Literal question
In a typical week over the last year, what percentage of total senior management's time was spent on dealing with requirements imposed by government regulations? [By senior management I mean managers, directors, and officers above direct supervisors of production/sales workers. Some examples of government regulations are taxes, customs, labor regulations, licensing and registration, including dealings with officials and completing forms]
Interviewer instructions
Percent of total senior management's time. Ask managers to estimate what percentage of their time senior managers spend dealing with government regulations, inspections, negotiations and other bureaucratic burden. This is time that would otherwise be spent on business matters. It should not include time spent negotiating procurement contracts with the government - only time dealing with red tape and bureaucracy.
