ACCA Applied Knowledge · Business and Technology · Personal effectiveness
A manager sets a trainee the objective of passing all three Applied Knowledge exams within four weeks, although the trainee has just started studying and works full-time. Which SMART criterion is most clearly breached?
The achievable or realistic criterion is breached. The goal is clearly stated, measurable and has a deadline, but passing three exams in four weeks while working full-time and just starting study is unrealistic and likely to demotivate the trainee.
- AAchievable/realisticCorrect
- BSpecific
- CMeasurable
- DTime-bound
Explanation
The objective is specific, measurable (pass three exams) and time-bound (four weeks). The problem is that the timescale is unrealistic given the trainee's starting point and workload, so it fails the achievable/realistic test and is likely to demotivate.
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