Four Functions of Management for Improving Business Operations
Write about the Management Principles for Abraham Grocery Store.
By focusing on the case study it has been identified that there are four functions of management which are considered to improve the activities or operations of the business. Four management functions that can contribute to improving the business are
There are functions that are going on in the organization and all the functions are equally important in context to managing business operations. There are many operational flaws that exist in the management of Abraham Grocery Store. Four management functions that will contribute to improving the business are as follows:
- Planning: It can be easily seen in the case study that there was lack of planning while managing the operations of the firm. The planning must be on the basis of previous a requirement that firm has noticed at the same time checking the quality and availability of the resources (Drucker, 2012). For example, there must be planning regarding how the meat will be produced and will be sold to the consumers. For bringing the smoothness to work planning is extremely important.
- Controlling: Another important function that might improve the business is controlling the operations (Lussier, 2011). As it can be seen that store manager did not have the control over all the operations. By controlling the store facilities they can easily reduce the flaws present in the business processes. All the department’s manager must report to the store manager so that there can be central controlling of the activities this is necessary for getting things done. Because of the lack of central controlling it is seen that there were conflicts and mismanagement at the store.
- Coordinating: Among the various functions coordinating can be essential as it helps in making the processes more efficient as well as reduces the chances of conflict. If the store manager at Abraham Grocery coordinates among all the department’s employees then it would be easier for them to make the processes better. Proper communication plays a highly vital role in this regards as it helps in reducing the confusions. It can be seen that the manager of one department peeps into the work of some other departments. This is not good for the operational mechanism of the store as with this they may not be able to provide effective services to their clients.
- Organising: It is also seen that there was a lot of problems related to the organizing of the business operations (Cengage, 2018). Hence managers must ensure that they organize all the resource in such a manner that all the activities at the firm can be done smoothly. For example, it will help in avoiding the situation like what happened in the coke display case. It will help in minimizing the dissatisfaction at the store.
One of the best management approaches which can be best suited is administrative approach. This approach is related to find out a rational way to design a company as a whole. This theory focuses on considering the formalized administrative structure, a division of labor and also delegation of power and authority to the administrators which are relevant to the areas of responsibilities (O’Neill, Beauvais & Scholl, 2016). This is one of the best theories in context to the given case study. It has been seen that according to the case study formalized case structure is important so that activities can be conducted in a right direction. As it can be evaluated in the case study there are administrative problems that are analyzed. It has been analyzed that there is no proper communication between the employees who are conducting their routine activities. Due to ineffective communication people are not able to conduct their activities in a proper manner. Also by focusing on the case it can be stated that responsibilities and duties are not cleared. The employees are confused in the organization that how to conduct the activities (Karanges, Johnston, Beatson & Lings, 2015). They have no clear directions and also the structure of management is not effective.
It has been seen that the division of labor is not clear like store manager is also focusing on managing two departments which create confusion and can lead to ineffectiveness and frustration. There is no particular head in the department. So, conflict takes place between the people because the decisions that were taken are not equal. The decision which was taken by one manager is not entertained by the other manager. So, in this situation the conflict arises. There was no coordination between the managers. At last the suggestion which is given by the consultant to reorganize within the store is effective. It has been seen that formalize administrative structure was made in which meat, grocery and produce department will report to the store manager (Petty, 2018). The store manager will now control and manage the activities and have the responsibility to make coordination between the meat, produce and grocery departments. The department manager of the meat in every store will report to the store manager and would focus on dashed line relationship with the specialist of district meat. Now, store manager will directly report to the district store supervisor (Certo, 2018). The specialist of district meat and produce will visit the stores on a periodical basis and offer advice so that quality can be maintained in a proper manner. Now, there is proper delegation of the responsibilities which will help to conduct the activities in a right direction. By giving responsibilities to the store manager a new structure would encourage coordination within the store and offer managers the ability to consider the local tastes and also the requirement of the customers. When there is proper flow of responsibility and it is clearly states then it can be simple to conduct the activities in a right manner.
Administrative Approach – A Rational Way to Design a Company
Efficiency and effectiveness in managing the enterprise can be managed in many ways. By giving focus on the case study it is important to consider these points so that efficiency and effectiveness can be managed. The points are related to teamwork, communication, organizational structure, role and responsibilities, planning. According to the case study, it is important to consider these points so that the efficiency and effectiveness can be managed. If teamwork is considered then it can be possible to generate new ideas that will help to enhance the flow of activities. If teamwork is there then it can be simple to make proper coordination of the activities. Teamwork plays a great role to reduce the conflicts that take place in the context of the activities conducted in the organization. According to the case of there is proper coordination then it can be easy to accomplish the overall goals and objectives (Miller, 2006).
Next factor is related to communication that should be considered to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the enterprise. If there is proper communication in the workplace then it can be easy to manage the activities. Miscommunication can lead to conflict in the workplace. It can help in analyzing the flow of information or communication that should be effective so that it can be simple to manage the overall enterprise activities. In this case, it has been seen that there is lack of communication in the workplace and due to his conflicts are taking place (Angouri & Kirilova, 2017).
The focus should also be given on the organizational structure so that the delegation of the duties and responsibilities can be done properly. It is important to have a proper flow of responsibility and also each and very employees should have a proper understanding of the activities that should be conducted so that conflicts can be minimized and success can be achieved in the workplace. If there is proper organizational structure and also the delegation of the activities then employees can conduct the activities in a right direction and efficiency can also be enhanced. Next factor is related to the roles and responsibility. It is important to define the roles and responsibilities of every employee so that they can complete those activities which are assigned to them for which they are responsible. If employees have a proper understanding of the activities and duties then in a right direction it can be conducted (Jackson, 2007).
Planning is also important to maintain proper efficiency and effectiveness. It has been seen that if proper planning is there in the activities then in the right direction the flow of activities can take place. Planning helps to forecast the future and the activities which take place in the workplace. It is important to consider the process of planning so that proper manipulation of the activity can take place and also the flow of the information can take place in a managed form (Chou, 2018).
So, these all are the factors that should be considered so that effectiveness and efficiency can be managed. This will help to manage the activities of the workplace in a proper way.
References
Angouri, J., & Kirilova, M. (2017). Communication practices and policies in workplace mobility. In The Routledge Handbook of Migration and Language (pp. 560-577). Routledge.
Cengage, (2018) Retrieved from: https://www.cengage.com/management/discipline_content/mgmt_demo/0324656521_ch01.pdf
Certo, S. C. (2018). Supervision: Concepts and skill-building. McGraw-Hill Education.
Chou, P. (2018). Workplace Social Support and Attitude toward Enterprise Resource Planning System: A Perspective of Organizational Change. International Journal of Information Systems and Social Change (IJISSC), 9(1), 58-76.
Drucker, P. (2012). The practice of management. Routledge.
Jackson, M. C. (2007). Systems approaches to management. Springer Science & Business Media.
Karanges, E., Johnston, K., Beatson, A., & Lings, I. (2015). The influence of internal communication on employee engagement: A pilot study. Public Relations Review, 41(1), 129-131.
Lussier, R. (2011). Management fundamentals: Concepts, applications, skill development. Cengage Learning.
Miller, D. (2006). Strategic human resource management in department stores: An historical perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 13(2), 99-109.
O’Neill, J. W., Beauvais, L. L., & Scholl, R. W. (2016). The use of organizational culture and structure to guide strategic behavior: An information processing perspective. Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management, 2(2).
Petty, R. E. (2018). Attitudes and persuasion: Classic and contemporary approaches. Routledge.
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