Presentation prepared by

Alan Simon, University

of Western Australia
 Housekeeping Issues

Before we commence our subject, there are

a number of administration issues that need
to be taken care of:
• Subject Lecturer: Vasanthi Vijaya
- Office: SOBIZ
- Phone: 016-3112005
- Email: vasanthi.vijayavale@newinti.edu.my
 Housekeeping Issues (cont'd)

• Tutorial Staff:
– Ms Lim Con Nee
 Housekeeping Issues (cont'd)

• Text:
Your text this semester is Davidson, P., Simon,
A., Gottschalk, L., Hunt, J., Wood, G.,
and Griffin, R.,
Management: Core Concepts and Applications-
Australasian Edition
John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. Copyright 2006
OR
Management: Core Concepts and Skills,
Davidson, P., Simon,
 Chapter 1 - Introduction
to Management

• Learning objectives:
– Describe the nature of management, define
management and managers, and briefly explain
basic management functions; roles and skills
in organisations.
– Justify the importance of history and theory to
management and explain the evolution of
management thought.
– Identify and describe contemporary
management theoretical perspectives, issues
and challenges.
 Introduction to
Managers in Organisations

Managers generally work in different types

of organisations.
• An organisation is defined as a structured group of
people working towards the organisation’s goals.
• Management helps the organisation achieve these
goals through its resources, including its people.
• Organisations and the environment they are
located in are ever changing, making the
manager’s task complex.
 Introduction to Management

• Management is a set of activities (including

planning and decision making, organising,
leading and controlling) directed at an
organisation’s resources (human, financial,
physical and information) to achieve
organisational goals in an efficient and
effective manner.
• A manager is a person whose primary
responsibility is to carry out the management
process.
 What do you see as the major
responsibilities of your role as a
manager?

Dial-Up Broadband

Adam Laker, Executive Assistant Manager, Sofitel Hotel, Gold Coast

Diagrammatic Summary of the
Management Process
 Management Functions

A useful acronym to aid memory is PLOC:

• Planning and decision making: determining

courses of action
• Leading: envisioning and inspiring
• Organising: coordinating activities and
resources
• Controlling: monitoring and evaluating
activities
Diagrammatic Summary of the
4 Functions of Management
 Kinds of Manager

Levels of management:
• Top Managers — the relatively small group of
executives who manage the overall organisation
• Middle Managers — usually the largest group
– Responsible for implementing plans of top
managers
– Coordinate and supervise first-line managers
• First-line managers — supervise and coordinate the
activities of operating employees
 The responsibilities of top
management

Dial-Up Broadband

Kevin Graetz – Chief Executive Officer – Story Bridge Adventure Climb

 The role of top management in an
SME manufacturing environment

Dial-Up Broadband

Simon Bottomley, General Manager, HaveStock Manufacturing

 Kinds of Manager (cont’d)

Managers in the different areas of the

organisation:
• Marketing Managers
• Financial Managers
• Human Resources Managers
• Administrative Managers
• Other Kinds of Managers
 Diagrammatic Summary of
Levels and Kinds of Managers
 Managerial Roles & Skills

• Managerial roles — the behaviours and

responsibilities associated with holding a
position as manager.
• Mintzberg observed managers at work and
identified 10 different roles they performed,
which he grouped under the categories of
interpersonal, informational and decisional
roles.
Identify some of the roles performed by
managers at Skyrail Rainforest Cableway

Dial-Up Broadband

Footage courtesy John Campling

 The Three Interpersonal Roles

• The three interpersonal roles are:

– Figurehead — typically ceremonial and symbolic
– Leader — recruiting, training and motivating
employees
– Liaison — coordinator or link between people or
groups
 The Three Informational Roles

• The three informational roles are:

– Monitor — actively seeks valuable information
from within and outside the organisation;
– Disseminator — transmits information to internal
others;
– Spokesperson — transmits information to
external others.
 The Four Decisional Roles

• The four decisional roles are:

– Entrepreneur — initiator of change and
innovation;
– Disturbance handler — deals with problems;
– Resource allocator — decides who gets what and
who works with whom;
– Negotiator — internal or external negotiations on
behalf of the organisation.
 Management Skills

• Robert Katz identified that managers at all

levels require skills in three areas:
– Technical skills relate to the specific kind of work
of the organisation;
– Interpersonal skills are the ability to relate
effectively to individuals and groups;
– Conceptual skills relate to the ability to think
abstractly and logically.
 Other Management Skills
• Diagnostic and analytical skills - careful observation,
understanding cause and effect relationships and
visualising solutions

• Communication skills

• Decision-making skills - ability to recognise and

define problems and opportunities (also to reframe
problems), then select the best solution.

• Time management skills

What managerial skills are important at
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway?

Dial-Up Broadband

Footage courtesy John Campling

 Functions, Roles and Skills
vary according to:

• Managerial hierarchy — Top, Middle or Functional

manager
• Managerial Type — Professional, Technical or Lay
manager
• Ownership — Employed or Shareholder or Sole
Owner Manager
• Organisation Size — Big, Small-Medium, Micro
• Organisation Phase — Start up, Growing, Declining
• Industry Type — Service or Manufacturing
• Country of operation
 The Nature of Managerial Work

• A manager’s job is subject to :

– Uncertainty and change;
– Interruption;
– Fragmentation;
– Immense variety of tasks;
– Unrelenting pace.
• It is a blend of science and art.
 The Science of Management

• Many management problems can be

approached scientifically:
– Gather objective data and information;
– Apply quantitative models and decision
techniques.
• This approach is applicable to routine and
straightforward issues.
• The most important skills are technical and
diagnostic skills.
 The Art of Management

• Some issues and problems cannot be solved

rationally.
• This is especially the case for non-routine
and complex issues.
• To solve such problems managers may use
intuition, experience, instinct and personal
insight.
• The most important skills are conceptual and
interpersonal skills.
 Becoming A Manager

Experience + Education = Knowledge

• Education:
– Formal tertiary level education;
– High level management development within
corporations;
– Short courses;
– On-the-job training.
• Experience gained through meeting
challenges in the workplace.