Vocabulary:

inputs	затрати, витрати
throughputs	пропускна спроможність, продуктивність
outputs	обсяг виробництва
conversion	перетворення, переміна, зміна
activities	дія, діяльність
responsibility	відповідальність
monitoring	контроль
evaluating	оцінка
shortcoming	недолік; хиба, дефект
to confuse	плутати
whilst	у той час, як
to assume	приймати, передбачати, припускати
to encompass	містить у собі, стосуватися
catalyst	каталізатор
facilitator	що допомагає, що полегшує
enquirer	той, хто запитує; той, хто проводить опитування

Practical Tasks:

Exercise 1. Give definitions to the following notions POMC. Comment on each of the position.

Exercise 2. Match the words from columns 1 and 2:

	Manager activities are		Inputs, throughputs, conversion, outputs
	POMC focuses on		To produce creative alternatives and increase profits
	Efficient manager seeks		Planning, organizing, motivating, controlling
	Systems approach to organizations is based on		To solve problems and reduce costs
	Effective manager seeks		The action (inputs) of manager
	POMC is		Planning, organizing, motivating, controlling

Exercise 3. Answer the questions:

1. Who was the first to say that management is concerned with “systematic organization of economic resources”?

2. Is management an activity or rather a description of a variety of activities?

3. What activities does manager generally carry out?

4. What grouping of management activities exists?

5. What is better: to judge management by an output or by input?

6. Why?

7. What did Redding say about that?

Exercise 4. Discussion:

What other notions would you add to the list of roles? In what way can your suggestion influence the process of management?

Text 5. Management Activities.

Planning. Planning is an activity which involves decisions about ends (organisational aims/objectives), means (plans), conduct (policies) and results. It is an activity which takes place against the background of (1) the organisation's external environment, and (2) the organisation's internal strengths and weaknesses. Planning can be long-term, as in strategic and corporate planning, or short-term, as in the setting of annual departmental budgets. Long-term usually implies a time-horizon of about five years, although this may be ten or twenty years in certain industries (eg oil extraction, pharmaceuticals etc). Short-term can be any period from the immediate future (crisis management) up to about one year.

Organising. Plans have to be put into operation. This involves detailed organisation and coordination of tasks and the human and material resources needed to carry them out. A key issue here is that of formal communication.

Motivating. The motivating activities of managers, however, are essentially practical in their intent, for, in setting plans and executing them, managers have to gain the commitment of their employees. This is primarily a question of leadership, or style of management.

Controlling. Controlling activities are concerned essentially with measuring progress and correcting deviations. The basic functions of control are:

1. to establish standards of performance;

2. to measure actual performance against standards;

3. to take corrective actions where appropriate.

Control activities act as the feedback mechanism for all managerial activities. Their use is, therefore, crucial to the success of management.