Public Sector Management
Textbook Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Public Sector Management explores the principles, practices, and challenges associated with managing organizations within the public sector. The course examines the unique environment and goals of governmental and nonprofit entities, contrasting them with private sector organizations. Key topics include public administration theories, policy formulation and implementation, organizational structure, human resource management, budgeting and financial management, ethics, accountability, and the impact of political and legal influences. Students will analyze case studies and current events to understand leadership strategies, decision-making processes, and innovation in public services, preparing them to address complex issues faced by public managers and to deliver effective solutions that promote the public good.
Recommended Textbook
Managing Human Behavior in Public and Nonprofit Organizations
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14 Chapters
546 Verified Questions
546 Flashcards
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Page 2
5th Edition by Robert B. Denhardt
Chapter 1: Organizational Behavior As a Way of Thinking and Acting
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Theory Y characterizes people as ______.
A) motivated solely by money
B) lazy and uninvolved
C) inherently worthwhile
D) complex and difficult to understand
Answer: C
Q2) Improvements to organizational processes, structure, and performance require ______.
A) management through people
B) management of people
C) management by engagement
D) none of these
Answer: A
Q3) Discuss the evolution of research and understanding about human behavior in an organizational context. Be sure to identify the factors that led to changes in understanding organizational behavior.
Answer: Answers will vary. However, students should pay close attention to the contributions of the various theorists as they are discussing the evolution.
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Chapter 2: Knowing and Managing Yourself
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35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Carl is driven by a desire to pursue work that achieves something of value, such as helping others. Which of the following is most likely his career anchor?
A) autonomy/independence
B) entrepreneurial creativity
C) service/dedication to a cause
D) lifestyle
Answer: C
Q2) Social awareness is the ability to understand what one is feeling and how to direct those feelings.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Which psychologist described several aspects of the human psyche based on the way in which we take in and process information?
A) Ivan Pavlov
B) Abraham Maslow
C) Carl Jung
D) Sigmund Freud
Answer: C
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Fostering Creativity and Innovation
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42 Verified Questions
42 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Weak relationships may foster creativity up to a point beyond which the number of ties may even constrain creativity at work.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) People are not likely to be creative when they love what they do as it removes the motivation to do anything else.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Creativity involves the generation of new and novel ideas, and innovation is the implementation of those ideas.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) It is relatively easy to kill creativity in an organization.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 4: Managing Stress
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38 Verified Questions
38 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Eliminating stress is possible.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Identify the major sources of stress in your life. What major coping mechanisms do you use to try to manage these sources?
Q3) Which of the following may be considered primarily emotional coping strategies?
A) withdrawing from others
B) spending more time with family
C) sleeping less to work less
D) exercising
Q4) Which of the following is a symptom of stress?
A) unusual laughter
B) eccentric behavior
C) overeating
D) shallow breathing
Q5) "Some stress can be very beneficial." Do you agree or disagree? Please justify your position, providing relevant examples where appropriate.
Q6) Compare and contrast "lifestyle adjustment" and "attitude adjustment" as ways to cope with and manage stress.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Decision-Making
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42 Verified Questions
42 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In terms of who should be involved in the decision-making process, all of the following are considered to be methods EXCEPT for ____.
A) authoritative
B) constructive
C) group
D) consultative
Q2) ______ refers to identifying the decision and testing the validity of that decision.
A) Assessment
B) Action
C) Analysis
D) Application
Q3) Time is always available for decision-making to undergo a calculated process.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Assuming consistency, intentionality, purposefulness, and rationality on the part of individuals invariably leads to misunderstanding and possibly false assumptions.
A)True
B)False
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Page 7
Chapter 6: Motivation and Engagement
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43 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss Marcum's arguments on the flaws in motivational theories.
Q2) Public service motivation may be understood as an individual's predisposition to respond to motives grounded primarily or uniquely in public institutions and organizations.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Researchers have argued that an overall management that emphasizes a participative approach is positively related to employee motivation and performance.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The satisfaction of lower-level needs, called hygiene or extrinsic factors, leads to motivation.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Projection is a mental process in which we ______.
A) attribute or assign our own feelings, motives, or qualities to other people
B) chart the feelings, motives, or qualities of other people
C) ignore the feelings, motives, or qualities of other people
D) influence the feelings, motives or qualities of other people
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Chapter 7: Leadership in Public Organizations
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38 Verified Questions
38 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) All of the following are characteristics of leadership EXCEPT for ______.
A) a strong drive for responsibility and task completion
B) creativity and originality in problem solving
C) a capacity for absorbing stress
D) an untenable positive approach
Q2) Leaders must have which of the following traits or competencies?
A) self-understanding
B) high energy
C) integrity
D) all of these
Q3) All of the following are dimensions of emotional intelligence EXCEPT for ______.
A) managing emotions
B) motivating oneself
C) the ability to cry
D) handling relationships
Q4) Leaders and followers should engage in a structured ______.
A) dialogue
B) monologue
C) epilogue
D) prologue
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Power and Organizational Politics
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39 Verified Questions
39 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Come up with a scenario where a manager in a public organization might face a problem, and develop a strategy that the manager should use to solve the problem. Be sure to discuss power in your solution.
Q2) All of the following are bases of power EXCEPT for ______.
A) coercive power
B) reward power
C) valid power
D) referent power
Q3) Which of the following tactics help people to gain power, exercise influence, and balance the power of others in organizations?
A) using ambiguity
B) forming coalitions
C) incurring obligations
D) all of these
Q4) All social interactions involve a measure of mutual influence and control.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Is power a positive or destructive force? Does it vary based on the situation? Discuss, bringing in relevant examples where appropriate.
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Chapter 9: Communicating Effectively With Others
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Sample Questions
Q1) Compare and contrast the different forms of specialized communication. How should each be used? Discuss, providing relevant examples where appropriate.
Q2) Discuss the components of supportive communication. Provide examples to support your discussion.
Q3) Demeaning messages create barriers between people, but the barriers do not remain in place for a long period of time.
A)True
B)False
Q4) All of the following are conditions under which people are likely to use strategic ambiguity EXCEPT for ______.
A) people are faced with multiple goals
B) relationships are tenuous
C) front-line positions are threatened
D) conditions are likely to change
Q5) Supportive communication involves listening carefully and receiving feedback from the other person.
A)True B)False
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Chapter 10: Working in Groups and Teams
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37 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Emotional intelligence has been found to be an important factor in predicting team performance.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Training of team members should include ______.
A) action skills
B) mathematic skills
C) public-speaking skills
D) reading skills
Q3) External dimensions include ______.
A) physical ability
B) religion
C) age
D) seniority
Q4) Which of the following roles of leaders includes providing training and encouragement to participants?
A) initiators
B) models
C) coaches
D) managers
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Managing Conflict
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42 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) People tend to give reasons such as unstable causes, judgments, and environmental conditions rather than recognize that their own behavior is contributing to the conflicts.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Until the 1940s, the role of the manager was to eliminate conflict in the workplace, usually by punishing the perceived initiators.
A)True
B)False
Q3) ____ has been found to be an initial predictor of poor performance.
A) Satisfaction
B) Complacency
C) Contentment
D) Anxiety
Q4) According to the attribution theory of conflict, satisfied individuals are more likely to attribute the causes of their problems to flaws in other parties or in their situations.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Organizational Culture and Change
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38 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following types of change takes place within an organization's existing framework?
A) incremental change
B) discontinuous change
C) strategic change
D) grassroots change
Q2) As long as our thinking is governed by habit, we will continue to re-create institutions as they have been.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Creating a clear result-oriented vision in relation to discovered potential and in relation to questions of higher purpose describes which phase of the process of appreciative inquiry?
A) discovery
B) dream
C) design
D) destiny
Q4) What is organizational culture? How is it created or formed? What does it consist of? Discuss, providing relevant examples where appropriate.
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Chapter 13: Representing the Organization on the Outside
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following levels of organization is concerned with the relationship between the organization as a body and the wider social system of which it is a part?
A) technical
B) organizational
C) managerial
D) institutional
Q2) Which of the following levels of organization mediates between the technical group and top management?
A) technical
B) organizational
C) managerial
D) institutional
Q3) What is the first step in implementing a new information technology?
A) develop metrics to evaluate the success of the application
B) clearly define the goals and objectives of the application
C) compare results to your objectives
D) engage citizens and address short-term issues
Q4) Discuss the relationships between public agencies and legislators. What are some guidelines to develop effective relationships?
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Chapter 14: Managing Behavior in the Public Interest
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the new public service, the notion that solving problems requires citizens and communities be engaged in implementing policies is an example of ______.
A) thinking strategically and acting democratically
B) serving citizens, not customers
C) serving rather than steering
D) valuing people, not just productivity
Q2) The increasing "marketization" of the sector calls for all of the following EXCEPT for ______.
A) increased revenue
B) accountability
C) competition
D) increasing charitable contributions
Q3) Public administrators should create efficiencies by ______ and ______ earned income, and concentrating on accountability and high performance.
A) enabling; increasing
B) enabling; decreasing
C) privatizing; increasing
D) privatizing; decreasing
Q4) Discuss the importance of being culturally competent.
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