Archive for the ‘Management Matters’ Category

Management by Objectives

Monday, October 20th, 2008

Management by Objectives
The term was coined by Peter Drucker in his book- “The Practice of Management”.
MBO is a management approach that uses objectives as the primary means for managing an organization.  It is a process through which specific goals are set collaboratively as an organization.  The goals are then used as bases for planning, managing organizational activities, and assessing and rewarding contributions.  Here, managers and employees define goals for every department, project, and person and use them to monitor subsequent performance.
Objectives set for MBO must be SMART.  This essentially means that objectives must meet the following criteria – S-pecific, M-easurable, A-chievable, R-elevant, and T-ime specific.
There are four specific steps involve in the MBO process:
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Specific Task Environment and Industry Analysis

Thursday, October 9th, 2008

A corporation’s scanning of the environment should include analyses of all relevant elements in the task environment. Managers need to consider the competitive environment, also referred to as the task environment or industry environment.  The profitability of the firm and the nature of competition in the industry are more directly influenced by developments in the competitive environment.

Industry Analysis
Industry – group of firms producing a similar product or service.
The firm interacts with a more specific environment, the industry.
4 main components that exert influence on industry:
1. Suppliers
2. Competitors and potential substitutes
3. Potential entrants
4. Buyers

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Influence, Power, Authority and Leadership (An EDM 211 Report)

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

INFLUENCE
Influence is any action or examples of behavior that cause a change in the attitude or behavior of another person or group.  It is the process of guiding the activities of organization members in appropriate directions.  It involves the performance of four management objectives: leading, motivating, considering groups and communicating.  Appropriate directions are those that lead to the attainment of management objectives.

Influence System involves people taking the roles of influencer and influence.  It refers to situations wherein behavioral changes occur as a result of relationships among people.  These relationships involve interaction which is direct or indirect.

SPECTRUM OF MEANS FOR INFLUENCING BEHAVIOR
1)Emulation – requires no direct contact between individuals; yet it is a powerful influencer in behavior.  It is a subtle phenomenon which is more indicated in our reference to celebrities.  In organizations, certain individuals become aware of the behavioral patterns of their co-workers that they tend to model this behavior in hopes of attaining similar success.
2)Suggestion – involves direct and conscious interaction between individuals or between individuals and a group.  It explicitly attempts to influence behavior by presenting an idea or advocating a course of action.
3)Persuasion – implies urging and the use of inducement in order to evoke a desired response.  Skinner’s operant conditioning can be viewed as a form of persuasion.
4)Coercion – involves forcible constraint, including physical pressure.  In organizations, salaries and promotions and even threat of dismissal can be used to constrain or influence behavior.
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Motivation in the Workplace: Maslow, Alderfer, and Herzberg

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

During these trying times, it is really a challenge for managers to keep employee motivation at its peak… The same holds true for our organization…   Studies have attested that employees who are highly motivated give their optimal performance in their jobs.  In consideration of their findings, managers should always be in the know as far as motivation theories are concerned… Below is a short refresher article discussing Maslow, Alderfer and Herzberg’s motivation theories…

What is motivation?

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Public Fiscal Administration

Sunday, August 10th, 2008

Public Fiscal Administration… the MMEM (Master in Management major in Educational Management) course that broke my heart… not because I failed it (in fact I had the highest grade in my class), not because it was complicated (which was by the way, true)… but because the course opened my eyes to many of life’s brutal facts…

For those who would be taking the course, and also for those who would want to get a glimpse of the Fiscal situation in the Philippines, I’m sharing with you some powerpoint presentations that me and T. Joyce made…  Contents are mostly about public debt management, the concept of development, taxation, budget process, etc… I hope you find them useful

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Attention:Job Analysts

Sunday, June 29th, 2008

After being a teacher for six years, it feels weird to not have any teaching load for this schoolyear.  Apparently, I am to handle the coordinatorship when the incumbent PS coordinator, T. Joy, leaves for the States.  Apart from this gargantuan responsibility, I am to assist in HR matters, specifically, job analysis.  Graduating with a degree in Psychology does not make me an expert in the area.  However, I do intend to read about the matter, and probably seek expert help through my blog page…

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