How often Organising is asked

Where it was asked

What costs marks here

The questions

1. Oct/Nov 2018, Q481 mark · multiple choice

   A manager's span of management is determined by which of the following: 1) the number of subordinates who report directly to him; 2) the number of subordinates at lower levels; 3) the number of subordinates on the same level; or 4) the size of the enterprise?

2. Oct/Nov 2018, Q491 mark · multiple choice

   Structure is extremely important at Nike, since it largely determines where management spend their time. Large organisations such as Nike often become overwhelmed with information if the organisational structure is not appropriate. To further improve the current reporting relationships at Nike, a decision was taken to introduce an additional management layer into the Nike hierarchy. Given this, what was the first step Nike had to take in establishing reporting lines when it introduced this additional management layer: did Nike management have to 1) determine the appropriate chain of command; 2) determine who reports to whom; 3) determine the optimal span of management; or 4) determine if managers would be underutilised?

3. Oct/Nov 2018, Q501 mark · multiple choice

   Alex is a manager at a Nike store in Gauteng. He needs to ensure that there is a clear, unbroken line of authority running from the lowest to the highest position in the organisation. Which concept does this describe: 1) chain of command; 2) span of management; 3) scalar principle; or 4) unity of command?

4. Oct/Nov 2018, Q511 mark · multiple choice

   Thabo is a lecturer at Unisa. He contacts the ICT manager to help him set up the self-assessment application on his computer on the myUnisa system. What type of authority does the ICT manager have over Thabo: 1) line; 2) staff; 3) functional; or 4) centralised?

5. Oct/Nov 2018, Q521 mark · multiple choice

   As a business becomes more complex, what happens to its potential span of management: does it become 1) broader; 2) narrower; 3) flatter; or 4) more decentralised?

6. Oct/Nov 2018, Q531 mark · multiple choice

   Which management practice involves continually assigning employees new, challenging tasks so as to increase their opportunities for growth and advancement: 1) Job specialisation; 2) Job enrichment; 3) Job enlargement; or 4) Job rotation?

7. Oct/Nov 2018, Q541 mark · multiple choice

   If South African Breweries (SAB) wants a structure in which specialist project managers can help manage complex projects while still retaining functional specialisation, which organisational structure should SAB use: 1) Functional; 2) Matrix; 3) Location; or 4) Customer?

8. Oct/Nov 2018, Q551 mark · multiple choice

   Referring to the organisational structure described in question 54 that SAB will adopt, what is a main disadvantage of using this structure: 1) divided authority and a serious risk of soured relations between the project and functional executives; 2) managers in each section concentrate their attention almost exclusively on their own products and tend to lose sight of the products of the rest of the business; 3) administrative costs increase because each section has to have its own functional specialists such as market researchers or financial experts; or 4) it is a very basic type of departmentalisation and the specialised knowledge of employees is not used to maximum effect?

9. May/Jun 2017, Q481 mark · multiple choice

   Complete the following statement about the organising function of management: 'Organising means that management ___.' Choose the correct option: (1) has to develop mechanisms in order to implement the strategy or plan; (2) has to set goals and develop plans of action to achieve the goals as productively as possible; (3) needs to decide where the organisation should go in future and how to get there; (4) is guaranteed that the goals of the business organisation will be accomplished.

10. May/Jun 2017, Q491 mark · multiple choice

    Nike put in place a basic matrix-like structure that combines functional and product departmentalisation. Its current organisational structure still resembles this matrix structure, in which each unit has multiple responsibilities and reporting lines. Based on this scenario, which of the following is an advantage of the matrix organisational structure that Nike follows? (1) Activities are grouped together under specific functions; (2) Specialised knowledge of employees is used to maximum effect; (3) Specialist project managers can help manage complex projects; (4) Decisions can be made quickly.

11. May/Jun 2017, Q501 mark · multiple choice

    Continuing with the Nike scenario: Alex is a manager at a Nike store in Gauteng, and he has four subordinates who report to him on a daily basis. This situation describes which management concept? (1) chain of command; (2) span of management; (3) scalar principle; (4) unity of command.

12. May/Jun 2017, Q511 mark · multiple choice

    Which one of the following statements correctly identifies a distinct characteristic of formal authority? (1) Formal authority is vested in people, not organisational positions; (2) Formal authority is accepted by subordinates; (3) Formal authority flows up the vertical hierarchy of an organisation; (4) Formal authority is only present in centralised structures.

13. May/Jun 2017, Q521 mark · multiple choice

    The human resources department at the Beach Mist Luxury Resort is made up of several sub-departments, including Remunerations and Training and Development, all of which report to the Human Resources Manager, Cindy. Cindy has authority over Craig, the Remunerations Manager, and Thabi, the Training and Development Manager. What kind of authority does Cindy hold in this case? (1) Staff authority; (2) Command authority; (3) Informal authority; (4) Line authority.

14. May/Jun 2017, Q531 mark · multiple choice

    FastForward Sports is a large company, and Matt's department, which handles running shoes, is only one of several similar departments. Even though each department functions almost as its own business unit, it is important that all departments remain aligned with the goals set by FastForward Sports's top management. What is the key mechanism that keeps each department focused on FastForward Sports's overall goals? (1) strategic management; (2) coordination; (3) leadership; (4) cohesion.

15. May/Jun 2017, Q541 mark · multiple choice

    FastForward Sports operates with only a few levels of management, but each manager oversees many subordinates. This arrangement means that FastForward Sports has which type of structure? (1) narrow; (2) low; (3) high; (4) broad.

16. May/Jun 2017, Q551 mark · multiple choice

    Thabo manages an advertising company that is divided into several business units, namely sales, marketing, media, customer insight, and products and services. According to this structure, Thabo's advertising company is departmentalised according to which basis? (1) function; (2) product; (3) location; (4) customer.

17. Oct/Nov 2015, Q481 mark · multiple choice

    Consider this case scenario: In 1970 SAB opened South Africa's first carbonated soft drink canning plant and launched the Groovey range, which became a huge success. Three years later, SAB established breweries in Botswana and Angola and also took control of Alcol and Shoecorp. Given that SAB manufactures and sells its products in different geographical regions, which type of departmentalisation would be the logical structure for a business such as SAB?

18. Oct/Nov 2015, Q491 mark · multiple choice

    Continuing with the SAB case scenario (SAB opened South Africa's first carbonated soft drink canning plant in 1970, launched the successful Groovey range, and three years later established breweries in Botswana and Angola while taking control of Alcol and Shoecorp): if SAB wants a structure where specialist project managers can help manage complex projects while functional specialisation is still retained, which organisational structure should SAB use?

19. Oct/Nov 2015, Q501 mark · multiple choice

    When an employee's number of tasks is increased along with the amount of control that employee has over the job, this describes which type of job design change?

20. Oct/Nov 2015, Q511 mark · multiple choice

    Justin is a manager at Big Bang Technologies. He has four subordinates who report to him on a daily basis. Which management concept does this situation describe?

21. Oct/Nov 2015, Q521 mark · multiple choice

    Jenny is the managing director of an IT company and has the right to command or give orders down the line of command. What type of authority does Jenny therefore have?

22. Oct/Nov 2015, Q531 mark · multiple choice

    Which term can be defined as the duty to perform the task or activity as assigned?

23. Oct/Nov 2015, Q541 mark · multiple choice

    In a conversation, a consultant asks Jason, 'So he is not your immediate supervisor?' Jason replies, 'No, but for the amount of time I spend with my supervisor (the Senior Manager), Mr Ringane might as well be.' Jason's comment suggests that he may be uncertain about which of the two supervisors he must report to. This situation relates to an issue within which management concept?

24. Oct/Nov 2015, Q551 mark · multiple choice

    Which one of the following statements about specialisation is incorrect: that the main purpose of specialisation is to increase productivity; that excessive specialisation may have a negative effect on productivity; that workers who perform highly specialised jobs may become bored and demotivated; or that specialisation can only be applied at operational levels?