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V. A French industrialist, Henri Fayol, wrote in 1916 a classic definition of the manager’s role. He said that to manage is “to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate and to control.” This definition is still accepted by many people today, though some writers on management have modified Fayol’s description. Instead of talking about “command”, they say a manager must “motivate” or “direct” and “lead” other workers.
Henri Fayol’s definition of a manager’s functions is useful. However, in most companies, the activities of a manager depend on the level at which he/she is working. Top managers, such as directors, will be more involved in long planning, policy making and the relations of the company. These strategy decisions are part of the planning function mentioned by Fayol.
One the other hand, middle management is help an organization to run efficiently. It is urgent order or sorting out a technical problem. Managers at this level spend a great deal of time communicating, coordinating and making decisions affecting the daily operation of their organization.
Managers in the lodging industry perform five basic operations.
· Firstly, managers set objectives. They decide what these should be and how the organization can achieve them. For this task they need analytical ability.
· Secondly, managers organize. They must decide how the resources of the company are to be used, how the work is to be classified and divided. Furthermore, they must select people for the jobs to be done. For this, they not only need analytical ability but also understanding of human beings.
· The third task is to motivate and communicate effectively. They must be able to get people to work as a team, and to be as productive as possible.
To do this, they will be communicating effectively with all levels of the
organization – their superiors, colleagues and subordinates. To succeed in this task, managers need social skills. The fourth activity is measurement. Having set standards, managers have to measure the performance of the organization and of its staff in relation to those standards. Measuring requires analytical ability. Finally, managers develop people more productive and to grow as human beings. They make them bigger and richer persons.
VI. In carrying out management functions, such as planning, organising, motivating and controlling, a manager will be continually making decisions. Decision-making is a key of management responsibility and career.
Some decisions are of the routine kind. They are decisions which are made quickly. Because a manager is experienced, he knows what to do in certain situations. He does not have to think too much before taking action.
Other decisions are often intuitive ones. They are not really rational. The manager may have a gut feeling that a certain course of action is the right one.
Many decisions are more difficult to make since they involve problem-solving. Very often they are strategic decisions which will affect the future direction of the enterprise. To make good decisions the manager should be able to select rationally a course of action. In practice, decisions are usually made in circumstances which are not ideal. They must be made quickly, with insufficient information. It is probably rare that a manager can make an entirely rational decision.
When a complex problem arises, the manager has to collect facts and weigh up courses of action. He must be systematic in dealing with the problem. A useful approach to this sort of decision-making is as follows: the process consists of four phases:
a) Defining the problem;
b) Analyzing and collecting information;
c) Working out options;
d) Deciding on the best solution.
As a first step, the manager must identify and define the problem. And it is important that he does not mistake the symptoms of a problem for the real problem he must solve. At this early stage the manager must also take into account the rules and principles of the company which may affect the final decision. These factors will limit the solution of the problem.
Реферат опубликован: 26/04/2008