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CMA Foundation · Fundamentals of Business Economics and Management · Organisation Structure, Responsibility, Accountability and Delegation of Authority

Kaveri Engineering has a Production Manager with line authority over 120 workers. It also has a Quality Consultant who studies production data and advises the Production Manager but cannot direct the workers. In a line and staff structure, the consultant's relationship is:

In a line and staff structure, the consultant's role is advisory. The staff specialist supports and counsels the line manager with expertise but has no power to issue orders to line workers, whose command authority rests with the line manager.

  1. AAdvisory, with no command authority over line workersCorrect
  2. BCommand authority over line workers through a dual chain
  3. CEqual line authority with the Production Manager
  4. DAuthority only over the Production Manager's superior

Explanation

Staff positions provide specialised advice and support to line managers. They do not hold the right to command line personnel. Giving them command authority would turn the structure into a functional or matrix one, so the dual-chain option is wrong.

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