Activity F

1. Since all the statistics they used were (1)unreliable, they had to do the work all over again.

2. Employees should be given (2)manageable tasks, that is ones they can handle.

3. Even though the proposal is technically (3) implementable, it does not seem to be financially viable.

4. Most of the items we import from abroad are no longer (4) taxable.

5. It is hard to make predictions when the market is so (5)changeable .

6. Stock bonds, unlike loans, are (6) transferable.

7. When you have your employees set their objectives themselves, you make them more (7) accountable for what they do.

8. You need to provide us with (8) quantifiable indicators, not just approximate data.

9. MBO proved to be a (9)valuable technique in the eighties.

10. The scope of the last credit crunch was (10) unpredictable and took most experts by surprise.

The MBO system sounds appealing in theory, in practice it can become bureaucratic and time consuming. Managers and subordinates can spend hours in meetings trying to agree targets which may not be (1)achievable anyway. Setting targets does not guarantee that they are (2) implementable. In some cases, companies introduce MBO but individual managers are unwilling to delegate fully to their subordinates. This results in frustration as the executive feels they will be (3) accountable for something they do not fully control. Another problem is that the objectives can become out of date and inappropriate very quickly. (Environment is (4) changeable. With new competitors, new product offerings, new technology and new legislation the world in which a firm operates can be very (5) unreliable. Targets may soon become irrelevant. Consequently some managers think it is more important to set out the general direction the firm wants to move in. Not try to be too specific about the exact route. Much better, some say, it would be (6) advisable to let the managers react for themselves to the situation in which they operate.