Which of the following lists correctly names the main functional areas of a typical organisation?

• A. Sales, IT, Production, Logistics
• B. Marketing, Finance, Operations, HR
• C. R&D, Legal, Customer Service, Compliance
• D. Procurement, Quality, Retail, Distribution

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is to recognise the four standard functions that most organisations rely on to operate and create value: Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Human Resources. Marketing identifies customer needs and builds demand, Finance handles money, budgeting, and financial control, Operations manages the production or delivery of goods and services, and HR looks after people—recruitment, development, and performance. Together, they cover how value is understood in the market, how money is managed, how activities are produced, and how people are enabled to work effectively.

Other lists mix in specialized or governance functions (like IT, Legal, Compliance) or focus on narrower areas (such as Procurement, Quality, Retail, Distribution). While those are important, they are typically supporting or adjacent areas rather than the four broad, core functions that span the whole organisation.