Sales Manager Stephen Edmonson Has Just Finished Reading a Printout

question 23

Multiple Choice

Sales manager Stephen Edmonson has just finished reading a printout of some statistics showing how his company's sales performance compares to that of competing firms. The statistics summarize a mass of raw figures into a few meaningful measures that Stephen will use to determine whether he needs to change his sales strategy. The statistics in the printout are:

• A) information, while the raw figures used to compute the statistics are data.
• B) data, while the raw figures used to compute the statistics are information.
• C) less useful to Stephen than the raw figures would have been, since summarizing the figures necessarily reduces their accuracy.
• D) an example of how managers have a tendency to oversimplify by reducing complex issues into a few simple numbers.

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Definitions:

Social Norms

Accepted behaviors and standards within a group or society that guide members' actions and interactions.

Diminished Respect

Diminished respect describes a reduction in the admiration, esteem, or regard that someone holds for another person or entity, often due to actions or behaviors deemed unacceptable or disappointing.

Increased Social Pressure

The amplification of societal or group force that influences individuals to conform to expected norms or behaviors.

Directive Leadership

A leadership style characterized by giving clear, explicit instructions and expecting compliance from team members.