Internal
Assignment No. 1 MBA-102
Q. 1. Answer all the
questions:
(i)
“Management is a continuous process”. Elucidate the statement.
Answer-
Management is q continues process not one time
action. Managers identify problems and try to solve them by taking appropriate
action on a regular basis. Thus, management is known as a continues process.
A basic management function involving formulation of one or more detailed plans to achieve optimum balance of needs or demands with the available resources. > The planning process (1) identifies the goals or objectives to be achieved, (2) formulates strategies to achieve them, (3) arranges or creates the means required, and (4) implements, directs, and monitors all steps in their proper sequence.
A basic management function involving formulation of one or more detailed plans to achieve optimum balance of needs or demands with the available resources. > The planning process (1) identifies the goals or objectives to be achieved, (2) formulates strategies to achieve them, (3) arranges or creates the means required, and (4) implements, directs, and monitors all steps in their proper sequence.
(ii)
Enumerate the steps of control
process.
ANSWER-
Control as a management function involves the
following steps:
1.
Establishing Standards:
Standards are criteria against which results
are measured. They are norms to achieve the goals. Standards are usually
measured in terms of output. They can also be measured in non-monetary terms
like loyalty, customer attraction, goodwill etc.
2. Measuring Performance
Measurement involves comparison between
what is accomplished and what was intended to be accomplished. The measurement
of actual performance must be in the units similar to those of predetermined
criterion. The unit or the yardstick thus chosen be clear, well-defined and
easily identified, and should be uniform and homogenous throughout the
measurement process.
3. Comparing the Actual
Performance with Expected Performance
This is the active principle of the
process. The previous two, setting the goals and the measurement format are the
preparatory parts of the process. It is the responsibility of the management to
compare the actual performance against the standards established.
4. Correcting Deviations:
The final element in the process is the
taking corrective action. Measuring and comparing performance, detecting
shortcomings, failures or deviations, from plans will be of no avail if it does
point to the needed corrective action.
(iii)
Distinguish between “Line” and Line and staff organization.
ANSWER-
Line organization is the most
oldest and simplest method of administrative organization. According to this
type of organization, the authority flows from top to bottom in a concern. The
line of command is carried out from top to bottom. This is the reason for
calling this organization as scalar organization which means scalar chain of
command is a part and parcel of this type of administrative organization. In
this type of organization, the line of command flows on an even basis without
any gaps in communication and co-ordination taking place.
Line and staff organization is a
modification of line organization and it is more complex than line organization.
According to this administrative organization, specialized and supportive
activities are attached to the line of command by appointing staff supervisors
and staff specialists who are attached to the line authority. The power of
command always remains with the line executives and staff supervisors guide,
advice and council the line executives. Personal Secretary to the Managing
Director is a staff official.
(iv)
Write a short note on: a) Locus of Control and b) Machiavellianism
(A)Locus of
Control- Locus of Control as a principle
was originated by Julian Rotter in 1954. It considers the tendency of people to
believe that control resides
internally within them, or externally, with others or the situation.Note that,
like other preferences, this is a spectrum. Some people have a wholly internal
or external locus of control, but many will have some balance both views,
perhaps varying with situation. For example some may be more internal at home
but more external at work.
(B)Machiavellianism-
In business, Machiavellian behavior describes someone who is willing to exploit
the weaknesses of others to get ahead. He is highly competitive and expects
others to take advantage of him. He is ambitious and willing to take risks,
especially if those risks are likely to cost others instead of himself. He
pretends to be more giving than he is and usually only gives to charity if
others see it or if it helps him get ahead. Machiavellian behavior is named for
Niccolo Machiavelli, the 16th century author of the book entitled "The
Prince."
(v)
Compare and contrast Maslow’s need hierarchy theory of motivation
with herzberg’s two factor theory of motivation.
ANSWER- Maslow's hierarchy of needs
is a description of the needs that motivate human behavior. In 1943, Abraham
Maslow proposed five different kinds of human needs, beginning with the most
basic: survival. Physiological needs, such as food and shelter, are followed by
needs related to safety. Next, there are needs of love and belonging. Fourth,
humans have needs of esteem, such as the need for being respected. The final
need in the hierarchy is the need for self-actualization (fulfilling one's
potential). The hierarchy suggests that basic needs must be met prior to less
basic needs; for example, a starving person will seek food before
self-actualization.
Based on Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene
Model, an important development in the field of motivation was the distinction
between motivational factors and the mere maintenance (or hygienic) factors.
Herzberg’s research was conducted on
about 200 engineers and accountants working in several firms in the Pittsburgh
area of USA. The maintenance factors are necessary only to maintain a
reasonable level of satisfaction among the employees. If these factors are
absent, then most of the employees are dissatisfied. But these factors
themselves do not motivate the employees. For that purpose motivational factors
only work.
Note: Answer any two
questions. Each question carries 5 marks (Word limits 500)
Q.
2. “Management is the art of
getting things done through other people.” Explain the importance of management
in the light of this statement.
ANSWER-
Management is the process by which human efforts are coordinated and combined
with other resources to accomplished organizational goals and objectives. Mary
Parker Folett defines management as “the art of getting things done through
people.”
Yes,
of course it is the art of getting things done through people. A good management
requires a good manager in directing or leading his subordinates, as well as a
good subordinate in doing things in a right way in order to meet the goal and
objectives of the organization. It is also said that management requires an
understanding of the economic principle of the division of labor, which breaks
down into subtasks, and the coordination of effort, which recognize the
subtasks into an efficient and effective whole. The managers do not do the work
themselves. They get the work done through the workers. The workers should not
be treated like slaves. They should not be trickled, threatened or forced to do
the work. A favorable work environment should be created and maintained.
Furthermore,
it’s not really about time management because this focuses on the fact that we
are spending our time productively. It’s not about being productive; it’s about
accomplishing the goals by our staff (people) that we set out. So, it’s not
about time management, it’s about goal management; putting the goals in order,
figuring out what are the requirements to accomplish those goals, and then
moving forward with those goals. Take the focus off managing your time and turn
that focus towards accomplishing those goals we set out for our organization.
Q.
3. What do you mean by learning?
Discuss the elements which form the part of learning process.
ANSWER-
Learning is a key process in human behaviour. All living is learning. If we
compare the simple, crude ways in which a child feels and behaves, with the
complex modes of adult behaviour, his skills, habits, thought, sentiments and
the like- we will know what difference learning has made to the individual.
1.
Attention:
Attention
is like a filter (not quite as this article shows, but this is a good enough
metaphor) that limits the amount of
information that enters or remains in our memory (storage). It is the amount of
time we can concentrate on a task without becoming distracted. It has its own
limitations, mainly its span.
2.
Connections / associations / consolidation
This
part of the memory formation in learning is widely discussed by many people –
specialists and layman ‘practitioners’ alike, and various people may call it
various ways: Deep Processing, chunking, Creating a construct
In a
nutshell, in order to learn more effectively, you need to organise information
into meaningful groups: chunks, concepts, whatever it is called. These pieces
of organised and connected information can vary in size and complexity. The
more connections between the information we are trying to learn and what we
already know, the better.
3.
Emotions
Emotions
affect our cognitive processes, and learning in particular, in a variety of
ways. The effects vary depending on the type of emotions (positive vs negative
vs stress) and the step in the learning process (encoding/storage/retrieval).
But overall, an emotional stimulus affects our ability to pay attention,
because it immediately becomes the focus of our attention, narrowing our
ability to see/hear/feel/process anything else.
4.
Spaced repetition
In
order to really move the newly acquired knowledge from short-term memory into
the long-term storage, we need to beat the forgetting curve pictured above.
Internal Assignment No. 2
Paper Title: Organization Behaviour
Q. 1. Answer all the questions:
(i)
Define coordination
ANSWER- Co-ordination
is the unification, integration, synchronization of the efforts of group
members so as to provide unity of action in the pursuit of common goals. It is
a hidden force which binds all the other functions of management. According to Mooney and Reelay,
“Co-ordination is orderly arrangement of group efforts to provide unity of
action in the pursuit of common goals”. According to Charles Worth, “Co-ordination
is the integration of several parts into an orderly hole to achieve the purpose
of understanding”.
Management seeks to achieve co-ordination through its basic
functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. That is
why, co-ordination is not a separate function of management because achieving
of harmony between individuals efforts towards achievement of group goals is a
key to success of management. Co-ordination is the essence of management and is
implicit and inherent in all functions of management.
(ii)
“Controlling is looking back.” Comment.
ANSWER- Controlling is looking back
as it is like a post-mortem of past activities to find out deviations from the
standards established. In fact, the objective of controlling is to check the
factors responsible for poor performance in the past, so that such mistakes are
not repeated in future and the organisation can achieve its predetermined
objectives.
(iii) “Human
Behavior is generally caused and predictable.” Explain
ANSWER- This concept refers
to the fact that human behaviour is not a spontaneous and unpredictable
process, rather it can be scientifically analysed and pre-empted because humans
follow psychological patterns, and most actions we take are the result of a
cause-and-effect reaction.It could be argued that everything we do, every
action we take, has a biological or social stimulus - a cause for each
action.In this way, understanding the causes of actions we are likely to commit
makes human behaviour somewhat predictable.
(iv)
Write a short note on application of perception in organization.
ANSWER- A perception is a
belief held by a person, or many people, based upon how they see the world
around them. the process of selecting, organising and interpreting information
in order to make sense of the world around us the dynamic and complex way in
which individuals select information from the environment, interpret and translate
it so that a meaning is assigned which
will result in a pattern of behaviour or thought Often
the main aspects of perception in an organisation is how an individual views
others, as this can be a major point in how that person will behave within the business. It is also a aspect of how an individual is
motivated within an organisation. This is why in organisations there needs to
be a way of making sure employees fit before being hired and then when they are
hired their first perceptions of others need to be good.
(v)
What do you mean by group cohesiveness?
ANSWER- Group cohesiveness
is one of the characteristic features of the groups, which is very important
from behaviouristic point of view. Cohesiveness is the degree to which the
group members are attracted to each other and are motivated to stay in the
groups. Cohesiveness defines the degree of closeness that the members feel with
the groups. It is understood as the extent of liking each member has towards
others in the group and how far everyone wants to remain as a member of the
group.
“Cohesiveness refers to the
extent of unity ‘in the group and is reflected in members’ conformity to the
norms of the group, feeling of attraction for each other and wanting to be
co-members of the group.” Attraction, cohesiveness and conformity are all
intertwined. The more the members feel attracted to the group, the greater will
be the group cohesiveness. The greater the cohesiveness, the greater the
influence of the group members to persuade one another to conform to the group
norms. The greater the conformity, the greater the identity of the members to
the group and the greater the group cohesiveness.
Note: Answer any two questions. Each question carries 5 marks
(Word limits 500)
Q.
2. Discuss the 14 principles of
management as given by Henry Fayol.
ANSWER-
Fayol's principles are listed below:
Division
of Work – When employees are specialized, output can increase because they
become increasingly skilled and efficient.
Authority
– Managers must have the authority to give orders, but they must also keep in
mind that with authority comes responsibility.
Discipline
– Discipline must be upheld in organizations, but methods for doing so can
vary.
Unity
of Command – Employees should have only one direct supervisor.
Unity
of Direction – Teams with the same objective should be working under the
direction of one manager, using one plan. This will ensure that action is
properly coordinated.
Subordination
of Individual Interests to the General Interest – The interests of one employee
should not be allowed to become more important than those of the group. This
includes managers.
Remuneration
– Employee satisfaction depends on fair remuneration for everyone. This
includes financial and non-financial compensation.
Centralization
– This principle refers to how close employees are to the decision-making
process. It is important to aim for an appropriate balance.
Scalar
Chain – Employees should be aware of where they stand in the organization's
hierarchy, or chain of command.
Order
– The workplace facilities must be clean, tidy and safe for employees.
Everything should have its place.
Equity
– Managers should be fair to staff at all times, both maintaining discipline as
necessary and acting with kindness where appropriate.
Stability
of Tenure of Personnel – Managers should strive to minimize employee turnover.
Personnel planning should be a priority.
Initiative
– Employees should be given the necessary level of freedom to create and carry
out plans.
Esprit
de Corps – Organizations should strive to promote team spirit and unity.
Q. 3. Describe the ways in which people may
overcome the negative consequences of stress.
ANSWER- For many people,
possibly even you, esteemed reader, stress is a fact of life. Whether from
problems on the job, concerns about money, health or relationships, stress is
all too common.
What you may not know is that
chronic stress is at the root of numerous other health problems.
It is amazing to think about
the physical impact stress has on you. When you feel stressed your body reacts
as if it were being physically threatened—your digestion shuts down, your heart
rate increases, your muscles tense. In addition, your cholesterol levels rise
and your blood thickens preparing to clot (in case you might be injured). Your
cortisol levels skyrocket.
These responses are there to
help you survive in the natural world. Ironically, stress in the modern world
contributes to most of our chronic degenerative diseases. These include some of
the leading causes of death in the modern world.
On the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control 2002 list of the 10 most frequent causes of death, 8 of them
have a very clear relationship with stress, either directly or indirectly.
Everything on this list
except Alzheimer’s and kidney disease relate to stress one way or another.
Looking at this list, if someone says, “It’s just stress,” you can tell that
they don’t realize stress, especially long-term stress, is deadly. They might
as well say, “It was only a truck that hit me.”
In addition, if stress goes
on too long, brain chemistry imbalances take place. People experience lower
levels of both stimulating and calming neurotransmitters, as well as those
related to pain relief.
What You Can Do
Fortunately, we now
understand how to managing stress. The basics are simple.
1. Breathe: What could be
simpler? Unfortunately, most people don’t know how to breathe well, or if they
do, they don’t remember to practice. Correct breathing triggers a relaxation
response in the entire body, freeing you from many of the negative effects of
stress. Stress-relieving examples – yoga, qigong, meditation.
2. Eat: If you think that
food has no effect on stress, think again. The quantity, quality and ratios of
proteins, carbohydrates and fats in your diet have a huge impact on your body,
either helping relieve or helping aggravate stress. Stress-relieving examples –
eating whole, fresh, natural foods, avoiding processed and concentrated foods.
3. Move: Exercise is an
incredibly effective stress-reducer. The exact best type of exercise will vary
from person to person. Stress-relieving examples – walking, sports,
weight-lifting.
4. Think: How you think
about the events in your life does truly have a profound effect on how your
body reacts to them. In this short description we don’t have room to discuss
all the various ways you might change this, so just become aware that if you think
about things in a different way, your body will react differently.
Stress-relieving examples – listening to positive self-programming audio tapes,
turning off the news before sleeping, meditation.
By including these simple
activities in your daily life you’ll overcome much of the worst effects of
stress and live a longer, happier life.
The book intends to practice, the manner in which achieve the effects. mentalismminds.com offers some in-depth insights on Disclosure - Mentalism Minds.
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