Planning Function of Management: of WorldCom - Case Study Example

Running Head Planning Function of Management Planning Function of Management In organizations like WorldCom, planning function of management is used to design the specific tasks to be completed in reaching the goal. A planning team is generally responsible for the strategic planning process. Specified staff members assigned to accomplish designated goals are charged with the responsibility for developing the plan. Within WorldCom facilities and support resources, like other prime resources, are allocated to the staff members responsible for planning. Planning consumes prime resources and transforms them into approaches that are intended to improve the quality of education. Managers who are assigned the task of planning, have scheduled appropriate time, and have been provided with appropriate knowledge or information need resources such as good lighting, software, hardware, and support staff. Such resources help assure staff members that the undertaking to which they have been assigned will be achieved (WorldCom 2007). The main legal issue which influences planning is compliance with the cyberspace regulations and privacy rights. WorldCom's management team plans its activities in accordance with these standards and rules. With this complexity of new laws and regulations WorldCom has become all powerful to protect its customers and the company from fraud and rights violation. Almost every move or decision made by either business or the public today is affected by one or more of legal rules and regulations. It is important to note that opinions differ between the goals and objectives of business and society and how best to achieve these goals and objectives. The bottom line is that someone has to pay for any changes or dislocations that result from new laws and legislation; it does not come free -- even though some people seem to think that it does (Issues in Corporate Social Responsibility 2007). Ethical issues involve (1) a safe working environment for employees and (2) provide customers with fair and up-to-date information. In this case, planning is concerned with the long-term development, its essential character, its personality, its essence. Therefore, planning is concerned with decisions which have enduring effects that are difficult to reverse. WorldCom creates safe and friendly atmosphere which helps employees to increase productivity and avoid conflicts. While planning is a process that should generate receptivity to change and foster a responsive and proactive posture for the staff, it has been suggested that when rigidity is found in the process, the benefits and intent of the process have been lost through misuse (Sims 2003). Fair and up-to-date information is the main requirements applied to all spheres of WorldCom business. Social responsibility issues include (1) fair competition and (2) equal treatment of all employees in spite of their cultural background, age or gender. WorldCom supposes that planning should be implicitly receptive, even flexible, to change or to new ideas if it is to lead a complex bureaucratic agency into a changing environment with some assurance of success. It develops its business strategies and marketing plans in accordance with rules established by the industry. Diversity management helps WorldCom to eliminate cultural and age differences, and provide employee with equal opportunities. The planning process through which a staff progresses may be extremely valuable if the staff is able to confront and clarify its mission, if the awareness for change in a turbulent environment is afforded greater appreciation and acceptance (Issues in Corporate Social Responsibility 2007). The company's strategic panning is influenced by new products, legal strategies and competition. Managers acknowledge that the steps involved in the process are few and uncomplicated, but the technique and craft, even artistry, are complex. Strategic panning involves stakeholders working collectively to (1) review selected basic considerations or conduct a strategic analysis, (2) clarify mission and goals, (3) select strategies to move toward goals, and (4) operationalize the strategic goals into working plans. All plans are developed in accordance with legal rules and regulations and deal with product management and sales. The level of competition influences approaches and methods which help WorldCom to remain competitive and profitable. The company's tactical panning is influenced by present economic conditions, past efforts and resources available. Present economic conditions and past success are the main criteria for planning. They help to avoid mistakes and errors made in the past and respond effectively to current economic conditions. A judgment call is required to ensure that important considerations are not overlooked; at the same time, the essence of the economic considerations are refined so that a workable yet clear base of operation is achieved. Resources available determine direction and the scope of business activity (Planning 2007). This base of agreement becomes crucial to the future steps in the planning process in order to provide assurance that there is a coordinated effort to generate movement in a given direction. Information upon which a base of agreement can be built is generally more defensible and understood by all concerned than a simple reliance on opinions. The strategic analysis may require two to four intensive days to complete the process. All phases of strategic planning may take a semester or even a full year in some cases. The WorldCom's operational panning is influenced by budget, resource allocation, and nature of the tasks performed. It should contain the vision of a stronger and improved school system, in which the school enhances the quality of life in the community as defined in the immediate and distant future. The mission statement should be brief and deal in broad definitions, not specifics. Staff members and patrons should be able to gain from the mission statement a clear sense of why a school system exists (Planning 2007). The WorldCom's contingency planning is influenced by economic, political conditions and legal uncertainty within the Internet environment. WorldCom develops detailed plans for the most typical situations which take place in Cyberspace. They involve fraudulent actions and legal changes which can affect the company and its productivity. Goals or objectives, stated in different ways or with different terminology, are always a part of all planning models. Then, just as in decision-making models, various planning models are used to depict the need for listing alternatives or options to be considered in achieving specified goals. In some planning efforts that are related directly to strategy planning, goals are predetermined. In such cases, the planner is given the mandate to develop an operational plan that will implement one or more of the goals generated in the strategic planning process. In sum, effective planning function of management depends upon different factors and levels of planning which help WorldCom to sustain strong market position and resist competition. WorldCom effectively uses planning function in order to remain profitable and ensure long-term success. References 1. Planning (2007). LIMRA. Retrieved 08 July 2007, from http://www.limra.com/consulting/planning/tactical.aspx 2. WorldCom (2007). Retrieved 08 July 2007, from www.worldcom. 3. Issues in Corporate Social Responsibility (2007). Retrieved 08 July 2007, from http://www.bsr.org/AdvisoryServices/Issues.cfm 4. Sims, R.R. (2003). Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility: Why Giants Fall. Praeger. Read More