Objectives

Without a defined measure, such as output per employee, the company cannot clearly assess whether productivity has increased. The objective therefore lacks a clear measurement standard.

A target focused only on the lowest price does not support the stated aim of providing high-end premium service. The other targets directly support their companies' stated objectives.

Customer churn measures how many customers stop doing business with the company. Reducing churn means retaining more customers, so the objective is directly related to customer retention.

The target gives measurable rates—12% and 7%—and sets a six-month deadline. This makes the objective both measurable and time-bound.

Without an indicator, the department cannot clearly assess whether the brand image has improved. The objective therefore lacks a clear measurable criterion.

The direct answer is option C: quantity and quality need balance. Production wants more units, while the quality department wants fewer defects. Both are valid objectives, but pursuing only one can damage the other. Step by step: increasing units may create pressure to work faster; excessive speed may increase defects; reducing defects may require inspection, training, or process improvement; the organisation therefore needs both adequate output and acceptable quality. Option A is wrong because production and quality are connected: defective units affect customers, cost, reputation, and sales. Option B is wrong because a target is not automatically a rule. Option C is correct because balanced objectives support efficient and sustainable performance. Option D is wrong because different departments can have different objectives, and both can genuinely be objectives. Exam cue: quantity asks how much is produced; quality asks how well it is produced.

Option D specifies a measurable result—an increase in average marks from 64 to 72 out of 100—and a deadline, the next academic session. The other options do not state a specific measurable target.

A realistic objective should be achievable with the organisation’s available capacity and resources. A target far beyond that capacity is not realistic.

A cost-reduction target that leads to more complaints may undermine service quality and the company’s broader objective. Departmental objectives should be balanced and aligned with overall organisational objectives.

C is a strategy because it sets a broad direction for how the company will enter the premium market. The other choices state measurable results to achieve, so they are objectives.

Operating profit is a financial measure. Therefore, a target to increase it relates to financial performance.

The number can make the target measurable, but without a deadline it is not time-bound. A clear objective should specify when the result is to be achieved.

The organisation has targets in several areas, including profit, service, employee development and innovation. This illustrates the multiplicity of organisational objectives.

An objective states what the organisation wants to achieve. A policy provides general guidance for making decisions while pursuing that objective.

Absenteeism concerns employees and their attendance. A target to reduce it is therefore a human-resource objective.

When no person or department is assigned responsibility, it is harder to determine who must act and answer for the result. Accountability is therefore weakened.

B gives an ordered set of steps for completing a payment, which is a procedure. The other choices state results to achieve and are objectives.

C gives a specific, measurable engagement metric and a deadline: daily active users are to rise from 45,000 to 60,000 within three months. The other options are vague or describe an action rather than a measurable result.

When employees understand a shared objective, they can align their efforts and coordinate their work. Unclear communication makes that common direction and coordination harder to achieve.

The objective concerns how reliably and efficiently the firm delivers its service. Reducing the late-delivery rate from 11% to 5% gives a measurable service-efficiency target for the next quarter.

A clear sales target can still create an ethical risk if employees are pressured to make false promises to meet it. The pressure does not justify misleading customers.

Onboarding is a process for bringing new employees into the organisation. Reducing the time it takes is therefore linked to the efficiency of a human resource process.

When only output quantity is emphasised, employees may prioritise production over safe working practices. Including safety standards helps balance the objective.

Increasing the market share of the whole organisation is a corporate objective because it applies to the organisation as a whole. A salesperson’s weekly call target applies to one individual, so it is an individual objective.

The repeat-purchase rate can be measured, and the option specifies both a starting point and a target within six months. It therefore gives a concrete indicator for assessing customer retention.