Objectives

Correct answer: A. A clear standard for assessing customer-service performance

The correct answer is A. The ten-minute target makes the expected service level clear and provides a standard against which actual waiting time can be assessed. It does not, by itself, specify office decoration or a prohibition.

Correct answer: A. What is to be achieved?

The correct answer is A. An objective states the result to be achieved—the “what.” A strategy describes a broad approach to achieving it—the “how”; choices about competition, markets, or channels concern that approach.

Correct answer: C. Reduce the dropout rate from 8% to 5% by the end of the next academic session

The correct answer is C. It states a measurable change—from 8% to 5%—and sets a deadline, the end of the next academic session. The other options do not give a specific outcome that can be checked.

Correct answer: A. An objective states the desired result; a procedure sets out an ordered series of steps

The correct answer is A. An objective identifies the result to be achieved, while a procedure explains the sequence of steps to follow in carrying out work. A goal and the steps for reaching it serve different purposes.

Correct answer: A. A specific, measurable target with a responsible person and a deadline

The correct answer is A. A specific, measurable target, assigned to a responsible person and given a deadline, makes it clearer who must deliver what and by when. That makes follow-up and accountability more practical.

Correct answer: B. It states a measurable target and a time limit

The objective gives a starting point (12 hours), a target (6 hours), and a deadline (the next quarter). These details make progress measurable within a specified period.

Correct answer: A. Whether distributing brochures is likely to help increase market share

A team’s target should contribute to the organisation’s main objective. The relevant check is whether brochure distribution can help increase market share, rather than an unrelated detail such as brochure colour.

Correct answer: A. Double the organisation’s national market share within five years

Doubling national market share over five years is a broad, long-term aim for the organisation. The other options describe short-term tasks or routine activities.

Correct answer: A. Social responsibilities and employee needs may be neglected

An organisation may have several objectives, including profit, social responsibility and employee-related aims. Focusing only on profit can cause the other objectives to be neglected.

Correct answer: B. Increase paid subscriptions among urban students by 15% this year

Option B identifies the group concerned, the measure to improve, the amount of improvement and the time period. The other options are too vague to measure clearly.

Correct answer: A. The target standard and the actual performance

Achievement can be assessed by comparing actual performance with the target standard. The other information does not show whether the objective was met.

Correct answer: A. Human resource development

The target concerns employees completing training, which develops their knowledge and skills. It therefore relates most directly to human resource development.

Correct answer: A. Employees reduce quality just to meet a numerical target

If employees are judged only by a numerical target, they may meet the number by lowering quality. This shows why performance targets should not encourage neglect of other important standards.

Correct answer: A. An objective states what is to be achieved; a method states how to do it

An objective describes the result to be achieved, while a method describes the way of carrying out the work to achieve it. This is the key difference between the two.

Correct answer: C. Increase the customer retention rate from 60% to 72% within six months

Option C gives the starting rate, the target rate and the deadline. These details make the intended improvement clear and measurable.

Correct answer: A. Increase total market share and increase the number of potential customers generated by the marketing department

A market-share goal applies to the organisation as a whole, while generating more potential customers is a suitable marketing-department goal. Their scope therefore follows the order asked in the question.

Correct answer: A. Quality may fall while achieving quantity

Direct answer: Option A, quality may fall while achieving the required quantity. An objective is a clear target that tells people what must be achieved. If management mentions only the number of units, workers may concentrate on producing more and may ignore the required standard of quality. The reasoning is: only quantity is measured; quality is not specified; workers may save time or effort by using inferior materials or by skipping checks; therefore the number of units may be achieved, but the goods may be defective or less useful. Option A is correct because it identifies this exact danger. Option B is wrong because missing quality standards do not make control perfect; in fact, control becomes weaker because there is no clear quality benchmark for comparison. Option C is wrong because an objective is a target or desired result, whereas a rule is a prescribed instruction about what must or must not be done. Leaving out quality does not convert an objective into a rule. Option D is wrong because every production activity normally uses resources such as materials, labour, time and money; a quantity-only objective does not make resource use disappear. A balanced objective should mention both how much output is needed and what quality level must be maintained. Memory cue: “Quantity without quality can create defective output.”

Correct answer: A. Compare the actual number of complaints resolved each week with the target number

A control standard lets managers compare actual performance with a planned target. Option A makes that comparison by checking the number of complaints resolved against the objective each week.

Correct answer: A. Reduce the time taken to respond to complaints in a customer-service company

Responding to complaints is directly connected to customer service, so reducing response time supports the company’s main work. The other examples are not as clearly linked to the organisation’s core activity.

Correct answer: A. A motivating challenge

A target that is achievable but challenging can encourage employees to make an extra effort. This is the motivating-challenge feature described in the question.

Correct answer: A. Clarity

A clear objective communicates the intended result in a way employees can understand consistently. Different interpretations indicate that the objective is not clear enough.

Correct answer: A. Reduce refund delays this month and make the brand a leader in its field within three years

Reducing refund delays this month has a short time horizon. Becoming a leader in the field within three years has a much longer time horizon, so the objectives are in the order asked.

Correct answer: A. It states the desired result, a measure and a time limit

The desired result is a higher satisfaction score, progress is measured on the score scale, and the one-year period sets a time limit. Together, these details make the objective specific and measurable.

Correct answer: A. Implementing the objective may be impractical

A target may be difficult or impossible to achieve without the required resources. Imposing it without those resources can therefore make its implementation impractical.

Correct answer: A. Objective is performance result while rule is do or do not command

The direct answer is option A. An objective states the result or target that an organisation wants to achieve, while a rule is a firm instruction saying what must or must not be done. Step by step: ask what performance should be reached—that is the objective; ask what action is compulsory or prohibited—that is the rule. Option A correctly says that an objective is a performance result and a rule is a do-or-do-not command. Option B reverses the meanings, so it is wrong: prohibition belongs to a rule, while a target belongs to an objective. Option C is wrong because a technique is a method and a budget is a financial plan, not the basic definitions here. Option D is wrong because sequence relates to order and policy is a general guideline. Exam cue: target equals objective; compulsory instruction equals rule.