Which is a basic management activity?

• A. Scheduling
• B. Budgeting
• C. Planning
• D. Hiring

Answer: (C)

Planning is the fundamental activity in management because it sets the objectives and maps out what needs to be done, by whom, and when. It provides the roadmap that guides all other actions, helping resources, time, and efforts align with goals. Once a plan is in place, scheduling translates parts of that plan into a timeline, budgeting allocates financial resources to carry it out, and hiring brings in the people needed to execute it. These latter tasks are important, but they rely on the overarching plan to determine what to prioritize and how to allocate resources. Hence, planning is the basic management activity.