Sean Williams
Roles and function of Management
Purpose:
This lesson is designed to give students an insight into how management works and what
characteristics make up a good manager.
Objectives:
Upon completion of this lesson students will be able to:
1. identify characteristics of a good manager.
2. give examples of specific roles that managers play.
3. create a diagram for the four functions of management.
4. compare and contrast effective management practices vs. poor management
practices.
TEKS/TAKS:
119.42.c2A
Focus:
Have a students brainstorm for characteristics of managers. Two students will write the
ideas on the chalkboard. I will write the Webster’s Dictionary definition on the board.
The students will then analyze and discuss the meaning and wither they agree or disagree
with it.
Lesson Content:
1. Management Roles
What is a manager – A manager is an individual or group of individuals
that make sure things get done.
Small agribusiness roles on a farm include setting goals, managing, and
performing most of the labor.
Major concerns for management are the decisions that effect the profits of
the business.
The objective of a good manager is the efficient use of available human,
financial, and physical resources.
To obtain this objective a manager must possess these characteristics:
a. Technical knowledge about the company’s product or service.
b. Good communication skills
c. Be an effective motivator
d. Proficient in the technical skills of management
- Marketing - Finance
- Forecasting - Personnel
- Accounting
e. Ability to blend the right combination of skills
2. Management Functions
- Managing an agribusiness can be broken down into a series of four basic steps.
Planning – this is the basis upon which all other management activities
take place.
- To plan one must have a thorough understanding of the
goals of the business.
- The manager must use vision and imagination to plan a set
of activities for business to flow.
- The plan should be simple and easy to understand.
- The plan must be flexible because planning is a never
ending process.
Organizing – This requires preparing a detailed outline of the firms
organization and should contain:
- the various tasks required
- specify who will be responsible for those tasks
- and a specific chain of command for each task
Controlling - The agribusiness requires identifying what is being
accomplished and that can be broken down into to small tasks:
- recording the information about the business activities
- analyzing that information to determine what action to take
Directing – This is the implementation of the planning, organizing, and the
controlling functions.
- The manager combines the plan, the physical resources, the
organization, and the controls with the human resource to
reach the desired goals.
- The success of the project is dependent on the enthusiasm
of the people actually doing the work.
- Give ownership to the employees by including them in
every step of the process.
Guided Practice:
I will first split the students up into groups of three. From there I will instruct the
students to create a diagram illustrating the flow of the four function of management.
The students will select a spokes person to present their diagram. The students must
defend their ideas against the other groups.
Independent Practice:
Students for homework will write a one page compare and contrast paper. The paper will
compare and contrast good management practices vs. poor management practices in a
company of their choice.
Materials:
Chalkboard and chalk
References:
IMS