Principles of management/ Theory and practice of management

1. Assignment questions: Principles of management/ Theory and
practice of management
1. Researchers at Harvard Business School found that the most important managerial behaviors
involve two fundamental things: enabling people to move forward in their work and treating
them decently as human beings. What do you think of these two managerial behaviors? What
are the implications for someone, like yourself, who is studying management?
2. “Management is undoubtedly one of humankind’s most important inventions.” Do you agree
with this statement? Why or why not?
3. Is business management a profession? Why or why not? Do some external research in
answering this question
4. “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 it? Why or why not
5. classrooms have cultures. Describe your classroom culture using the seven dimensions of
organizational culture. Does the culture constrain your instructor? How? Does it constrain
you as a student? How?
6. Can culture be a liability to an organization? Explain.
7. “Businesses are built on relationships.” What do you think this statement means? What are
the implications for managing the external environment?
8. 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?

2. 9. What types of planning do you do in your personal life? Describe these plans in terms of
being (a) strategic or operational, (b) short term or long term, and (c) specific or directional.
10. Describe the three major types of corporate strategies and how the BCG matrix is used to
manage those corporate strategies.
11. Would you call yourself a linear or nonlinear thinker? What are the decision-making
implications of these labels? What are the implications for choosing where you want to
work?
12. All of us bring biases to the decisions we make. What would be the drawbacks of having
biases? Could there be any advantages to having biases? Explain. What are the implications
for managerial decision making
13. With the availability of advanced information technology that allows an organization’s work
to be done anywhere at any time, is organizing still an important managerial function? Why
or why not?
14. Researchers are now saying that efforts to simplify work tasks actually have negative results
for both companies and their employees. Do you agree? Why or why not
15. What types of skills would a manager need to effectively work in a project structure? In a
boundaryless organization? In a learning organization?
16. How does each of the different types of collaboration (both internal and external) contribute
to more coordinated and integrated work efforts?
17. What are the benefits and drawbacks of realistic job previews? (Consider this question from
the perspective of both the organization and the employee.)

3. 18. By this time in your life, all of you have had to work with individuals in managerial positions
(or maybe you are the manager), either through work experiences or through other
organizational experiences (social, hobby/interest, religious, and so forth). What do you think
makes some managers better than others? Do certain characteristics distinguish good
managers? Discuss your experiences with managers—good and bad. Draw up a list of the
characteristics of those individuals you felt were good managers. For each item, indicate
which management function and which management skill you think it falls under.