ASSIGNMENT ANSWERS SET 1

Question 1: Write a note on the functions of management? Answer: Management has been described as a social process involving responsibility for economical and effective planning & regulation of operation of an enterprise in the fulfillment of given purposes. It is a dynamic process consisting of various elements and activities. These activities are different from operative functions like marketing, finance, purchase etc. Rather these activities are common to each and every manger irrespective of his level or status. Different experts have classified functions of management. George & Jerry, There are four fundamental functions of management i.e. planning, organizing, actuating and controlling. Henry Fayol, To manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, & to control. Luther Gullick has given a keyword POSDCORB where P stands for Planning, O for Organizing, S for Staffing, D for Directing, Co for Co-ordination, R for reporting & B for Budgeting. Koontz and Odonnel i.e. Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing and Controlling.

However in the recent times, management functions have been regrouped into following four categories: A. Planning: It is the basic function of management. It deals with chalking out a future course of action & deciding in advance the most appropriate course of actions for achievement of pre-determined goals. According to Koontz, Planning is deciding in advance - what to do, when to do & how to do. It bridges the gap from where we are & where we want to be. A plan is a future course of actions. It is an exercise in problem solving & decision making. Planning is determination of courses of action to achieve desired goals. Thus, planning is a systematic thinking about ways & means for accomplishment of pre-determined goals. Planning is necessary to ensure proper utilization of human & non-human resources. It is all pervasive, it is an intellectual activity and it also helps in avoiding confusion, uncertainties, risks, wastages etc. Strategic planning: Top level managers engage chiefly in strategic planning; it is the process of developing and analyzing the organizations mission overall goal, general strategies and allocating resources. The task of strategic planning process includes the following steps: Define the mission: A mission is the purpose of the organization. Thus, planning begins with clearly defining the mission of the organization. The mission statement is broad, concise, summarizing what organization does. A mission statement should be short and should be easily understood by every employee and should ideally be able to narrate it from memory. An explicit mission guides employee to work independently and yet collectively towards the realization of the organizations potential. The mission statement may be accompanied by an overarching statement of philosophy or strategic purpose designed to convey a vision for the future as envisaged by the top management. Conduct a SWOT analysis: It is one of the several strategic planning tools that are utilized by the business and other organizations to ensure that there is a clear objective defined for the project or venture and that all the factors related to the efforts (both positive and negative) are identified and addressed. In order to accomplish this task the process of SWOT involves four areas of consideration: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It should be noted that when identifying and classifying relevant factors the focus is not just on internal matters but also external components that could impact the success of the project. Set goals and objective: Strategic goals and objective to fill the gap between current capabilities and the mission. They are aligned with the mission and form the basis for the action plans of an

organization. Objectives are also called performance goals. Generally organizations have long term objectives for the factors such as return on investment, earnings per share etc. It also helps in setting minimum acceptable standards or common-sense minimums. Develop related strategies (tactical and operational): Tactical plans are base on the organizations strategic plans. In turn, operations plans are based on the organizations strategic plans. These are specific plans that are needed for each task or supportive activity comprising the whole. Strategic, tactical and operational planning must be accompanied by controls to ensure proper implantation of the plans necessary to maintain competitive advantage in the said market. Monitor the plan: A systematic method to monitor the environment must be adopted to continuously improve the strategic planning process. To develop an environmental monitoring procedure, short-term standards for key variables that will tend to validate and support the long-range estimates must be established. Feedback is encouraged and incorporated to determine if goals and objectives are feasible. This review is used for the next planning cycle and review. B. Organizing: It is the process of bringing together physical, financial and human resources and developing productive relationship amongst them for achievement of organizational goals. According to Henry Fayol, To organize a business is to provide it with everything useful or its functioning i.e. raw material, tools, capital and personnels. It is a process of determining what tasks are to be done, who is to do it, how the tasks are to be grouped, who reports to whom and where decisions are to be made. The key issue in accomplishing the goals identifying in the planning process is structuring the work of the organization. Organizations are groups of people with different ideas and resources, working towards common goals. The purpose of the organizing function is to make the best use of organizations resources to achieve organizational goals. Organizational structure is the formal decision-making framework by which job tasks are divided, grouped and coordinated. Formalization is an important aspect of structure. It is the extent of which the units of the organization are explicitly defined and its policies, procedures and goals are clearly stated. It is the official organizational structure conceived and built by the top management. The formal organization can be seen and represented in a chart form. An organizational chart displays the organizational structure, job titles, lines of authorities and relationship between departments. To organize a business involves determining & providing human and non-human resources to the organizational structure. Organizing as a process involves: Identification of activities. Classification of grouping of activities. Assignment of duties. Delegation of authority and creation of responsibility. Coordinating authority and responsibility relationships.

C. Leading / Directing: It is that part of managerial function which actuates the organizational methods to work efficiently for achievement of organizational purposes. It is considered life-spark of the enterprise which sets it in motion the action of people because planning, organizing and staffing are the mere preparations for doing the work. Direction is that inert-personnel aspect of management which deals directly with influencing, guiding, supervising, motivating sub-ordinate for the achievement of organizational goals. Direction has following elements: Supervision- implies overseeing the work of subordinates by their superiors. It is the act of watching & directing work & workers. Motivation- means inspiring, stimulating or encouraging the sub-ordinates with zeal to work. Positive, negative, monetary, non-monetary incentives may be used for this purpose.

Leadership- may be defined as a process by which manager guides and influences the work of subordinates in desired direction. Communications- is the process of passing information, experience, opinion etc from one person to another. It is a bridge of understanding.

Newer transformational leadership studies have shown that leaders who are charismatic and visionary can inspire followers to transcend their own self-interest for the good of organization: Leading involves the following function: Team building: Flexible networks of team-based structures are occurring within and between companies as well as across national borders. Competitive arenas require quick decisions by employees who work close to the source of problems. Teams enable knowledge-based and innovative decision making. This collaboration is the revolution in workspace. Consensus building: Top performance demands the joint efforts if many people working together towards a common goal. When an individual works together with others effectiveness grows creating greater productivity for all involved. Together employees can do more than the collective efforts of each individual. Selecting: Selecting competent and high-performing employees capable of sustaining their performance over the long run is a competitive advantage. The selection process consists of forecasting employment need, recruiting candidates, interviewing applicants and hiring employees. Training: After the employees are selected they enter an orientation program to be formally introduced to their jobs. Employees are informed about their benefits, policies and procedures. Specific duties and responsibilities and performance evaluations are clarified. Training refers to improving an employees knowledge, skill and attitude so that he/she can do the job. Training is also advisable when a new process, equipment or procedures are introduced into workplace. Training is mainly identified with an organizational analysis, task analysis and personal need analysis.

D. Controlling: It implies measurement of accomplishment against the standards and correction of deviation if any to ensure achievement of organizational goals. The purpose of controlling is to ensure that everything occurs in conformities with the standards. An efficient system of control helps to predict deviations before they actually occur. According to Theo Haimann, Controlling is the process of checking whether or not proper progress is being made towards the objectives and goals and acting if necessary, to correct any deviation. According to Koontz & ODonell Controlling is the measurement & correction of performance activities of subordinates in order to make sure that the enterprise objectives and plans desired to obtain them as being accomplished. Therefore controlling has following steps: Establishment of standard performance. Measurement of actual performance. Comparison of actual performance with the standards and finding out deviation if any. Corrective action.

Controls are most effective when they are applied at key places. Supervisors can implement controls before the process begins (Feed forward), during the process (concurrent) or after it ceases (feedback). Following are the type of controls: Feed forward controls: Focuses on the operations before they begin. Their goal is to prevent anticipated problems. For e.g. scheduled maintenance of automobiles and machinery. Concurrent controls: Applied to processes as they are happening. It is enacted while work is being performed include any type of steering or guiding mechanism such as direct supervision, automated system and organizational quality programs. Feedback controls: It focuses on the results of operations; They guide future planning, inputs and process designs. For e.g. timely reports.

Question 2: Discuss any two learning theories in detail? Answer: There are three theories of learning namely Classical conditioning, Operant conditioning and social learning: A. Operant Conditioning: This theory was proposed by B.F. Skinner. It is based on the idea that learning is a function of change in overt behavior. Changes in behavior are the result of an individuals response to stimuli. When particular stimulus-response (S-R) pattern is reinforced, the individual is conditioned to respond. Reinforcement is the key element in skinners S-R theory. A reinforce is anything that strengthens the desired response. Principles of operant conditioning are as follows: Behavior is learned. Behavior that is positively reinforced will reoccur. Information should be presented in small amount so that responses can be reinforced. Reinforcements will be generalized across similar stimuli producing secondary condition. Rewards are most effective if they immediately follow the desired response.

Social Learning: This theory was proposed by Bandhura. It recognizes importance of observing and modeling the behaviors, attitude and emotional response of others. According to Bandhura, most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling; from observing others one forms an idea of new behavior are performed and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action. Social learning theory explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioral and environmental influences. Social learning has four processes: 1. Attention processes: people learn from a model only when they recognize and pay attention to its critical features. In order to learn it is required to pay attention. Anything that detracts the attention is going to have a negative effect on observational learning. If there is a novel aspect to the situation it is more likely to dedicate the full attention to learning. 2. Retention process: A models influence will depend on how well the individual remembers the models action after it is no longer available. The ability to store information is also a part of learning process. Retention can be affected by number of factors but the ability to pull up information later and act on it is vital to observational learning. 3. Motor reproduction processes: After a person has seen a new behavior by observing the model the watching must be converted to a doing. The ability to store information is also an important part of the learning process. 4. Reinforcement process: Individuals will be motivated to exhibit the modeled behavior if positive incentives or rewards are provided. Finally in order for observational learning to be successful, you have to be motivated to imititate the behavior that has been modeled. Reinforcement and punishment play a important role in motivation. Principles of social learning: Highest of observational learning is achieved by organizing and rehearsing the modeled behavior symbolically and the enacting it. Coding modeled behavior into words, labels or images result in better retention than simply observing. Individuals are more likely to adopt a modeled behavior, if it results in outcome that they value. Individuals are more likely to adopt a modeled behavior, if the model is similar to the observer and has admired status and behavior has functional values.

Question 3: Explain the classification of personality types given by Sheldon? Answer: The term personality has been derived from the latin term persona which means to speak through. A very common meaning of the word is the role the person displays in public domain at large. William Sheldon classifies personality according to body types. He called this a persons somatotypes. Sheldon identified three main somatotypes: Sheldon's Somatotype Character Shape Picture

Endomorph [viscerotonic]

Relaxed, Sociable, Tolerant, Comfort-Loving, Peaceful

Plump, Buxom, Visceral Structure

Developed

Mesomorph [somatotonic]

Active, Assertive, Vigorous, Combative

Muscular

Ectomorph [cerebrotonic]

Quiet, Fragile, Restrained, Non-Assertive, Sensitive

Lean, Delicate, Poor Muscles

In the 1940s, Sheldon developed a theory that there are three basic body types, or somatotypes (based on the three tissue layers: endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm), each associated with personality characteristics, representing a correlation between physique and temperament Endomorphy - focused on the digestive system, particularly the stomach (endoderm); has the tendency toward plumpness, corresponds to Viscerotonia temperament tolerant, love of comfort and luxury, extravert Mesophorphy- focused on musculature and the circulatory system (mesoderm), has the tendency towards muscularity, corresponds to the Somatotonia temperament courageous, energetic, active, dynamic, assertive, aggressive, risk taker Ectomorphy focused on the nervous system and the brain (ectoderm) - the tendency towards slightness, corresponds to Cerebrotonia temperament artistic, sensitive, apprehensive, introvert.

On this basis, Sheldon created his very interesting Atlas of Men (Macmillan Pub Co; 1970) in which all possible body types are graded in a scale from 1 (low) to 7 (high), based on the degree to which they matched these types; with 4 as average). Each type is represented by a series of photos, and is given a comical or descriptive name, like "saber tooth tiger" for extreme mesomorph, "Baluchitherium" (the largest prehistoric land mammal) for mesomorph and endomorph, "Male Mosquito" for the extreme ectomorph, and so on. On this scale, the extreme or pure mesomorph has a score of 1-7-1, the pure endomorph 7-1-1, and the pure ectomorph 1-1-7. Most people of course are a combination of types. The atlas referred to Male typology only; a female atlas was planned but never produced. a) Endomorphic Body Type: Soft body, underdeveloped muscles , round shaped, over-developed digestive system Associated personality traits: love of food, tolerant, evenness of emotions, love of comfort and sociable, good humored, relaxed, need for affection.

b) Mesomorphic Body Type: hard, muscular body, overly mature appearance, rectangular shaped, thick skin, upright posture Associated personality traits: adventurous, desire for power and dominance, courageous, indifference to what others think or want, assertive, bold, zest for physical activity, competitive, love of risk and chance. c) Ectomorphic Body Type: thin, flat chest , delicate build, young appearance, tall, lightly muscled, stoopshouldered, large brain, Associated personality traits: self-conscious, preference for privacy, introverted, inhibited, socially anxious, artistic, mentally intense, emotionally restrained. Sheldon measured the proportions of hundreds of juvenile delinquent boys and concluded that they were generally mesomorphs (Ornstein, 1993). Body types have been criticized for very weak empirical methodology and are not generally used in psychology. The use of somatotyping (using different taxonomies) is used more often in alternative therapies and Eastern psychology and spirituality.

Question 4: What are the factors influencing perception? Answer: Perception is our sensory experience of the world around us and involves both the recognition of the environmental stimuli and actions in response to these stimuli. Through the perceptual process we gain information about properties and elements of the environment that are critical to our survival. Perception not only creates our experience of the world around us it allows us to act within our environment.

A number of factors operate to shape and sometimes distort perception. These factors can reside: In the perceiver In the object or target being perceived or In the context of the situation in which the perception is made

1. Characteristics of the perceiver: Several characteristics of the perceiver can affect perception. When an individual looks at a target and attempts to interpret what he or she stands for, that interpretation is heavily influenced by personal characteristics of the individual perceiver. The major characteristics of the perceiver influencing perception are: a. Attitudes: The perceivers attitudes affect perception. This attitude will doubtless affect his perceptions of the female candidates he interviews. b. Moods: Moods can have a strong influence on the way we perceive someone. We think differently when we are happy than we do when we are depressed. c. Motives: Unsatisfied needs or motives stimulate individuals and may exert a strong influence on their perceptions. d. Self-Concept: Another factor that can affect social perception is the perceivers self-concept. An individual with a positive self-concept tends to notice positive attributes in another person. e. Interest: The focus of our attention appears to be influenced by our interests. Because our individual interest differs considerably, what one person notices in a situation can differ from what others perceive. f. Cognitive Structure: Cognitive Structure, an individuals pattern of thinking, also affects perception. Some people have a tendency to perceive physical traits, such as height, weight, and appearances more readily.

g. Expectations: Finally, expectations can distort your perceptions in that you will see what you expect to see. The research findings of the study conducted by Sheldon S. Zalkind and Timothy W. Costello on some specific characteristics of the perceiver reveal: Knowing oneself makes it easier to see others accurately. Ones own characteristics affect the characteristics one is likely to see in others. People who accept themselves are more likely to be able to see favorable aspects of other people. Accuracy in perceiving others is not a single skill.

These four characteristics greatly influence how a person perceives others in the environmental situation. 2. Characteristics of the Target: Characteristics in the target that is being observed can affect what is perceived. Physical appearance pals a big role in our perception of others. Extremely attractive or unattractive individuals are more likely to be noticed in a group than ordinary looking individuals. Motions, sound, size and other attributes of a target shape the way we see it. Verbal Communication from targets also affects our perception of them. Nonverbal communication conveys a great deal of information about the target. The perceiver deciphers eye contact, facial expressions, body movements, and posture all in a

attempt to form an impression of the target. 3. Characteristics of the Situation: The situation in which the interaction between the perceiver and the target takes place, has an influence on the perceiver's impression of the target. The strength of the situational cues also affects social perception. Some situations provide strong cues as to appropriate behaviour. In this situation, we assume that + i.e individual's behaviours can be accounted for by the situation, and that it may not reflect the individual's disposition.

Question 5: Mr. Solanki is the VP- HR of a leading financial services company. He is having a meeting with Ms. Ramani leading HR consultant. Mr. Solanki is concerned about creating an environment that helps in increasing the job satisfaction amongst employees. Assume that you are Ms. Ramani, the HR consultant. What suggestions you will give to Mr. Solanki, for creating an environment that increases job satisfaction? Answer: Job satisfaction can be influenced by a variety of factors, e.g. the quality of one's relationship with their supervisor, the quality of the physical environment in which they work, degree of fulfillment in their work, etc.. Numerous research results show that there are many factors affecting the job satisfaction. There are particular demographic traits (age, education level, tenure, position, marital status, years in service and hours worked per week) of employees that significantly affect their job satisfaction. Satisfying factors motivate workers while dissatisfying ones prevent. Motivating factors are achievement, recognition, the job conducted, responsibility, promotion and the factors related to the job itself for personal development. Motivating factors in the working environment result in the job satisfaction of the person while protective ones dissatisfy him. Maslow connects the creation of the existence of people's sense of satisfaction with the maintenance of the classified needs. These are: physiological needs (eating, drinking, resting, etc.), security needs (pension, health insurance, etc.), the need to love (good relations with the environment, friendship, fellowship, to love and to be loved), need to self-esteem (self- confidence, recognition, adoration, to be given importance, status, etc.) need of self-actualization (maximization of the latent[potential] power and capacity, development of abilities, etc.) Insufficient education, inability to select qualified workers for the job, lack of communications, lack of job definitions, all affect job satisfaction negatively. It has been asserted that participating in the management, having the decision making power, independence on the job and the unit where the individual works, have positive impact upon the job satisfaction. The job itself (the work conducted), and achievement and recognition at work result in satisfaction while the management policy, relations with the managers and colleagues result in dissatisfaction. Factors related to the job itself such as using talents, creativity, responsibility, recognition have influence on the job satisfaction. Age is one of the factors affecting job satisfaction. Studies conducted in five different countries prove that the elder workers are more satisfied. Kose has also found a meaningful relation between the age and job satisfaction. There is a strong connection between feeling secure and saying one is satisfied with a job. People who state their job is secure have a much larger probability of reporting themselves happy with their work. Similarly, by some researchers, sex is also found to have an influence on job satisfaction. Besides, Wahba has found out that male librarians give more importance to personal development and free decision making in their jobs than the female librarians, and the female librarians are more dissatisfied than the male librarians. Job satisfaction and devotion to the job, affected each other reciprocally, and they have great impact upon performance. The most significant of the factors affecting performance are economical, technical, sociopolitical, cultural and demographical ones. However, most efforts to improve performance seem to center on improving the conditions surrounding the work. These are worthwhile efforts, but they usually result only in short-term improvements in attitudes and productivity, and the situation often returns quickly to normal. There is no strong acceptance among researchers, consultants, etc., that increased job satisfaction produces improve job performance - in fact, improved job satisfaction can sometimes decrease job performance. For example, you could let workers sometime sit around all day and do nothing. That may make them more satisfied with their "work" in the short run, but their performance certainly doesn't improve. The individual's

willingness to get a result, his/her endeavor and expectation of maintaining the result will push him/her to show the highest performance. Job satisfaction varies a lot. (Researches suggests, the higher the prestige of the job, the greater the job satisfaction). But, many workers are satisfied in even the least prestigious jobs. They simply like what they do. Most workers like their work if they have little supervision. The least satisfied workers are those in service occupations and managers that work for others. Ethnic and religious orientation is associated to work attitudes, and job satisfaction is related to education. The difference between the results that the individual desire and those s/he maintained will affect his/her satisfaction. There is a consistent relationship between the professional status and the job satisfaction. High levels of job satisfaction are observed in those professions which are deemed of good standing in the society. The workers usually compare their working conditions with the conditions of the society, under the variable of social conditions. If the social conditions are worse than the individual's working conditions, then this will result in satisfaction of the individual, as the workers deem themselves relatively in good position. No meaningful relationship between the job satisfaction and age, professional experience, education level, level of wage, sex and professional group was found. On the contrary, professional experience has been claimed to increase job satisfaction.

Question 6: Given below is the HR policy glimpse of the VARK-LEARNING a learning and training solutions company: 1. It offers cash rewards for staff members 2. It promotes the culture of employee referral and encourages people to refer people they know may be their friends, ex. Colleagues batch mates, relatives. 3. What all needs do it takes care off according to Maslows need hierarchy 4. It recognizes good performances and gives fancy titles and jackets to the people who perform well and also felicitates them in the Annual Day of the company. What all aspects does it takes care of according to the Maslows Need Hierarchy? Answer: Maslow is a humanistic psychologist. Humanists do not believe that human beings are pushed and pulled by mechanical forces, either of stimuli and reinforcements (behaviorism) or of unconscious instinctual impulses (psychoanalysis). Humanists focus upon potentials. They believe that humans strive for an upper level of capabilities. Humans seek the frontiers of creativity, the highest reaches of consciousness and wisdom. This has been labeled "fully functioning person", "healthy personality", or as Maslow calls this level, "selfactualizing person." Maslow has set up a hierarchic theory of needs. All of his basic needs are instinctual, equivalent of instincts in animals. Humans start with a very weak disposition that is then fashioned fully as the person grows. If the environment is right, people will grow straight and beautiful, actualizing the potentials they have inherited. If the environment is not "right" (and mostly it is not) they will not grow tall and straight and beautiful. Maslow has set up a hierarchy of five levels of basic needs. Beyond these needs, higher levels of needs exist. These include needs for understanding, esthetic appreciation and purely spiritual needs. In the levels of the five basic needs, the person does not feel the second need until the demands of the first have been satisfied, nor the third until the second has been satisfied, and so on. Maslow's basic needs are as follows: Physiological Needs: These are biological needs. They consist of needs for oxygen, food, water, and a relatively constant body temperature. They are the strongest needs because if a person were deprived of all needs, the physiological ones would come first in the person's search for satisfaction. Safety Needs: When all physiological needs are satisfied and are no longer controlling thoughts and behaviors, the needs for security can become active. Adults have little awareness of their security needs except in times of emergency or periods of disorganization in the social structure (such as widespread rioting). Children often display the signs of insecurity and the need to be safe. Needs of Love, Affection and Belongingness: When the needs for safety and for physiological well-being are satisfied, the next class of needs for love, affection and belongingness can emerge. Maslow states that people seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation. This involves both giving and receiving love, affection and the sense of belonging. Needs for Esteem: When the first three classes of needs are satisfied, the needs for esteem can become dominant. These involve needs for both self-esteem and for the esteem a person gets from others. Humans have a need for a stable, firmly based, high level of self-respect, and respect from others. When these needs are satisfied, the person feels self-confident and valuable as a person in the world. When these needs are frustrated, the person feels inferior, weak, helpless and worthless. Needs for Self-Actualization: When all of the foregoing needs are satisfied, then and only then are the needs for self-actualization activated. Maslow describes self-actualization as a person's need to be and do that which the person was "born to do." "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, and a poet must write." These needs make themselves felt in signs of restlessness. The person feels on edge, tense, lacking something, in short, restless. If a person is hungry, unsafe, not loved or accepted, or lacking selfesteem, it is very easy to know what the person is restless about. It is not always clear what a person wants when there is a need for self-actualization. The hierarchic theory is often represented as a pyramid, with the larger, lower levels representing the lower needs, and the upper point representing the need for self-actualization. Maslow believes that the only reason that people would not move well in direction of selfactualization is because of hindrances placed in their way by society. He states that education is one of

these hindrances. He recommends ways education can switch from its usual person-stunting tactics to person-growing approaches.

Maslow states that educators should respond to the potential an individual has for growing into a selfactualizing person of his/her own kind. Ten points that educators should address are listed: a) Questioning performance, Reviewing/clarify objective, Changing/confirming roles, Opening risky issues, Assertiveness, Listening, Testing new ground, Identifying strengths and weaknesses. b) Performing: Groups reach a conclusion and implement the solution to their issue. c) Indicators include: Creativity, Initiative, Flexibility, Open relationships, Pride, Concern for people, Learning, Confidence, High morale, Success, etc. d) Adjourning: As the group project ends, the group disbands in the adjournment phase. This phase was added when Tuckman and Jensen's updated their original review of the literature in 1977. Each of the four stages in the Forming-storming-norming-performing-adjourning model proposed by Tuckman involves two aspects: interpersonal relationships and task behaviors. Such a distinction is similar to Bales' (1950) equilibrium model which states that a group continuously divides its attention between instrumental (task-related) needs and expressive