The Concept of a Manager, Management and Organization in Tesco - Report Example

Table of Contents: Introduction……………………………………………….3 Task 3 Task 2……………………………………………………….5 Task 3……………………………………………………….6 Conclusion…………………………………………………8 Bibliography……………………………………………….10 Introduction: This paper is a report, providing an answer to three important tasks. The first tasks, is on the concept of a manager, management and organization. It seeks to explain what these concepts are. The second task, seeks to explain how size and strategy are able to affect the structure of an organization. This report provides real life case studies on the impact of size and strategy to influence the structure of an organization. The third and the last task, is on Tesco. This section examines the mission, vision and corporate strategy of Tesco. It also explains the process Tesco should use in formulating a corporate strategy, and the meaning and importance of organizational culture at Tesco. Task 1: Manager, Management and Organization A manager is an individual who has the responsibility of managing an institution, an organization, or a group of people. Managers always have the responsibility of controlling various departments within an organization, or guide the people who are working under them. Managers also have the responsibility of making decisions about certain issues that affect the operations of the company (Koontz, 2010). Banking organizations normally have branch managers, and an example is Barclays Bank. This is a person who is responsible for managing or guiding the various employees, who are working at his or her branch. This would include assigning duties to them, identifying areas that need some more resources, such as more employees. Henri Fayol manages to identify five important functions of a manager, and these functions include, planning, organization, controlling, leading and coordination (Koontz, 2010). Through these functions, a manager is able to help an organization to achieve a competitive advantage over its rivals. Take for instance in planning. A branch manager at Barclays Bank will plan on the manner which his or her employees would conduct their duties. Through proper planning and coordination, the employees of the organization would manage to serve the clients of the organization efficiently, hence leading to the creation of a positive brand image of the company. This would later lead to the growth of loyal customers to the banking organization. Management is also another concept that is directly related to the notion of a manager. Management refers to the coordination and organization of various activities of a business organization for purposes of achieving a defined objective. By looking at this concept of management, it is possible to denote that there is a notion of organization and coordination. These are very important duties of a manager, hence management as a concept, can be used for purposes of referring to a manager of the directors of a company who have the responsibilities and power of making decisions. The process of management must take place within an organization. An organization is a structured social unit which is managed to meet the various needs of people managing it, and pursuing a specific collective goal. An organization comprises of a management structure, that has the capability of determining relationships, between the organization, and it plays a role, in assigning responsibilities, and roles, to different people within the organization. Task 2: Size and Strategy The structure of an organization is a method that helps the management of the organization under consideration to achieve its goals and objectives. On most occasions, the structure of an organization would be dependent on the strategy that the organization uses to achieve a competitive advantage within a target market (Nölke, 2014). For example, if the management of the company is able to make a great change, in the strategy that it seeks to pursue, then there is a need of modifying its structure, for purposes of supporting and accommodating these changes. Take for example an organization such as Google and Microsoft (Koontz, 2010). These organization value innovations and the rolling out of various products whose intention is to serve the various needs of the organizations customers. A company such as Google provides search engine services, advertisement services, and it also runs and operates an online video streaming site, referred to as You Tube. The provision of these different services is a strategy that the organization has initiated, for purposes of achieving growth, and increasing their market share (Nölke, 2014). Because of this strategy, the organization has been forced to develop a management structure that is compatible with this strategy. For instance, the company has a Vice President, who is in charge of You Tube (Nölke, 2014). The Vice President is Susan Wojcicki. Her office is responsible for managing the various programs and adverts that the company is able to portray at You Tube. Google is also concerned about its corporate image, and one of its strategies is to constantly communicate any new products that the company has initiated. Based on this fact, the company has an office of communications and policy, and this office is headed by Rachel Whetstone (Nölke, 2014). This office is responsible for communicating the various policies and activities of the organization, to the employees of the company, and to other stakeholders of the organization. Size is also another factor that affects the structure of an organization (Koontz, 2010). Large organizations that employ many people, normally have work specializations, rules and regulations, and horizontal and vertical differentiation. This is when compared to small organizations. Take for instance Google. Google is a large company that has more than 500 employees. The structure of the organization is top down, whereby it is headed by the Chief Executive Officer, Larry Page, and an executive chairman, who is Eric Schmidt. Furthermore, because of its large size, the company has a board of directors, who are responsible for making decisions. This is as opposed to small companies that normally do not need a management board for decision making purposes. Task 3: Tesco i. Mission, Vision and Corporate strategy of Tesco The current vision statement of Tesco is to create value for its customers, for purposes of helping the organization to earn their lifetime loyalty. Loyalty is an important aspect that an organization has to achieve, and this is majorly because without a loyal customer, then the company would lose its customers to its competitors (Zheng, Yang, & Mclean, 2010). Furthermore, most retailing organizations normally tend to create a loyal customer base, hence making it very difficult for new retailers, to penetrate the market. The mission of the company is to make, anything that matters to the customers better. This means that the organization aims at catering for the needs of its customers, for purposes of achieving its vision and objectives. Innovation is one of the key corporate strategies that is pursued by Tesco (Zheng, Yang, & Mclean, 2010). The innovative concept of Tesco is based on value for money, which is an indication that the organization seeks to provide high quality products at an affordable price. It also emphasizes on customer service, whereby the organization is focused on providing a unique method that can be used for purposes of providing high quality service to its customers. ii. Process of formulating corporate strategy In developing a corporate strategy, the first step that Tesco should undertake is to come up with the objectives of the organization. For instance the vision of the company is to create a loyal customer base. Therefore, its corporate strategy should be aligned to this vision. The second step is to evaluate the environment of the organization, and this includes the nature of its competitors, the need of its customers, employees, etc (Zheng, Yang, & Mclean, 2010). This is for purposes of identifying issues that can make the organization to develop better strategies that can help it achieve a competitive advantage over its rivals. The third step is developing a strategy that is quantitative in nature. This means that the strategy must be measurable, in terms of its effects to the organization. For instance, if it is a sales strategy, then the organization should have the capability of knowing how much sales the strategy has helped in increasing. The fourth step is to identify the various needs of the divisions of an organization, hence developing a strategy with the intention of catering for those needs (Zheng, Yang, & Mclean, 2010). The fifth step is to analyze the expected performance of the strategy, for purposes of identifying the gaps, between the desired and the planned performance. The final step is the choice of strategy, whereby an organization would choose the best strategy to follow. iii. Organizational culture Organizational culture refers to the behavior and attitudes of people within an organization, and the various meanings that are attached to these attitudes and behavior. Organizational culture plays an important role in determining the success or failure of a business organization (Zheng, Yang, & Mclean, 2010). For instance, the organizational culture of an organization may be undemocratic, whereby the top managers of the organization do not want to associate with the junior staff of the organization. This may play a role in affected the morale of its staff, hence limiting their ability to efficiently carry out its functions. For purposes of improving on its performance, Tesco has to improve its organizational culture, and initiate a culture of innovativeness. For instance, Tesco should develop a policy, whereby it encourages its employees to spend 75% of their time, carrying out work activities, and 25%, to come up with their own ideas that can help in improving the company. This strategy has worked well with Google, making it one of the most innovative companies in the world. Conclusion: As discussed in this report, a manager is a senior individual within an organization, and he has the responsibility of coordinating and supervising junior employees. Management is the process of managing an organization. The concepts of a manager, management and organization are therefore inter-related. Size and strategy also play a role in determining the structure of an organization. Large organizations, normally have a hierarchical structure, and managed by board of directors, as opposed to small business organizations. Finally, this paper also denoted that Tesco has to change its organizational culture, for it to increase its market share. Bibliography: KOONTZ, H. (2010). Essentials Of Management 8E. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Top of Form NÖLKE, A. (2014). Multinational corporations from emerging markets: state capitalism 3.0. Bottom of Form ZHENG, W., YANG, B., & MCLEAN, G. N. (2010). Linking organizational culture, structure, strategy, and organizational effectiveness: Mediating role of knowledge management. Journal of Business Research, 63(7), 763-771. Read More