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SingaporeBusiness Management

Organisational Structure and Management

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What makes an effective leader, and does the best style depend on the situation?

Compare the main leadership styles, including autocratic, democratic, paternalistic and laissez-faire, and evaluate which style suits a given situation
A focused answer to the H2 Management of Business outcome on leadership. Autocratic, democratic, paternalistic and laissez-faire styles, the difference between leadership and management, and the contingency view that the best style depends on the situation.
8 min answer →

What do managers actually do, and how should they make decisions under uncertainty?

Explain the functions and roles of management and analyse approaches to decision making, including scientific versus intuitive methods and the use of decision trees
A focused answer to the H2 Management of Business outcome on management and decision making. The functions and roles of management, scientific versus intuitive decision making, the decision-making process, and the use and limits of decision trees with a worked expected-value calculation.
9 min answer →

What actually motivates people at work, and how can managers use those insights to improve performance?

Explain the main theories of motivation, including Taylor, Maslow, Herzberg and McGregor, and evaluate their application to managing and rewarding staff
A focused answer to the H2 Management of Business outcome on motivation. Taylor's scientific management, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's two-factor theory and McGregor's Theory X and Y, plus financial and non-financial methods and how to evaluate their use.
9 min answer →

What is the 'way things are done' in a firm, and why is culture so hard to change?

Explain the nature and types of organisational culture and evaluate its influence on performance and the challenge of changing it
A focused answer to the H2 Management of Business outcome on organisational culture. What culture is, the main types (power, role, task, person; strong versus weak), how culture affects performance, and why changing culture is so difficult.
8 min answer →

How should a business arrange its people and reporting lines, and what is gained or lost by each design?

Explain the main features of organisational structures, including hierarchy, span of control, centralisation and delayering, and evaluate the choice of structure
A focused answer to the H2 Management of Business outcome on organisational structure. Hierarchy, chain of command, span of control, tall versus flat structures, centralisation, delegation, delayering and matrix structures, and how to evaluate the right design.
9 min answer →