Tutorial Question

UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN (UTAR) FACULTY OF ACCOUNTANCY AND MANAGEMENT (FAM) OCTOBER 2017 UKMM1013/UBMM1013 MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES

TUTORIAL QUESTIONS FAM Bachelor of International Business (Hons) (IN) Bachelor of Accounting (Hons) (AT) Bachelor of Global Economic (Hons) (GE) Bachelor of Building and Property Management (BP) FBF Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) (BA) FICT Bachelor of Information Systems (Hons) Business Information Systems (IB) Bachelor of Information Technology (Hons) Information System Engineering (IA) FSc Bachelor of Science (Hons) Biochemistry (BE) Bachelor of Science (Hons) Biotechnology (BT) Bachelor of Science (Hons) Agricultural Science (AG) Bachelor of Science (Hons) Food Science (FD) Bachelor of Science (Hons) Chemistry (CE) Bachelor of Science (Hons) Microbiology (MB) Bachelor of Science (Hons) Biomedical Science (BM) FEGT Bachelor of Science (Hons) Construction Management FES Bachelor of Science (Hons) Quantity Surveying (QS) Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Materials & Manufacturing Engineering (MM) Bachelor of Science (Hons) Software Engineering (SE) Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Mechanical Engineering (ME) Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Civil Engineering (CI)

Main Text Book: Goodman, S. H., Fandt, P. M., Michlitsch, J. F., & Lewis, P. S. (2016). Management: Challenges for tomorrow's leaders (6th ed.). SJ Learning.

UKMM1013/UKBM1013 Management Principles (OCT 2017) CONFIDENTIAL – FOR TUTOR USE ONLY

WEEK 1 (a) Tutorial 1: General Introduction 1. 2. 3. 4.

Self-introduction by tutors and student. Explanation on Unit Plan. Specify expectations in tutorial class. Team formation for group assignment. Briefing on group assignment to students.

WEEK 1 (b) Tutorial 2: (Topic 1: Managers and Management) Discussion Questions. 1. Name and discuss the four major functions of management. How do these functions relate to the goals of an organization? 2. Identify the three levels of managers found in most large organizations. Describe the important skills required of managers to play their role at different levels of the management hierarchy. 3. According to Henry Mintzberg, what are the three primary roles that managers perform? Provide examples of each of these roles in a modern business organization. 4. Explain FOUR (4) important factors that affect managing process in the 21st century.

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WEEK 2 (a) Tutorial 3: (Topic 2: Evolution of Management Thought) Discussion Questions. 1. Describe the major behavioral perspective contributions of Follett, Mayo, McGregory, and Barnard. 2. Describe the major factors that have influenced the evolution of management thought. 3. Describe the difference between theory X and theory Y. Would you rather work for a manager who helps the Theory X or Theory Y assumptions? Why? 4. Discuss the two basic characteristics of the quantitative perspective of management. 5. What is the main contention of the contingency perspective of management? WEEK 2 (b) Tutorial 4: (Topic 3: Planning In the Contemporary Organization) Discussion Questions. 1. Discuss the necessity for an organization to plan and specify some of the advantages. 2. Discuss the advantages of bottom-up planning. 3. Illustrate and describe the strategic planning process. 4. Discuss corporate level strategy options with an example on each. 5. Identify, describe and provide examples of the business level strategies pursue by organization.

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WEEK 3 (a) Tutorial 5: (Topic 4: Managerial Decision making) Discussion Questions. 1. Why is obtaining reliable and accurate information so important to the first step of the decision-making process? Give an example (other than those in the textbook) which demonstrates how incomplete or poor information leads to poor decision-making. 2. What are the main differences between programmed and non-programmed decisions? Describe a situation in which a programmed decision and a non-programmed decision would apply. 3. Define the term satisficing. Are there occasions when satisficing is appropriate? Discuss your answer. 4. Explain the limitations of the rational-economic model of decision-making. 5. Discuss the gained from successful brainstorming sessions.

WEEK 3 (b) Tutorial 6: (Topic 5: Organizing for Effectiveness and Efficiency) Discussion Questions. 1. Define effective and efficient organizations. Which are more important? Discuss. 2. Describe job design and explain the importance of JCM core job dimensions. 3. Describe the behavior perspective of job design which includes job enlargement, job enrichment and job rotation. 4. Discuss the following concepts: (i) chain of command, (ii) span of control, (iii) line versus staff departments, and (iv) authority and responsibility.  

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WEEK 4 (a) : Tutorial 7: (Topic 6: Organisational Design) Discussion Questions: 1. Describe six key elements in organizational design. 2. Identify the contingency factors that favor the mechanistic model. 3. Discuss the design challenges faced by today’s organizations. 4. Discuss the following types of organizational structure, functional structures, divisional structures, Matrix and Network structures.

WEEK 4 (b) Tutorial 8: (Topic 7: Human Resource Management) Discussion Questions: 1. Identify and briefly describe the Human Resource Management process. 2. Describe what recruitment in HRM is and identify some of the different recruiting techniques used by organizations. 3. Explain why job analysis must be conducted first to be sure that the best-qualified people can be placed in a job. 4. Discuss what are the criteria are appropriate to consider when selecting an applicant to fill a vacant position in your company and what not appropriate (or legal) to consider. 5. What is the role of “realistic job preview’? Write a realistic job preview about the position for sales executive and account executive.

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WEEK 5 (a) Tutorial 9: (Topic 8: Organization Culture and Change) Case Study 1: How Martin Mackay Controlled Conflict at Pfizer Pfizer is the largest global pharmaceuticals company, with sales of almost $50 billion in 2011. Its research scientists have innovated some of the most successful and profitable drugs in the world, such as the first cholesterol reducer, Lipitor, that used to earn Pfizer $13 billion a year. In the 2000s, however, Pfizer encountered major problems in its attempt to innovate new blockbuster drug, while its blockbuster drugs like Lipitor lost their patent protection. Pfizer desperately needed to find ways to make its product development pipeline work. And one manager, Martin Mackay, believed he knew how to do it. When Pfizer’s long time R&D chief retired, Mackay, his deputy, make it clear to CEO Jeffrey Kindler that he wanted the job. Kindler make it equally clear he thought the company could use some new talents and fresh ideas to solve its problems. Mackay realized he had to quickly come up with a convincing plan to change the way Pfizer’s scientists worked to develop new drugs to gain Kindler’s support and get the top job. So Mackay created a detailed plan for changing the way its thousands of researchers make decisions to make sure the company’s resources, its talent and funds, would be put to their best use. After Kindler reviewed the plan, he was so impressed and promoted Mackay to the top R&D position. What was Mackay’s plan? As Pfizer had grown over time as a result of mergers with other large pharmaceutical companies, Mackay noted how decision-making problems and conflict between the managers of Pfizer’s different drug divisions had increased. As it grew, Pfizer’s organizational structure had become taller and taller and the size of its headquarters staff grew. With more managers and levels in the hierarchy there was a greater need for committees to integrate across their activities. However, in these meetings different group of managers fought to promote the development of the drugs they had the most interest in and they increasingly came into conflict in order to ensure they got the resources they needed to develop them. In short, Mackay felt that too many managers and committees resulted in too much conflict between managers who were actively lobbying other managers and the CEO to promote the interests of their own product groups—and the company’s performance was suffering as a result. In addition, although Pfizer success depended on innovation, this growing conflict had resulted in Pfizer developing a bureaucratic culture that reduced the quality of decision making, making it more difficult to identify promising new drugs. Mackay’s bold plan to get rid of this increasing conflict involved slashing the number of management layers between top managers and scientists from 14 to 7, which resulted in the layoff of thousands of Pfizer’s managers. He also abolished the scores of product development committees whose wrangling he believed was slowing down the process of transforming innovative ideas into blockbuster drugs. After streamlining the hierarchy he focused on reducing the number of bureaucratic rules scientists had to follow, many of which were unnecessary and had promoted conflict. He and his team eliminated every kind of written report that was slowing down the innovation process. For example, scientists had been in the habit of submitting quarterly and monthly reports to top managers explaining each drug’s progress; Mackay told them to pick which one they wanted to keep, and the other would be eliminated. Page 6 of 11


As you can imagine, Mackay’s efforts caused enormous upheaval in the company as managers fought to keep their positions and scientists fought to protect the drugs they had in development. However, Mackay was resolute and pushed his agenda through with the support of the CEO who defended his efforts to create new R&D product development process that empowered Pfizer’s scientists and promoted innovation and entrepreneurship. Pfizer’s scientists reported that they felt “liberated” by the new work system, and the level of conflict fell and new drugs started to move faster along the pipeline. By 2011, Pfizer had won FDA approval for a major new antibacterial drug, and several potential new blockbuster drugs in its pipeline were on track.

Q1.

(a)

Which categories of organisational change have been executed by Mackay in Pfizer? Explain and justify from the case.

(b)

Discuss TWO (2) driving forces toward change that has made Pfizer to implement such a radical change in its company. Support your answer with evidence(s) from the case.

(c)

Since Mackay has made a radical changed in Pfizer, the resistance of change will be expected. Provide FOUR (4) practical suggestions to Mackay in how he can reduce the restraining forces.

(d)

Recommend FOUR (4) ways in improving reward effectiveness for the scientists who successfully developed new drugs for Pfizer.

WEEK 5 (b) Tutorial 10: (Topic 9: Communicating Effectively within Diverse Organizations) Discussion Questions. 1. What is the role of communication in the organization, and why is it so complex for managers to understand? 2. Identify the components of the communication process. Explain why each is important. The primary components of the communication process are: 3. Some people would argue that, because oral communication is the type preferred by managers, managers should focus on improving their oral communication skills and not worry so much about their written skills. Do you agree or disagree with this argument? Explain your answer. 4. Describe nonverbal communication. Is nonverbal communication an important part of the communication process? 5. Numerous barriers can interfere with effective communication. Select three and provide examples.

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WEEK 6 (a) Tutorial 11: (Topic 10: Leading in Dynamic Environment) Case Study 2 Lady boss finds suitable leadership style MANILA, Philippines – Most lady executives are grappling with the challenge of finding the right leadership style. If women demonstrate warmth and friendliness at work, they are perceived as too soft and unable to get down to business. Otherwise, they are criticized for not caring enough. To former Accenture country managing director Beth Lui, who went through this classic dilemma, the solution was to strike a balance between the two. Her soft-on-people-but-hard-on-results leadership style was something she developed through the years. It all started with a painful realization. Not a people person Lui, to put it bluntly, was a cold and insensitive boss. How she went beyond putting work results above all else and into making a difference in people’s lives is the story she wants to share. In the early 90’s, when Lui was just a new manager at Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting), she made significant headway in her career by delivering a huge development project that proved the company's capability as an offshore delivery center. Lui had about 60 people working on the project with her, and most of them thought she was demanding, unappreciative and emotionally detached. She was the typical bulldozer, "Type-A" boss. All she cared about was getting the job done—even if it meant her subordinates must miss out on their personal affairs to put in extra hours in their work. In her drive to deliver, Lui overlooked and hurt the people in her team. "I was very much task-oriented. My only concerns then were whether my subordinates would be able to finish their deliverables on time or if they should work weekends to complete their tasks," she said. "Did I get the job done? Yes. Was the quality good? Yes. Did I have friends? No. I was sad." Technical to managerial Lui joined Accenture when she was only 22. She started as entry level programmer at the business process outsourcing (BPO) firm. She yielded years of experience as she went up the corporate ladder—from programmer to system designer, then team leader, project manager, and finally, country head. But unlike her managerial roles which involved dealing with a lot of people, her early roles were focused only on her own deliverables. "I was focused on what I needed to finish. You only have to really rely on yourself. If you work hard, work long hours, manage your own time, you can do your job. That was life for me then," Lui recalled. She said that as she took on large projects, she realized it was "so much harder to manage people than just manage one’s self." "If you're supervising a large group, you're not just thinking about your deliverables. Along the way, you need to take time to get to know each one of your team members. There's a lot of interpersonal dynamics," she shared. She said she discovered that developing good management skills was harder than developing the technical skills that led to her promotions. She vowed to make a change. Evolution She made deliberate steps to shift from push-oriented, micro-management style to an empowerment approach. She was no longer limited by the belief that she had to think through every problem herself and have all the answers. She learned to encourage employees to take more initiative in solving problems, guided by the principles and philosophies of the company. "I hold regular meetings with the core group that works with me on a day to day Page 8 of 11


basis. We talk about issues and how we should solve these." "This is another evolution of my leadership. You don’t have to tell employees what to do all the time. As long as there are philosophies, principles, the employees can find their own way." Not that she was letting up. Lui said she remained as decisive as she had always been. "I listen. But at the end of the day, someone has to make a decision." Apparently, in Lui's case, soft skills helped deliver hard results too. With her at the helm, Accenture was one of the leading and biggest BPO companies in the country, employing about 16,000 people - the highest among players in the industry. Human touch Lui said treating employees as real human beings, not as machines or tools, makes them more engaged and productive. "The human touch factor is very important. It doesn't always have to be a big event. It's a lot of day-to-day stuff." "As a manager, you have the responsibility to deliver what clients ask from you without demoralizing your employees. You have to make them feel you are a team and you have a common goal." "If you have good rapport with your subordinates, you get things done without being in an emotional rollercoaster with them. You complete projects on a friendly note." She stressed that forging good relationship with employees must lead to improvement in the company's bottomline and not the other way around. "You need to strike a balance." 1. Define task-oriented behavior and people-oriented behavior and explain how these categories are used to evaluate and adapt leadership style. 2. Identify and explain the behavioral style that Liu used when she was a new manager. Provide clear evidences from the case to support your answer. 3. Describe Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory 4. Based on Hersey and Blanchard’s situational theory, describe the style that Liu used at the later stage of her career. Provide clear evidences from the case to support your answer. WEEK 6 (b) Tutorial 12: (Topic 11: Exploring Individual Differences and Team Dynamics) Discussion Questions. 1. Identify and explain the Big Five personality traits. 2. Why is it important for an individual’s personality to match his or her job requirements? 3. Describe the FIVE (5) primary elements that make successful teams? 4. Identify some situation that can make a team become dysfunctional.

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WEEK7 (a) Tutorial 13: (Topic 12: Motivating Organizational Members) Discussion Questions. Case Study 3 Motivation at Work IT is generally acknowledged that speed and productivity of ship-to-shore quay cranes is the single most important machine factor in the efficiency of a container terminal. And, at Westport Malaysia, productivity is cherished and rewarded. On July 22, quay crane operator, Azmi Ashaari became a "Westport hero" when he achieved the remarkable record of 72 moves per hour (mph) on board the Johan Amber. Azmi readily vouched that his record was not one born of an overnight success, but rather the fruition of hard work. To Azmi, dedication is certainly the key to greater achievements. The 36-year old Perakian began his career in Westport in 1996 as a prime mover driver before progressing to rubber tyre gantry. After a training stint in 2000, he assumed the present position. Today, Azmi is reaping the rewards of his sacrifices and hard work. Currently he pockets an additional RM500 to RM600 per month under Westport's incentive scheme to promote productivity among staff. He is one of 10 top Westport quay crane operators recognized for their outstanding performances this year. Realising the importance of motivating its staff to even greater heights, Westport has implemented various measures to enhance productivity. These include staff benefits like salary advance, children's education assistance scheme and subsidised interest for housing, car and motorcycle loans. Staff are also given various allowances such as for shift work, transport, laundry, meals and subsistence allowance. Apart from the monetary incentives, staff welfare is another important consideration at Westport. Employees enjoy maternity and medical benefits in the form of specialist medical treatment and hospitalisation, group personal accident schemes and industrial accident coverage. Other benefits include loans for further education, financial assistance for bereavement expenses and retirement benefits. Westport has placed great importance in the supply-driven approach to provide port facilities. `This has enabled the port to cater to the increasing needs of the shipping community,' says Westport's executive chairman Tan Sri G Gnanalingam. He added that the availability of tugboats has enabled the port to achieve an impressive track record of berth turnaround productivity. In view of this, Westport has ensured that there are sufficient tugboats to handle ships of any size at any given time. As a result, its commitment to productivity has seen the port attracting a number of major shipping lines including CMACGM, Goldstar, China Shipping, Evergreen, Norasia, Hanjin, Maersk and APL. CMA CGM, one of the world's leading container shipping companies, has chosen Westport to handle its increasing volume and bigger vessels as it believes the latter is now among the most productive hub ports.

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1. Based on reinforcement theory, identify and describe the tool that Westport used to increase the productivity level. Provide clear justifications from the case to support your answer. 2. Explain the other THREE (3) tools in reinforcement theory with your own example each. 3. You are now the CEO of Westport. You would like to make Azmi Ashaari even more productive by using goal-setting theory. Explain and demonstrates how you are going to use this theory and its components. 4. Based on your understanding, describe the job design approach that you think Westport implements in Azmi Ashaari from the day that he joins until now. Justify your answer. 5. What role would money play in (a) the hierarchy of needs theory, (b) equity theory, (c) expectancy theory, and (d) motivating employees with a high nAch? How do needs affect motivation? WEEK 7 (b) Tutorial 14: (Topic 13: Organizational Control in a complex Business Environment) Discussion Questions. 1. Discuss each of the four steps that should be taken in a systematic process of control. 2. Describe the difference between feedforward control, concurrent control, and feedback control. 3. Explain the difference between a bureaucratic control philosophy and an organic control philosophy. 4. Discuss some of the organizational control practices that raise ethical dilemmas. 5. Describe the differences between a balance sheet and an income statement.

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Tutorial Question

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