http://www.ucl.ac.

uk/msi/study/coursesinmsi/undergraduate/msin1001-foundations-ofmanagement
Management is a key aspect of human activity. In every culture people work together in groups for a variety of ends: to meet basic necessities, to enjoy higher level luxuries, and in general to create and develop goods and services that define what kind of life they lead. Management is the cluster of different tasks, roles and responsibilities that help people work together more effectively to achieve those ends. The most important management priorities include: achieving things through people, delivering a satisfactory level of return on inputs, maximising the use of resources, understanding and operating within the constraints of the environment and coping with change and uncertainty. All managerial capability and expertise is driven by these priorities. The purpose of this course is to introduce you to:

key items of knowledge that managers need to be effective in their roles key principles of good management some of the central issues that affect management in practice the main elements of expertise that managers need to develop to be successful

The knowledge element is addressed through the content of the programme of lectures and seminars, supported by your own private study and reading. Principles are covered through the illustration and discussion of those areas of activity where managers interventions can make a real difference. Management practice is dealt with through the use of case studies and examples during both the lectures and also the seminar programmes. The foundations of managerial expertise are dealt with through the development of critical thinking, evaluation, judgement and decision making, using seminar work, debate, short presentations and is reflected in your approach to the course work. The course is thus designed to introduce these key areas of the foundations of management. The subject is approached via three overarching areas, as follows: - a broad coverage of the total field of management -a substantial introduction to the crucial area of expertise of critical thinking, evaluation and analysis

- a general familiarity and understanding of management issues, which should provide you with a foundation on which to base your future studies of more detailed areas of management.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/373994/the_four_functions_of_manageme nt_foundation.html?cat=3

The Four Functions of Management: Foundation for All Management Concepts

Every organization, regardless of size, has developed and implemented its own management concepts in order for it to run smoothly and accomplish the vision, goals and objectives it has set forth. As such, the basic functions of management, broken down into four different areas, allow for it to handle the strategic, tactical and operational decisions for the organization. The four functions of management are: planning, organizing, directing, and controlling. Planning Planning is the core area of all the functions of management. It is the foundation upon which the other three areas should be build. Planning requires management to evaluate where the company is currently, and where it would like to be in the future. From there an appropriate course of action to attain the company's goals and objectives is determined and implemented. The planning process is ongoing. There are uncontrollable, external factors that constantly affect a company both positively and negatively. Depending on the circumstances, these external factors may cause a company to adjust its course of action in accomplishing certain goals. This is referred to as strategic planning. During strategic planning, management analyzes internal and external factors that do and may affect the company, as well as the objectives and goals. From there they determine the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In order for management to do this effectively, it has to be realistic and comprehensive. Organizing Getting organized is the second function of management. Management must organize all its resources in order to implement the course of action it determined in the planning process. Through the process of getting organized, management will determine the internal organizational structure; establish and maintain relationships, as well as allocate necessary resources. In determining the internal structure, management must look at the different divisions or departments, the coordination of staff, and what is the best way to handle the necessary tasks

and disbursement of information within the company. Management will then divide up the work that needs to be done, determine appropriate departments, and delegate authority and responsibilities. Directing The third function of management is directing. Through directing, management is able to influence and oversee the behavior of the staff in achieving the company's goals, as well as assisting them in accomplishing their own personal or career goals. This influence can be gained through motivation, communication, department dynamics, and department leadership. Employees that are highly motivated generally go above and beyond in their job performance, thereby playing a vital role in the company achieving its goals. For this reason, managers tend to put a lot of focus on motivating their employees. They come up with reward and incentive programs based on job performance and geared toward the employees' needs. Effective communication is vital in maintaining a productive working environment, building positive interpersonal relationships, and problem solving. Understanding the communication process and working on areas that need improvement help managers to become more effective communicators. The best way to find areas that need improvement is to periodically ask themselves and others how well they are doing. Controlling Controlling is the last of the four functions of management. It involves establishing performance standards based on the company's objectives, and evaluating and reporting actual job performance. Once management has done both of these things, it should compare the two to determine any necessary corrective or preventive action. Management should not lower standards in an effort to solve performance problems. Rather they should directly address the employee or department having the problem. Conversely, if limited resources or other external factors prohibit standards from being attained, management should lower standards as needed. The control process, as with the other three, is ongoing. Through controlling, management is able to identify any potential problems and take the necessary preventative measures. Management is also able to identify any developing problems that need to be addressed through corrective action.

In order for management to be considered successful, it must attain the goals and objectives of the organization. This requires creative problem solving in each of the four functions of management. More so, success requires that management be both effective and efficient. Therefore, it needs to not only accomplish those goals and objectives, but do it in a way that the cost of accomplishment is viable for the company.

http://management-guru.in/2009/10/managerial-roles-and-functions/ Managerial role and functions The dictionary meaning of Manager is, a person who has control or direction of an institution, business, etc., or of a part, division, or phase of it. A Manager is a person who plans and directs the work of a group of individuals and also monitors their work to takeup corrective actions when necessary. To meet these challenges a manager assumes several roles according to the requirements. A role can be defined as an organized set of behaviours. Henry Mintzberg has identified ten roles common to any manager and classified these ten roles under three groups. They are: Interpersonal: Figurehead: As a head of the organization the manager performs ceremonial and symbolic duties. Leader: Motivates and develops subordinates and Promotes a proper work atmosphere. Liaison: The main focus is to develop and to maintain a network of external contacts to gather the information. Informational: Monitor: Gathers internal and external information relevant to the organization. Disseminator: Transmits relevant and value based information to subordinates. Spokesperson: Communicates to the external environment on performance and policies. Decisional: Entrepreneur: Designs and initiates change in the organization. Disturbance handler: Deals with contingencies and operational breakdowns in the organization. Resource allocator: Controls and authorizes the usage of organizational resources. Negotiator: Deals with the negotiation activities with other organizations and individuals.

http://www.trimitra.com/articles/roles.html
Managerial Roles (Chris van Overveen - Senior Consultant Trimitra Consultants) To meet the many demands of performing their functions, managers assume multiple roles. A role is an organized set of behaviors. Henry Mintzberg has identified ten roles common to the work of all managers. The ten roles are divided into three groups: interpersonal, informational, and decisional. The informational roles link all managerial work together. The interpersonal roles ensure that information is provided. Thedecisional roles make significant use of the information. The performance of managerial roles and the requirements of these roles can be played at different times by the same manager and to different degrees depending on the level and function of management. The ten roles are described individually, but they form an integrated whole. The three interpersonal roles are primarily concerned with interpersonal relationships. In the figurehead role, the manager represents the organization in all matters of formality. The top level manager represents the company legally and socially to those outside of the organization. The supervisor represents the work group to higher management and higher management to the work group. In the liaison role, the manger interacts with peers and people outside the organization. The top level manager uses the liaison role to gain favors and information, while the supervisor uses it to maintain the routine flow of work. The leader role defines the relationships between the manger and employees. The direct relationships with people in the interpersonal roles place the manager in a unique position to get information. Thus, the three informational roles are primarily concerned with the information aspects of managerial work. In the monitor role, the manager receives and collects information. In the role of disseminator, the manager transmits special information into the organization. The top level manager receives and transmits more information from people outside the organization than the supervisor. In the role of spokesperson, the manager disseminates the organization's information into its environment. Thus, the top level manager is seen as an industry expert, while the supervisor is seen as a unit or departmental expert. The unique access to information places the manager at the center of organizational decision making. There are four decisional roles. In the entrepreneur role, the manager initiates change. In the disturbance handler role, the manger deals with threats to the organization. In the resource allocator role, the manager chooses where the organization will expend its efforts. In the negotiator role, the manager negotiates on behalf of the organization. The top level manager makes the decisions about the organization as a whole, while the supervisor makes decisions about his or her particular work unit. The supervior performs these managerial roles but with different emphasis than higher managers. Supervisory management is more focused and short-term in outlook.

Thus, the figurehead role becomes less significant and the disturbance handler and negotiator roles increase in importance for the supervisor. Since leadership permeates all activities, the leader role is among the most important of all roles at all levels of management.