Deck 7: Organisational Planning and Goal Setting

Question 1

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

Answer 1

True

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.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

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

Answer 3

False

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.

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.

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.

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.

Question 8

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

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.

Question 10

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

Question 11

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

Question 12

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

Question 13

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

Question 14

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

Question 15

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

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:

A) strategic goals
B) tactical goals
C) operational goals
D) strategic plans
E) tactical plans

Question 17

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

A) It requires 'wash-ups' to gain feedback from stakeholders as to the effectiveness of the pre-event and response and recovery routines.
B) It involves responding to the emotional needs of employees, customers and the public.
C) It involves designating a crisis management team and spokesperson.
D) The crisis management plan (CMP) is developed at this stage.
E) None of these choices.

Question 18

A benefit to decentralised planning is that:

A) planning is done by top managers who have expertise in the strategic vision of the company.
B) planning experts work directly with line managers and frontline employees to develop dynamic plans that meet fast-changing needs
C) planning is completed by planning experts who can develop robust plans that address sensitive company issues
D) top managers develop creative solutions that are implemented at all levels of the organisation
E) it relies on the expertise of department managers who communicate their solutions upward to top management

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?

A) Build relationships with neighbouring businesses.
B) Detect signals from the natural environment.
C) Poll employees on the likelihood of an environmental disaster.
D) Designate a crisis management team in the event of an environmental disaster.
E) Dismantle the company's ties to the external media.

Question 20

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

Question 21

_________________ defines boundaries within which to make decisions, whereas ________________________ defines the precise series of steps to attain certain goals.

Question 22

One of the benefits of planning is that goals and plans provide a source of motivation and __________________________ to employees.

Question 23

The three main stages of crisis planning are _____________________, ______________________, and __________________________.

Question 24

A(n) __________________________ is also a set of plans for attaining one-time goals, and usually they are smaller in scope and complexity.

Question 25

_______________________ is a plan for attaining a one-time organisational goal which is large in scope and may take several years to complete.

Question 26

In the post-event stage of _________________________, an organisation reflects on what it has experienced to ensure that any mistakes are not repeated.

Question 27

Define 'goal' and describe the three types of goals found in an organisation.

Question 28

Differentiate between a contingency plan and crisis management plan.

Question 29

The new Managing Director of the bank wants to introduce management by objectives (MBO) as a technique to manage performance. Most of the employees are against this initiative because they do not know what it entails. Write an essay explaining the concept to your employees. Highlight the major activities undertaken under MBO to make it a success. Do not forget to also discuss the benefits and problems associated with this technique.

Question 30

Compare and contrast single-use plans and standing plans.

Question 31

Planning is said to be the most important function of a manager. As a management student, define planning, describe the organisational planning process and highlight the benefits and limitations of planning.

Question 32

Discuss the three (3) approaches that help organisations brace themselves for the unexpected events.

Question 33

The goals that an organisation chooses to adopt are defined by an individual or group. Different individuals have different ideas about which goals are important to pursue. In your judgement, what factor(s) should determine the priority of organisational goals? What types of goals should every organisation have? Think of what goals would be important to an educational tutoring company, a Starbucks location, and a fitness centre. List the goals in the order of importance, and explain why each set of goals is important for the respective company. Write your conclusions in a short essay.