Oakland Athletics Over the Past Decade, Professional Baseball Has Evolved into an into an Increasingly

question 112

Multiple Choice

Oakland Athletics
Over the past decade, professional baseball has evolved into an increasingly dysfunctional, sharply divided game of big-time haves and small-time have-nots. A few big market teams like the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers leverage huge television contracts to acquire top talent at top salaries. Clubs in smaller cities with meager budgets make do with what's left. This trend has not proven true for the Oakland Athletics. From 2000 to
2006, the A's finished first in their division 5 times and second 2 times, all the while spending about one­third of the money as the Yankees on player payroll. The team's success as a small­market team is credited to its general manager Billy Beane. Billy Beane is a man who knows how to do more with less. He relentlessly exploits market mismatches by mining data his rivals ignore and by scooping up assets that others have undervalued, an approach made famous in Michael Lewis' Moneyball. He realizes that every player must be evaluated according to his long- term economic impact on the team. People who work with Beane describe him as "monomaniacal, ardent, and controlling."
-Refer to Oakland Athletics. Beane's subordinates respect the general manager's abilities, trust him to do what his best for the team, and like him as a person. In terms of situational favorableness, Beane's leadership ability is influenced by______ .

• A) strong position power
• B) empowerment
• C) low task structure
• D) weak position power
• E) good leader-member relations

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Definitions:

Cash Flow

The net amount of cash and cash-equivalents being transferred into and out of a business, indicating the organization's liquidity.

Bond Principal

Bond principal, or face value, is the amount that the issuer agrees to pay the bondholder at maturity, excluding any interest payments.

Coupon Rate

The interest rate on a bond, determined as a percentage of the bond's face value, that the issuer promises to pay the bondholder annually.

Market Rate

The current price or interest rate at which an asset or service can be bought or sold in a particular market.