Question 1

The concept of planning usually incorporates both ideas: determining an organisation's goals and defining the means for achieving them.

Accepted Answer

Planning in an organization involves both setting objectives and outlining the actions needed to achieve those goals, which includes determining the resources and strategies required.

Question 2

Top managers in an organisation are responsible for establishing strategic goals and plans that reflect a commitment to both organisational efficiency and effectiveness.

Accepted Answer

Top managers are responsible for setting the overall direction of an organization through strategic goals and plans, ensuring they align with the mission and vision. These goals and plans are designed to balance organizational efficiency (doing things right) with effectiveness (doing the right things), guiding the organization towards its long-term objectives.

Question 3

The organisational planning process begins when manages develop the overall plan for the organisation by clearly defining mission and tactical goals.

Accepted Answer

The organizational planning process actually begins with defining the organization's mission and strategic goals, which then guide the development of more specific tactical and operational plans.

Question 4

An organisation's mission describes what the organisation stands for and its reason for existence. It helps to establish legitimacy with an external audience such as investors, customers and suppliers.

Accepted Answer

An organization's mission statement defines its purpose, goals, and values, serving as a guide for its actions and decisions, and helps in building legitimacy and trust with external stakeholders like investors, customers, and suppliers.

Question 5

Peter Drucker suggests that organisations focus on eight content areas in developing goals: market standing, innovation, productivity, physical and financial resources, profitability, managerial performance and development, work performance and attitude, and public responsibility.

Accepted Answer

Peter Drucker, in his management theories, indeed emphasizes the importance of organizations focusing on these eight key areas when developing their objectives and goals, as they cover the broad spectrum of organizational performance and health.

Question 6

In effective planning, schedules define loose time frames for the completion of each operational goal required for satisfying the organisation's tactical and strategic goals.

Accepted Answer

Effective planning involves creating specific, detailed schedules with clear deadlines for each operational goal to ensure timely progress towards achieving the organization's tactical and strategic goals.

Question 7

Effectively designed organisational goals are aligned; that is, they are consistent and mutually supportive so that the achievement of goals at low levels permits the attainment of high-level goals.

Accepted Answer

Effectively designed organizational goals are indeed aligned in such a way that they are consistent and mutually supportive, ensuring that achieving lower-level goals supports the attainment of higher-level goals. This alignment is crucial for organizational coherence and success.

Question 8

One of the criteria for effective goals is the need for the goal to be specific and measurable.

Accepted Answer

Effective goals need to be specific and measurable to ensure clarity in what is to be achieved and to allow for the tracking of progress towards achieving the goal.

Question 9

One of the benefits of planning is that it can create too much pressure which is a good source of competition for employees.

Accepted Answer

Planning aims to organize, prioritize, and set clear objectives, not to create undue pressure. Excessive pressure can lead to stress and burnout, negatively impacting employee well-being and productivity.

Question 10

Planning positively affects an organisation's performance because the goals and plans serve as a source of motivation and commitment to employees.

Accepted Answer

Planning helps in setting clear, measurable, and time-bound goals which can motivate employees by providing them with a sense of direction and purpose. It also fosters commitment by involving them in the goal-setting process, making them feel valued and part of the organization's future success.

Question 11

A limitation to planning is that the goals and plans may cause rigidity in a turbulent environment.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A limitation to planning is that the...

Question 12

The approaches that help an organisation brace itself for the unexpected - even unimaginable - events are contingency planning, building scenario and case planning.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The approaches that help an organisation brace...

Question 13

To develop contingency plans, planners identify important and uncontrollable factors such as recession, surging supply costs, technological development or safety accidents.

Accepted Answer

Contingency planning involves identifying and preparing for potential uncontrollable events that could negatively impact operations, including economic downturns, increases in supply costs, technological advancements, or safety incidents.

Question 14

In a complex and competitive business environment, strategic thinking and execution become the expectation of every employee.

Accepted Answer

In a complex and competitive business environment, organizations rely on every employee to think strategically and execute their tasks effectively to maintain a competitive edge, adapt to changes, and achieve organizational goals.

Question 15

Anticipating and managing uncertainty and turbulence in the environment is a crucial part of planning.

Accepted Answer

Anticipating and managing uncertainty and turbulence is essential in planning as it helps organizations prepare for potential challenges and adapt to changes in the environment, ensuring better resilience and strategic alignment.

Question 16

The board statements of where an organisation wants to be in the future, pertaining to the organisation as a whole, rather than to specific division or departments are termed:

Accepted Answer

Strategic goals are broad, long-term objectives that an organization aims to achieve, reflecting its vision for the future and applying to the organization as a whole.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is true about the post-event stage of crisis planning?

Accepted Answer

The post-event stage of crisis planning involves conducting 'wash-ups' or debriefs to evaluate the effectiveness of the pre-event preparations and the response and recovery efforts, gathering feedback from stakeholders to improve future crisis management.

Question 18

A benefit to decentralised planning is that:

Accepted Answer

Decentralised planning involves collaboration between planning experts, line managers, and frontline employees, allowing for dynamic and responsive plans that adapt to fast-changing needs.

Question 19

Jeff is a top manager at a textile factory. He is developing a crisis plan in the event that the company has a toxic spill or accident. Which of the following should Jeff undertake to prepare for such a crisis?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Jeff is a top manager at a...

Question 20

An organisation's ____________________ helps it to establish legitimacy with external audiences.

Accepted Answer

The answer of An organisation's ____________________ helps it to establish...

Quiz 7: Organisational Planning and Goal Setting