All Free Management Sciences MCQs with Answers

Every Management Sciences question in the bank, across all chapters, each with the correct answer and a written explanation. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

3,770 questions · page 20 of 189

  • A. Apply knowledge with judgment in varied situations
  • B. Follow fixed rules in every organisational situation
  • C. Avoid personal judgment when directing employees
  • D. Use financial records as the main decision guide

Explanation: Management is an art because managers apply general knowledge, judgment and experience to particular situations.

Correct answer: Apply knowledge with judgment in varied situations
  • A. They apply to different types and sizes of organisations
  • B. They apply only to profit-making business organisations
  • C. They apply only when an organisation has many employees
  • D. They apply only to public sector administrative offices

Explanation: Management principles can be applied in business firms, government departments, hospitals, schools and nonprofit organisations.

Correct answer: They apply to different types and sizes of organisations
  • A. An assumption about future conditions affecting plans
  • B. A final report comparing actual and planned results
  • C. A list of employees assigned to each department
  • D. A detailed record of completed organisational activities

Explanation: Planning premises are assumptions about future conditions such as markets, resources, technology or government policy.

Correct answer: An assumption about future conditions affecting plans
  • A. Significant deviations from established standards
  • B. Every minor activity performed by each employee
  • C. Only decisions made by senior executives
  • D. Routine work that fully meets performance standards

Explanation: Management by exception directs managerial attention to important deviations from standards or expected results.

Correct answer: Significant deviations from established standards
  • A. Feedforward control
  • B. Concurrent control
  • C. Feedback control
  • D. Post-action control

Explanation: Feedforward control operates before an activity begins and seeks to prevent expected problems in advance.

Correct answer: Feedforward control
  • A. Concurrent control
  • B. Feedforward control
  • C. Feedback control
  • D. Strategic planning

Explanation: Concurrent control takes place while an activity is in progress, allowing corrective action before the work is completed.

Correct answer: Concurrent control
  • A. Offers several distinct products requiring separate attention
  • B. Has employees performing only one specialised activity
  • C. Operates from a single location with identical customers
  • D. Uses one process for every product and service

Explanation: Product departmentalisation groups activities around separate products or product lines.

Correct answer: Offers several distinct products requiring separate attention
  • A. Authority comes from a formal position, while power is broader
  • B. Authority is personal influence, while power comes only from rank
  • C. Authority and power always have exactly the same source
  • D. Authority belongs to subordinates, while power belongs to managers

Explanation: Authority is the formal and legitimate right to make decisions or issue orders because of an organisational position.

Correct answer: Authority comes from a formal position, while power is broader
  • A. Matrix structure
  • B. Simple line structure
  • C. Pure functional structure
  • D. Single-purpose committee

Explanation: A matrix structure combines functional and project or product authority, so an employee may report to two managers.

Correct answer: Matrix structure
  • A. Operational plan
  • B. Strategic plan
  • C. Contingency plan
  • D. Single-use plan

Explanation: An operational plan specifies short-term actions, schedules and resources needed for routine organisational work.

Correct answer: Operational plan
  • A. It seeks to achieve defined organisational results
  • B. It limits decisions to senior managers
  • C. It focuses mainly on employee supervision
  • D. It replaces organisational rules with personal judgment

Explanation: Management is goal-oriented because its activities are directed toward achieving specified organisational objectives.

Correct answer: It seeks to achieve defined organisational results
  • A. Planning alternative courses of action
  • B. Issuing daily instructions to employees
  • C. Recording completed financial transactions
  • D. Checking attendance after work begins

Explanation: Planning examines expected conditions and prepares suitable courses of action before work is undertaken.

Correct answer: Planning alternative courses of action
  • A. Preliminary control
  • B. Concurrent control
  • C. Feedback control
  • D. Preventive control

Explanation: Feedback control measures completed results and uses the information to improve future performance.

Correct answer: Feedback control
  • A. Authority and responsibility
  • B. Output and input
  • C. Objectives and policies
  • D. Planning and coordination

Explanation: Productivity measures how efficiently inputs such as labour, time, and materials are converted into outputs.

Correct answer: Output and input
  • A. It requires specialised knowledge and ethical standards
  • B. It depends only on personal experience
  • C. It is limited to government organisations
  • D. It requires membership in one universal licensing body

Explanation: Management has features of a profession because it uses specialised knowledge, formal education, and accepted ethical standards.

Correct answer: It requires specialised knowledge and ethical standards
  • A. Offers one product in one local market
  • B. Operates across regions with different customer needs
  • C. Groups employees only according to their professions
  • D. Organises work around temporary construction projects

Explanation: Geographical departmentalisation groups activities according to territories or regions.

Correct answer: Operates across regions with different customer needs
  • A. Highly routine work with similar tasks
  • B. Subordinates who need close guidance
  • C. Standardised procedures for every activity
  • D. Strong communication systems throughout the unit

Explanation: A narrow span is more suitable when employees require frequent guidance or their work is complex and varied.

Correct answer: Subordinates who need close guidance
  • A. Authority increases automatically for every subordinate
  • B. Accountability for results remains with the assigning manager
  • C. Delegation removes the manager's duty to monitor results
  • D. Responsibility becomes unnecessary once authority is transferred

Explanation: A manager may delegate authority and assign responsibility, but remains accountable for the final results within the organisation.

Correct answer: Accountability for results remains with the assigning manager
  • A. Top management
  • B. Middle management
  • C. First-line management
  • D. The board of directors

Explanation: First-line managers translate operating plans into specific duties, schedules, and instructions for employees.

Correct answer: First-line management
  • A. A manager changes targets without reviewing results
  • B. A manager compares results with standards and takes corrective action
  • C. A manager allows performance to continue without measurement
  • D. A manager sets standards but never communicates them

Explanation: Effective control requires standards, measurement of actual performance, comparison, and corrective action where necessary.

Correct answer: A manager compares results with standards and takes corrective action