Mgmt- 301-03 Essays Examples

Reflection Paper

Do you believe understanding yourself can make you a better decision maker? This is an important question every manager should ask himself. The most important characteristics in the field of management are leadership and communication. The classical model outlines different levels of decision-making. However, in my experience, a successful leader should have a good and strong personality in order to set goals. He or she should be able to influence employees in their decision-making processes and also be aware of how others react in order to motivate them in the work place. On the other hand, any decision-making should be geared toward keeping the group working as a team. Brainstorming, for example, is always more effective as a team. From what I have learned in this class, there are different types of managers and leaders. That being said, successful managers are those who find a way to make things happen.
The class text asks the following question: What would be your principles as a manager? The challenge, of course, is to be a successful manager or leader. To do this, it is important to realize that any organization is a group of people put together to achieve a specific purpose. There are several different challenges when it comes to management. A manager's main challenge is to plan, organize, lead and control in a matter that most efficiently utilizes the resources of people and money. Being a realistic manager means figuring out how to make those right decisions in order to achieve organizational goals. In this class, I learned there is a big difference between Efficiency and Effectiveness. For example, “Many companies now use a recorded “telephone menu” of options to answer customer calls,” which may in fact be more efficient than effective. (The Exceptional Manager, slides 1-9.)
This class also taught me that gaining a Competitive Advantage means figuring out how to stay ahead of other firms in order to generate more sales and customers. For managers, this means he or she needs to constantly keep up with market in order to ensure the company is, at the very least, stable and not falling behind. Here, I’m going to mention The Levels & Areas of Management again. The top managers are those who always make decisions based on the long term. For example, they will always consider direction of the organization, policies and strategies for the firm when making decisions. Middle managers are those who implement the policies and plans. A first-line manager, by contrast, is a functional manager who is responsible for making short-term operating decisions. Often, General Managers also responsible for organizational activities. However, strong managers should always be willing to take on different kinds of roles both inside and outside the organization. Finally, I learned that there is some similarity between managers and entrepreneurs. The manager uses information to make decisions, maintain a business and solve problems. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, can organize and manage any business. What sets them apart is the ability to create new businesses based on perceived opportunities for products or services.
It has also become apparent from the class lectures that, these days, International management requires a better understanding of managing across borders. The trend of Globalization means the world economy continues to create a global village. Buying and selling through computer networks and online bookstores like Amazon is just one of the example we discussed in class. Franchising is another example of this phenomenon. However, the global market presents both positive and negative effects. So why learn about global Management? Because it allows us to deal with foreign customers and cultures and enjoy the benefits of access to new markets and lower labor costs. (Five Ways of Expanding Internationally Slide 4.1).
Should managers follow a standard behavior in order to maintain a good image for the company? That depends. Acting unethically simply refers to a lack of moral principles and the unwillingness to adhere to proper rules of conduct. Therefore, I believe that unethical behavior should not be confused with having a set standard behavior. In fact, in these days of Social Responsibility, I believe it’s much more important for firms to concentrate on fostering consumer loyalty. For example, the idea that “Going Green is meeting humanity's needs without harming future generations” will keep most consumers happy.

Works Cited

Kinicki, Angelo, and Brian Williams. Management: A Practical Introduction. 6th Ed.: McGraw- Hill, Irwin, 2012. Print. Chapter 1-8