Chapter 1 Management Assignment

Dow Chemical CEO, Andrew Liveris, checks financial reports to see whether Dow has met its financial goals for the quarter.

Controlling (Comparing actual profitability with estimated profits is a key activity in the controlling function of management. Without this activity, there is no way for a manager to tell whether or not the company is profitable.)

Pfizer's CEO, Ian Read, works with the board of directors to predict the amount of dividends the company will pay in the future.

Planning (Determining future dividends is essentially setting a goal for the financial future of the organization. Read is performing the planning function of management.)

These managers must make plans for the long-term future of the organization.

Top managers

After a product quality test, Meena determines that the latest batch of pens are not meeting quality specifications. Meena will use the _______ function to determine why the pens are not meeting specifications and how to fix the problem.

controlling

Lucia has a discussion with three of her employees who have been taking extended lunch breaks for several weeks. She is using _______ to explain the company's lunch policy and communicate her expectations of her employees moving forward.

controlling

Jessica Lee, director of global employer brand and communications at Marriott International, realizes the mobile app created by a vendor does not integrate with the company's existing software.

controlling (Controlling involves monitoring organizational activities and ensuring that they match expectations. Lee quickly realized that months of development on the app were wasted because it didn't work with existing software. Lee was performing the controlling function of management. (Source: Kasson, E. (16). Building Trust. HR Magazine)

These are the managers employees turn to when a machine breaks or when priorities have to be clarified, so they need to have good technical skills.

first-line managers

These managers are responsible for guiding and coaching the employees who actually do the work of the organization.

first-line managers

An example of a position that a team leader would hold is:

group facilitator

While describing the company's new reorganization, the CEO uses _______ to encourage employees and explain how the reorganization will benefit the company.

leading

Many organizations reduced the number of managers in this layer to cut costs.

middle managers

Wesley's company just began offering online ordering for their products. Wesley uses _______ to delegate tasks to each department that is affected.

organizing

A marketing manager at Evian decides to work with BETC Euro RSCG, an advertising agency in France. The goal is to reduce the cost of advertising by creating a video that goes viral on YouTube.

organizing (When the marketing manager chooses to create a less expensive, rather than a more expensive, advertisement, he is allocating resources. Thus he is involved in the organizing function of management.)

As production manager, part of Jennifer's job is to determine what raw materials will be needed to meet production needs. Sales forecasts may help Jennifer with this _______ function of management.

planning

Taco Bell CEO, Brian Niccol, considers what the technical and logistical needs would be in order to offer delivery to customers.

planning (Determining the tasks and future resources needed to accommodate delivery is part of the planning function of management.)

Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines, talks to a group of reservation agents to acknowledge their contributions to the company's success.

Leading (By paying a personal visit to the reservation agents, Gary Kelly is helping to motivate them. This is an example of the leading function of management.)

George Steinbrenner transferred his passion for winning to everyone in the New York Yankees organization. he is famously quoted as saying, "winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing. breathing first, winning next."

Leading (When Steinbrenner talks about winning, he is sharing his vision for the organization with his employees. When those employees adopt the vision as their own, they become motivated, and Steinbrenner has performed the leading function of management.)

Project managers and others who bring people together from various parts of the organization to perform a task are in this layer of management.

Middle managers

A construction project manager from Iron Horse Construction uses a team of experts to design the development of a new property on the top of a very steep ridge. The team includes geotechnical consultants, erosion control specialists, and contractors.

Organizing (The project manager in this example is gathering the resources he needs to accomplish his goals and distributing work to them. Thus, he is involved in the organizing function of management.)

Top managers hold all of the following positions except:

general manager

Megan, a human resource manager, recently approved the hiring of five summer intern. She will use _______ to decide which departments would benefit from the interns' employment.

organizing

These managers are largely responsible for creating the organization's climate through their behaviors.

top managers