Managers perform complex jobs. Effective managers
think about and plan what they want their organizations to
accomplish and how they want to compete. Managers must decide
what types of resources – physical, financial, informational,
human - are needed and how best to utilize these resources to
achieve organizational goals; they must constantly monitor
progress towards these goals and make necessary adjustments. And
through all of this, effective managers are continually
communicating with, leading, and motivating their workforce. As
Mary Parker Follett, an early scholar of management thought,
once said, “Management is the art of getting work done through
others”. Not always an easy task.
The modules contained within Topic 1
provide an introduction to the course and to the field of
management. The first two modules are designed to familiarize students
with the technology that is used and the various activities
required through the course. The remaining modules focus on the
skills and abilities required for today’s managers and how the
challenges, principles, and assumptions associated with
management have evolved over the years.
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