INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT EXAM QUESTIONSTOPIC 1 ORIGI.docx

INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT: EXAM QUESTIONS
TOPIC 1: ORIGINS OF MANAGEMENT PRACTICES Lecture
+ Robbins Ch. 1
1. What is management? Have these definitions changed over
time?
The organization and coordination of the activities of a business
in order to achieve defined objectives. Management is often
included as a factor of production along with? machines,
materials, and money. Management consists of the interlocking
functions of creating corporate policy and organizing, planning,
controlling, and directing an organization's resources in order to
achieve the objectives of that policy. Other definition of
management where directors and managers who have the power
and responsibility to make decisions and oversee an enterprise.
The size of management can range from one person in a small
organization to hundreds or thousands of managers in
multinational companies. Management changes can help a lot
with timing. If a board of directors is serious about
restructuring, they'll often hire someone from a best-in-class
company to make it happen. Those people aren't cheap, which
shows the board is serious, and the fact that the person is
willing to come indicates they think they can add value. An
executive from a first-class company taking over a laggard can
mean an opportunity is ripe for the picking.
2. Explain the differences between effectiveness and efficiency.
Give examples
to illustrate your answer. Discuss ways that managers at each of
the four
levels of management can contribute to efficiency and
effectiveness.

Effectiveness is the level of results from the actions of
employees and managers. Employees and managers who
demonstrate effectiveness in the workplace help produce high-
quality results. Take, for instance, an employee who works the
sales floor. If he’s effective, he’ll make sales consistently. If
he’s ineffective, he’ll struggle to persuade customers to make a
purchase. Companies measure effectiveness often by conducting
performance reviews. The effectiveness of a workforce has an
enormous impact on the quality of a company’s product or
service, which often dictates a company’s reputation and
customer satisfaction
While Efficiency in the workplace is the time it takes to do
something. Efficient employees and managers complete tasks in
the least amount of time possible with the least amount of
resources possible by utilizing certain time-saving strategies.
Inefficient employees and managers take the long road. For
example, suppose a manager is attempting to communicate more
efficiently. He can accomplish his goal by using email rather
than sending letters to each employee. Efficiency and
effectiveness are mutually exclusive. A manager or employee
who's efficient isn’t always effective and vice versa. Efficiency
increases productivity and saves both time and money.
To improve effectiveness, managers must take the initiative to
provide thorough performance reviews, detailing an employee’s
weakness through constructive criticism. Managers must make it
a point to address effectiveness and explain how an employee’s
performance affects the company as a whole. To avoid a
workplace full of ineffective employees, companies must hire
high-performing employees by weeding out candidates at the
recruiting level.
To improve efficiency, employees and managers are often
inefficient because they either don’t know how to be efficient or
do not have the necessary tools to perform tasks efficiently.
Ways to improve efficiency include meeting with managers and
employees to outline ways to implement efficiency in the
workplace and asking for opinions on what the workplace is

missing. For example, a small business that lacks an employee
email system prevents managers from communicating with
employees efficiently.
3. In today’s environment, which is more important to
organisations—efficiency
or effectiveness? Explain your choice.
Efficiency is the most important factor that is preferred by
organization in today’s environment in that Strategic
management decisions that promote efficiency tend to be aimed
at reducing the use of resources through maximizing return. Any
action taken to reduce inventory waste, for example, would be a
strategic management decision aimed at greater efficiency.
Efforts to increase productivity would be included in this
category. Another strategic management decision that would be
efficiency-oriented would be having executives share an
executive assistant, rather than hiring executive assistants for
each executive.
4. Fayol, Mintzberg and Katz studied and wrote about
management – though
each in a different way. Discuss the focus of each contribution
for the
management of contemporary organisations.
Fayol is considered to be among the most influential
contributors to the modern concept of management. The theory
falls under the Administrative Management school of thought.
Henri Fayol's Principle of Management Followings are the 14
principles of management developed by the Henry Fayol:
i. Division of Work: division of work means specialization
ii. Authority and Responsibility: Authority and responsibility go
together or co-existing.
iii. Discipline: According to Henry Fayol discipline means
sincerity about the work and enterprise, carrying out orders and
instructions of superiors and to have faith in the policies and
programs of the business enterprise
iv. Unity of Command: A subordinate should take order from
only one boss and he should be responsible and accountable to

him
v. Unity of direction: Fayol advocates "One head and one plan"
which means that group efforts on a particular plan be led and
directed by a single person
vi. Subordination of individual interests to general interests
vii. Fair Remuneration to employees: According to Fayol wage-
rates and method of their payment should be fair, proper and
satisfactory.
viii. Centralization and Decentralization: There should be one
central point in the organization which exercises overall
direction and control of all the parts
ix. Scalar chain: The scalar chain is a chain of supervisors from
the highest to the lowest rank.
x. Order: According to Fayol there should be proper, systematic
and orderly arrangement of physical and social factors, such as
land, raw materials, tools and equipments and employees
respectively
xi. Equity: The principle of equality should be followed and
applicable at every level of management
xii. Stability of Tenure: Principle of stability is linked with long
tenure of personnel in the organization.
xiii. Initiative: Under this principle, the successful management
provides an opportunity to its employees to suggest their new
ideas, experiences and more convenient methods of work
xiv. Spirit of Co-operation: In order to achieve the best possible
results, individual and group efforts are to be effectively
integrated and coordinated
Mintzberg: Henry Mintzberg discusses seven different forms of
business organization, and six components that characterize all
organizations. Henry Mintzberg's theory of organizational
structure also breaks organizations' work down into six
coordination mechanisms, illustrating how distinct tasks are
performed and then coordinated to accomplish goals. The
management theory of Henry Mintzberg also breaks down the
manager's tasks into three areas: interpersonal, information
processing and decision making. Managers' various roles, such

as serving as a leader, a spokesman and a resource allocator, fit
into one of these three areas of activity.
The Mintzberg theory of management continues to evolve as
Henry Mintzberg does more work with active managers and
businesspeople, as well as in the academy. Keeping up to date
with Mintzberg's work can help you stay on the cutting edge of
business management as well. Mintzberg's website provides
comprehensive information about his past and ongoing
publications. Henry Mintzberg advocates a basic management
theory that is designed to be practiced and experiential.
Katz: Social psychologist Katz in 1974, in his article,” Skills of
an Effective Administrator“ in Harvard Business thought about
the relationship of managerial skills and hierarchical
management levels. The result was the setting of the three areas
of managerial skills and determination, for which level they are
characterized:
· Technical skills - competencies important, particularly for
lower management
· Human skills - competencies needed for all levels of
management
· Conceptual skills - competencies with a substantial
importance, particularly for top management
5. Describe the key similarities and differences between the
management
theories developed by Fayol, Mintzberg and Katz
Mintzberg obtained his theory as a result of research based on
observation. Hence, his roles directly depict what managers do.
He argues that Fayol’s functions ‘do not describe the actual
work of managers at all; they describe certain vague objectives
of managerial work’ (Mintzberg 1971). As he observed the
managers in his research, he found that all activities captured at
lease one of his ten roles in practice whereas they could not be
simplified to be known singularly as one of Fayol’s functions
Fayol’s focus on what managers should do if they lived in an
idealised state… Mintzberg’s concerns with what manager’s

actually do, given on the demands they experience day-to-day.
Fayol has five functions of management; planning,
commanding, coordinating and controlling. These functions are
to predict the future, plan for the future, developing different
technique structure, managing activities, send information to
staff members and make sure that things go according to what
plan and also get feedback in order to correct inappropriate
activities.
According to Mintzberg, he say that management is more than
just planning, commanding, coordinating and controlling, it is
having an interpersonal relationship and communicate with
employees and customers. He describes management as the roles
of management. It split into three broad groups, Informational,
Interpersonal and decisional roles which comprises of monitor,
disseminator, spokesperson, figurehead, leader, laision,
entrepreneur, resource allocation and disturbance handler.
Both Fayol and Mintzberg describe management in their own
term. Although management is a vague term, Fayol and
Mintzberg use their own observation to describe how
management works. They take different approaches to highlight
how manager operation in an organization.
Katz believed that a successful manager would be sensitive to
the needs of those around them with the ability to judge
potential reactions and outcomes and to then make an educated
decision on the correct course of action to carry out. Katz
divided human skills into two categories, leadership ability
within the unit and ability within interpersonal relationships.
The third and final skill that Katz believed essential to a
successful manager was conceptual. Fuyol concluded that it was
a necessity for a successful manager to display and enhance
three fundamental skills. These skills were technical, human
and conceptual. He found that the importance of such skills
depended upon the size of the organization and the extent of
reliance that was placed on managerial responsibility.
TOPIC 2: MANAGING ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

Lecture + Robbins Ch. 8
1. Describe the three ‘attitude orientations’ of organizational
behavior and give
an example for each. In your answer discuss why it is helpful
for managers
to be aware of these orientations.:
They include: job satisfaction, job involvement and
organizational commitment.
Job satisfaction is a collection of positive and negative feelings
that an individual holds towards his/ her job. Example, how
satisfied are people in their jobs? Job satisfaction has declined
to 51% due to less control over work.
Job involvement involves identifying with the job, actively
participating in it and considering performance important to
self-worth.
Organizational commitment: involves identifying with a
particular organization and it’s goals and wishing to maintain
membership in the organization.
Managers should be aware of these orientations since satisfied
workers are more friendly and responsive and helps to build
long term relationship between customers and also this may
help increase the productivity of the organization.
2. ‘Instead of worrying about job satisfaction, companies should
be trying to
create environments where performance is enabled.’ Discuss the
implications
of this statement for managers.
Job satisfaction has a great effect on employee performance,
therefore, managers should take actions to retain high
performers and weed out low performers. Thus employees who
feel fairly treated by and are trusting of the organization are
more willing to engage in behaviors that go beyond their normal

expectations of their job.
3. Explain the challenges facing managers in managing
generational differences
and negative behavior in the workplace
i. Diversity
Employers may feel challenged to hire a more diverse work
force while at the same time being concerned about the impact
the diversity can have hence extra training is required and this
may raise expenses.
ii. Employment interaction
Teams working together under the same roof there is bound to
be friction from time to time. Introducing training to help
employees learn how to manage work stress and get along with
other people can be very beneficial.
iii. Handling customers
Customers also bring another level of challenge into the mix.
Most employees get frustrated by the customers in situations
where it is difficult to deal with on the notion that the customer
is always right hence it becomes a challenge to managers to deal
with this.
4. Describe the two approaches of perception and the categories
in each
approach. Discuss why it is important for individuals to be
aware of these
approaches and the barriers to accurate perception that can
occur.
Perception is a cognitive process. People’s individual
differences and uniqueness are largely the result of the
cognitive process they use in processing the information they
receive and conclusions they make.perception is the
interpretation of the situation by a person and it is not an exact
recording of it.
The approaches to perception, are classical approach and

system approach.
Classical approach.
It professes the body of management based on the believe that
employees have only economical and physical needs and the
social needs and need for job satisfaction either does not exist
or not important. It advocates high specialization of labor,
centralized decision making and profit maximization. The
categories of classical approach are: scientific, administrative
and bureaucratic management.
Scientific management focuses on the best way to do a job.
Administrative management focuses on the manager and basic
managerial functions.
Bureaucratic management focuses on the guidelines for
structuring with formalization of rules, procedures and a clear
division of labor.
Merits
i. Offers convenient framework for education and training.
ii. Helpful in drawing common principles out of past
experiences
iii. Focuses attention on what managers actually do.
iv. Provides scientific basis for management practice.
System approach
It is a collection of interrelated parts acting together to achieve
so goal which exists in the environment. It is also defined as a
set of objects working together with relationships between the
objects and their attributes related to each other and the
environment.
Merits
i. This approach reflects the interests of all parties and it is not
based on desires of one group alone.
Demerits
i. Broader than management and its practices
ii. Overlooks many management concepts, techniques and
principles.

TOPIC 3: GROUPS AND TEAMS Lecture + Robbins Ch. 9
1. Explain the impact of work teams on productivity in
countries such as the
United States and Australia, whose national cultures place a
high value on
individualism.
Many countries use the word team in either one sense or the
other that is, production and marketing processes. Examples are
management team, production team or an entire organization
can be referred to as a team. Work teams improves the overall
results in an organization’s productivity in countries such as
USA and Australia in the following ways.
· Work teams retain valuable organizational knowledge that
comes with the continuity of staff and sharing of information
· Enhance the power and feeling of satisfaction of individuals
working on the team
· Establish trust relationships that lead to better sharing of
knowledge and understanding
· Achieve objectives because individuals are working together
· Hold team members accountable to one another accountable
Combine the talents of many individuals and therefore
contribute more than the sum of its parts
- Create an environment where the input from people at
all levels is valued
- Create new knowledge through working and learning with
others
- Provide a process and place for multiple perspectives to be
applied to complex problems and issues
- Generate new ideas and insights
- Turn knowledge into practical results that improve the
organization´s services
-Use a variety of communication processes (including
technology) to support the sharing of information, knowledge
and experience

- Create a climate where innovation and new ideas are supported
and members listen to diverse points of view
- Multiply impacts while maintaining or reducing the resources
needed to do the job
- Promote a culture that questions the status quo and looks for
innovative ways to improve services and reach goals
- Empower individuals, the team and the organizations
2. Compare how early scientific management theorists and
behavioural science
theorists might react to the increased use of teams in
contemporary organiZations.
Scientific management, theories analyzes work flows to
improve economic efficiency, especially labor productivity.
Important components of scientific management include
analysis, synthesis, logic, rationality, empiricism, work ethic,
efficiency, elimination of waste, and standardized best
practices.
Behavioral science relies on the notion that managers will
better understand the human aspect to workers and treat
employees as important assets to achieve goals. Management
taking a special interest in workers makes them feel like part of
a special group.
3. Discuss ways in which norms and conformity can affect
group behavior. In
your answer provide an explanation of what is meant by ‘norms’
and ‘conformity’.
Norm: A norm is informal guideline about what is considered
normal social behavior in a particular group or social unit.
Norms form the basis of collective expectations that members of
a community have from each other, and play a key part in social
control and social order by exerting a pressure on the individual
to conform.

Conformity: This is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors to group norms. Norms are implicit, unsaid rules,
shared by a group of individuals, that guide their interactions
with others. This tendency to conform occurs in small groups
and/or society as a whole, and may result from subtle
unconscious influences, or direct and overt social pressure
Norms and conformity affect group behavior in the following
ways
i. Individuals who breach norms that they accept may
experience a range of negative emotional consequences, such as
extreme self-consciousness, embarrassment, guilt, and shame.
ii. Breaches upset uncertainty-reducing activity, so
organizations in these cultures may adopt structural
formalization and centralization, thus reducing the degree of
sharing of important information and decision making with
subordinates.
iii. Individuals may obey norms to fulfill their own expectations
about proper behavior. Individuals often feel duty bound to
adhere to norms because, as responsible members of the group,
they accept the legitimacy of the established norms and
recognize the importance of supporting these norms.
iv. Not conforming to social norms and values is likely to make
followers quickly perceive a leader as incompetent and not
deserving of that position, regardless of his or her personal
achievements. On the other hand, for most individuals, small
breaches that reflect personal idiosyncrasies, if kept private,
will likely be overlooked.
v. By conforming to group norms, idiosyncrasy credits can be
earned, and if enough idiosyncrasy credits are earned, the
person can, on occasion, breach norms without retribution from
the group. Individuals who breach norms but cannot provide an
acceptable explanation for their violation are often evaluated
negatively and may experience peer aggression, violence, and
lesser forms of mistreatment.

4. Discuss the challenges that managers face with managing
global teams. In
your answer provide a solution for overcoming each challenge.
a) Lack of clarity.
When working with team members who have different native
tongues, it’s common for key messages to get lost in translation.
Add poor phone connections and multitasking team members
while on conference calls, and you start to realize why
communication doesn’t always sink in the first time around.
Remedy: Put action items and key decisions in writing. Follow
up conference calls with clear, written communication of the
outcomes of the meeting. This ensures everyone walked away
from the meeting with the same key takeaways.
b) Slow decision making
When there are only a few hours a day, it can take weeks to get
a meeting scheduled that works for everyone’s calendar.
Remedy: Communicate strategy and direction face to face
whenever possible. A regular in-person meeting is also a must
to boost team morale and increase collaboration.
c) Disjointed conflict resolution.
Working predominantly through email makes it difficult to deal
with tough issues and get everyone on the same page.
Remedy: Never communicate tough messages via email, as
written messages can easily be misunderstood. By speaking live
to the individual in a one-on-one conversation, you are much
more likely to understand one another and communicate
effectively.
d) Conflicting corporate culture.
Great company culture depends on constant interaction and team

bonding among employees.
Remedy: invest in cultural training. hire a consultant to spend a
day with the management team for cultural training.
5. Discuss the impact of group size on group behaviour, group
cohesiveness,
and productivity
The ideal size of a small group working on a shared task is of
interest to both researchers that wish to understand fundamental
processes and those who wish to design more effective work
groups. Research has shown that larger groups generate more
accurate answers to problems, are more likely to retain
important information and generally have higher performance.
Sub-groups may form to reduce this stress that promote conflict
between group members and harm group productivity.
Individual level stressors may reduce group cohesion, which has
been found to undermine group success and increases the
likelihood that schisms will develop between group members.
Increasing group size has a negative impact on group member
trust, cohesion, and commitment. Increasing group size likely
reduces how aware group members are of one another, affecting
cohesion and trust between group members. As cohesion is
reduced, group members are more likely to focus on interactions
with people they feel are more aware of them.
Increasing group size may make it more difficult to coordinate
group member contributions, and may reduce people’s
motivations to contribute to shared tasks. Such problems as
within group coalition formation may result partly because
increasing group size limits group members’ mutual awareness,
the ability to monitor each other’s behavior, and leads to a
reduction in the frequency of one-on-one interaction.

TOPIC 4: MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION Lecture +
Robbins Ch. 12
1. Explain why it is important to understand the different
communication styles
when communicating with people. In your answer discuss the
barriers to
communication that managers need to be aware of when
communicating with
culturally diverse teams.
i. Understanding different communication styles promotes
individual awareness.
ii. It increases self-esteem and self-confidence.
iii. Helps to create good and lasting impressions on others
Barriers to communication that need to be aware include;
i. Close minded
ii. Poor listening
iii. Difficulty seeing the other person's point of view
iv. Interrupts
v. Monopolizing
2. You are a manager who is trying to get support from your
colleagues for a
new idea. Describe the three principles of communication as
well as three
influencing tactics you might use.
Principles of communication include:
1. Aggressiveness. I will be aggressive in delivering of the
message by pointing frowning, shaking fingers and produce a
loud yelling voice.

2. Passiveness. I will be passive by not expressing my true
feelings, allowing others to make decision for me, being
apologetic and self-conscious.
3. Assertiveness; I will be assertive by handling the situations
as effectively as possible,being confident, open and flexible
when communicating with my colleagues.
The influencing I might use are:
i. Being clear and keeping it simple by expressing myself
directly and honestly.
ii. Being consistent so as I don’t confuse people.
iii. By stating observations, no labels or judgement.
4. Describe the foundations of good communication and how
these can
help minimise toxic communications in the workplace. In your
answer discuss
contemporary communication issues facing managers.
Good communication must possess the following features;
Be concrete. The details help the audience to picture in minds
how something should be carried out. This means that
communications about important initiatives should move beyond
abstract statements to specific action items with detailed
instructions. Include visual aids where possible.
Find new creative ways of expressing core values. With each
new idea, event or project find ways to tie it back to a key
company value and don’t be shy about explicitly stating the
connection.
Being a leader in collaboration world. As there are more ways
for employees to get information through collaborative
technology and the web, it is important for managers to be able
to capture people attention in order to effectively compete with
other influences.
The contemporary communication issues facing managers

include:
i. Wasting time and energy over supervising others
ii. Fostering resistance and defiance
iii. Building dependency relationships
iv. Giving up being him/ herself.
4).“’Silence’ can be a powerful language”. Describe four
characteristics of nonverbal communication and how these can
assist managers when
communicating with others
Characteristics of non-verbal communication
i. Nodding of head comes across as pleading
ii. Smiles and nods in agreement
iii. Rigid posture
iv. Squints eyes critically
v. Fast, when anxious; slow, hesitant, when doubtful
These nonverbal cues helps in catching the attention of the
audience that the message is being passed to hence it improves
effective communication among people.
5.) ‘Ineffective communication is the fault of the sender.’
Discuss the
communication process and three ways to ensure effective
communication.
Communication process
Communication process consists of some interrelated steps or
parts through which messages are sent form sender to receiver.
The process of communication begins when the sender wants to
transmit a fact, idea, opinion or other information to the
receiver and ends with receiver’s feedback to the sender. The
main components of communication process are sender,
message, channel, receiver and feedback.
Communication process consists of the following eight steps

1. Developing idea by the sender: In the first step, the
communicator develops or conceptualizes an idea to be sent. It
is also known as the planning stage since in this stage the
communicator plans the subject matter of communication.
2. Encoding: Encoding means converting or translation the idea
into a perceivable form that can be communicated to others.
3. Developing the message: After encoding the sender gets a
message that can be transmitted to the receiver. The message
can be oral, written, symbolic or nonverbal. For example, when
people talk, speech is the message; when people write a letter,
the words and sentences are the message; when people cries, the
crying is the message.
4. Selecting the medium: Medium is the channel or means of
transmitting the message to the receiver. Once the sender has
encoded his into a message, the next step is to select a suitable
medium for transmitting it to the receiver. The medium of
communication can be speaking, writing, signaling, gesturing
etc.
5. Transmission of message: In this step, the sender actually
transmits the message through chosen medium. In the
communication cycle, the tasks of the sender end with the
transmission of the message.
6. Receiving the message by receiver: This stage simply
involves the reception of sender’s message by the receiver. The
message can be received in the form of hearing, seeing, feeling
and so on.
7. Decoding: Decoding is the receiver’s interpretation of the
sender’s message. Here the receiver converts the message into
thoughts and tries to analyze and understand it. Effective
communication can occur only when both the sender and the
receiver assign the same or similar meanings to the message.
8. Feedback: The final step of communication process is
feedback. Feedback means receiver’s response to sender’s
message. It increases the effectiveness of communication. It
ensures that the receiver has correctly understood the message.
Feedback is the essence of two-way communication.

Ways of Effective communication
1. Open meeting
It is easier to communicate your passion and how you feel to
your team via open meetings. In this kind of forum, they will
not only hear what you are saying, they will also see and feel it.
This approach still remains one of the best approaches to
communicate effectively with a team.
2. Emails
In official settings, communication via email remains potent. It
will enable you to pass messages to members of your team
without pulling them out of their work stations.
3. One on One
Experts have been able to prove that some people understand
better when you take them aside and talk to them on a one-on-
one basis. Ensure that you maintain eye contact with them to
enable the message to sink in.
4. Use Presentations
Some people grasp messages easily when pictures and sounds
are involved. Using presentations like Microsoft Power Point to
communicate with your team will give them the opportunity to
refer back to it if they aren’t clear about certain things.
5. Communication via Training
Your training should be tailored towards communicating certain
information to your team members. Most employees take
training serious, especially when it’s part of their appraisal.
6. Display Confidence and Seriousness
Ensure that you display confidence and seriousness to ensure
that you will not be taken for granted. When your team members
notice any uncertainty and lack of seriousness when you’re
communicating with them, they are likely to treat the
information with disdain or disregard.

7. Use Simple Words
The truth is that everybody cannot be on same page when it
comes to vocabulary. Therefore, to be effective in your
communications with your team members, use words that can be
easily understood. When ambiguous words are used, you can be
misunderstood and/or waste precious time having to explain
yourself.
TOPIC 5: MANAGING CSR AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR
Lecture + Robbins Ch. 2
1. Taking a systems view of organisations, discuss the influence
of systems
culture and values on corporate social responsibility (CSR).
The following are as a result of influence of systems
culture and values on corporate social responsibility (CSR).
· Profits efficiently earned may not constitute a sufficient CSR
standard.
· Companies should engage in strategic philanthropy whereby
good acts improve operating conditions and quality of life—and
serve society.
· Companies should partner with non-profits and government
agencies to solve social, economic, and psychological problems
in society.
· Companies should meet or exceed stakeholder expectations of
performance standards needed to satisfy the moral rectitude that
business contributes to the long-term business climate by
collaborative decision making and operating in the public
interest.
CR reduces the propensity and rationale activists have to
call for excessive and punitive legislation/regulation and
the cost of such mistakes.
CR protects organizations, at least for a while, during a
crisis and can reduce various costs, such as litigation and
related punitive damages.
CR increases the likelihood, on the part of non-profits and

governmental agencies, that they will get funding they need
because they are accomplishing a mission which stakeholders
support
2.) Secchi developed three theories of corporate social
responsibility (CSR).
Describe the differences between the three theories and give an
example for
each.
Broadly, there are three theoretical approaches to these new
responsibilities: Corporate social responsibility (CSR), the
triple bottom line and stakeholder theoryCorporate Social
Responsibility (CSR)
The title corporate social responsibility has two meanings. First,
it’s a general name for any theory of the corporation that
emphasizes both the responsibility to make money and the
responsibility to interact ethically with the surrounding
community. Second, corporate social responsibility is also a
specific conception of that responsibility to profit while playing
a role in broader questions of community welfare.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is composed of four
obligations:
i. The economic responsibility to make money. Required by
simple economics, this obligation is the business version of the
human survival instinct.
ii. The legal responsibility to adhere to rules and regulations.
Like the previous, this responsibility is not controversial.
iii. The ethical responsibility to do what’s right even when not
required by the letter or spirit of the law.
iv. The philanthropic responsibility to contribute to society’s
projects even when they’re independent of the particular
business.The Triple Bottom Line
The triple bottom line is a form of corporate social
responsibility dictating that corporate leaders tabulate bottom-
line results not only in economic terms but also in terms of

company effects in the social realm, and with respect to the
environment. There are two keys to this idea. First, the three
columns of responsibility must be kept separate, with results
reported independently for each. Second, in all three of these
areas, the company should obtain sustainable results. The notion
of sustainability is very specific. At the intersection of ethics
and economics, sustainability means the long-term maintenance
of balance.
· Economic sustainability values long-term financial solidity
over more volatile, short-term profits, no matter how high
· Social sustainability values balance in people’s lives and the
way we live
· The fair trade movement fits this ethical imperative to shared
opportunity and wealth. Developed and refined as an idea in
Europe in the 1960s, organizations promoting fair trade ask
businesses.
· Environmental sustainability begins from the affirmation that
natural resources, especially the oil fueling our engines, the
clean air we breathe, and the water we drink are limited.
Stakeholder Theory
Stakeholder theory, which has been described by Edward
Freeman and others, is the mirror image of corporate social
responsibility. Instead of starting with a business and looking
out into the world to see what ethical obligations are there,
stakeholder theory starts in the world. It lists and describes
those individuals and groups who will be affected by (or affect)
the company’s actions and asks, “What are their legitimate
claims on the business?” “What rights do they have with respect
to the company’s actions?” and “What kind of responsibilities
and obligations can they justifiably impose on a particular
business?”
The outer limits of stakeholding are blurry. In an abstract sense,
it’s probably true that everyone in the world counts as a
stakeholder of any serious factory insofar as we all breathe the
same air and because the global economy is so tightly linked
that decisions taken in a boardroom in a small town on the East

Coast can end up costing someone in India her job and the
effects keep rippling out from there. Once a discrete set of
stakeholders surrounding an enterprise has been located,
stakeholder ethics may begin. The purpose of the firm,
underneath this theory, is to maximize profit on a collective
bottom line, with profit defined not as money but as human
welfare. The collective bottom line is the summed effect of a
company’s actions on all stakeholders.
3.) Discuss how ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR) evolved
and the early
influences on the multidisciplinary interconnections evident in
contemporary
corporations.
Traditionally, the directors of companies have had an extremely
difficult but very narrowly defined responsibility: guide the
enterprise toward money. The best companies have been those
generating the highest sales, gaining the most customers, and
clearing the largest profits. As for ethical questions, they’ve
been arranged around the basic obligation to represent the
owners’ central interest, which presumably is to profit from
their investment. Consequently, the field of business ethics has
mainly concerned conflicts and dilemmas erupting inside the
company as people try to work together to win in the very
competitive economic world. In Woburn, Massachusetts, in the
early 1980s, this conflict between two ways of running a
business played out in the Hollywood depiction of the lawyer
played by John Travolta. At the movie’s beginning, right and
wrong for a business got decided in dollars and without broader

sensibility. Travolta’s law firm existed to make money and
operated by accepting only cases that promised big payouts.
That’s what brought Travolta to Woburn, the chance to sue
deep-pocketed W. R. Grace for poisoning the land with toxic
runoff and for destroying the lives of families living near the
pools of contamination. Over the course of the movie, however,
Travolta becomes attached to Woburn’s cause and the social
good of fighting for a clean environment.
In terms of business ethics, it’s not difficult to interpret
Travolta’s transformation from a businessman taking care of the
bottom line, to one engaged by a broader vision of social
responsibility. In terms of corporate social responsibility,
Travolta came to believe that his job as the law firm’s leader
obligated him to satisfy his economic responsibility to make
money for the firm by suing for financial damages while also
acting legally. In terms of the triple bottom line of economics,
society, and the environment, Travolta came to believe that his
job as the law firm’s leader obligated him to take account of
and do well in all three areas. In terms of stakeholder ethics,
Travolta came to believe that his job as the law firm’s leader
obligated him not only to work for the firm’s owners but also to
take direction from those who would be affected by the firm’s
actions.
4. In terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR), discuss the
levels of
influence that managers actually have on an organisation’s
success or failure.
A company’s organizational structure is the foundation of what
brings job design, task grouping, business goals, employee
relations, employee mindset, efficiency, and efficacy together in
a visual and interactive map of reporting and working
relationships. Strategies, resources, technology, and goals are
factors to consider when implementing a structure.
· A good manager shares information to the people concerned in
the organization

· A good manager puts a lot of thoughts into hiring quality
personnel so as to improve productivity of an organization
· A good manager is accountable for the team’s performance.
5. You are a manager developing a CSR (corporate social
responsibility)
statement for key stakeholders in your organisation. Describe
with examples
four components that the manager should consider when
communicating to
stakeholders.
i. Identifying your stakeholders, it is important to identify the
correct individual stakeholders within a stakeholder
organization.
ii. Prioritizing of my stakeholders, by mapping them and
classifying them with power over my work and by their interest
in my work.
iii. Communicating to ensure intended message is understood
and the desired response achieved.
iv. Understanding my key stakeholders, I should know how best
to engage them in my project and how best to communicate with
them.
Topic 6: Managerial Leadership
1. Explain with examples what a manager might need to know
when using Fiedler’s contingency model.
When using Fiedler’s contingency model, a manager should
know his type of leadership style. This is determined by
whether he or she is a relationship oriented leader or a task
oriented leader. This is measured using the Least –Preferred co-
worker scale where one takes the person they have least enjoyed
working with and rates how much they feel about this person
using a variety of factors. These factors include the rate of
unfriendliness, unpleasantness, coldness, hostility and many

others. The manager should also consider the situational
favorableness of his or her given situation which depends on
three different factors: Leader- member relations, the task
structure and the manager’s position power.
2. All managers should be leaders but not all leaders should be
managers. Discuss this statement and support your argument
with examples. In your answer explain the circumstances that
might make organizational leaders irrelevant.
A manager is a person who has gained years of experience in
the specific area he specializes in and does things the same way
they have been done over the years. He is appointed to keep the
company going and bring in as much profit as possible. He does
not need to have a passion for what he is doing as long as he
does everything right. A leader however is a person who has a
great influence on people and inspires them and builds them to
things according to his goals. Leaders make decisions to build
people up while every decision the manager makes in the
company is to contribute to more profit. Hence managers can be
said to be systematic in their ways while leaders are more like
mentors. Organizational leaders become irrelevant when they
don’t make enough profit the organizations they are in charge
of. Great organizational leaders should be revolutionaries that
come up with ideas that are in line with the fast changing world.
They should know their market places and the type of customers
to target every time they have a new idea.
3. ‘It is the leaders in organizations that make things happen.’
Critically discuss this statement explaining the implications for
understanding behavioral leadership theories.
The leaders in every organization have no alternative other than
success. They therefore have to everything in their capability to
make things work. They go out of their way to find out what
works for the company and in addition to that they have to stay
in touch with the market. They sometimes make mistakes as this
is inevitable but they have to quickly come up with a way of

making up for the mistakes. According to the behavioral
leadership theories, whether one is a task oriented leader or a
relationship leader, they all do the best they can to keep the
engine going. This is because a relationship leader will do what
it takes to make sure that the workers and the customers are
satisfied while the task oriented leader will make sure
everything is done within the time limit it was to be done hence
all of these leader make things happen in the organizations.
4. Draw on your knowledge of the conventional leader-
celebratory approaches to leadership. Describe Adair’s three
circles model. In your answer explain the model’s core
management responsibilities.
John Adair came up with his three circles approach when he
observed how effective leaders gained the support and
commitment of their followers. He found out that these leaders
concentrated on three areas that the members of the teams
needed. The three areas included the task, team and individual.
The task needs included setting a clear goal and objectives and
organization and management of the process. The team needs
included things like effective social interaction, shared work
and communication within the team and with other teams.
Individual needs varied from person to person but these leaders
paid attention on how each individual behaved.
5. Bass and Avolio developed a model of transformational
leadership. Discuss the key features of the model including
what is meant by the term ‘Transformational Leadership’.
Transformational leadership is a type of leadership method
where the leader works closely with the subordinates to identify
the various areas that need change, he then creates a vision to
lead them through the inspiration and later works on executing
these changes with the committed members of the group.
According to Bass, transformational leadership included various
aspects such as appealing to the needs of followers, raising
awareness of moral standards, highlighting important priorities
and many others. Effective leadership comprises of four
components commonly known as the 4I’s. These include:

idealized influence where the leader acts as a role model to the
followers, inspirational motivation where the leader is able to
inspire his or her followers, Individualized consideration where
the leaders are genuinely concerned with the needs of the
followers and finally, intellectual stimulation where the leader
dares the followers to be creative. Transformational leadership
is said to be a success when the leaders and the followers
motivate each other to greater levels of morality.
Topic 7: MANAGING STRATEGICALLY
1. ‘The primary means of sustaining a competitive advantage is
to adjust faster to the environment than your competitors do.’
Critically discuss this statement explaining the implications for
the organization and the benefits of managers understanding the
six-step strategic management process.
The six-step strategic management process is advantageous to
managers as it helps them stay ahead of the other
companies. The first step involves identifying the
organization’s current goals and missions. It is however
advisable to perform step 6 of the process first where the
company evaluates whether it has been able to achieve the
goals. Step 3 involves analyzing the internal and the external
environment. The management should then formulate strategies
and make sure they are executed. Finally, step to is about
analyzing what the other organizations and knowing what they
are up to and the type of factors that could affect their
businesses. This therefore makes them stay ahead of the
competition.
2. You have just been appointed as a strategic manager. In your
planning you are considering undertaking either a macro
analysis or an organizational analysis. Discuss the key features
of both approaches and in what circumstances you would apply
each analytical tool.
Research shows that there is a connection between the
organization’s strategic decision and its environment. In macro
analysis, we focus on the analysis of the macro environment.

The macro environmental forces that affect all organizations are
political-legal, social, technological and economic forces.
Examples of the political-legal forces include the outcome of
elections, legislation and the decisions made by various
agencies. The political sctor affects the way an organization
operates in terms os taxation, privatization and expenditure. The
economic forces reer to the direction in which the organization
is operating. The statepf the economy largely affect
organizations in terms of interest rates, inflation, monetary
policy, balance of payments and the many others. Technological
forces affect the way an organization operates especially in this
modern day when theres a lot of technological advancements.
Technology can change the demand of an organization’s raw
material or product. Social forces are inclusive of consumer
expectation, traditions and values. These forces affect customer
behavior hence organizations can use these to determine which
goods are needed.
Organizational analysis is the process of reviewing the work
environment in an organization. It is mainly conducted when a
company or an organization is undergoing crisis thus every
system is analyzed to know the efficient and inefficient
systems.
3. You have just been appointed as the strategic manager. In
your planning you re considering undertaking either an
industry/ sector analysis or ana organizational analysis. Discuss
the key features of both approaches and in what circumstances
you would apply each analytical tool.
Sector analysis is the process of analyzing the current situation
and the future prospects of a given sector of the economy. It is
mainly used by investors as it gives information of how well a
group of companies are expected to perform while
organizational analysis is the process of reviewing the work
environment in an organization. It is mainly conducted when a
company or an organization is undergoing crisis thus every
system is analyzed to know the efficient and inefficient
systems. In case an organization is interested investing a certain

amount of money, then sector analysis is recommended but
when an organization is interested in finding out what it could
do better to maximize profit, then an organizational analysis is
recommended.
4. Discuss two tools that could be applied by managers when
facing a strategic dilemma. Explain which tool would be more
useful in this context.
The manager can use SWOT (Strengths, weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats) analysis method to analyze the
strength, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats that a
company faces. It helps a company to maximize on its strengths,
minimize its weaknesses, use the opportunities available and
minimize the threats. The leader should also make decisions
based on principles. Managers sometimes used principled
decision making to manage risks and uncertain investments. For
unsolvable complex risk management problems, portfolio
managers turn to principled decision making.
5. Discuss how understanding and managing ‘communities of
practice’ can contribute strategic value in organizations.
Communities of practice are a group of people who share a
common interest on a certain topic and desire to learn more as
they interact regularly. When a community decides to have a
management system and makes it a learning interactive session,
then a lot of valuable strategic plans and ideas can come from
the members of the community. Their comments on some of the
investment matters and advice on certain strategic plans can
give rise to the best ideal strategic plan because of thee
contribution from various expertises on the subject matter.
TOPIC 8: ORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS Lecture + Robbins
Ch. 5
1. Explain the contingency factors that affect organisational

designi. Strategy:
Logically structure follows strategy because organisational
structures are built to achieve objectives by implementing the
strategiesii. Environment:
Environment has an impact on decision making – specifically
the difficulty of making decisions in an uncertain or
unpredictable environment. An unstable environment that
changes rapidly and is less predictable has two requirements:
· The organisation must be able to adapt to change, for which it
needs to be flexible and responsive.
· The organisation needs greater coordination among
departments.
iii. Size of the organisation:
The number of employers working in an organisation indicates
its size. It is observed that large organisations differ
structurally from small ones in terms of division of labour, rules
and regulations, performance appraisal and budgeting
procedures.iv. Technology:
Some kind of technology is used to convert the resources into
outputs in every organisation. Technology includes the
knowledge, machinery, work procedures, and materials that
convert the inputs into outputs. The technology used to
manufacture the products decides the kind of the organisation
for the production systemv. Age of the organisation:
With age; an organisation incorporates standardised systems,
procedures and regulations. Like people, organisations evolve
through stage of life cycle – birth, youth, midlife and maturity.
In the birth stage, the organisation created by the entrepreneur
is informal, with no rules and regulations.
2.) Compare the similarities and differences between
‘subjective’ factors and
‘objective’ frameworks for organisational analysis. Give
examples to illustrate
your answer.

Subjective performance evaluation are based on personal
impressions and judgementsthey are nonverifiable.
Subjectivity can be used in any of a number of ways, and it can
provide multiple benefits.
If both objective and subjective performance evaluations are
used, One possibility is that they are highly correlated. The
subjective evaluators might be highly influenced by the
objective performance ratings, causing them not to differentiate
individuals’ performances on any other basis
objective measures can sometimes provide good indicators of an
individual’s performance while Subjective ratings can be more
focused on individual performance, can consider a broader
range of factors
3.) Discuss why analysing ‘subjective’ factors are important
when analysing organisations. In your answer define what is
meant by
‘subjective’ factors.
Subjective factors Based on attitudes, beliefs, or opinions,
instead of on verifiable evidence or phenomenon. Subjective
factors always functions within the framework of objective
relationships and conditions, which to a considerable extent are
crystallized forms of previous human activity.
Importance of subjective factors
It is a source of information for strategic planning.
Builds organization’s strengths.
Reverse its weaknesses.
Maximize its response to opportunities.
Overcome organization’s threats.
It helps in identifying core competencies of the firm.
It helps in setting of objectives for strategic planning.
4.) Describe what the objective frameworks for organisational
analysis
are. Discuss when the ‘systems principles’ are not desirable for
businesses to

apply.
Objective frameworks are re short-term and medium-term goals
that an organization seeks to accomplish. An organization's
objectives will play a large part in developing organizational
polices and determining the allocation of organizational
resources.
Businesses conduct a SWOT analysis where they identify their
internal Strengths and Weaknesses as well as external
Opportunities and Threats. This information allow you to
develop strategies that are relevant and realistic to your
organization. Investigate what the future trends may be in your
industry. You want to develop objectives that will give you a
competitive advantage.
TOPIC 9: CREATIVITY, INNOVATION & DESIGN Lecture +
Robbins Ch.- 7, 13
1.) Define each of the following types of innovation and give an
appropriate
example for each from the motorcar industry: Product/Service
innovation;
Marketing innovation; Technology innovation
Product/service innovation is the development and market
introduction of a new, redesigned or substantially improved
good or service. Examples of product innovation by a business
might include a new product's invention; technical specification
and quality improvements made to a product; or the inclusion of
new components, materials or desirable functions into an
existing product.
A marketing innovation is the implementation of a new
marketing method involving significant changes in product
design or packaging, product placement, product promotion or
pricing.
Technological innovations comprise new products and processes
and significant technological changes of products and

processes. An innovation has been implemented if it has been
introduced on the market (product innovation).
2.) Explain why it is necessary, and very important, to measure
innovation
within organizations. In your answer discuss what would be
appropriate
metrics for product and technology innovation.
Metrics can be important levers of innovation in the following
ways:
· Create an organizational culture that supports and drives
strategic innovation
· Establish critical capabilities tuned to the evolving
competitive business landscape
· Evaluate innovation efforts to ensure both return on
investment and support feedback loops of learning and
improvement
· Drive profitable growth
The appropriate metrics include:
· Annual R&D budget as a percentage of annual sales
· Number of patents filed in the past year
· Total R&D headcount or budget as a percentage of sales
· Number of active projects
· Number of ideas submitted by employees
· Percentage of sales from products introduced in the past X
year(s)
3.) Discuss what Peter Drucker meant when he said “Culture
eats strategy for
breakfast.” In your answer describe two counter arguments in
favour of
strategy.
Peter Drucker allegedly said that culture eats strategy for
breakfast. If strategy is for breakfast then your structure is for

lunch. Culture will overcome any structural chart or any
reorganization. Companies fail because they believe that a
restructure will change the culture of the company. Even if a
restructure creates temporary success, culture will reassert
itself. Often senior managers ignore organizational culture
because it works for them, by ignoring culture; the senior
managers indicate that the organization cannot learn because
they engage in single loop learning.
If structure determined culture, why would we talk about
culture? The question captures the tension between culture and
structure. What links them is organizational learning. A
hierarchical learning organization will behave differently than a
matrix or decentralized organization that cannot learn. What we
find in organizations that can learn or have a learning culture is
that teams and units work well because they can learn and
adapt. As a result, they do not need to restructure.
Does your structure reflect your culture? In a learning
organization, the answer is yes. The reason why it will be a yes
is that the managers are asking questions and challenging the
organization on a regular basis. When managers claim to have a
decentralized and empowering culture often referred to as
tight/loose, but the structure is hierarchical and centralized, you
can see a gap.
4.) Discuss what the main purposes of innovation portfolio
management are. In
your answer explain how creativity and innovation differ.
Provide examples to
illustrate your answer.
i. Strategic and priority based resource allocation. As the
prioritization of the portfolio is supposed to show impact,
resources are required to be allocated accordingly
ii. Release and exit of innovation initiatives. The selection of
new, strategically-aligned initiatives has to be carried out with
due diligence.
iii. Allocation of scarce resources and capital across a range of
initiatives to maximize value.

Creativity is about unleashing the potential of the mind to
conceive new ideas. Creativity is subjective, making it hard to
measure, as our creative friends assert. Innovation, on the other
hand, is completely measurable. Innovation is about introducing
change into relatively stable systems. It’s also concerned with
the work required to make an idea viable.
5.) Describe the circumstances in which an innovative culture
can make
an organisation both more effective and less effective. Provide
examples to
illustrate your answer.
Organizational culture is different from world cultures, those
tapestries of shared histories, languages, beliefs, and foods,
which are the source of our identity. Organizational cultures are
not so encompassing, lacking the broad links that help define
how we understand our-
selves among others. This weakness also implies that
organizational cultures are dynamic.
Changing of culture can strongly influence that organization’s
potential for success or failure. In addition, the ability of an
organization and its leaders to cope with change and encourage
innovation also impacts mission effectiveness. Changing an
organization’s culture does depend on having a common
framework. The framework can be used in various ways to get
people to share stories about how people across the organization
deliver exceptional performance.
TOPIC 10: MANAGING WORK IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY
Lecture + Robbins Ch. 2, 5
1.) The availability of advanced information technology allows
an organisation’s work to be done anywhere at any time.’
Discuss
if ‘organising’ is still an important managerial function in a
global
society. Provide examples to illustrate your answer.
Organizing is the function of management which follows
planning. It is a function in which the synchronization and

combination of human, physical and financial resources takes
place. All the three resources are important to get results.
Therefore, organizational function helps in achievement of
results which in fact is important for the functioning of a
concern, organizing is an important managerial function in the
following ways.
pecialization - Organizational structure is a network of
relationships in which the work is divided into units and
departments. This division of work is helping in bringing
specialization in various activities of concern.
Well defined jobs - Organizational structure helps in putting
right men on right job which can be done by selecting people
for various departments according to their qualifications, skill
and experience. This is helping in defining the jobs properly
which clarifies the role of every person.
Clarifies authority - Organizational structure helps in clarifying
the role positions to every manager
2.) Argue why it is important for managers to pay attention to
demographic
trends and shifts when operating in a global society. Provide
examples
of demographic trends and shifts to illustrate your answer.
Economic trends; For many marketers there is a relationship
between level of sales and how customers are doing financially.
For most products this relationship is a direct one – as
customers’ financial condition improves so will selling
opportunities for the marketer. A clear example of this can be
seen with the sale of luxury products where marketers are likely
to see their sales improve as the target market’s economic
condition improves.
Government environment, Marketing decisions must be made
with an understanding of how they are impacted by
international, national, regional and local laws and regulations.
The number and variety of laws and regulations can be

overwhelming even for the most seasoned marketer.
Influencial stakeholders, The most important of these groups are
those that have an interest or stake in the company. While such
groups are not backed directly by the power of a government
they can still command a great deal of power especially in terms
of swaying public opinion, which sometimes leads to
governmental action.
Cultural and social change; Society is made up of many
different cultural groups. As we noted in the Consumer Buying
Behavior tutorial, members of a cultural group share similar
values and beliefs which are learned and reinforced by others
within the same cultural group. These shared values and beliefs,
lead members of a cultural group to behave in similar ways.
Innovation; Arguably the external force possessing the greatest
potential for changing how marketers and industries compete
are those associated with innovation. When most people think of
innovation they immediately assume it has to do with computers
and other high-tech equipment.
3.) ‘The boundaryless organisation has the potential to create a
major shift in the
way we work.’ In your answer describe what is meant by
a ‘boundaryless organisation’ and its implications for managing
work in a
global society.
A boundaryless organization is a contemporary approach in
organization design. It is an organization that is not defined by,
or limited to, the horizontal, vertical, or external boundaries
imposed by a predefined structure. This term was coined by
former General Electric chairman Jack Welch because he
wanted to eliminate vertical and horizontal boundaries within
the company and break down external barriers between the
company and its customers and suppliers. Developing a business
into a boundaryless organization might include creating a more
horizontal management structure, encouraging interdepartmental

projects, and empowering staff members.
TOPIC 11: FUTURE TRENDS Lecture + Robbins Ch. 10
1.) Describe three effects of globalisation on organisations.
Globalization may be defined as the integration of the world's
people, firms and government. In the modern context,
globalization is usually the result of closer ties in international
trade, known as bilateral trade agreements. The following are
effects of globalization on oprganizations;Expanded Markets
From the business perspective, one effect of globalization is
that of expanded markets. This means that a business that had
previously only sold its goods domestically can start selling
products to other countries.Cheaper Resources
Another consequence of bilateral trade agreements is the access
to cheaper resources. Until the start of the 1990's, the People's
Republic of China was largely closed off to the rest of the
world. Many companies in the United States produced their
goods either domestically or in areas with slightly less
expensive labor.International Development
International development, as a consequence of globalization,
arises out of a combination of both expanded markets as well as
cheaper resources. This technological know-how spread to local
firms, who in turn grew as a result of expanded markets both in
India as well as the rest of the world
2.) Discuss five challenges that managers face in motivating
today’s workforce
and ways in which these challenges can be overcome.
Changing workforce. The employees become a part of their
organization with various needs and expectations. Different
employees have different beliefs, attitudes, values, backgrounds
and thinking. But all the organizations are not aware of the
diversity in their workforce and thus are not aware and clear

about different ways of motivating their diverse workforce.
Changing the job role of the employees, or have lessened the
hierarchy levels of hierarchy, or have chucked out a significant
number of employees in the name of down-sizing or right-
sizing. Certain firms have chosen to hire and fire and paying for
performance strategies nearly giving up motivational efforts.
These strategies are unsuccessful in making an individual
overreach himself.
Diversity,the vigorous nature of needs also pose challenge to a
manager in motivating his subordinates. This is because an
employee at a certain point of time has diverse needs and
expectations. Also, these needs and expectations keep on
changing and might also clash with each other. For instance-the
employees who spend extra time at work for meeting their needs
for accomplishment might discover that the extra time spent by
them clash with their social neds and with the need for
affiliation.Manage performance. Managers must balance
meeting goals, managing workloads and motivating employees.
These issues, coupled with the fact that many managers are ill-
equipped to provide regular and constructive feedback and may
not understand the importance of documenting performance, can
make managing performance challenging.
Administer policies fairly and consistently. One of the most
common challenges for managers is treating employees fairly
and consistently. A manager may allow policies and rules to be
disregarded by some employees and not others – or may
disregard employment policies altogether. “Stretching” the rules
for some employees can open up a range of potential liabilities
and perceptions of bias and favoritism that have negative far-
reaching effects in the workplace.
Overcoming the challenges;

be correlated to
organizational goals. Thus, the individual/employee goals must
be harmonized with the organizational goals.
and to the organization.
ing the nature of
individual’s jobs. The jobs should be redesigned or restructured
according to the requirement of situation. Any of the
alternatives to job specialization - job rotation, job enlargement,
job enrichment, etc. could be used
3.) ‘The workforce has changed in recent years.’ Discuss four
changes that have
occurred since the year 2005, and their implications for
managers.
Rising shares of workers will have over 25 years of experience
or less than seven years of labor market experience. Fewer will
be in their early careers. The age shifts in the labor force should
exert little or no impact on the aggregate unemployment rate.
Given today's unemployment rates within age categories, the
overall unemployment rate in 2006 will be identical to today's
average rate. Changes in the age distribution of the workforce
will neither raise nor lower the overall unemployment rate.
The declining numbers of 25- to 34-year-olds, together with
their changing ethnic mix, may portend shortfalls in key
professional areas. The number of earned BA degrees will
remain constant over the next decade (at about 1 million per
year) despite the rising demand for skilled workers and the
increasing size of the labor force. As a result, new BAs will
decline as a proportion of all new entrants to the labor force
from 32 percent in the 1986-96 period to 30 percent over the
following decade.
Demographic trends raising the percentage of older workers and
potential workers have implications for individual, firm-based,
and government training. According to a recent OECD report,

he U.S. is distinctive in that training peaks in the 45- to 54-
year-old years and drops off only moderately among the 55-to
64-year-olds. U.S. firms are less likely to finance training for
younger workers than firms in other countries. Still, to the
extent that the U.S. attempts to raise participation rates of older
workers, the current moderate amounts of training provide a
base on which to build. Labor markets are generating jobs with
higher skill requirements, but taking advantage of these
opportunities requires expanded training opportunities,
especially among older workers trying to avoid the effects of
obsolescence.
The workforce will increasingly become more heterogeneous by
educational status and by gender. The proportions with BA
degrees are especially variable by ethnic status among younger
workers. As of March, 1997, a striking 51 percent of Asian 25-
to 29-year-olds had earned a BA, compared to 29 percent of
whites, 14 percent of blacks, and 11 percent of Hispanics.
Except for Hispanics, rates of high school completion were
similar across groups, at about 85 percent. Another recent
phenomenon is the emerging gender differences among black
and Hispanic workers. Among 25- to 29-year-olds in the labor
force, 20 percent of black women but only 13 percent of black
men had earned BA degrees; among Hispanics, 17 percent of
women but only 9 percent of men had graduated college. These
educational patterns are indicative of broader trends indicating
that minority worker problems are becoming more concentrated
among men.
4.) Many job design experts who have studied the changing
nature of work say
that people do their best work when they’re motivated by a
sense of purpose
rather than by the pursuit of money. Discuss what the
implications of this
statement are for managers
This statement was mentioned in the magazine “Training”,

which is related to the thoughts of the motivation. People look
for job and want to work in satisfaction. Some people believe
that the factor of the job satisfaction is money, which means
employees are motivated to do their work by money and do their
best work. However, through money, we cannot buy a
motivated, committed, productive, enthusiastic, and creative
work force. Researchers who study of motivation for job
satisfaction introduced the theories like Herzberg’s two-factor
Theory, Alderfer’s ERG Theory, Equity Theory McClelland’s
Theory, Expectancy Theory, McGregor’s theory X and Y,. All
the theories, which were mentioned above, have been used to
prove that employees are motivated other factors not money and
factors of motivation.
According to the studies of experts, people made the best
performance in their job when they are motivated by intrinsic
matters which are making job satisfaction, rather than extrinsic
matters. I strongly agree with this notion regarding relationship
between money and motivation for job. This will provide the
reasons why money is neither a factor of motivation nor a factor
making good performance. According to the Maslow’s Needs
Hierarchy, human basic needs are divided into five levels, and
are arranged in a hierarchy. First is the physiological need;
basic physical needs or drive, such as hunger. Money is not a
factor that gives people motivation to perform most efficiently
for their goal. There are more specific factors that motive
people in organizations.

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