NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Business Studies Chapter 5: Organising

Class 12 Business Studies Chapter 5

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Business Studies Chapter 5 Organising

Master the core concepts of structure, delegation, and decentralisation with our Updated NCERT Solutions for CBSE Class 12 Business Studies Chapter 5. Learn how businesses build frameworks to achieve goals. This chapter is vital for scoring high in Board Exam Questions 2026 and clearing competitive exams like CUET!

Chapter NameOrganising
SubjectBusiness Studies
ClassClass 12
BoardCBSE (Academic Year 2026-27)
Important TopicsOrganising Process, Functional vs Divisional Structures, Delegation, Decentralisation
Difficulty LevelModerate
Exam Weightage8 to 10 Marks

Learning Objectives

After completing this chapter, students will be able to:

Key Concepts and Definitions

To secure top marks in your board exams, memorize these essential terms and definitions:

Full NCERT Solutions

Here are the complete, step-by-step Organising Class 12 Solutions matching the latest CBSE pattern.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1: Define the term 'Organising'.

Step 1: Formal Definition. Organising is the administrative process of identifying and grouping the work to be performed, defining and delegating responsibility and authority, and establishing relationships for the purpose of enabling people to work most effectively together in accomplishing objectives.

Step 2: Simple Explanation. In simple terms, it translates paper plans into operational reality by answering the vital question: "Who will do what, and who reports to whom?"

Question 2: What are the steps in the process of organising?

The organising process is highly structured and must follow a logical sequence to prevent chaos inside an organization.

  1. Identification and Division of Work: The entire work is broken down into manageable activities based on predetermined plans. This avoids duplication of effort and ensures no employee is overburdened.
  2. Departmentalisation: Activities of a similar or related nature are grouped together into compact units called departments (e.g., Production department, Finance department, Marketing department).
  3. Assignment of Duties: Once departments are ready, specific jobs are allocated to members matching their specific skills, qualifications, and capabilities.
  4. Establishing Reporting Relationships: Every employee must know exactly from whom they take orders and to whom they are directly answerable. This clear hierarchy creates a clean working environment.

Question 3: Can accountability be delegated? Explain.

No, accountability can never be delegated. This is governed by the Principle of Absolutism of Accountability.

  • The Logic: A manager can delegate authority and responsibility to a subordinate to complete a specific task.
  • The Catch: If the subordinate fails to perform the task correctly, the ultimate answerability to higher management still rests with the delegating manager.
  • Example: If a sales manager delegates a target of selling 1,000 units to a sales executive, and the executive only manages 400 units, the sales manager remains fully accountable to the Director for the overall deficit.

Question 4: What do you understand by 'Span of Management'?

Span of Management (also known as span of control) refers to the total number of subordinates that a manager can efficiently monitor and direct.

  • A narrow span of management results in a tall organizational structure with many hierarchical levels.
  • A wide span of management leads to a flat structure with fewer levels, which speeds up communication but increases supervisory pressure on individual managers.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 5: Explain the importance of organising.

Organising serves as the operational engine of an enterprise. Its structural benefits include:

  • Benefits of Specialisation: Since tasks are divided systematically, a worker repeatedly performs the same activity, building high speed, accuracy, and specialisation.
  • Clarity in Working Relationships: It removes ambiguity by clearly documenting lines of communication, eliminating unnecessary workplace friction.
  • Optimum Utilisation of Resources: Precise allocation prevents overlapping of tasks, tracking down and eliminating any wastage of financial, material, and human assets.
  • Adaptation to Change: A well-structured organization allows companies to modify their structural frames smoothly when responding to shifting market laws and demands.
  • Effective Administration: It provides a clear description of jobs, avoiding confusion and enabling executives to govern operations effortlessly.

Question 6: Distinguish between Functional and Divisional structures.

Choosing the right structure determines how effectively a company operates. Here is a direct comparative layout:

Basis of Comparison Functional Structure Divisional Structure
Formation Basis Created on the basis of primary functions (e.g., HR, Sales). Created on the basis of distinct product lines (e.g., Garments, Footwear).
Specialisation Leads to functional specialisation. Leads to product-line specialisation.
Responsibility Difficult to fix responsibility on any single department for overall failure. Easy to fix responsibility as each product division operates as a profit center.
Cost Involved Economical; avoids unnecessary duplication of work. Expensive; involves duplicate setups of functions for every single division.
Suitability Best for firms managing a single main product line. Ideal for large, multi-product enterprises seeking rapid diversification.

Extra Important Questions (Board Style)

Part A: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Q1. Which organizational structure is most suitable for a multi-product giant like Tata or Reliance?

A) Functional Structure
B) Divisional Structure
C) Matrix Structure
D) Horizontal Structure

  • Answer: B
  • Explanation: Multi-product enterprises require independent divisions to manage distinct operations seamlessly without mixing up diverse product strategies.
  • Difficulty: Easy

Q2. Grouping jobs of a similar nature into separate functional zones is called:

A) Division of work
B) Departmentalisation
C) Delegation
D) Decentralisation

  • Answer: B
  • Explanation: Departmentalisation is the literal phase of collecting identical activities into single operational nodes like HR or accounts.
  • Difficulty: Easy

Q3. Authority flows in which direction within an organization?

A) Upward
B) Downward
C) Horizontally
D) Diagonally

  • Answer: B
  • Explanation: Authority is the legal or institutional right to command, meaning it originates at top tiers and flows downward.
  • Difficulty: Easy

Q4. Which element of delegation cannot be passed on to anyone else?

A) Authority
B) Responsibility
C) Accountability
D) Work allocation

  • Answer: C
  • Explanation: Accountability remains absolute at the top and cannot be pushed down to avoid answerability.
  • Difficulty: Medium

Q5. When decision-making authority is held exclusively by top management, the organization is said to be:

A) Decentralised
B) Delegated
C) Centralised
D) Functionalized

  • Answer: C
  • Explanation: Centralisation means retaining core power clusters firmly at the highest organizational tiers.
  • Difficulty: Easy

Part B: Short Answer Questions

Q6. Differentiate between Authority and Responsibility on the basis of origin and direction of flow.

  • Origin: Authority arises out of an individual's formal managerial position, whereas responsibility emerges out of a superior-subordinate relationship.
  • Flow: Authority flows downward from a boss to a subordinate, while responsibility flows upward as the subordinate remains obligated to the boss.

Difficulty: Medium

Q7. "Delegation is an essential tool, while decentralisation is a philosophical choice." Explain.

Answer: A manager must delegate because no individual can handle all operational tasks alone; delegation is practical survival. Decentralisation, however, is a deliberate, company-wide policy decision made by top executives to distribute power across all levels of the firm.

Difficulty: High

Q8. Explain how organizing helps an organization adapt to dynamic business environments.

Answer: Organising allows dynamic adjustments to the company's internal structure. When market rules change, new departments can be added, reporting relationships adjusted, or job descriptions modified without disrupting existing operations.

Difficulty: Medium

Part C: Long Answer Questions

Q9. Explain the elements of delegation in detail.

Delegation consists of three primary interconnected elements:

  1. Authority: The formal right of a manager to command subordinates, use resources, and take actions. It stems from organizational rank.
  2. Responsibility: The specific obligation of a subordinate to perform the assigned duty to the best of their ability.
  3. Accountability: Being answerable for the final outcome of the assigned task. Once authority is given and responsibility accepted, accountability automatically comes into play.

Difficulty: Medium

Visual Suggestion: Use a notebook to draw a triangle connecting Authority, Responsibility, and Accountability to display their collective harmony.

Q10. Discuss the core significance of Decentralisation in modern corporations.

Modern decentralised operations build enterprise resilience through several clear benefits:

  • Develops Initiative among Subordinates: It helps lower levels trust their own judgment, boosting employee morale and self-confidence.
  • Develops Managerial Talent for the Future: Handling real decisions prepares lower-level managers to take on top-tier responsibilities later in their careers.
  • Quick Decision Making: Passing power down eliminates long approval queues, allowing front-line workers to respond to problems instantly.
  • Relief to Top Management: Top executives can step back from day-to-day operations and focus their energy on strategic planning.

Difficulty: High

Q11. Under what operational conditions should an organization pick a functional structure over a divisional structure? Elaborate with examples.

A functional structure is ideal under the following business conditions:

  • Single/Dominant Product Line: When the company produces one primary product or service (e.g., a standalone textile mill).
  • Need for Operational Specialisation: When work requires deep technical expertise within specialized divisions (e.g., separate research labs).
  • Medium Enterprise Scale: When the scale of operations is manageable without splitting into independent product divisions.

Difficulty: High

Part D: Case-Based Questions

Q12. Case Study:

Shiva Ltd. manufactures electronic components. The company has distinct operational departments like Production, Marketing, Finance, and Human Resources. Recently, due to a sudden drop in electronics sales, the Managing Director called a meeting. The Production Manager blamed the Marketing team for poor research, while the Marketing Manager claimed the Production team was making defective parts. Due to these overlapping arguments, top management found it impossible to pinpoint who was actually responsible for the financial drop.

Questions:

  1. Identify the organizational structure adopted by Shiva Ltd.
  2. State one major limitation of this structure highlighted in the case above.

Answer:

  1. Shiva Ltd. has adopted a Functional Structure (since departments are split by specialized business functions).
  2. The case highlights inter-departmental conflicts and difficulty in fixing accountability. Because departments are interdependent, they can easily pass the blame to avoid taking responsibility for overall performance failures.

Difficulty: High

Q13. Case Study:

Radhika is the Managing Director of an organic cosmetic startup called 'BioGlow'. Initially, she took every single decision herself—from buying raw materials to approving social media posts. As orders scaled up, she found herself working 16 hours a day and missing critical investor meetings. Realizing her mistake, she appointed specialized managers for Production and Marketing, handing them the power to run daily operations within their respective departments.

Questions:

  1. Identify the management concept Radhika used to solve her workload crisis.
  2. How will this step benefit her company's future growth?

Answer:

  1. Radhika used Delegation of authority to share her workload.
  2. This choice brings key benefits: it frees up Radhika's time to focus on strategic growth and investor relations, while empowering her new managers to build confidence and develop operational skills.

Difficulty: Medium

Part E: Assertion-Reason Questions

Q14. Assertion (A): Accountability can be completely transferred to a subordinate.
Reason (R): A manager remains answerable to their superiors even after delegating authority to someone else.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
C) A is true, but R is false.
D) A is false, but R is true.

  • Answer: D
  • Explanation: Assertion (A) is completely false because accountability is absolute and cannot be transferred. Reason (R) is true, explaining why the manager stays on the hook for the final results.
  • Difficulty: Medium

Q15. Assertion (A): Divisional structure leads to higher operational costs.
Reason (R): In a divisional structure, separate functional resources (like marketing or finance teams) must be duplicated for each distinct product line.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
C) A is true, but R is false.
D) A is false, but R is true.

  • Answer: A
  • Explanation: The divisional structure requires each product line to run its own independent departments, which creates duplicate roles and drives up total overhead costs.
  • Difficulty: Medium

Common Mistakes Students Make

Exam Preparation Tips

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is Chapter 5 Organising important for the 2026 CBSE board exam?
Yes, it is a core chapter in the Principles of Management section, typically carrying 8 to 10 marks. It is also heavily tested in case study formats.
2. What is the main drawback of a Functional Structure?
The main drawback is functional isolation, where departments prioritize their own specialized goals over the overall objectives of the enterprise, leading to coordination conflicts.
3. Why can accountability never be delegated?
Accountability is absolute. While a manager can delegate authority to complete a task, they remain entirely answerable to their own superiors for the final outcome.
4. How does Span of Management affect organizational hierarchy?
A narrow span of management creates a tall structure with many levels of authority. A wide span of management results in a flat, horizontal structure with fewer levels.
5. Where can I quickly review past board questions for Organising?
Review our "Extra Important Questions" section above. It contains case studies and assertion-reason questions updated to match the latest 2026 CBSE testing patterns.

Conclusion

Organising is the structural bridge that turns business plans into real-world results. Mastering the differences between functional configurations, divisional lines, and delegation pillars will give you a major advantage on your exams. Review these solutions regularly, practice analyzing case studies, and approach your Board Exam Questions 2026 with confidence!

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