The Board of Directors of Dangote Cement Plc is conducting a strategic review. The Chief Executive Officer argues that management should be studied as a set of universal functions applicable across all organisations regardless of size or industry. This view aligns most closely with which school of management thought?

The Classical/Administrative Theory, pioneered by Henri Fayol, holds that management consists of universal functions — planning, organising, commanding, coordinating, and controlling — applicable to all types of organisations. Fayol's principles were intended to be universally applicable. Contingency Theory argues that there is no single best approach; Systems Theory views organisations as interrelated components; and Behavioural Theory focuses on human relations and motivation.