KSLU Solved Question Papers
Principles and Practice of Management
Previous Year Question Paper with Solution
B.B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 2
2018 Dec Examination
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B.B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 2 Principles and Practice of Management 2018 Dec Question Paper with Solutions
First published on munotes.in on 21 October 2026.
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Contents
The questions below are the paper as Karnataka State Law University set it at the 2018 Dec examination, in the order it was set.
MarksPage
The Paper as Set
The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the 2018 Dec examination, reproduced as Karnataka State Law University set them, in the order it set them. Long reading passages are shortened to their first and last lines and our summary; the original paper prints them in full. Only the answers are ours. See the original question paper.
Duration 3 hours · Total marks 100 · 13 questions answered
How to use this volume
Solve the paper first, under exam conditions and against the clock. Then read the answers here and mark your own. Reading a solution before attempting the question feels productive and teaches very little, because recognising an answer is not the same as being able to write one.
Q1Describe the contribution of Peter Drucker to management thought.[16]
Answer
For full marks, cover: who Peter Drucker was and his main books with years; his contributions explained in detail (management as a discipline and a practice; the three jobs of management; the purpose of a business and its two functions, marketing and innovation; objectives in eight key areas; management by objectives and self-control; decentralisation and the study of General Motors; the knowledge worker; the effective executive; innovation and entrepreneurship; the social responsibility of business and management in non-business organisations); a table; an assessment of his influence and the criticisms made; and a conclusion.
Peter Drucker
Peter F. Drucker (1909 to 2005) was born in Vienna and later settled in the United States. He was a writer, teacher and consultant, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers on management of the twentieth century. He taught at New York University from 1950 to 1971 and later at Claremont Graduate School in California. He received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.
His main books include:
- Concept of the Corporation (1946);
- The Practice of Management (1954);
- The Landmarks of Tomorrow (1959);
- Managing for Results (1964);
- The Effective Executive;
- Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices (1973);
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship (1985).
1. Management as a discipline and a practice
Before Drucker, management was mostly discussed in terms of factory efficiency or general principles. In The Practice of Management (1954), he presented management as a distinct function and a body of knowledge that can be learnt. He also treated it as a practice judged by its results. He saw management as one of the most important institutions of modern society, since every organisation depends on it.
2. The three jobs of management
Drucker described management as having three jobs:
- managing a business, which means satisfying customers and producing economic results;
- managing managers, which means building a team of managers through objectives, development and a sound structure;
- managing workers and work, which means organising work and making the workforce productive and committed.
He also listed the work of every manager as setting objectives, organising, motivating and communicating, measuring performance and developing people.
3. The purpose of a business
Drucker wrote that "there is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer." The customer decides what a business is, what it produces and whether it will prosper. From this he concluded that a business has two basic functions. Marketing finds and serves customers, and innovation creates better products and new value. All other activities support these two. Profit, in his view, is not the purpose of a business but a test of its performance and the means of covering future risks.
4. Objectives in eight key areas
Drucker argued that a business cannot be managed by a single objective such as profit. He named eight key areas in which objectives should be set:
- market standing;
- innovation;
- productivity;
- physical and financial resources;
- profitability;
- manager performance and development;
- worker performance and attitude;
- public responsibility.
Balancing objectives across these areas prevents a firm from chasing short-term profit at the cost of its future.
5. Management by objectives and self-control
In The Practice of Management, Drucker first used the phrase "management by objectives", which he called management by objectives and self-control. Under it:
- superiors and subordinates agree on clear objectives for each manager, linked to the objectives of the organisation;
- each manager is given the information to measure his or her own performance;
- managers control themselves against their objectives, instead of being controlled by close supervision;
- performance is reviewed against the objectives.
MBO became one of the most widely used systems of planning, motivation and appraisal in the world.
6. Decentralisation
Drucker spent about two years studying General Motors, and the result was Concept of the Corporation (1946). The book made GM's multidivisional structure widely known. Drucker argued that large companies work best when they are divided into units close to their markets. Each unit has authority and responsibility for results, while top management sets overall policy. This helped spread decentralised, divisional organisation among large firms.
7. The knowledge worker
Drucker coined the term "knowledge worker" in 1959. He meant people who work mainly with knowledge, information and ideas, such as engineers, scientists, analysts, teachers and managers. He predicted that they would become the largest and most important part of the workforce. He held that the productivity of knowledge workers, unlike that of manual workers, cannot be raised by close supervision. It depends on clear objectives, autonomy and continuous learning.
8. The effective executive
In The Effective Executive, Drucker argued that effectiveness, getting the right things done, can be learnt. He set out practices such as managing one's time, focusing on contribution and building on strengths rather than weaknesses. He also stressed concentrating on a few major tasks and making sound decisions.
9. Innovation and entrepreneurship
In Innovation and Entrepreneurship (1985), Drucker treated innovation as a systematic discipline, not a matter of genius or luck. He described where innovation opportunities come from, such as unexpected events, changing needs, demographics and new knowledge, and how managers can organise to exploit them. He held that entrepreneurship is a practice that existing organisations, not only new ventures, must adopt.
10. Social responsibility and non-business organisations
Drucker held that a business is an organ of society and must act responsibly towards it. In Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices (1973) he argued that managers form the leadership group of modern society and must take responsibility for the common good. He also stressed that hospitals, universities, government agencies and charities need management as much as businesses do.
Summary table
| Contribution | Main idea |
|---|---|
| Management as a practice | Management is a discipline judged by results |
| Three jobs of management | Business, managers, workers and work |
| Contribution | Main idea |
|---|---|
| Purpose of business | To create a customer; marketing and innovation |
| Eight key areas | Balanced objectives, not profit alone |
| MBO and self-control | Agreed objectives; managers control themselves |
| Decentralisation | Divisional structure, decisions near the market |
| Knowledge worker | Term coined in 1959 |
| Effective executive | Effectiveness can be learnt |
| Innovation | A systematic, manageable discipline |
| Social responsibility | Business as an organ of society |
Assessment
Influence. Drucker's ideas shaped management practice worldwide. MBO, decentralisation, customer orientation, the focus on results and the idea of the knowledge worker are now part of everyday management. Many of his predictions, such as the rise of the knowledge economy, proved accurate.
Criticisms. Some critics say his writing relies more on observation and argument than on systematic research. Others point out that MBO, as practised, often became a paper exercise of targets and forms rather than genuine self-control. His ideas are also general and need adapting to particular situations.
Drucker compared with earlier thinkers
- Taylor studied the efficiency of manual work on the shop floor. Drucker turned attention to the productivity of managers and knowledge workers.
- Fayol described the functions and principles of management from the top. Drucker accepted the functional view but tied every function to results and to the customer.
- Mayo and the human relations writers stressed the social needs of workers. Drucker valued people as a resource but insisted that good relations must serve performance, not replace it.
Drucker thus joined the concern for efficiency, structure and people into one view of management as the practice of achieving results through people.
Lessons for managers today
- Start every plan from the customer.
- Set balanced objectives, not profit alone.
- Let people control their own work against agreed objectives.
- Treat innovation as a regular part of the job.
- Remember the business's responsibility to society.
- Invest in the development of managers, who are the business's scarcest resource.
Conclusion. Peter Drucker turned management into a discipline focused on results, customers and people. He defined the purpose of a business as creating a customer and named marketing and innovation as its basic functions. He called for balanced objectives in eight key areas and introduced management by objectives and self-control. He also spread decentralisation, coined the term "knowledge worker" and treated innovation as a discipline. In spite of the criticisms, few thinkers have influenced the practice of management as widely or for as long.
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