Neha, the new manager of Sai Electricals, asks her team to sit together, list the facts and figures, and work out on paper what is to be done and how, before any work is begun.
Which feature of planning does Neha’s approach show, and why?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Planning is a mental exercise, as it requires logical and systematic thinking rather than guess work.
Option (1) Planning is futuristic, as it is a forward looking function based on forecasting. — Incorrect. Neha’s team is not forecasting. They are thinking out the work on paper.
Option (2) Planning is futuristic, as it requires logical and systematic thinking rather than guess work. — Incorrect. The reason belongs to a mental exercise, so the feature and the reason do not match.
Option (3) Planning is a mental exercise, as it is a forward looking function based on forecasting. — Incorrect. Right feature, wrong reason. Forecasting explains the feature ‘planning is futuristic’.
Option (4) Planning is a mental exercise, as it requires logical and systematic thinking rather than guess work. — Correct. Working out on paper what to do and how, before any work begins, is thinking rather than doing. Listing facts and figures first shows logical and systematic thinking, with no guess work.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “(v) Planning is futuristic: Planning essentially involves looking ahead and preparing for the future. The purpose of planning is to meet future events effectively to the best advantage of an organisation. It implies peeping into the future, analysing it and predicting it. Planning is, therefore, regarded as a forward looking function based on forecasting. Through forecasting, future events and conditions are anticipated and plans are drawn accordingly. Thus, for example, sales forecasting is the basis on which a business firm prepares its annual plan for production and sales.” “(vii) Planning is a mental exercise: Planning requires application of the mind involving foresight, intelligent imagination and sound judgement. It is basically an intellectual activity of thinking rather than doing, because planning determines the action to be taken. However, planning requires logical and systematic thinking rather than guess work or wishful thinking. In other words, thinking for planning must be orderly and based on the analysis of facts and forecasts.” |