CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Planning is essential to the performance and long-term viability of organisations in a

variety of industries in modern company management. This chapter provides an overview of the

research project that focuses on how important planning is to business organisations'

performance, with a particular focus on La Med Pharmaceuticals, a well-known pharmaceutical

firm located in Jos, Nigeria. This chapter provides an overview of the study's background,

problem statement, research questions, research objectives, significance, scope, and organisation.

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Perhaps the most asked but least answered question in business today is “what can

we do to make our business survive and grow?” the world is rapidly changing into

something too hard to easily predict, with a hundred opportunities and pitfalls passing by

every moment. To add to this confusion, there are hundreds, if not thousands of

techniques, solutions and a method that claims to help business improve productivity,

quality and customer’s satisfaction. A company president, CEO or business owner had so

many choices in these buzzwords, whether they should be called total Quality

Management, Customer satisfaction, re-engineering or team building. They are like new

shoppers in a giant grocery store: they are hungry, but there are so many brands, sizes and

varieties you don’t know what to buy. In response to this confusion, many do nothing,

often afraid of making the wrong choices and planning.

The modern business in the present stages of the world needs to look at certain

variable for purposeful and effective administration and the general management of such

large business organization. For the business organization to be able to attain its goals
 and objectives, it needs planning. Therefore, indispensability of planning cannot be

overemphasized. The effective performance of individual working together in group, a

manager most essential task is to see that everyone understands the group purpose and

objectives and its method of attaining them. Planning provides also a strongly implies

management innovation. Planning bridges the gap from where we are to where we want

to go. It makes it possible for things to occur which could not otherwise happen. Planning

can be used to predict the exact future and factors beyond our central may interfere with

the best laid down plans, unless we plan, we are leaving events to chances. Planning is an

intellectual demanding process: it requires that we consciously determine knowledge and

considered estimates.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.4 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

1.8 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

1.9

1.10
1.11

1.12

1.13

1.14

1.15