Intro to Business Management Chapter 1

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Questions and Answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an organization?

A distinct goal and purpose

A hierarchical leadership (correct)

A systematic structure

An aim to serve society

Who defined management as 'the art of getting things done through people'?

Frederick Winslow Taylor

Koontz and Weihrich

Henri Fayol

Mary Parker Follett (correct)

Which of the following is NOT a function of management according to Henri Fayol?

To motivate (correct)

To forecast and plan

To organize

To control

What is the main focus of Frederick Winslow Taylor's definition of management?

Determining overall policy of a business organization Signup and view all the answers

According to Koontz and Weihrich, management involves designing and maintaining an environment in which individuals as groups efficiently accomplish:

Organizational objectives Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of an organization?

To accomplish specific purposes Signup and view all the answers

Which level of management is responsible for establishing operating policies and guiding the organization's interaction with its environment?

Top Level Management Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary responsibility of Lower-Level Management?

Supervising non-management employees Signup and view all the answers

Which skill is essential for a manager to utilize job-specific knowledge of tools, techniques, and procedures?

Technical skills Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of Middle Level Management?

Translating top-level goals into specific plans Signup and view all the answers

Who is responsible for the production of goods and services?

Lower-Level Management Signup and view all the answers

How many basic managerial skills are required of a manager?

3 Signup and view all the answers

What are human skills in management primarily concerned with?

Leading, motivating, and communicating effectively with others Signup and view all the answers

According to Henry Mintzberg, what is the primary function of managerial roles?

To assume multiple roles to meet the many demands of performing their functions Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of a manager's informational role?

To gather and disseminate information to stakeholders Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of a manager's decisional role?

To make significant use of gathered information and reach conclusions Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a manager's figurehead role?

Receiving visitors and making presentations Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of conceptual skills in management?

To facilitate making good decisions by analyzing complex situations Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a manager's liaison role?

Maintaining information links with suppliers or customers Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of a manager's leader role?

To direct and motivate subordinates Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of a Disturbance Handler in an organization?

To take corrective action during disputes or crises Signup and view all the answers

Which management role is responsible for transmitting information to outsiders?

Spokesperson Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of a Resource Allocator?

To decide who gets resources and prepare budgets Signup and view all the answers

Which management role is responsible for initiating improvement projects and identifying new ideas?

Entrepreneur Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of a Negotiator?

To represent the department during negotiations Signup and view all the answers

Which management role is responsible for maintaining personal contact with stakeholders?

Reading Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of a Disseminator?

To forward information to organizational members Signup and view all the answers

Which management role involves taking corrective action during disputes or crises?

Disturbance Handler Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of the controlling function in the process of management?

To monitor performance and correct deviations from goals Signup and view all the answers

Which level of management is responsible for making strategic decisions?

Top Level Management Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between efficiency and effectiveness?

Efficiency focuses on doing things right, while effectiveness focuses on doing the right things Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a 'thinking function' in the process of management?

Planning Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of the organizing function in the process of management?

To determine tasks and who reports to whom Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Introduction to Management

An organization is a systematic arrangement of people brought together to accomplish a specific purpose, characterized by a distinct goal, people working together, a systematic structure, and an aim to serve society.

Definition of Management

Mary Parker Follett (1868-1933): Management is the art of getting things done through people.
Henri Fayol (1916): Management is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate, and to control.
Frederick Winslow Taylor (1886): Management is to determine the overall policy of a business organization and to achieve organizational objectives efficiently and effectively.
Koontz and Weihrich (1990): Management is the process of designing and maintaining an environment in which individuals and groups efficiently accomplish selected goals.

What is Management?

Management is the process of getting things done, effectively and efficiently, with and through other people.
Efficiency refers to doing things right, while effectiveness refers to doing the right things.

Process of Management

The four main management functions are:
- Planning (Thinking function): defining goals, establishing strategies, and developing action plans to coordinate activities towards accomplishing organizational goals.
- Organizing (Thinking function): determining tasks, who does them, how tasks are grouped, who reports to whom, and who makes decisions.
- Leading (Doing function): directing and influencing organizational members, motivating them, and resolving conflicts towards achieving organizational goals.
- Controlling (Doing function): monitoring performance, comparing it with goals, and correcting any significant deviations.

Levels of Management

The three levels of management are:
- Top Level Management: responsible for overall management, establishing operating policies, and guiding the organization's interaction with its environment. (e.g., CEO, President, Vice President)
- Middle Level Management: directs the activities of lower-level managers, responsible for setting objectives consistent with top-level management goals, and translating those goals into specific plans.
- Lower-Level Management: responsible for the work of non-management employees, directly responsible for the production of goods and services.

Skills of Management

Managers need technical, human, and conceptual skills.
Technical skills: the ability to utilize job-specific knowledge of tools, techniques, and procedures to perform a task.
Human skills: the ability to work effectively with one's own work group as well as others, leading, motivating, and communicating effectively.
Conceptual skills: the ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations to see how things fit together and facilitate making good decisions.

Roles of Managers

Henry Mintzberg identified 10 roles of managers, categorized into:
- Interpersonal roles: managing relationships with organizational members and the society.
- Informational roles: gathering and disseminating information to stakeholders.
- Decisional roles: making significant use of information and reaching conclusions.
Examples of roles include:
- Interpersonal: Figurehead, Leader, Liaison
- Informational: Monitor, Disseminator, Spokesperson
- Decisional: Entrepreneur, Disturbance Handler, Resource Allocator, Negotiator

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Description

Learn about the basics of management, including the management process, levels of management, management skills, and roles of managers. Understand what an organization is and its common characteristics.