Benefits of General Management in the Society - Essay Example

?General Management Introduction Kotter s that while ancient people during the ancient times depended on their fellow farmers, traders and laborers for food, merchandise and services, modern people of the modern age need managers (1). This means that general management, the field concerning multiple tasks of management, supervisory, chief executive functions, among others takes a very important spot in business courses (Kotter 2). This essay introduces general management as a career and as an academic course in college. It aims to give a basic background to students who want to pursue it as a career and to the new students of General Management in this university. I also briefly discussed the importance of writing in this field in the later part of the essay and the benefits this course gives to the society and community. General Management General management is a specialized field of business management. The origin of this field can be traced back centuries ago when landowning entailed management of property and slaves. While technologies evolved, general management’s scope also became sophisticated and broad. Colley et al. define general management as a discipline that basically focuses on overseeing the modern corporation’s status based on the concept of “profit-and-loss” (P&L) (3). General Managers see to it that the company gains profit more than what the company is spending. In other words, general management involves various concepts and ideas in ensuring that a business survives and does not undergo bankruptcy. General management entails leadership skills because it allows managing employees- from managers to employees to projects and to customers. Hence, general management involves enhancing responsibility and communication abilities in order to deal with people. In big corporations, the chief executive officer is automatically the general manager, while subsequent divisions of the company may have their own general manager, usually using the title “business unit manager, division manager, managing partner,” among others (Colley et al. 4). General management tasks are basically involving sound and strong leadership abilities. These leadership skills entail identifying the company’s goals and objectives, achieving those goals, and being in-charge of the results of the set goals and objectives (“General Management” par. 2). As a Course High school graduates may find general management as a course interesting because aside from the acquisition of corporate knowledge and skills, the opportunities that await are, to some extent, realizations of one’s corporate dreams. Moreover, college graduates who want to pursue an MBA may want to specialize in General Management, as well. Topics that are usually covered in General Management include strategic management, organizational change and behavior, marketing strategies, approaches in problem-solving, theories in general management and accounting, and how to use communication strategies in leadership and conflict resolution. Conflict management is a vital concept in general management because it involves handling problems that arise within your management stint. Under General Management, there are answers to the causes of conflict in an organization, such as individual personality differences, communication problems, structure of the organization, organizational culture, among such things (Wall and Callister 518). I chose General Management as a major amidst the proliferation of management courses, because it means enhancing my leadership skills in order to guide people in achieving goals and objectives, aligned with mine. It gives me a general picture of the structure of an organization, the people involved in the business undertakings and their role, and handling organizational problems, failures, and lapses. It prepares me to be the best CEO in the future. The jobs that await General Management graduates include: Purchasing Manager Production Manager Marketing Manager Sales Manager Finance Manager Manufacturing Manager Chief Executive Officer General Manager General Management teaches necessary skills that employers look for in an applicant. These skills are “commercial awareness, flexibility, oral and verbal communication skills, supervising abilities, decision-making and problem-solving,” and others (“General Management” par. 7). The list above only involves popular general management jobs, but the list includes supervisory and marketing jobs that entail leadership and decision-making. Importance of Writing in General Management Writing is vital in this field because it serves as an assessment whether a student understands the concepts in General Management or not, and to enhance skills in communication necessary in one’s future job. Under General Management major, writing takes 4 credits including rhetoric and American cultures (“Curriculum” par. 2). The recent upheavals in information technology allow the exchanges of ideas through blogging and social network. If a General Management major has thorough skills and knowledge in writing, he or she can communicate her ideas through blogs, participate in online discussions, react to intrigues and statements, and communicate effectively to staff and various stakeholders in the future. This is the reason why it is highly encouraged for students to read literatures because those help enhance the quality of one’s work. Start reading books which are not complicated and with simple words to understand wholeheartedly. Easy-to-read books serve as a preparation for complicated books for the subject. How to Enroll in General Management The entry to the Broad College requires that a student already took at least 56 units as a basic admission requirement, including the completion of “precore courses” in the college namely CSE 101 (Computing Concepts and Competencies), EC 201 (Microeconomics), EC 202 (Macroeconomics), ACC 201 (Financial Accounting), and ACC 202 (Management Accounting), all of which takes 3 credits each (“Criteria” par. 3). A minimum grade of 2.0 is hereby required to remain in the said major. Aside from writing which takes 4 credits, General Management major also requires integrative studies with 24 credits, and completion of 120 credits for graduation (“Curriculum” par. 8). Benefits of General Management in the Society General management affects society in a positive way because it seeks to improve the economic condition of the people and the community (Colley et al. 5). Businesses are the heart of a capitalist society, in which the modern trend seeks to affect positively not just the organization but the society as a whole. Good management involves participation in preserving the natural environment and the avoidance of wastage in the natural resources. Moreover, it also aims to increase profit which benefits the society and the employees working in the organization through improved wages. Conclusion General Management is both a field that enhances better corporate governance and decision-making, and a career that is most promising. It prepares those who want to be part of an organization to become strategists, good leaders, innovators, resourceful, and wise decision-makers. Moreover, General Management contributes to better economic conditions of the society through responsible leadership and stewards of natural resources as sources of the organization’s life. Personally, I chose this major because I believe it will give me vast choices of available jobs that are sustainable and beneficial to the society, not to mention that basically, most companies and establishments need managers to run the business and make it successful. Works Cited Colley, John L., Jacqueline L. Doyle, Robert D. Hardie, George W. Logan, and Wallace Stettinius. Principles of General Management: The Art and Science of Getting Results across Organizational Boundaries. Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2007. Print. “Criteria.” Michigan State University, Michigan State University, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . “Curriculum.” Michigan State University, Michigan State University, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . “General Management.” University of Oxford, University of Oxford, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Kotter, John P. The General Managers. New York: The Free Press, 1982. Print. Wall, James A. Jr., and Ronda Roberts Callister. “Conflict and Its Management.” Journal of Management 21.3 (1995): 515-557. Print. Read More