Question 1

You have just been hired as the new supervisor of an audit team for a
national accounting firm. With four years of experience, you feel
technically well prepared for the assignment. however, this is your first
formal appointment as a "manager". Things are complicated at the
moment. The team has 12 members of diverse demographic and cultural
backgrounds, as well as work experience. There is an intense workload
and lots of performance pressure. How will this situation challenge you to
develop and use essential managerial skills and related competencies to
successfully manage the team to high levels of auditing performance?

Question 2
Davis is appointed the new manager of your local college book store.
Davis would like to make sure the store operates according to Webber's
bureaucracy. Describe the characteristics of bureaucracy and answer this
question: Is bureaucracy a good management approach for Davis to
follow? Discuss the possible limitations of bureaucracy and the
implications for managing people as key assets of the store.

Question 3
What would be possible productivity measures for the following
organizations: a) Indian Postal Services
b) University c) Hospital d) Amusement Park e) Restaurant

Question 4
Mobi Wireless Management was launched in 2008 with five CEOs
(Joshua Garrett, Tony Paris, Christian Browning, Scott Kraege, and
Michael Browning). Why do companies have a CEO structure in violation
of Fayol’s principle namely “Unity of Command”?
Question 5
“ I expect every manager in my department to act completely rational in
every decision he/she makes” declared Iswar Dayal, Director Marketing
in Overseas Plastic Limited. “Everyone of us, irrespective of his position
in the organization has to be a professional rationalist and I expect him/her
not only to know what he/she is doing and why he/she is doing it, but also
to be right in his decisions. I know that someone has said that a good
manager needs to be right in his decisions. I know that someone has said
that a good manager needs to be right only in more than half of his
decisions. But that is not good enough for me. However, one may be
excused for an occasional mistake especially on matters beyond one’s
control but no one can be pardoned for acting irrationally”

“ I endorse your views Sir” said Indu Ahluwalia his advertising Manager,
and “I always try to be rational and logical in my decisions but would you
mind helping me to be sure of this by explaining what rational decisions
are”?

Question 6

Assume you are a research scientist at a biotechnology company,

collaborating with a marketing manager on a major product modification.
You notice that every memo you receive from her has been copied to
senior management. At every company function, she spends time talking
to the big shots. You are also aware that sometimes when you are slaving
away over the project, she is playing golf with senior managers. What is
your evaluation of her behavior?

Question 7
How do you feel about having a manager’s responsibility in today’s world
characterized by uncertainty, ambiguity, and sudden changes or threats
from the environments? Describe some skills and qualities that are
important to managers under these conditions.
Question 8
What similarities do you see among the four management functions of
planning, organizing, leading, and controlling? Do you think these
functions are related – that is, is a manager who performs well in one
function likely to perform well in the others?

Question 9
Why do some organizations seem to have a new CEO every year or two ,
whereas others have top leaders who stay with the company for many
years (e.g Jack Welch’s 20 years as CEO at General Electric)? What
factors about the manager or about the company might account for this
difference?

Question 10
What is the difference between efficiency and effectiveness? Which is
more important for performance? Can an organization succeed in both
simultaneously??

Question 11
What changes in management functions and skills might occur as one is
promoted up the management hierarchy? How can managers acquire the
new skills?

Question 12
If managerial work is characterized by variety, fragmentation, and
brevity, how do managers perform basic management functions, such as
planning, which would seem to require reflection and analysis?

Question 13
A college professor told her students. “The purpose of a management
course is to teach students about management, not to teach them to be
managers” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Discuss.
Question 14
Describe the characteristics of the new workplace. How do these
characteristics compare to those of an organization in which you have
worked/known?

Question 15
How could the teaching of management change to prepare future
managers to deal with workforce diversity? Which empowerment? Do
you think diversity and empowerment will have a substantial impact on
organizations in the future? Explain.

Question 16
Manager said “Henry Fayol 14 principal lost their applicability in today’s
business scenario.” As millennials are entering the workforce justify the
applicability of these 14 principals.

Question 17
Which elements of Taylorism are evident today:
a) At the plant level?
b) At the strategic level?