It is best to set budget targets that are:

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When approaching the question about budget target setting, it’s helpful to evaluate how each option aligns with common budgeting theory and practical management considerations.
Option 1: 'easy to obtain.' This suggests targets that are trivially achievable. While easy targets may boost morale in the short term, they risk understating needs, reducing stretch, and diminishing performance pressure, which can lead to complacency and suboptimal resource allocation.
Option 2: 'impossible to attain.' Setting targets that cannot be met creates a cycle of continuous failure, undermines motivation, and may prompt gaming of the system or repeated budget revisions, ultimately eroding trust in the budgeting process.
Option 3: 'on the high side but fair.' This choice reflects a challenging yet attainable approach, providing a stretch that motivates improvement while remaining realistic given available resources and constraints. It aligns with the idea of balanced risk, encouraging performance without setting employees up for constant failure.
Option 4: 'almost impossible to attain as that means that managers will try harder.' Framing targets as nearly impossible can backfire: it can demotivate, provoke excessive risk-taking, or lead to unethical practices if targets are perceived as out of reach; the belief that managers will simply ‘try harder’ does not guarantee improved outcomes and may erode morale.
In summary, the reasoning above shows that targets that are too easy or impossible tend to undermine performance and motivation, whereas a high yet fair target provides a constructive challenge that supports sustained performance and realistic expectations.

ACCT10001_2025_SM1 Tutorial Preparation Quiz Topic 9

It is best to set budget targets that are:

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