Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 17/01/2026
Subject: Business
Lesson Topic: the impact of centralisation and decentralisation on a business
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the key differences between centralised and decentralised organisational structures.
  • Explain how each structure influences decision speed, employee motivation and cost efficiency.
  • Evaluate which structure (or hybrid) best suits a given business context using relevant performance criteria.
  • Apply the evaluation criteria to a case study and justify a recommended organisational design.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector and screen
  • PowerPoint slides summarising definitions and impacts
  • Printed worksheet with the comparison table and case‑study prompts
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Sticky notes for group brainstorming
 Introduction:
Begin with a quick poll: “Who makes the decisions in your favourite brand?” Use responses to highlight the hidden structures behind everyday products. Link this to prior learning about organisational hierarchy and state that today students will analyse how decision‑making centralisation or decentralisation shapes business performance. Success criteria: students will be able to compare, evaluate and justify the most appropriate structure for a given scenario.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑Now (5’) – Students complete a short matching activity on centralisation vs decentralisation terms.
  2. Mini‑lecture (10’) – Present definitions, reasons for each approach, and the impact table using slides.
  3. Guided analysis (12’) – In pairs, students fill a blank comparison chart for a supplied case (multinational retailer) and discuss benefits of a hybrid model.
  4. Whole‑class debrief (8’) – Groups share findings; teacher highlights key take‑aways and corrects misconceptions.
  5. Evaluation practice (10’) – Students work individually on a practice question: choose the best structure for a start‑up tech firm, using the criteria list.
  6. Feedback & check (5’) – Quick “exit ticket” where each student writes one advantage of decentralisation and one advantage of centralisation.
Conclusion:
Recap the main advantages and drawbacks of both structures and emphasise why most modern firms adopt a hybrid approach. Collect exit tickets as a retrieval check and assign homework: research a real company’s organisational structure and write a 150‑word justification for its level of centralisation.