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