Applied Business studies managing people Management: roles, responsibilities and skills

What do managers do? Roles and responsibilities which are normally set out in job descriptions. Roles are the duties or tasks that a manager has to carry out as part of the job. Responsibilities relate to managers being accountable for their actions and decisions. The job description will state to whom a manager is responsible and accountable.

Monitoring and evaluating Organising bringing together the necessary resources Planning looking to the future The manager’s role Reporting communicating with relevant people: customers, suppliers and more senior managers Monitoring and evaluating assessing past performance, thinking about and implementing improvements

planning Planning is looking ahead and helps to co-ordinate a business’s activities so that it is moving forward in a focused and coherent manner. Plans are drawn up at different levels; strategic planning by the most senior managers which sets out how the business will fulfil its objectives. Once this is completed more junior managers begin the process of planning, which should complement the strategic plan. Planning can include – setting targets, forecasting future sales, planning marketing actions, estimating labour requirements, financial planning and planning resources (factories, vehicles, materials etc.) Businesses also undertake some form of contingency planning; what will they do if things go wrong!

organising Managers have to bring together a range of resources to meet a business’s objectives. This can entail considerable organisation. An example would be the manager of a shop who would need to – ensure there are sufficient and trained staff, have enough stock, make sure suppliers paid promptly, keep accurate records of sales, employee performance and financial performance, be aware of customer needs. This management role requires a substantial amount of organisation. Managers are also expected to use the minimum amount of resources necessary to meet the business’s objectives.

Monitoring and evaluating The decision-making cycle 1 set business objectives 2 gather data 3 plan strategy 4 evaluate decision-making

reporting Reporting can provide important information that managers can use in decision-making and planning. These could include:- Annual report and accounts; legal requirement for companies, includes profit and loss account, balance sheet, cash flow statement. Suppliers, shareholders and potential investors are all likely to be interested. Other financial information; are managers in budget for example. Market research; findings of research are likely to form the basis of a report for other managers within the business. Employee performance; productivity, absenteeism, wages costs, training costs, health and safety.

Key management skills A manager needs a wide range of skills because managerial jobs are very complex. Including:- Technical skills; a marketing manager needs the skills to design an advertising campaign, statistical analysis, analytical ability and problem solving. Communication skills; argue points and persuade people of their point of view, listening, written skills. One criticism of UK managers is that few speak a second language. Organisational skills; setting achievable targets, planning workload, time management, creating effective teams. Interpersonal skills; managers with effective interpersonal skills can motivate others and can co- ordinate the work of their employees. Managers need to be comfortable in the company of diverse groups.