Planning process

Future estimates of grants and cost are premises. In exams, write future assumptions after objectives as premises.

The seller already has one objective: faster delivery. It then considers three possible methods—creating its own vehicle network, using partner couriers, and establishing local pickup centres. These are separate courses of action that could be compared for cost, speed, control, coverage, and convenience. The example is therefore about generating possible routes, not about measuring results.

Option A is correct because identifying alternative courses of action means finding different ways to achieve a previously decided objective. Following up a plan and measuring performance happen after a method has been selected and implemented. “Removing objectives” is not a normal planning step. The presence of several possible delivery arrangements is the clear clue supporting the supplied answer.

Evaluation checks customer experience along with cost. In exams, keep non-financial factors in evaluation.

Direct answer: Option D, implementing the plan. A selected strategy becomes implementation when it is translated into specific work for people and departments. Departmental tasks explain who will do what; deadlines explain when it must be done; spending limits control the resources to be used. Thus the abstract decision is being converted into practical action. Option A is wrong because identifying alternatives means listing possible courses before one is chosen. Option B is wrong because premises are assumptions about future conditions, not task schedules or spending controls. Option C is wrong because evaluation compares alternatives; it does not execute the chosen one. Option D is correct because implementation puts the selected strategy into operation through duties, time limits and resource allocation. Exam cue: action, responsibility, schedule, budget and execution point to implementation.

Checking actual results after the plan is follow-up. In exams, write review and correction when variance appears.

Good alternatives are necessary for better decisions. In exams, treat quality of every step as important.

Good objectives should be specific and measurable. In exams, write unclear target as a weak objective.

Common premises make departments think on the same base. In exams, connect shared assumptions with coordination.

These are possible courses of action to achieve the goal. In exams, write option generation as alternatives stage.

If responsibility is unclear, action becomes weak. In exams, treat responsibility as a core part of implementation.

The purpose of follow-up is not only reporting but also correction. In exams, write corrective action with deviation.

Follow-up should check multiple performance indicators. In exams, check quality along with sales.

Three demand scenarios are future assumptions. In exams, connect scenario planning with premises.

Wrong premises affect evaluation and selection. In exams, understand the effect of early steps on later steps.

Objectives should be both realistic and challenging. In exams, even an easy objective can be treated as weak.

The direct answer is B: non-financial and social impact. Evaluation does not mean checking money alone. In planning, a manager compares the expected results of an alternative with its costs, risks, environmental effects, employee effects and effects on the public. Here the environmental effect was ignored, and the later public protest proves that the wider social effect was also missed. Option A, only wage rate, is wrong because wages are only one financial cost and cannot explain public protest caused by environmental harm. Option B is correct because social and other non-financial effects include public acceptance, pollution, safety, goodwill and community reaction. Option C, office layout, concerns arrangement of workplace facilities and has no necessary connection with the protest. Option D, bank account type, concerns banking administration, not evaluation of a project’s social consequences. Remember: before selecting a plan, ask not only “How much will it cost?” but also “Who and what will it affect?”

Training schedule makes implementation possible. In exams, connect capability building with action stage.

Employees can provide practical options. In exams, connect participative planning with alternatives stage.

Direct answer: Option B, evaluating alternatives. Company policy is a criterion used to judge whether a possible plan is suitable. Before implementation, managers should compare alternatives and reject any option that conflicts with policy, values, legal limits, resources or objectives. The reasoning is: alternatives are available, each is tested against policy and other criteria, an unsuitable alternative is removed, and only then can selection and implementation occur. Option A is wrong because rejection should normally happen before implementation, not after resources have already been used. Option B is correct because evaluation is the stage for checking policy fit. Option C is wrong because follow-up examines results after implementation and is too late for the original screening. Option D is irrelevant because salary distribution is not a planning-process step here. Memory cue: test alternatives first; select and implement only after evaluation.

Authority and responsibility are necessary for implementation. In exams, write authority along with resources.

Balanced objectives avoid narrow planning. In exams, treat multiple standards as mature objectives.

Without shared premises, departments may work on different bases. In exams, connect premise communication with coordination.

Short-term and long-term impacts are compared in evaluation. In exams, write balanced evaluation.

Resources and coordination should be clear before implementation. In exams, treat conflict as an action stage issue.

Inflation estimate affects cost planning. In exams, remember the effect of economic premises on budget.