How do managers differ from nonmanagerial employees? The answer to this question used to be straightforward, but the line between managerial and nonmanagerial employees has blurred as more employees take on task once reserved for managers. To keep the answer from becoming too complicated, the best way to address this question is to focus on the fact that a manager’s job is about helping others do their work.
Trang 11 Is your course instructor a manager? Discuss in terms of managerial functions,
managerial roles, and skills
Course instructors (in contrast to individuals who hold positions such as department head) are not usually classified as managers In most situations, a course instructor does not fall within the definition of a manager when utilizing managerial functions, mainly because students are clients rather than employees In some cases, an instructor has little input about course content or how it
is to be taught In these instances, the instructor makes few managerial decisions
In terms of managerial roles, course instructors may be involved in some ways in the
interpersonal, informational, and decisional roles For example, a course instructor could be seen
as a liaison (interpersonal role), a monitor and disseminator (both informational roles), and a disturbance handler and negotiator (both decisional roles)
Regarding managerial skills, course instructors certainly need technical skills—knowledge about the latest research and conceptual developments in a particular discipline They also need
significant human skills as they interact with their students To a limited extent, the instructor utilizes conceptual skills as courses are planned or as departmental curriculums are debated (LO:
2, Learning Outcome: Tell who managers are and where they work, AACSB: Reflective
thinking skills)
2.“The manager’s most basic responsibility is to focus people toward performance of work activities to achieve desired outcomes.” What’s your interpretation of this statement? Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
This statement means that a manager’s job or responsibility is to coordinate and/or focus subordinates’ energies toward performance outcomes that will result in the achievement of organizational goals By definition, management is coordinating and overseeing the work activities of others so that their activities are completed efficiently and effectively Therefore, most managers and management scholars would agree with this statement Coordinating others’ work activities is what distinguishes a manager’s job from a nonmanagerial one (LO:
3, Learning Outcome: Describe the functions, roles, and skills of managers, AACSB:
Reflective thinking skills)
3.Explain the universality of management concept Does it still hold true in today’s world? Why or why not?
Trang 2Management principles are needed for the efficient and effective operation of organizations, regardless of the level of the manager or the industry in which they operate This is true for today’s organizations now more than ever The global environment of today ensures that
organizations will face staunch competition Failure and weakness on the part of management ultimately lead to loss of market share and organizational closure Also, gone are the days when managers could ‘bluff’ their way through their dealings with employees who have become more demanding and aware of their legal rights (LO: 5, Learning Outcome: Explain the value of studying management, AACSB: Reflective thinking skills)
1 Is business management a profession? Why or why not? Do some external research in answering this question
(Business education has the potential to be a powerful influence in making business managers more accountable to the society they shape Whether they went to business school or not, most managers in large organizations are impacted by individuals trained by business schools, the ideas that are diffused through business school publications, the cases taught in executive education programs, and the general tone set business schools set about the purpose of management and the relationship between corporations and society For all these reasons,
business schools themselves have the responsibility to make management a profession.)
According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, management is a profession In addition to the concept of an administrative manager, the Occupational Outlook Handbook list a variety of specific types of management positions, such as management analysts, management consultants, management development specialist (such as human resource managers) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),
administrative services managers held about 247,000 jobs in 2006 with 12% expected in the next ten years The majority of jobs identified by the BLS, shows that about 65 percent worked in service-providing industries, including Federal, State, and local government; health care; finance and insurance; professional, scientific, and technical services; administrative and support
services; and educational services, public and private The remaining managers worked in wholesale and retail trade, in management of companies and enterprises, or in manufacturing
Trang 33.Does the way that that contemporary organizations are structured appeal to you? Why or why not?
Yes, because a strict hierarchical organization as represented in the traditional organizations puts
a barrier in responding to the rapidly changing environments Contemporary organizational structures consist of the matrix, lattice, virtual and networked organizations
Organizations are becoming more open, flexible, and responsive to changes
4.In today’s environment, which is more important to organizations—efficiency or
effectiveness? Explain your choice
Both are integral to effective management Management refers to the process of coordinating and integrating work activities so that they’re completed efficiently and effectively with and through other people There is no way to say that one of these is more important than the other No organization can succeed in today's highly competitive world unless it is both efficient and effective
An efficient organization is one that produces a good or service using the least possible amount
of inputs This is vitally important in today's world If a firm cannot produce efficiently, it cannot compete because other companies will be able to produce at lower prices
An effective organization is one that does the right things It is an organization that gives the customers what they want This is just as vital in today's world A firm that is really good at making things well and at low costs will still fail if it is making things that people no longer want The most efficient firm making film cameras is not going to prosper in today's world of digital cameras
No firm can prosper if it is not both efficient and effective A company that makes popular goods cannot compete if others can produce the good more cheaply A company that produces goods at
a low price cannot compete if no one wants its product Therefore, both are equally important
Trang 48 “Management is undoubtedly one of humankind’s most important inventions.”
Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
“Management is undoubtedly one of humankind’s most important inventions.”I agree with this statement because , without the principles of management and the guidance of managers in organizations, we as a society would not have reached the level of development that we enjoy today The goal of management centers on the art of getting things done Without organizations and their managers, it would be impossible to accomplish what has been done in history so far
It is has always been up to managers to coordinate and oversee work activities in the art of getting things done in the areas of agriculture, medicine, science, and manufacturing Achieving Company Targets
When a company begins its operations, specific goals are setup which can only be achieved if all the parts of the organization function together and efficiently Proper management makes sure that each part of the company works towards achieving a common goal without disarray
Management actually plans, executes and balances the resources of a company in such a way that there is maximum work output to attain the goals of organization swiftly, while retaining work quality In absence of proper management, different sections go on to attain individual targets However, common goal may not be achieved, which would further lead to delays, losses and low quality output
Reduction In Wastage
When resources of a company are effectively managed, wastage is reduced, thereby lowering overall costs and attaining the state of ‘resource optimization’ This means that company is making profits not only from output, but also from better and optimum use of input Proper utilization of resources and reduced wastage prevents both under employment and
exploitation of resources Management can identify resources which are scarce and find
alternatives for the same, thus reducing the cost again It also employs the specialization of employment and leads to increased productivity and quality output
Simplifies The Organizational Structure
Management controls effective work division, specialization and resource allocation This creates a uniform flow of work and specifies boundaries of responsibilities, authority and rights, which do not overlap This structure is necessary, as it clarifies to each employee his position and field of influence in the organization In such a scenario, every employee would know his/her
Trang 5basic rights, duties, immediate superiors and subordinates, along with the knowledge of
opportunities awaiting him, as his relation with the company grows Effective management also helps to ascertain that no two people are doing the same work and that right person is allocated for the right job, thus increasing productivity
Increases Stability
The company should be maintained in such a fashion that external market turbulences do not hamper the company’s functioning This requires effective changes that need to be made
in the company, without hurting the company’s stand or its workers too much Without proper management this will not be possible Management will provide increased stability and adaptability to the company, helping it survive market conditions and grow with time Also, the workers would not be apprehensive about losing their job, which would, in turn, help them work with peace of mind
Provides The “Feel Good Factor”
According to Harold Koontz, ‘‘Management is an art of getting things done through and with people in formally organized groups” This statement ascertains the importance of people in the whole scenario It is extremely important to keep the workers happy for the successful functioning of the company A company which is managed with efficacy prospers rapidly and, in turn, produces better revenue, thereby opening avenues of growth for the workers involved The upward climb in the growth chart assures the workforce of not just better salaries, but better positions, which provides motivation for better work
Profits Galore
This is a cumulative effect of all of the benefits mentioned above Proper management helps to build efficient organizational structure, set targets that are testing yet achievable and optimize resource utilization (both human and otherwise) Such a scenario increases profits by
maximizing productivity and reducing costs Happy and de-stressed workers work with more zeal and enthusiasm This increases quality and quantity of output, which aids in the growth of the company, beating competition and emerging out victorious!
6.Is there one best “style” of management? Why or why not?
No, there’s probably not one single “best” style of management Organizational situations vary and what works best in one organization may not necessarily work best in another Each individual tends to develop his or her own preferred “style” of managing It would
Trang 6be difficult to say that there is a "best" style, since we are dealing with interpersonal relationships here There are a lot of different factors involved
First, you have the manager As people, they have certain personality styles and skills that more naturally lend them to certain styles of leadership If the person is not good with a certain style, that style certainly isn't going to be highly effective for them (That doesn't mean that managers should not try different styles and try to learn new things But some will work better than others for any given person.)
Second, there are those being managed A good manager often uses different styles with different employees Different people are led and motivated in different ways, so the manager might have to use different styles with different workers to get peak
Third, the workplace and the type of work might call for different styles While the manager of a team of researchers might be able to use a consensus-building style to guide the team, a football coach is probably not going to be highly successful that way he needs to be more of an autocrat The good manager is one who has several styles that he can use well, and he is able to determine when each will be most effective
2 Discuss the contingency factors that affect planning : The contingency factors that affect
planning include a manager’s level in the organization; the degree of environmental uncertainty; and the length of future commitments The two main approaches to planning include the traditional approach, which uses a formal planning department and has plans developed by top managers that flow down through other organizational levels The other approach is to involve more organizational members in the planning process
Contemporary Issues in Planning
Explain the criticisms of planning and whether they’re valid
Describe how managers can effectively plan in today’s dynamic environment
The main criticisms of planning are:
(1) planning may create rigidity; (2) plans can’t be developed for a dynamic environment; (3) formal plans can’t replace intuition and creativity; (4) planning focuses managers’ attention on today’s competition, not tomorrow’s; (5) formal planning reinforces success, which may lead to failure; and (6) just planning isn’t enough These criticisms are valid if planning is rigid and inflexible
Managers can effectively plan in today’s dynamic environment using plans that are specific but flexible It’s also important to “shove” responsibility for establishing goals and developing plans to lower organizational levels
Trang 71 Explain what studies have shown about the relationship between planning and performance It should be noted that one cannot say that organizations that formally plan always outperform those that don’t plan However, studies have indicated that formal planning is often associated with positive financial results Generally, performance is also higher in those organizations where planning is present And, when higher performance is not the result of formal planning, often the reason is due to something in the external environment Finally, studies indicate that at least four years of formal planning are necessary before performance is affected
2 Discuss the contingency factors that affect planning The first contingency factor is a
manager’s level in the organization Typically, lower-level managers are operational planners, while upper-level managers are strategic planners Second, with environmental uncertainty, plans should be specific, but flexible And third, the length of future commitments can greatly affect planning
3 Describe how managers can effectively plan in today’s dynamic environment Environmental uncertainty is a constant Therefore, managers should develop plans that are specific yet remain flexible If managers recognize that planning is an ongoing process, then when a dynamic environment is encountered, managers can adapt readily Another way to assist with planning is
to craft an organizational hierarchy that is relatively flat Allowing lower level managers to set goals and develop plans is an effective way to deal with a dynamic environment
4 Will planning become more or less important to managers in the future? Why?
Planning will become more important to managers in the future because of the uncertainty in an increasingly dynamic environment Changes constantly occur in both the general and specific environments of organizations, and many of these changes take place rapidly Planning helps managers cope with the uncertainty by forcing managers to look ahead, anticipate change, consider the impact of the change, and develop appropriate responses
5 If planning is so crucial, why do some managers choose not to do it? What would you tell these managers?
Managers may choose not to devote time to planning because they do not know how to plan or feel that they do not have the necessary time Others may say that planning is a waste of time, that the future is going to happen whether or not they plan However, these reasons do not discount the importance of planning Every manager should engage in planning
6 Explain how planning involves decisions today that will have an impact later
As managers plan, they make decisions that influence how activities are organized, how
employees are managed, and what control mechanisms are implemented As managers look to the future by planning, the decisions they make as they plan will have an impact on their other managerial activities
7 How might planning in a not-for-profit organization such as the American Cancer Society differ from planning in a for-profit organization such as Coca-Cola?
The process of planning is similar, but the content of the plans will differ The types of
objectives that are established and the plans that are formulated will be influenced by the fact that a profit organization does not have profit as its major objective However, a not-for-profit organization must devote efforts and resources to planning how to raise funds and to recruit volunteers to achieve its mission
Trang 88 What types of planning do you do in your personal life? Describe these plans in terms of being (a) strategic or operational plans, (b) short or long term plans, and (c) specific or
directional plans
Students’ responses to this question will, of course, vary Students may mention their planning
to meet educational and career goals Encourage your students to think about their everyday lives and the types of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly planning they do
9 The late Peter Drucker, an eminent management author, coined the SMART format for setting goals back in 1954: S (specific), M (measurable), A (attainable), R (relevant), and T (time bound) Are these still relevant today? Discuss
Of all of the material presented in this chapter, most students will readily recall this acronym for goal setting These qualities from Drucker have remained basically unaltered and have been cited in numerous texts and studies As a part of student discussion, try to find other application for Drucker’s work in this area beyond the management of employees What about for school children? Volunteers working for a community program?
10 Many companies have a goal of becoming more environmentally sustainable One of the most important steps they can take is controlling paper waste Choose a company—any type, any size Imagine that you’ve been put in charge of creating a program to control paper waste for the company Set goals and develop plans Prepare a report for your boss (that is, your professor), outlining these goals and plans
It should also be stressed to students that plans must be accepted by top management and as well
as employees at lower levels if it is to be effectively implemented Have students discuss the difficulty of implementing a plan such as this across levels How could students increase buy-in
of the plan? How would such a plan be ultimately evaluated to determine its success? Using criteria discussed in the previous question, have students check that their goals match the
SMART format
(1 Giải thích nghiên cứu đã chỉ về mối quan hệ giữa quy hoạch và thực hiện Cần lưu ý rằng người ta không thể nói rằng các tổ chức chính thức kế hoạch luôn luôn tốt hơn những người không có kế hoạch Tuy nhiên, các nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra rằng kế hoạch chính thức thường được gắn liền với kết quả tài chính tích cực Nói chung, hiệu suất cũng cao hơn trong các tổ chức quy hoạch hiện nay Và, khi hiệu suất cao hơn không phải là kết quả của kế hoạch chính thức, thường
là những lý do là do một cái gì đó trong môi trường bên ngoài Cuối cùng, nghiên cứu chỉ ra rằng
ít nhất bốn năm lập kế hoạch chính thức là cần thiết trước khi hiệu suất bị ảnh hưởng
2 Thảo luận về các yếu tố ngẫu nhiên có ảnh hưởng đến quy hoạch Các yếu tố dự phòng đầu tiên là mức độ của một nhà quản lý trong tổ chức Thông thường, các nhà quản lý cấp thấp hơn là các nhà hoạch định hoạt động, trong khi các nhà quản lý cấp trên là các nhà hoạch định chiến lược Thứ hai, với sự không chắc chắn về môi trường, kế hoạch phải cụ thể, nhưng linh hoạt Và thứ ba, chiều dài của các cam kết trong tương lai có thể ảnh hưởng lớn đến kế hoạch
3 Mô tả cách quản lý hiệu quả có thể có kế hoạch trong môi trường năng động ngày nay không chắc chắn về môi trường là một hằng số Vì vậy, các nhà quản lý cần xây dựng kế hoạch cụ thể nhưng vẫn linh hoạt Nếu các nhà quản lý nhận ra rằng kế hoạch là một quá trình liên tục, sau đó khi một môi trường năng động đang gặp phải, các nhà quản lý có thể thích ứng dễ dàng Một
Trang 9cách khác để hỗ trợ cho việc lập kế hoạch là để xây dựng một hệ thống phân cấp tổ chức đó là tương đối bằng phẳng Cho phép quản lý cấp thấp hơn để thiết lập mục tiêu và xây dựng kế hoạch là một cách hiệu quả để đối phó với một môi trường năng động
4 Quy hoạch Will trở thành nhiều hơn hoặc ít quan trọng để các nhà quản lý trong tương lai? Tại sao?
Kế hoạch sẽ trở nên quan trọng hơn đối với các nhà quản lý trong tương lai bởi vì sự không chắc chắn trong một môi trường ngày càng năng động Những thay đổi liên tục xảy ra trong cả môi trường nói chung và cụ thể của tổ chức, và nhiều trong số những thay đổi diễn ra nhanh chóng
Kế hoạch giúp các nhà quản lý đối phó với sự không chắc chắn bằng cách buộc các nhà quản lý
để nhìn về phía trước, dự đoán sự thay đổi, xem xét các tác động của sự thay đổi và phát triển các phản ứng thích hợp
5 Nếu quy hoạch là rất quan trọng, tại sao một số nhà quản lý chọn không làm điều đó? Những
gì bạn sẽ nói với những nhà quản lý?
Quản lý có thể chọn không dành thời gian để lên kế hoạch bởi vì họ không biết làm thế nào để lập kế hoạch hoặc cảm thấy rằng họ không có thời gian cần thiết Người khác có thể nói rằng quy hoạch là một sự lãng phí thời gian, rằng tương lai sẽ xảy ra hay không mà họ có kế hoạch Tuy nhiên, những lý do không giảm giá tầm quan trọng của việc lập kế hoạch Mỗi người quản lý nên tham gia vào việc lập kế hoạch
6 Giải thích cách lập kế hoạch liên quan đến quyết định ngày hôm nay rằng sẽ có một tác động sau đó
Theo kế hoạch quản lý, họ đưa ra quyết định có ảnh hưởng như thế nào hoạt động được tổ chức, làm thế nào nhân viên được quản lý và cơ chế nào kiểm soát được thực hiện Là nhà quản lý nhìn vào tương lai bằng việc lập kế hoạch, các quyết định mà họ làm khi họ dự định sẽ có tác động vào các hoạt động quản lý khác của họ
7 Làm thế nào có thể lên kế hoạch trong một tổ chức phi lợi nhuận như Hiệp hội Ung thư Mỹ khác với kế hoạch trong một tổ chức phi lợi nhuận như Coca-Cola?
Quá trình lập kế hoạch tương tự, nhưng nội dung của kế hoạch sẽ khác nhau Các loại mục tiêu được thiết lập và kế hoạch được xây dựng sẽ bị ảnh hưởng bởi thực tế là một tổ chức phi lợi nhuận không có lợi nhuận là mục tiêu chính của nó Tuy nhiên, một tổ chức phi lợi nhuận phải dành những nỗ lực và nguồn lực để lên kế hoạch làm thế nào để huy động vốn và tuyển dụng tình nguyện viên để đạt được sứ mệnh của mình
8 Những loại kế hoạch bạn sẽ làm gì trong cuộc sống cá nhân của bạn? Mô tả các kế hoạch về được (a) kế hoạch chiến lược hoặc hoạt động, (b) các kế hoạch ngắn hạn hay dài hạn, và (c) các
kế hoạch cụ thể hoặc hướng
Trang 10phản ứng của sinh viên cho câu hỏi này sẽ, tất nhiên, thay đổi Học sinh có thể đề cập đến kế hoạch của họ để đáp ứng mục tiêu giáo dục và nghề nghiệp Khuyến khích học sinh của mình để suy nghĩ về cuộc sống hàng ngày của họ và các loại kế hoạch hàng ngày, hàng tuần, hàng tháng, hàng năm và họ làm
9 Cố Peter Drucker, một tác giả nổi tiếng quản lý, đặt ra các định dạng SMART để thiết lập mục tiêu trở lại trong năm 1954: S (cụ thể), M (đo lường được), A (đạt được), R (có liên quan), và T (thời gian ràng buộc) Là những vẫn có liên quan ngày hôm nay? Bàn luận
Trong tất cả các tài liệu được trình bày trong chương này, hầu hết học sinh sẽ dễ dàng nhớ từ viết tắt này đề ra mục tiêu Những phẩm chất này từ Drucker đã về cơ bản vẫn không thay đổi và đã được trích dẫn trong nhiều văn bản và nghiên cứu Là một phần của cuộc thảo luận sinh viên, cố gắng tìm ứng dụng khác cho công việc của Drucker trong lĩnh vực này ngoài việc quản lý nhân viên Còn đối với các em học sinh? Các tình nguyện viên làm việc cho một chương trình cộng đồng?
10 Nhiều công ty có một mục tiêu trở thành nhiều hơn nữa môi trường bền vững Một trong những bước quan trọng nhất mà họ có thể được kiểm soát chất thải giấy Chọn một công ty bất
kỳ loại, kích thước bất kỳ Hãy tưởng tượng rằng bạn đã được đặt phụ trách việc tạo ra một chương trình kiểm soát chất thải giấy cho công ty Đặt mục tiêu và xây dựng kế hoạch Chuẩn bị một báo cáo cho ông chủ của bạn (có nghĩa là, giáo sư của bạn), phác thảo các mục tiêu và kế hoạch
Cũng cần phải nhấn mạnh với học sinh rằng kế hoạch phải được chấp nhận bởi quản lý hàng đầu
và cũng như nhân viên ở các cấp thấp hơn nếu nó được thực hiện một cách hiệu quả Yêu cầu học sinh thảo luận về những khó khăn trong việc triển khai thực hiện một kế hoạch như cấp độ trên này Làm thế nào học sinh có thể tăng mua vào của kế hoạch? Làm thế nào sẽ là một kế hoạch như vậy được cuối cùng là đánh giá để xác định sự thành công của nó? Sử dụng các tiêu chí được thảo luận trong các câu hỏi trước, có sinh viên kiểm tra xem mục tiêu của họ phù hợp với các định dạng SMART.)
ANSWERS TO CASE APPLICATION 1 QUESTIONS
More than a Good Story
1 As the top managers of their company, what types of issues might Bert and John have to deal with? Be as specific as possible Which management functions might be most important to them? Why?
Considering Bert and John’s success with the “Life is Good” cartoon characters, get students to explore the problems and difficulties that arise from growing a company based on a slogan as opposed to a tangible product that cannot be easily copied Get students to think about how difficult it is to stay true to a business philosophy and how companies strive to protect their competitive advantage from other firms who want to encroach upon their idea While all four functions of management are important, planning is particularly important in a company during its growth stage