SM-003

What are the responsibilities of first-line managers?

First-line managers are responsible for carrying out the actions and plans that the middle managers identified. In other words, they are generally responsible for the day-to-day activities of the employees who do the routine work of the business. They train these employees, assign work to these employees, evaluate employees' job performance, and maintain respect and discipline among the employees. In addition, first-line managers often work side-by-side with these workers.

What is management?

Management is the logical process of coordinating resources, such as money and employees, to accomplish an organization's goals.

Describe the four types of resources that managers manage.

Managers manage human resources, financial resources, material resources, and information. Human resources are all of a business's employees, while financial resources are all of the sources of money available to the business. Material resources are the equipment and supplies that businesses need to produce and/or sell their products. Information, which can be internal or external, can include facts, statistics, and opinions.

Why is it important for managers to understand the jobs of the workers they manage?

Managers need to understand the jobs their workers perform to effectively manage the employees who do the work. If managers understand the jobs, they know how workers should do their jobs and are able to answer questions and help solve problems. They are aware of what it takes to complete certain tasks.

Describe the functions of middle managers.

Middle managers serve as a link between top-level and first-line management, and they are responsible for implementing the goals set by top management. They actively plan, organize, and control various aspects of the business. The planning that middle managers do is more tactical in nature, meaning that they develop short-term plans to carry out within the next year in response to top management's decisions.

Describe the five functions of management.

Planning: deciding what work needs to be done and how it will be accomplished Organizing: setting up the way the business's work will be done Staffing: finding employees who know how to do the necessary work Directing: providing guidance to workers Controlling: monitoring what's going on

Explain the three categories of skills that managers need to be successful.

Technical skills: understanding the technical aspects of the business because managers need to be able to answer questions, give directions, and solve problems Interpersonal skills: working with others; being able to communicate, interact, and build relationships Conceptual skills: see the big picture

Explain the responsibilities of top-level management.

Top-level management is responsible for the operation of the entire organization. They set the organization's goals, communicate these goals to everyone else, conduct strategic planning, and monitor the business's performance.