an effort to improve profitability and bolster its sagging stock price. Sawsan, a regional branch supervisor, has been tasked with preparing a management report concerning how these cuts are affecting bank operations and customer service. Sawsan believes that the most important problem that has emerged concerns the span of control and decision- making authority within the bank. In the past, bank policy was that no manager should supervise more than six subordinates and only managers could make decisions for their individual units. However, with many of the cuts coming in middle management, upper management has increased its span of control while still insisting on managerial- only decision making at the unit level. The result is that upper managers spend all of their time putting out fires and subordinates feel they are getting answers too slowly. As a result, lower level employees are requesting greater authority to make decisions on their own. However, they are not as experienced at making decisions as upper- level managers. Sawsan believes that structural changes must be made that reflect Eastern Bank's new situation.
-Based upon the description of Eastern Bank's situation, which aspect of the current situation is inconsistent with Eastern Bank's decision to maintain a centralized form of decision making?

• A) The company is large.
• B) Lower- level managers want a voice in decisions.
• C) Lower- level managers are not as experienced at making decisions as upper- level managers.
• D) The organization is facing a crisis.

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Definitions:

Piaget's Stages

A theory of cognitive development devised by Jean Piaget, which describes how children's understanding of the world changes through four stages of development.

Object Permanence

A cognitive development milestone in which an infant realizes that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen or heard.

Sensorimotor

The stage in Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development where infants learn to interact with their environment through physical actions, from birth to about 2 years of age.

Cognitive Development

The process of growth and change in intellectual capabilities that occur from infancy through independent adulthood, encompassing processes such as learning, memory, problem-solving, and decision-making.