In one paragraph, define "control" in the organization and identify why it is necessary. Figure 14.3 (p. 432) describes the four basic steps in the control process. Using these steps as a model, develop a control system for one activity you selected in week one (enhancing your management skills). Using one standard (goal), identify or establish the standard and then explain what you will do in each of the remaining three steps.

Maintain the status quo deviation ntrol Process e control system can help ensure that an organization achieves its goals. Implementing a owever, is a systematic process that generally proceeds through four interrelated steps formerly responsible for checking product quality at the end of the assembly process, was eliminated. Next, all operating employees were encouraged to check their own work and told that they would be responsible for correcting their own errors. As a result, Whistler has eliminated its quality problems and is now highly profitable once again. Steps in the Control Process Regardless of the type or levels of control systems that an organization needs, each control process has four fundamental steps. These are illustrated in Figure 14.3. Establishing Standards The first step in the control process is establishing standards. A control standard is a target against which subsequent performance will be compared. Employees at a Taco Bell fast-food restaurant, for example, work toward the following! service standards 1. A minimum of 95 percent of all customers will be greeted within 3 minutes of their arrival 2. Preheated tortilla chips will not sit in the warmer more than 30 minutes before they are served to customers or discarded. 3. Empty tables will be cleaned within 5 minutes after being vacated. Standards established for control purposes should be expressed in measurable terms. Note that standard 1 has a time limit of 3 minutes and an objective target of 95 percent of all customers. In standard 3, the objective target of "all" empty tables is implied. Control standards should also be consistent with the organization's goals. Taco Bell has organizational goals involving customer service, food quality, and restaurant cleanli ness. A control standard for a retailer like Best Buy should be consistent with its goal of increasing its annual sales volume by 25 percent within five years. A hospital trying to shorten the average hospital stay for a patient will have control standards that reflect current averages. A university reaffirming its commitment to academics might adopt a standard of graduating 80 percent of its student athletes within five years of their enroll- ment. Control standards can be as narrow or as broad as the level of activity to which they apply and must follow logically from organizational goals and objectives. When Airbus introduced the A380, the world's largest passenger airplane, managers indicated that the firm needed to ship 270 planes to break even, and set a goal of delivering 18 per year