Question Paper about the College or University System - Essay Example

What strategic plans could the college or at which you are taking this management adopt to compete for students in the marketplace? Would these plans depend on the schools goals? In the present world, colleges and universities face stiff competition for students and this calls for the exploration of new tactics and strategies aimed at attracting new students to their respective institutions. What my university needs to undertake in order to attract more students as compared to competing universities and colleges is to tailor-make its courses and areas of operation which must be distinct and offer it a competitive advantage over other universities. To this end, the university has embarked on product differentiation whereby the courses and operations of the institution are unique in terms of learning which is valued by most students. For example, it has emphasized the need to have all courses that are compliant with information and communication technology (ICT) which meets the needs of both students and the market. The courses have also been pegged at a reasonable fee which makes it unique compared to other institutions of higher learning. The university has also focused on a narrow segment of the population who requires modern and marketable courses and offered them to the exclusion of others as opposed to the usual contemporary courses offered by other institutions. This means that the university only offers courses that are tailor-made for the specific target segment of students and pegs them at relatively affordable rates which make it more attractive as compared to its competitors. 2. How do you think planning in today’s organizations compares to planning 25 years ago? Do you think planning becomes more important or less important in a world where everything in changing quickly and crises are a regular part of organizational life? Why? Just like twenty-five years ago, planning remains an important part of making an organization successful and having sound plans help in effective management. However, there may be little differences in planning currently as compared to the past due to the dynamism in the management of organizations due to the aids and theories in management. Planning increases efficiency in organizations as it ensures that all resources are used to the optimum which leads to less wastage and more input. It also reduces risks related to the business as through planning; one can easily forecast risks and take precautionary measures while at the same time facilitating proper coordination. Planning helps organizations in organizing as it helps in bringing together all the available resources and how they should be allocated and utilized. It also helps in giving the right direction to the organization as planning helps in having accurate instructions and directions to the human resources within the organization. Further, planning helps in keeping good control of the actual performance of the employees as they can easily be corrected when they go wrong which may help the organization to achieve its goals, objectives and targets. More importantly, planning helps organizations in decision-making, encouraging creativity amongst the staff as well as motivating the personnel who carry out the tasks as allocated. 3. Analyze three decisions you made over past six months. Which of these were programmed and which were non-programmed? Which model –the classical, administrative, or political – best describes the approach you took to making each decision? In the past six months, I have made a decision to pay my bills a few days before they are due so that there is no interruption of my electricity and water bills. This is an example of a programmed decision as it enables me to smoothly run the activities at my restaurant business. It is therefore a norm that all bills in my business are paid one week before when they are due so that the business runs seamlessly without any cut off in the supply of water and electricity. Due to the increased demand for the products and services offered by my restaurant, I have employed more waiters and invested in more kitchen equipment to serve the growing number of customers. I have further made the non-programmed decision to offer a wider menu to serve the growing variety and dynamism of clientele served by my restaurant. In making these decisions, I have taken the classical approach of decision-making as I clearly have goals and problems to deal with which is to maximize my profits and avoid interruptions in the running of the business. I also have the advantage of being in possession of the full information about the dynamics of the restaurant business and the expected outcomes. 4. List some possible advantages and disadvantages to using computer technology for managerial decision making Computer technology is important for managerial decision-making as it helps in storage as computers may be used to store more information and data as compared to human beings. Computers can be used to process information faster than the human brain, which enhances the speed, and accuracy at which the decision is made. Computer technology as used in decision-making within an organization may at times be important as it will save on costs that may have been used to employ persons in the positions of management and decision-making. Decision-making using computers is desirable as it helps the organization to easily share information amongst many people which leads to quicker action amongst the employees to execute their duties. Computer technology as used in managerial decision-making has a disadvantage of being costly in terms of procuring and implementing the technology. It may at times not be desirable to use computer technology in managerial decision-making as it may lead to the reduction of the morale of employees as they feel that the decisions that they make are less compared as compared to that made by the computer technology. The use of computer technology in managerial decision-making as it suffers from the problem of subjectivity and the decisions made y the technology may miss certain elements that the organization is concerned with. 5. Some people argue that the matrix structure should be adopted only as a last resort because the dual chains of command can create more problems than they solve. Discuss. Do you agree or disagree? Why? The matrix structure when adopted in organizations sometimes leads to faster and efficient exchange of information as the departments function in conjunction with each other through communication to solve issues. When this occurs, there is an efficient line of communication which will enhance the productivity of the human resources within the organization and faster decision-making. However, the matrix structure should only be adopted as a last resort as the dual chains of command creates the problems of internal complexity within the organization and the fact that it is expensive to maintain the external and internal conflict. The internal complexity created confuses the human resources within the organization on who they should report to or their supervisors which by cause division among supervisors and subordinates. This leads to employee dissatisfaction and low morale which may lead to high turnover of employees occasioned by resignations and dismissals amongst other issues. The matrix structure is also expensive to maintain as extra human resources are needed for the double management which increases the total overhead costs. The sharing of human resources and their expertise may lead to competition that is unhealthy amongst the managers and the supervisors within the organization which may hinder their productivity. 6. Express say that organizations are becoming increasingly decentralized, with authority, decision-making responsibility, and accountability being pushed farther down into the organization. How will this trend affect what will be asked of you as a new manager? Decentralization in management means the responsibility for decision-making; authority and accountability are pushed to the lower levels in the organization. As a manager, it is important to allow decentralization to take place within the organization as it allows the flow of information from the bottom to the top which allows the employees within the lower levels to participate in the making of important decisions. For instance, a knowledgeable and experienced machine operator at the lowest tier of the organization may know how to increase the efficiency of production which may be helpful to the management or the supervisors on where much effort should be placed to increase production. Decentralization is also appropriate for organizations that are not rigid in their management and those that have wider control on the matters within the organization. Decentralization also enables the employees to fully participate in the activities of the organization by making them own the processes and through this, they are motivated towards working towards the goals of the organization. It also makes the employees from the bottom to the top levels to be accountable in whatever they carry out which ensures that only the objectives of the organization are carried out and how to improve upon them. 7. As a manager, how would you deal with resistance to change when you suspect employee’s fears of job loss are well founded? At times managers can encounter resistance to change by employees who may at times have genuine or well-founded fears of redundancy. When employees resist change, the manager should deal with the resistance by making the employees to participate in the initiation and the implementation of the change so that they feel as part of the solution to the problem. The manger must also endeavor to understand the true nature of the resistance whether it is technical or social in nature and how they correlate. By clearly demonstrating the technical and the social aspect of the change, the manager is able to distinguish what blinds the employees to reject the change and find remedies for making it acceptable. The manager can also deal with the attitudes of the staff by emphasizing the new standards of performing the tasks and duties and encouraging the employees to change their mode of thinking. It is important to analyze the forces that drive and encourage the resistance to change and use them as an encouragement to the employees to accept the envisaged changes. Noteworthy, is the need for the managers to involve the employees in any decision that is aimed at bringing change to the organization as this makes them have their input in the change which is beneficial to all the concerned parties. 8. Analyze the driving and restraining forces of a change you would like to make in your life. Do you believe understanding force-field analysis can help you more effectively implement a significant change in your own behavior? The proper understanding of the force-field analysis is important in knowing how effective one can implement a change in behavior as it brings together the change that may be desired for the personal and corporate environment. This means that there is a driving and restraining force that encourages change in behavior while another force hinders it respectively. I would like to change my behavior which is majorly to procrastinate about issues that I have all along wanted to accomplish or achieve. The desire to overcome the urge to overcome putting off my plans at every instance is driven by the need to be efficient in the management of my business as well as clear the backlog of matters that weigh down the business. However, this has been impeded by limited resources in terms of employees and finances, which when I employ will eat into my profits. By comprehending the force-field analysis, I will be able to properly define the change that I want to accomplish and how the bridge the competing interests of the driving and the restraining forces. By clearly understanding and evaluating these forces, I am able to strategize on how to strengthen the driving forces and doing away with the restraining forces as well as prioritize my steps of action in order to overcome the problem of procrastination. 9. Which of four components of emotional intelligence do you consider most important to an effective manager in today’s world? Why? An effective manager must possess emotional intelligence in the day-to-day running of an organization and this is important in managing his own emotion and those around him. As a component of emotional intelligence, the manager must exercise self-awareness as this enables him to recognize his emotion as it happens which helps him to have a clear understanding of his strengths and weaknesses. This is important as it helps the manager to appropriately address the problems as and when they arise and deal with any future complications. Effective communication is important as it helps the manager to express his thoughts and convey directions as well as how to handle the human resources within the organization which has the effect of motivating them. The manager should also exercise social awareness in order to know what goes around him and putting himself in the position of the employees which may inspire and motivate them to work towards achieving the goals of the organization. The manager must also have the power to resolve conflicts within the organization which may interrupt how efficient or productive it is run. This enables the manager to build an effective workforce that complements and supplements the activities of each other. 10. How do you think a system for self-management such as the five- step system described in this chapter could benefit you a student? What parts of the system seem particularly useful to you? Explain The five-step system of self-management is important for me as a student as it enables me to know how to define my target behaviours, identify the functions that reinforce them, design the self-management device and teach myself how to de independent in managing myself. As a student, I can operationally define my target behaviour and know how to monitor and support myself in dictating my behaviour as well as know whether to adopt it or not. This step is important to me as I can learn how to quickly adapt to the desired behaviour and gain access to the ultimate reward. The step of identification of the functional reinforcers is important to me as it enables me to identify and select the appropriate reinforcers who will help me to perform and monitor myself in terms of the target behaviour. The step of designing and choosing a self-management method id important as it provides me with a clear means to record the occurrence of behaviour which is helpful for reference on the direction to be taken and evaluation of whether the targets are being achieved. Having self-management independence is equally important as it enables me to monitor and reinforce myself in my quest to have the desired or target behaviour. Read More