Part 3. Human resource management

All managers are periodically involved in some human resource functions. In small organizations, most personnel functions are performed by the owner or operating managers. Large organizations usually have a personnel department (or a human resource department) which is responsible for orga-nizing and coordinating hiring and training, maintaining personnel records, acting as a link between management, labo(u)r, and government.

Management skills are the talents necessary for effective performance. All managers need a number of specific skills if they are to succeed. For example, CEOs must be skillful not only in allocating resources and funds to different units of the company, or in delegating responsibilities to their subordinates. CEOs must be skilful at allocating their time. CEOs are likely to spend 59% of their time in scheduled meetings, 22% doing “desk work”, 10% in unscheduled meetings, 6% on the telephone, and the remaining 3% on tours of the company facilities. These proportions are different for managers at lower levels.

Finding a competent manager who understands technology is as hard as finding a technologist who can manage. Yet, universities to this day frown on mixing science and commercial education, and the commercially oriented scientist is still looked down. Companies often have to conduct in-service training program(me)s to deal with the problem, training technical experts in commerce and commercial people in technology.

Basic management skills, especially in such key areas as marketing and finance are extremely important in high-tech ventures. Usually, young, brainy, single-minded and often arrogant high-tech entrepreneurs rarely possess such skills. The problem is that high technology requires that management (should) be maintained at above-average level. The high-tech manager must understand the technology but also be capable of getting close to the market and customers.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

Exercise 1

Mark the following statements true (T) or false (F). (Parts 1 and 2 of TEXT A)

1 Different levels of management include planning and decision making, controlling, organizing, and leading. _____

2 Management means “practice of managing” and “ the people who are responsible for achieving organizational goals.” _____

3 Middle managers develop plans and policies for top managers. _____

4 Marketing managers belong to the middle level management. _____

5 Marketing is the selling of goods and services. ______

6 Methods of promoting goods and services include advertising and publicity. _____

7 The marketing concept was first adopted to compete effectively with rival companies. _____

8 “Service” industries are not marketing-oriented because it is difficult for them to adopt the marketing concept. _____

Exercise 2

Complete the following sentences joining the suitable part. (The exercise is based on parts 3 and 4 of TEXT A)

1 Various computer programmes help marketing managers

... a) carry out marketing research.

... b) find potential customers.

... c) analyze information they need and make better decisions.

2 Marketing research is concerned with

... a) the pattern of a market.

... b) marketing a particular product.

... c) comparing yesterday’s sales to the sales on the same day

in the last four weeks.

3 When prices go up,

... a) the demand goes up.

... b) the supply is reduced.

... c) the supply is increased.

4 Significant changes have taken place in the structure of the work

force in the USA because

... a) many women and other white-collar workers got employment.

... b) human resource managers began to hire women for

white-collar jobs.

... c) many competent managers who understand technology now

better utilize older employees.

Exercise 3

Fill in the correct words from TEXT A choosing from the list below (some of them must be used twice).

It is well known that a business or money must be managed in an _____ manner to avoid unnecessary _____ of _____. The four functions of managers at all _____ are to plan and _____, to control, to organize and to _____.

The organizational _____ of a company are usually _____ by _____ management. _____ managers are responsible for _____ the policies and plans _____ by Chief _____ Officers of organizations and companies.

The manager must _____ his _____ plan before his business plan is completed. Marketing _____ are performed by managers at all _____ . Marketing managers make efforts to _____ the company’s customers at a _____ . Most companies are _____- oriented but there are few which still remain _____ -oriented. Successful planning of marketing strategies _____ that marketing managers should _____ and analyze information to _____. Computers are often used to _____ graphs called _____ and _____ curves. To keep _____ with all the changes actually taking place in their _____ managers _____ marketing research which is typically based on _____ and _____.

All managers are _____ in human _____ functions. To be a successful manager one must have certain management _____. He must be _____ not only in _____ responsibility to _____ but also in _____ his time. A competent manager must combine understanding _____ with marketing and _____ skills.

TEXT - DEVELOPMENT EXERCISES

Exercise 1.

Working in pairs develop some ideas of TEXT A relating to managerial

[ m ni¢d i ri l] duties and functions. Match the following managerial titles with appropriate duties and functions which logically proceed from the contents of TEXT A.

Exercise 2.

What do you think are the functions of the following managers?

Describe them in English.

Exercise 3.

The marketing concept is different from a production-oriented way of thinking. Working in pairs put MO (marketing orientation) or PO (product orientation) against the following statements according to the topics, then summarize in English the differences in outlook between adopters of the marketing concept and the typical production-oriented managers.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 1922