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1) What is planning?

Planning:
Former president Dwight Eisenhower once said plans are nothing planning is everything
The management functions of establishing objectives and developing plans to accomplish them.
Planning is deciding in advance about what is to be done, that is a plan is project course of
action.
2) Write about the nature of planning.
Nature of planning:
The nature of planning understood by examining its four major aspects. They are: its contribution
to objectives:
1. Its primacy among managers task.
2. Its persaveness, and
3. The efficiency of resulting plans.

Contribution of planning to the attainment of objectives:


Since plans are made to attain goals or objectives, every plan and all its support should
contribute to the achievement to the organizations purpose and objectives.
1. Primacy of planning:
Planning should be done in such a way that the rest of managerial functions agree with
it.planning quite logically therefore comes first before execution of all other managerial
functions as it involves establishing the objectives necessary for all group efforts. Control
without plan is meaningless, because plans provide the basis or standard of control.
2. Pervasiveness of planning:
Planning is a unique and universal function of all managers. All managers must do some function
of planning. Because of ones authority or position in the managerial hierarchy, one may do more
or less planning, but some kind or amount of planning a manager must do. According to weihrich
and knoontz, all manager from presidents to first-level supervisors-plan

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3. The efficiency of plans:


Plans should not only be effective, but also efficient. Effectiveness of a plan relates to the extent
to which it accomplishes the objectives. The efficiency of plan, however, means its contribution
to the purpose and objectives.
3) Importance of planning/why should managers plan?
Both conceptual and practical reasons are put forward in support of planning. Two conceptual
reasons supporting systematic planning of managers are-limited resources and uncertain
environment.
1. Meeting the challenges of resource scarcity:
Planners in both private business and public agencies are challenged to stretch their limited
resources through intelligent planning. Otherwise, wasteful inefficiencies would give rise higher
prices, severe shortages and great public datisfactionfacing environmental uncertainty:
2. Facing environmental uncertainty:
The second most important conceptual reason is that organizations continually face
environmental uncertainty in the course of accomplishing the tasks.
Besides managers have several practical reasons for formulating plans for themselves, their
employees, and various organizational units:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Makes uncertainty and change


To focus organizational activity on the set of consciously created objectives.
To provide a co-ordinate systematic road map for future activities.
To increase economic efficiency via efficient operation.

4) Give briefly about the types of plans.


Many different types of plans are adopted by managers to conduct operations and monitor and
control organizational activities. Three most commonly used plans are-hierarchical plans,
frequency use of plans and contingency plans.
1. Hierarchical plans:
These plans are drawn at three managers hierarchical levels, namely, the institutional, the
managerial and the technical core the plans in these three levels:

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Hierarchical plans

Strategic plans
Intended to design
tactics in order to
achieve long-term
objectives.

Administrative
plans
It is done to mainly
allocate
organizational
resources

Operational plans
Designed to govern
the workings of the
organizations
technical core.

2. Frequency -of -use plans:


Plans can also be categorized according to frequency or receptiveness of use.

Frequency -of -use


plans
Standing plan
1.
2.
3.
4.

Mission or purpose
Strategic plans
Policies
procedures

Single use plan


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Goals
Objectives
Programs
Projects
Budget

3. Contingency plan:
Contingency planning is done to meet with unforeseen emergencies.

5) Steps of planning- sheet page no-76

6) What is objective?
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Objective is the specific results or targets to be reached by a certain time.


An objective may be defined as a specific commitment to achieve a measurable result within
given time-period.
Give the relationships objectives and the managerial hierarchy.
Subordinates are likely to be highly motivated by, and committed to goals that they initiate.
Give the figure:
The above figure indicates managers at different levels in the hierarchy are concerned with
different kinds of objectives.
However, the approach to be allowed depends on the situation, the size of the organization, the
organizational culture, and the leadership style is followed.
7) Difference between non-verifiable and non-verifiable objectives- sheet page-94
8) Management by objectives (MBO):
Management by objectives (MBO) is a comprehensive manage system based on measurable
and participative set objectives. It is variously understood as an appraisal tool, a motivational
technique and an instrument of planning and control.
Management by objectives (MBO) has been defined by weihrid and koonz as, the
comprehensive managerial that integrates key managerial activities in a systematic manner and
that is considered directed toward the effective and efficient achievement of organization and
individual objectives.
9) Give the thematic view of decision making? And what is decision making.
Decision making is the core of planning. The plan cannot be successful without decisive action
which can be best fitted for the Organization within the specific budget and time frame to reach
the desired goals.
Decision making the distinct work of management to find out the best suited one from various
alternative course of action.
10) What are the steps in decision making? Give briefly sheet page 101.

11) Write a short note about the Delphi group.


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Delphi group:
Delphi is a form of group decision making in which a group is used to achieve a consensus of
expert opinion.
The first step in using the Delphi procedure is to obtain the co-aeration of panel of experts. At
first, the experts may be asked to anonymously predict a time frame for the expected back
through. The persons co-ordinating the Delphi group selects the responses, average them and
ask the experts for another prediction. In this round, the experts who provided unusual or
extreme predictions may be asked to justify them. These explanations may then be handover to
other experts. When prediction stabilizes, the average prediction is taken to represent the
decision of the group of experts.

12) Give the thematic view of organizing and define organizing.


Thematic view of organizing:
In organization planning is considered as the head, and organizing is considered as the physic,
without proper organizing every effort goes in vain.
Definition of organizing:
Organizing is the process of assembling of resources in a harmonious way in order to achieve the
desired goals.
13) Write about the nature and purposes of organizing.
THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF ORGANIZING:

It is often said that good people can make any organization pattern work. However, there can be
no doubt that good people and those who want to cooperate will work together most effectively
if they know the roles they are to play in any team operation .Designing and maintaining these
systems of roles is basically the managerial function of organizing.
For an organizational role to exist and be meaningful to people, it must incorporate:
(1) Verifiable objectives, which, as indicated in part, are a major part of planning;
(2) A clear idea of the major duties or activities involved, and
(3) An understood area of discretion or authority so that the person filling the role knows what he
or she can do to accomplish goals.
In addition, to make a role work out effectively, provision should be made for supplying needed
information and other tools necessary for performance in that role.

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It is in this sense that we think of organizing as:


(1) The identification and classification of required activities,
(2) The grouping of activities necessary to attain objectives,
(3) The assignment of each grouping to a manager with the authority (delegation) necessary to
supervise it, and
(4) The provision for coordination horizontally (on the same or similar organizational level) and
vertically (e.g. corporate headquarters, division, and department) in the organization structure.
An organization structure should be designed to clarify who is to do what tasks and who is
responsible for what results, to remove obstacles to performance caused by confusion and
uncertainty of assignment, and to furnish decision-making and communication networks
reflecting and supporting enterprise objectives.
But for most practicing managers, the term organization implies a formalized intentional
structure of roles or positions. Works are organized in certain way so that people can work
smoothly, effectively, and efficiently in groups. Certainly most managers believe they are
organizing when they establish such an intentional structure.
14) Give briefly about the formal and informal organization.
Within any organization, there are both formal and informal components.
A formal organization exists on the strength of the official structures and designed by the
managers. In a formal organization expected behavior is prescribed by managers.
An informal organization exists when two or more people interact for a purpose or in a manner
not specified by management.
Chart-sheet page-121

15) Write about the Structure of organization.


There is no single organization structure that universally works best in all kinds of situation.
There are 6 kinds of organization structure. They are given below:
1. Pre-bureaucratic structures
2. Bureaucratic structures
3. Post-bureaucratic structures
4. Functional structure
5. Divisional structure

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6. Matrix structure

1. Pre-bureaucratic structures
Pre-bureaucratic (entrepreneurial) structures lack standardization of tasks. This structure is most common
in smaller organizations and is best used to solve simple tasks. The structure is totally centralized.

2. Bureaucratic structures
Weber (1948, p. 214) gives the analogy that the fully developed bureaucratic mechanism. The Weberian
characteristics of bureaucracy are:

Clear defined roles and responsibilities

A hierarchical structure

Respect for merit.


3. Post-bureaucratic structures

Another smaller group of theorists have developed the theory of the Post-Bureaucratic Organization.
Provide a detailed discussion which attempts to describe an organization that is fundamentally not
bureaucratic.
4. Functional structure
Employees within the functional divisions of an organization tend to perform a specialized set of tasks, for
instance the engineering department would be staffed only with software engineers. This leads to
operational efficiencies within that group. However it could also lead to a lack of communication between
the functional groups within an organization, making the organization slow and inflexible.
5. Divisional structure
Also called a "product structure", the divisional structure groups each organizational function into a
division. Each division within a divisional structure contains all the necessary resources and functions
within it.
6. Matrix structure
The matrix structure groups employees by both function and product.

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1. Weak/Functional Matrix
2. Balanced/Functional Matrix
3. Strong/Project Matrix

16) Write about the organization levels and span of management.


Span of Management - number of subordinates who report directly to a manager. Affects the
total number of relationships within an organization.
Relationship Between organization Level and Span of management.
Organization
Level
Narrow Span

Wider Span

Organization with narrow


spans:
M

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Organization with wide


spans:

Advantages:
1. Superiors are forced to delegate the
policies must be made subordinates must
be carefully selected.

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Disadvantages:
1. Tendency of overloaded superiors to
become decision bottlenecks
2. Danger of superiors loss of control
3. Requires exceptional quality of
managers.

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