At Appleson Publishing, Products Are Produced by a Team Representing

question 250

Multiple Choice

At Appleson Publishing, products are produced by a team representing different functional groups, none of which have supervisory authority over any of the others. Represented departments include design, production, and marketing. Design department members are skilled at identifying customer requirements and creating product specifications. Their success is measured by return on product investment, which takes into account both the money earned by a product and the money spent on that product.
Production department members are skilled at project execution. They are responsible for creating products according to the Design department members' specification. The Production department is considered successful when it completes projects according to schedule and project spending does not exceed the project's budget.
Marketing department members are responsible for building profitable relationships with target market segments. They are skilled at communicating a product's value and persuading customers to make purchases. Marketing department members' success is measured by the revenue that the products take in.
Which of the following questions would most likely lead to a conflict between design department members and production department members?

• A) Should Appleson invest in a new project that requires heavy initial investment but is expected to lead to a large stream of revenue in the long run?
• B) Should a project be launched later than planned in order to make changes that will make it more attractive to customers?
• C) Should product management focus on the needs that customers have already expressed or should it try to anticipate unexpressed needs?
• D) Is the team project process at Appleson more effective than it would be if it followed a more traditional organizational structure?
• E) When projects do not meet expectations, is the failure likely to be caused by faulty product design or inadequate market development?

---

Definitions:

Rejection-Then-Retreat Approach

A persuasive technique where an initial, larger request is made knowing it will be rejected, followed by a smaller, more reasonable request.

Reciprocity/Obligation Approach

A social exchange theory suggesting that individuals feel compelled to return favors or help to those who have aided them.

Persuader

An individual or tool that influences others' attitudes, beliefs, or actions through argument, reasoning, or appeal.

Social Proof

A mental phenomenon in which individuals mirror the behaviors of others, believing it to be the appropriate response for a particular scenario.