Management Responsibilities in Todays World - Assignment Example

Management How do you feel about having management responsibilities in today’s world, characterized by uncertainty, ambiguity, and sudden changes or threats from the environment? Describe some skills and qualities that are important to managers working under these conditions. Today’s organizational environment is more challenging than ever before. Every day managers come across even more complicated management constraints and this would mean having the requisite skills and management qualities that will go a long way in overcoming some if not all of these threats to management responsibilities. Uncertainties never cease to influence some managerial decisions and so are the environmental ambiguities and sudden changes thatwill usually emanate and pose even more complicated situations to a manager. This therefore means, a manager ought to have at fingertips the means and ways of overcoming such constraints and the only way to make this a reality is to have the requisite skills, knowledge and ability to do so. Remaining focused is one quality that is not always easy to come by. Every manager who intends to conquer theaforementioned challenges therefore ought to stay tuned towards achieving the overall managerial goals.Focus can be difficult to come by but with the right mindset and definitive guiding principles, it will always be easy to overcome management uncertainties. Innovativeness is another great skill suitable for overcoming management constraints in today’s world. While every manager should always work with a team towards coming up with ways and means of improving organizational performance,some challenges are personal and would always require a manager’s intervention. This calls upon every manager to cultivate the skill of creativity which is instrumental towards tackling sudden changes in management responsibilities and structures. Every manager needs a clear conscience and this calls for the skill of open mindedness. Dealing with ambiguities is not a walk in the park and it is only through s clear mind for better approach to providing solutions that a manager will be able to overcome managerial threats such as union actions and uncertainties. 2. Think about Toyota’s highly publicized safety problems. One observer said that a goal of efficiency had taken precedent over a goal of quality within Toyota. Do you think managers can improve both efficiency and effectiveness simultaneously? Discuss. How do you think Toyota’s leaders should respond to the safety situation? Every managerial duty is awash with challenges that need a stable mind and strength to provide requisite solutions. This is not an exemption which mighty multinational companies like Toyota. Toyota has in the recent past faced numerous if not endless complaints from clients and this has developed into management threat. Toyota leadership or managerial body therefore ought to be conscious of a critical yet so damaging comment by one observer to who pointed out that the multi-billion dollar company has shifted focus to efficiency and neglected quality. While the whole world appreciates the achievement of Toyota is automobile manufacturing for the many years it has stayed and even dominated the market, such comments by an observer are as an important as the need for continued success.A question then arises whether Toyota leadership can improve bothefficiency and effectiveness simultaneously. This is definitely possible. Well, efficiency and effectiveness are achievable simultaneously through a number of ways. While efficiency largely points to the satisfaction clients would get from using Toyota automobiles regarding issues like less wear and tear or durability in other words, cost effectiveness of Toyota spare parts and overall performance of Toyota vehicles, Effectiveness would be traced from the management itself. There has g been a consistent outcry over the instability of Toyota automobiles being manufactured presently. This is a question of both efficiency and effectiveness. Toyota management therefore ought to go back to the drawing board and locate where the weakness of quality or effectiveness comes from. Achieving efficiency and effectiveness simultaneously would mean enhancement of team work as well as upgrade of checks on Toyota products before they are released into the market. There is need to borrow a leaf from other automobile companies regarding efficiency and effectiveness. This does not mean copying directly the techniques of doing things but working on the areas of weakness bedeviling Toyota Company regarding the quality and safety of its product. As time progresses, management constraints always multiply in every organization. New business trends always come in handy with these management constraints making it a necessity to device newer methods of handling these problems. Sometimes it would be necessary for Toyota to consider an overhaul of its management as a greater step toward achieving efficiency and effectiveness; both at the same time. There is always need to work with a vibrant and young team of professionals to realize quality output. The other issue is the question of safety. Toyota products, in fact, quite a big number have been reported as substandard. This has been a global outcry and there among many Toyota automobile user. There shouldn’t be such a panic regarding this question but rather a solemn approach that will leave every Toyota die-hard satisfied. Every motor vehiclehas its shot comings and so are managerial challenges. One way which has been used and is till recommendable is the recall and composition of such Toyota vehicles with safety issues. Safety concerns have always been raised over some Toyota vehicles manufactured during a specific duration and what Toyota has always done is to recall such vehicles and replace them with newer and better Ones. However, this is not the best way to approach this question. There ought to be an overhaul in some sections of the manufacturing and assembling plant and replace them with advanced and standard ones. 3. How do you think management practices might change in response to increasing government regulation in the banking and health care industries? What other recent political, social, or economic forces can you identify that might affect your job as a manager? Independence and autonomy are key ingredients in the practice of management of organizations, however, with the government control and legislation in the banking and health care industries, independent control and decision making if far to call. The healthcare industries are also experiencing the same blow and this is definitely changing the face of management world and especially the practice itself. Government regulation of even the private sector is never a bad idea or monstrous but its excesses can be detrimental to management practice. Elimination of exploitation by the private sector as well as enhancement of competition is some benefits that accrue from government control and regulation over banking and health sector. On the contrary, government of the day is always accused of corruption and other management malpractices. Essentially, government regulation of the banking and the health care sector will definitely influence management practices in a number of ways some of which are discussed hereafter.Bureaucracy is a sure phenomenon with governmentcontrolled agencies, organizations or sectors. This will be a noticeable change in banking and healthcare management. There will be long decision making process with government involvement in the management of any private institution or sector affairs. From a previously competitive and motivating environment, government regulation of the banking and health care sector will bring about the issue of independent decision making without appropriate consultations of stakeholders. Non-government controlled institutions are always all inclusive when it comes to decision making, however, government involvement will always be devoid of this. The congress approval will always be final once assented to by the president. 4- Can you think of potential drawbacks to retailers using labor-waste elimination systems based on scientific management principals, as described in the next? Despite their being about 100 years old, do you believe scientific management characteristic will ever cease to be a part of organizational life? Discuss. Retailers have employed various cost cutting measures in the wake of current economic uncertainty. Among these strategies is the labor-waste elimination systems that seek to automate operations. While these systems guarantee cost reduction, they also pose significant drawbacks to their businesses. The major drawback is the lack of customer experience. Automation does not offer effective customer satisfaction as often customers are rushed through the process. Retailers lack product differentiation, and as such, customer experience is key to achieving customer loyalty. This is not enhanced by automation. Labor-waste elimination systems also have high initial costs of installation and are vulnerable to high profile external cyber-attacks that can result to huge losses. Scientific managements systems, like the labor-waste elimination, have been in existence for over 100 years. These systems endear to many managers because of the simplicity and logical appeal. However, recent businesses have based their success on meaningful relationships among managers, customers, employees and other stakeholders. Efficient planning and specialization of function have characterized the success of modern businesses. Despite this, most problems that face businesses today are the same as those that afflicted past businesses. For this reason, managers are usually tempted to adopt previous tested and proven measures to solve most problems. This shows no signs of stopping, and as such scientific management systems might continue to be used for a long time coming. 5- What strategic issues have the potential to create environmental uncertainty in the following four industries: a- automobile b- social media c- newspaper d- medical services. The automobile industry has been growing rapidly and this has created environmental uncertainty of its future. The number of locomotives in our roads has plummeted highly and this has created tensions of the potential harm to the environment as a result of increased harmful emissions to the environment. This situation could have been addressed by adoption of electric cars but their penetration, both production wise and demand wise, has been relatively poor. The social media industry, however, causes a different type of environmental uncertainty. Social media has been integrated into the daily lives of many people and threatens to interfere with the ability to build and sustain effective human interactions. Social media gives the illusion of real interactions and promotes negative behavior where people are not afraid to hurt each other feelings. Due to recent technological advancement, the newspaper industry was expected to eventually die and therefore reduce the negative impact they have had on the environment. Digital media was expected to be the only way to access news. This is yet to be achieved as various media companies are keen not to give news for free digitally and consumers not keen to pay for digital content. The medical services industry also faces future environmental l uncertainty due to complex environmental toxins that now threaten human lives. The adoption of lab-controlled food production methods ensures that there is uncertainty in the nature of complications that the human body can subjected to. 6- Both China and India are rising economic powers. How might your approach to doing business with china, a communist country, be different from your approach to doing business with India, the world’s most populous democracy? In which country would you expect to encounter the most rules? The most bureaucracy? A communist society, such as china, seeks to ensure that economy and society are managed centrally so as ensure that every individual benefits from the resources of the country ‘equally’. In such a society, businesses are majorly owned publicly to ensure a classless society. When doing business in such a country, it would be prudent to partner the company or other public companies so as to cut the figure of a ‘public’ company that will benefit a wider range of people. In communist societies, most activities are controlled the central government, so it will be very prudent to consult or build good relations with government agencies in order to avoid unnecessary interferences. On the other hand, in a democratic society, such as India, the economy is fairly controlled by both the private sector and government institutions. There is little government interference on businesses. When considering doing business in India, it would be prudent to invest more aggressively. This is because a democratic environment guarantees friendly business environment to enterprises. The reason to employ an aggressive approach is that a friendly environment leads to more business entrants that increase the competition. In China, it can be expected that there are more rules and regulations as the country seeks to give more benefit to all society members. However, one can expect more bureaucracy in India because democratic set ups usually try to have several levels of power. The reason for expecting less bureaucracy in China is because the system is authoritarian and as such there are few levels of power. 7- What specifically would the experience of living and working in another country contribute to your skills and effectiveness as a manager in your own country(United Arab Emirates)? The experience of living and working abroad will positively impact one’s skills and effectiveness as a manager at home. Living and working abroad allows a manager to acquire the much hyped “global mindset”. This is the ability to relate local activity to the greater world, or by extension, ‘thinking beyond the local realm’. Working abroad also enables a manager to build culture-switching skills. These are skills that allow him to adapt his behavior according to different cultural demands. This skill will serve the manager well when relating to his different employees, who definitely have different characters and personalities. Living and working abroad also enables one to develop patience because of the very different cultural practices of individuals. A manager has to be patient with his employees, his suppliers and even customers. To achieve company long term goals and objectives also requires great patience. Working in a different cultural set-up also helps manager to be creative and innovative when he is back at home. Goods and services are produced and sold differently in different countries. The exposure and experience of living and working abroad can allow a manager to creatively or innovatively adapt foreign concepts into the local scene- concepts that can eventually be game changers. The experience from abroad will also boost one’s communication skills. Good communication can enable one to be a very effective manager because of the varied interactions with suppliers, employees, customers and other stakeholders. Good communication skills will also help a manager build good relationships- relationships that can sustain the future of the business. 8- Compare the advantages associated with the market entry strategy of exporting, licensing and wholly owned subsidiaries. What information would you need to collect and what factors would you consider when selecting a strategy? A market entry strategy is a planned method of delivering products to a new target market. One strategy of entering a new market is through exporting, which involves selling products produced in one country to another country. Exporting allows production to continue ‘locally’, which is less risky than overseas. In addition, it also reduces the potential inherent risks of operating in a new territory. Exporting also provides a good opportunity for learning new markets before investing ‘physically’ there. Another strategy is licensing, where a firm (licensor) gives another firm (licensee) in the host country rights and resources to sell similar products that it produces. The licensor can earn a one-off fee or royalties as part of the agreement. Licensing allows companies to obtain extra earnings for their technical knowledge and expertise as well as access to markets that are remotely inaccessible via exporting. Another strategy for entering markets is wholly owned subsidiaries, where a company fully sets up operations or acquires another firm in the host country. This strategy allows a company to achieve tight control of its operations in the host country- an essential requirement for pursuing a global strategy. All these strategies promise higher sales and potentially highly profits. In addition, they also lower unit production costs and expand the lifecycle of a particular product. Out of the above strategies, licensing bears the lowest (almost zero) risks of entering new markets. When entering new markets, information ought to be collected about the number and nature of your potential competitors, the demographics and purchasing power and preferences of potential customers. In addition to business costs, when entering new markets, a company should also consider political stability, the most effective business model that can be adopted as well as legislation and government interference in the host country. 9- What various stakeholders groups did oil giant BPhave to respond to concerning the massive 2010 oil spill in the gulf of Mexico? From what you know about the BP oil spill, how would you evaluate BP executives’ behavior in terms of corporate social responsibility? The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico affected many people or groups of people. The most affected were the inhabitants of the area who directly use the water for living purposes- either as a source of income or household use. The spill severely impacted and resulted to loss of lives to some of them. The general public and customers of BP also demonstrated outrage and sympathy following the spill. They relentlessly attacked the company and BP had to respond by claiming that efforts are being made to curb the potential damages the spill could have caused. BP had to frequently quell concerns that it did not care about the lives or welfare of the affected persons. Shareholders also had to be given updates because they saw their wealth badly lose value as BP share prices took a severe hit following news of the oil spill. The company had to give them assurances that the situation could not get any worse and that the investment was still worth it. Additionally, BP also had to give assurances to environmental agencies that it was committed to protecting the environment and that it was capable of alleviating the damage caused by the oil spill in real time. BP also had to give the media updates of the events going on at the Gulf of Mexico. BP executives performed well in responding to the situation. They demonstrated that they care about the society they operate in by taking responsibility for cleaning up the mess. They also ensured that the affected persons were swiftly compensated. This allowed the persons affected to look after their health and it also boosted the economic recovery of the Gulf of Mexico. However, BP executives performed poorly in terms of communication of the events. Notably, their social media feeds did not communicate anything to the public during that time and did not even answer any questions referred to them. 10- The technique of stakeholders mapping lets mangers classify which stakeholders they will consider more important and will invest more time to satisfy. Is it appropriate for management to define some stakeholders? Stakeholder mapping is the process of identifying the power, influence and expectations of different stakeholders. This technique allows managers to classify which stakeholders they will consider more important and will invest more time to satisfy in any particular project they undertake. Stakeholders are very important to the success of any project or company decision, and as such they cannot be neglected. The process of stakeholder mapping is very appropriate as it helps smooth running of any project. Stakeholder mapping helps managers to identify which stakeholders are most likely to affect or be affected by company decisions or projects. This process also allows managers to understand the different interests of different stakeholders. Managers also get to identify the most influential stakeholders who will be consulted before any decision is made. The stakeholders that wield more influence cab also be used to influence the other stakeholders so that any project or decision is positively adopted. Additionally, negative stakeholders and their potential effect on company operations are identified early on. This helps in minimizing the potential risks of failure of any project that the company undertakes. The process also helps management to identify the appropriate communication channel and approach to be used for each stakeholder group. All in all, stakeholder analysis helps identify the best policies and strategies that a company can employ so as to ensure greater acceptance of their actions by most, if not all, stakeholders. Read More