__________ departments include all those that provide specialized skills in support of __________ departments.
A) Line; staff
B) Staff; line
C) Staff; functional
D) Functional; line
E) Line; functional

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Staff departments provide specialized skills and support to the line departments, which are directly involved in the core business activities. Therefore, option B, which equates staff departments with support departments, is the correct choice. Option A defines line departments as those engaged in core activities and staff departments as those that provide specialized skills, but it flips the positions of the two terms. Option C defines staff departments as functional departments, but not all functional departments are staff departments. Option D defines functional departments as providing specialized skills to line departments, but it leaves out the fact that staff departments can also provide support. Similarly, option E defines functional departments as those that provide expertise to line departments, but it overlooks the role of staff departments in supporting the core business.

__________ Departments Include All Those That Provide Specialized Skills in Support