Study Guide
Taylor’s University
Undergraduate Programmes
MARCH 2023 SEMESTER
MGT60104
Introduction to Management
TUTORIAL 1 (WEEK 2): MANAGERS AND MANAGEMENT
LEARNING OUTCOME:
Students are able to demonstrate an understanding on the concepts and principles learned in
Lecture 1: Managers and You.
TUTORIAL QUESTIONS:
1. Why are managers important to organizations?
Answer:
Delivering consistent, high-quality customer service is essential to the success of companies. Studies
show that 92 percent of customers whose issues are resolved during their first contact with the
company are likely to continue to use that company. In contrast, just 51 percent of customers whose
issue is not resolved during first contact continue to use the company. Customer-responsive
organizations where employees are friendly and courteous, accessible and knowledgeable, prompt in
responding to needs, and willing to do what’s necessary to please the customer are likely to be more
successful in today’s competitive market
2. Discuss, why is it important for managers to focus on the customer? Please provide example of
the company to support the answer.
Answer:
It is important for managers to focus on the customer in order for the organization to sustain for the
competitive advantage. Managers are dealing with changing workplaces, a changing workforce,
changing technology, and global economic uncertainties. Managers everywhere are likely to have to
manage in changing circumstances, and the fact is that how managers manage is changing.
Without customers, the organization wouldn’t survive and manager must create a customer responsive
organization. For an example at GLCs (Maybank, TELEKOM, MAHB, Tenaga Nasional Berhad,
PETRONAS), GLCs can champion “stakeholder capitalism.” Serving both shareholders and
stakeholders such as workers, consumers and the environment at large.
PREPARATION FOR TUTORIAL NEXT WEEK:
Read up materials for Lecture 2 – Management History Module
Page 1
TUTORIAL 2 (WEEK 3): MANAGEMENT HISTORY MODULE
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students are able to demonstrate an understanding of
- Classical approach of management (Scientific Management & General Administrative
Theory)
COURSEWORK
Have you read the Module Information?
Have you read the details for individual assignment?
You may start registering a company of your choice for individual assignment
TUTORIAL QUESTIONS:
Students need to find one Company to support the implemented the Max Weber’s principles of
management.
1. List and explain Max Weber’s principles of management.
Answer:
Work Breakdown Structure: A work is divided into tasks and each task is assigned to separate
personnel who are proficient in that task.
Levels of Authority: Levels of authority should be maintained to closely monitor and supervise
the employees whether they are performing the tasks properly and as per the directions laid
down.
Policies and Procedures: Weber believed that organization’s policies and procedures had to be
in place to govern the work behaviour and maintain consistency amongst the employees.
Rights and Responsibilities: Weber believed that every employee should be allocated rights and
responsibilities of the organization and proper guidelines should be laid down for performing the
job regularly.
Technical Expertise: As per Weber, the candidate with the right skill set and expertise should be
allocated a job and the appraisal of that candidate should happen subject to his performance in
that job.
Content Management: Weber stressed on the need of an effective content management system
pertaining to databases and documents and other written records of the organization.
Impartial Assessment: Weber stressed on the need for an impartial assessment of employees
where their family relations or having kith or kin does not influence the assessment or even
For student to watch:
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PREPARATION FOR TUTORIAL NEXT WEEK:
Read up materials for Lecture 3 – Management History Module
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TUTORIAL 3 (WEEK 4): BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students are able to demonstrate an understanding of:
- BPM solutions increase organizational value through process improvement, yielding a
number of benefits.
COURSEWORK
Have you read the details for individual assignment?
You may start registering a company of your choice for individual assignment and work on
your assignment.
TUTORIALQUESTION:
Select ONE (1) company to support your answer.
1. Explain the important of Business Process Management to organization.
Answer:
Business Process Management (BPM) has the potential to support organizational changes, since it
shifts the focus from managing functional areas (departments) to business processes. This
paradigmatic shift can allow managers to organize efforts around tasks, flows and people in order
to improve client delivery. BPM, under a technical and pragmatic perspective, can serve as a tool
to adjust the organization towards its managerial strategy.
BPM most likely has its roots in Total Quality Management (TQM), a Japanese quality model
developed in postwar 1940s. According to Capote [1], the most evident principle of TQM was the
need to establish a shared organizational consciousness about the importance of high quality
managerial and productive processes involving external elements to the original control
mechanisms of the organization, such as the relationship between suppliers and the remaining
parties involved in developing the business. Thus, TQM incorporated the need to understand
processes as a set of tasks, implemented by machines or people, with the potential of improving
continuously.
Due to its characteristics, BPM provides organizational control at the level of processes, tasks,
activities and individuals. In this sense, organizations that implement it seek control of their
processes, which makes process modeling an important predictor of government policies and
accountability. BPM represents the shift from a vertical and hierarchical hegemonic paradigm to a
horizontal paradigm that integrates multiple business functions. This fact has justified the increased
interest of researchers and consultants regarding the topic, which can be noted from the growing
number of scientific articles and academic studies regarding BPM.
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2. Discuss the relationship between Business Process Management and Culture.
Answer:
BPM and organization culture: Culture can be defined as a set of shared values within a group,
manifested through ideas, attitudes, rituals, technologies, products and institutions. These values can
vary from group to group or from institution to institution and are defined as ideas that influence the
group’s behavior and organize the group’s model [3]. For Schein [4], group culture may be defined
as a pattern of assumptions that have been instituted by a given group, in the sense that it solves the
problems of adaptation and internal integration, which worked well enough to be considered valid
and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think about and feel
regarding these problems. In regard to business management, Vukšić et al. [5] state that organizational
culture can be understood as an organizational style that reveals the personality of the organization
and determines the actions and behavior of collaborators. The study by vom Brocke and Sinnl [6]
presents three associations between the terms “culture” and “BPM”, as follows: a) culture as an
independent factor that influences BPM; b) culture as a dependent factor influenced by BPM; and c)
culture as equivalent to BPM culture. According to Santos [7], BPM practices involve a deep analysis
of the organization and changes in its organizational structure. Some organizations have a culture that
may be incompatible with the desire to organize itself around the client and, consequently, of business
process management. Therefore, methodological support should be conducted to continuously
improve it business processes, coordinate activities, define precisely the responsibilities of each
person involved, and create a process office. Changing the culture of a function-centered organization
to a process-centered culture is a big challenge for BPM initiatives to gain space in the organizational
context and to produce the expected results and performance [8]. For Baumöl [9], one of the critical
factors of success in company transformation by means of process changes is the receptivity of people
and its commitment to new forms of doing things.
PREPARATION FOR TUTORIAL NEXT WEEK:
Read up materials for Lecture 4 – Constraints on Manager
Page 4
TUTORIAL 4 (WEEK 5): CONSTRAINTS ON MANAGERS
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students are able to:
1. Develop skill at scanning the environment, anticipate, and interpret changes taking place.
2. Examine the influence of business environment on managers.
3. Integrate the Organisational Culture-Dimensions to analyse an Organisation’s Culture
COURSEWORK
Have you started working on your individual assignment?
Do you need guidance? Get in touch with you tutor.
Take note of the submission date.
TUTORIAL QUESTION
Select One (1) Company to support your answer.
1. “Businesses are built on relationship. “What do you think this statement means? What are
implications for managing the external environment?
.
Answer:
Organizations depend on their environment and their stakeholders as a source of inputs and a recipient
of outputs. Good relationships can lead to organizational outcomes such as improved predictability of
environmental changes, more successful innovations, greater degrees of trust among stakeholders,
and greater flexibility in acting to reduce the impact of change. In addition, relationship management
and maintaining good relationships have been proven by many researchers to have an effect on
organizational performance. High-performing companies tend to consider the interests of all major
stakeholder groups as they make decisions.
PREPARATION FOR TUTORIAL NEXT WEEK:
Read up materials for Lecture 5 – Planning and Goal-Setting
Page 5
TUTORIAL 5 (WEEK 6): PLANNING AND GOAL-SETTING
LEARNING OUTCOME:
Students are able to understand the concepts and importance of goal-setting and planning.
COURSEWORK-RELATED INFORMATION
Have you identified members for group assignment (minimum 3 members, maximum 5
members)?
Have you registered your team and choice of company?
Please consult your tutor if you have any enquiries on the group assignment.
Please check for more details on group assignment and submission.
TUTORIAL QUESTIONS:
Select One (1) Company to Support your Answer.
1. Describe the goal-setting process in organization.
Answer:
First consider what you want to achieve, and then commit to it. Set SMART (specific, measureable,
attainable, relevant and time-bound) goals that motivate you and write them down to make them feel
tangible. Then plan the steps you must take to realize your goal, and cross off each one as you work
through them.
2. Describe how managers can plan in today’s dynamic environment.
Answer:
Managers should develop plans that are specific, but flexible.
• Managers need to recognize that planning is an ongoing process.
• Managers need to stay alert to environmental changes that may impact implementation and
respond
• It is important to continue formal planning even in an uncertain environment in order to see
any effect on organizational performance
• A flatter organizational hierarchy helps to effectively plan in dynamic environments
PREPARATION FOR TUTORIAL NEXT WEEK:
Read up materials for Lecture 6 – Strategic Planning
Page 6
TUTORIAL 6 (WEEK 7): STRATEGIC PLANNING
LEARNING OUTCOME:
Students are able to comprehend corporate strategies and competitive strategies and apply to
companies.
COURSEWORK-RELATED INFORMATION
You have not identified a member for group assignment?
You need to register your team and choice of company at .
Please contact and consult your tutor if you face any difficulties.
TUTORIAL QUESTIONS:
Select One (1) Company to Support your Answer.
1. Discuss the nature and purposes of planning.
Answer:
As the primary management function, planning establishes the basis for all the other things that
managers do. The planning we’re concerned with is formal planning; that is, specific goals covering
a specific time period are defined and written down and specific plans are developed to make sure
those goals are met. There are four reasons why managers should plan: (1) it establishes coordinated
efforts, (2) it reduces uncertainty, (3) it reduces overlapping and wasteful activities, and (4) it
establishes the goals or standards that are used in controlling work. Although criticisms have been
directed at planning, the evidence generally supports the position that organizations benefit from
formal planning.
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2. Compare and contrast approaches to goal setting and planning.
Answer:
Most company’s goals are classified as either strategic or financial. We can also look at goals as either
stated or real. In traditional goal setting, goals set by top managers flow down through the organization
and become subgoals for each organizational area. Organizations could also use management by
objectives, which is a process of setting mutually agreed-upon goals and using those goals to evaluate
employee performance. Plans can be described in terms of their breadth, time frame, specificity, and
frequency of use. Plans can be developed by a formal planning department or by involving more
organizational members in the process.
PREPARATION FOR TUTORIAL NEXT WEEK:
Read Lecture 7: Organization Design.
Page 8
TUTORIAL 7 (WEEK 8): ORGANIZATION DESIGN
Students are able to:
1. Understand the six key elements of organisational design
2. Differentiate between mechanistic and organic structures
3. Understand traditional and contemporary organisational designs.
4. Understand how the contingency factors affect the design of organisational structure.
COURSEWORK-RELATED INFORMATION
You still haven’t formed a group of two members?
You should have registered your team and choice of company by now.
Please consult your tutor if you face any issues. DO not wait until the last minute!
TUTORIAL QUESTIONS:
1. Identify the contingency factors that favor the mechanistic model or the organic model of
organizational design.
Answer:
A mechanistic organizational design is quite bureaucratic whereas an organic organizational design
is more fluid and flexible. The strategy-determines-structure factor says that as organizational
strategies move from single product to product diversification, the structure will move from organic
to mechanistic. As an organization’s size increases, so does the need for a more mechanistic structure.
The more non-routine the technology, the more organic a structure should be. Finally, stable
environments are better matched with mechanistic structures, but dynamic ones fit better with organic
structures.
2. Discuss the design challenges faced by today’s organizations.
Answer:
One design challenge lies in keeping employees connected, which can be accomplished through using
information technology. Another challenge is understanding the global differences that affect
organizational structure. Although structures and strategies of organizations worldwide are similar,
the behavior within them differs, which can influence certain design elements. Another challenge is
designing a structure around the mind-set of being a learning organization. Finally, managers are
looking for organizational designs with efficient and effective flexible work arrangements. They’re
using options such as telecommuting, compressed workweeks, flextime, job sharing, and contingent
workers.
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Please refer to the link below to support your answer.
[Link]
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[Link]
PREPARATION FOR TUTORIAL NEXT WEEK:
Read up materials for Lecture 8: Organizing around Teams
Page 10
TUTORIAL 8 (WEEK 9): ORGANISING AROUND TEAMS
LEARNING OUTCOME:
Students are able to understand work teams, best practices that influence team performance in
organizations.
TUTORIAL ACTIVITY
Types of Socioemotional Roles
Encourager Supports and praises the contributions from other team members
Harmonizer Resolves conflict by using different ways to reduce tension (such as
humor)
Compromiser Shows willingness to meet others halfway
Gatekeeper Encourages everyone to express themselves and contribute their ideas
Observer Provides commentary and feedback about how the group is functioning
Follower Serves a listener who rarely contributes to the discussion or expresses
their own thoughts
Group leader need to identify each type of socioemotional roles among the members in the group.
Through observation/ discussion and any other approach to support the answer.
PREPARATION FOR TUTORIAL NEXT WEEK:
Read up materials on Lecture 9: Leadership.
Page 11
TUTORIAL 9 (WEEK 10): LEADERSHIP
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students are able to:
1. Analyse the traits and leadership styles of business leaders.
2. Answer past year questions
TUTORIAL QUESTIONS
Please refer to the video link provided and answer the following questions.
[Link]
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1. How Do Charismatic and Visionary Leaders Differ?
1. Charismatic leadership theory is an extension of attribution theory.
• It says that followers make attributions of heroic or extraordinary leadership abilities when
they observe certain behaviors.
• Several authors have attempted to identify personal characteristics of the charismatic leader.
• The most comprehensive analysis identified five characteristics: leaders have a vision, the
ability to communicate that vision, the willingness to take risks to achieve that vision,
sensitivity to both environmental constraints and follower needs, and behaviors that are out
of the ordinary.
• Most experts believe individuals can be trained to exhibit charismatic behaviors.
▪ There is an increasing body of research that shows impressive correlations between
charismatic leadership and high performance and satisfaction among followers.
2. Visionary leadership is the ability to create and articulate a realistic, credible,
attractive vision of the future for an organization or organizational unit that grows out of
and improves upon the present.
• The key properties of a vision seem to be inspirational possibilities that are value centered,
realizable, with superior imagery and articulation.
• Visions should be able to create possibilities that are inspirational, unique, and offer a new
order that can produce organizational distinction.
• Desirable visions fit the times and circumstances and reflect the uniqueness of the
organization.
• People in the organization must also believe that the vision is attainable.
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2. How can organizations develop effective leaders?
Answer:
From the early stages of recruiting to training and development, organizations need to identify future
leaders early in their talent pool and then strategically integrate them in the succession plan. It is an
imperative for organizations to maximize their human capital and consistently develop leaders at
every level. Companies must cultivate leaders for successful organizations.
PREPARATION FOR TUTORIAL NEXT WEEK:
Read up materials on Lecture 10: Motivation
Page 13
TUTORIAL 10 (WEEK 11): MOTIVATION
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students are able to:
1. Answer case study questions
2. Apply the relevant motivational theories by relating the business scenario
TUTORIAL QUESTIONS
Please refer to the video link provided and answer the following questions.
[Link]
1. Identify, the challenges do managers face in motivating in today’s workforce.
Answer:
Managers today face a number of challenges motivating the workforce including motivating in touch
economic circumstance, managing cross-cultural challenges, motivating unique groups of workers,
and designing appropriate rewards programs.
Managers often face this challenge from the employees who are not intrinsically motivated.
Demotivated employees affect the whole workforce as they tend to engage in conversations with other
employees and tend to change their perception. Employees can be motivated intrinsically or
extrinsically. Extrinsic demotivation factors can include unhealthy work conditions, lack of
appreciation and feedback from direct leaders and inadequate compensation. If the employees are
unclear about their roles and responsibilities and are not well aware of the goals company is working
towards with they will be prone to boredom and stress and would not be able to contribute their
knowledge and thinking to the organisation success.
2. Can an individual be too motivated? Discuss.
Answer:
Probably not as long as the motivation can be channeled into productive behavior. Employees,
particularly professionals, should be given autonomy to follow their interests and allow them to
structure their work in ways they find productive. Reward them with educational opportunities—
training, workshops, attending conferences—that allow them to keep current in their field and to
network with their peers. Also reward them with recognition. They can seek situations in which they
can attain personal responsibility for finding solutions to problems, in which they can receive rapid
and unambiguous feedback, and in which they can set moderately challenging goals.
PREPARATION FOR TUTORIAL NEXT WEEK:
Read up materials on Lecture 11 – Controlling Activities and Operations.
Page 14
TUTORIAL 11 (WEEK 12): CONTROLLING ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students are able to:
1. Understand the importance of control in management
2. Apply the three types of control in business situations.
TUTORIAL ACTIVITY 1: Group Presentation
Following is a typical situation that is commonly found in retail businesses.
Dissatisfied customers were complaining about services provided by the organisation.
Working in a group of 3-4 members, suggest what the manager and organisation should do to
deal with the above situation by using the following THREE (3) types of control.
a. Feedforward control
b. Concurrent control
c. Feedback control
TUTORIAL ACTIVITY 2: Past Year Questions (Structured and Essay Questions)
1. Differentiate between feedforward, concurrent and feedback controls. (10 marks)
Tips: Marks will not be awarded for mere explanation of each type of control without
discussing the differences among them.
2. P&Q Sdn. Bhd. is a retailer selling hair care products, including shampoo, conditioner, and
so forth. The owner of the company, Mr. H, observed the following problems in the company:
(i) Having more customers returning purchased products due to poor product quality; and
(ii) Having more customers complaining about the service quality of the salespersons of the
company.
Required:
Identify the THREE (3) basic types of control used to control organisational performance. Advise
Mr. H how he should control the product quality and service quality in his company using the
THREE (3) types of control.
(25 marks)
PREPARATION FOR TUTORIAL NEXT WEEK:
Read up materials on Lecture 12 – Decision Making.
Page 15
TUTORIAL 12 (WEEK 13) – DECISION MAKING
LEARNING OUTCOME:
Students are able to understand the role of decision-making and relate its impact in business
organizations.
TUTORIAL Questions
There will be journal provided for this tutorial activity on My Times. Students need to answer the
following questions based on the journal provided.
1. Describe the decision-making process.
Answer:
The decision-making process consists of eight steps: (1) identify the problem, (2) identify the decision
criteria, (3) weight the criteria, (4) develop alternatives, (5) analyze alternatives, (6) select alternative,
(7) implement alternative, and (8) evaluate decision effectiveness. As managers make decisions, they
may use heuristics to simplify the process, which can lead to errors and biases in their decision
making. The 12 common decision-making errors and biases include overconfidence, immediate
gratification, anchoring, selective perception, confirmation, framing, availability, representation,
randomness, sunk costs, self-serving bias, and hindsight.
2. Discuss contemporary issues in managerial decision making.
Answer:
As managers deal with employees from diverse cultures, they need to recognize common and accepted
behavior when asking them to make decisions. Some individuals may not be as comfortable as others
with being closely involved in decision making, or they may not be willing to experiment with
something radically different. Also, managers need to be creative in their decision making since
creativity allows them to appraise and understand the problem more fully, including “seeing”
problems that others can’t see. Design thinking also influences the way that managers approach
decision making, especially in terms of identifying problems and how they identify and evaluate
alternatives. Finally, big data is changing what and how decisions are made, but managers need to
evaluate how big data might contribute to their decision making.
PREPARATION FOR TUTORIAL NEXT WEEK:
Read up materials on Lecture 13 – Human Resource Management.
Page 16
TUTORIAL 13 (WEEK 14) – HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT & EXAM
PREPARATION
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students are able to:
1. Understand the human resource management process.
2. Apply the examination answering techniques when attempting structured questions and
essay questions.
TUTORIAL QUESTIONS:
Please refer to the video link provided and answer the following questions.
[Link]
1. Discuss the tasks associated with identifying and selecting competent employees.
Answer:
The first task is employment planning, which involves job analysis and the creation of job descriptions
and job specifications. Then, if job needs are indicated, recruitment involves attempts to develop a
pool of potential job candidates. Downsizing is used to reduce the labor supply. Selection involves
determining who is best qualified for the job. Selection devices need to be both reliable and valid.
Managers may want to give potential employees a realistic job preview.
2. Describe strategies for retaining competent, high-performing employees
Answer:
Two HRM activities that play a role in this are managing employee performance and developing an
appropriate compensation and benefits program. Managing employee performance involves
establishing performance standards and then appraising performance to see if those standards have
been met. There are various performance appraisal techniques managers can use. If an employee’s
performance is not up to par, managers need to assess why and take action. Compensation and benefits
programs can help attract and retain competent and talented individuals. Managers have to determine
who gets paid what and what benefits will be offered.
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