The Concise Handbook of Management: A Practitioner's Approach

by Scott; Jonathan T

• ISBN13: 9780789026484
• ISBN10: 0789026481
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2005-09-20
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Discover the practical tips to make you an effective, customer-oriented manager! Focusing on the pervading belief that everything a manager does must be customer oriented, The Concise Handbook of Management: A Practitioner's Approach gives you an overview of everything you need to know about managing in one practical, concise book. This plain-talking guide not only explains management theories, but also presents commonsense suggestions on the best ways to effectively manage people and things, no matter what type of business you are in. Taking a practitioner's approach of discussing management issues with customers ultimately in mind, this practical book motivates, is easily understandable, and is entertaining to boot. The Concise Handbook of Management: A Practitioner's Approach uses succinct chapters with several real stories and case studies designed to clearly illustrate each concept and suggestion. Written with the busy manager in mind, each chapter is compact, clear, true-to-life, and is always aimed at the bottom line. The book includes a small business marketing and promotion checklist, a helpful bibliography, and a useful glossary of terms. The Concise Handbook of Management: A Practitioner's Approach explores: the first three steps in becoming a good manager understanding the importance of customers getting the most from employees management competencies and styles organizational structures and cultures managing change managing conflict and stress managing teams and workgroups ethics leadership managing time written business communication mastering the skills of a presentation dealing with people in the workplace a small business marketing checklist project or program planning the marketing basics--product--strategy--marketing--pricing developing external and internal customers The Concise Handbook of Management: A Practitioner's Approach proves the adage that less is more, and has already been called the undergraduate/graduate student's or practicing manager's best all-in-one source and reference for simplified management theory and skills.

Table of Contents

Preface. Why Another Book About Management?	xv
Acknowledgments	xix
PART I: BUILDING THE MANAGEMENT FOUNDATION
What Is Management?	3	(6)
A Brief History of Management	9	(10)
The Industrial Revolution and the Division of Labor	11	(1)
The Study of Management Begins	11	(1)
The Evolution of Scientific Management	12	(3)
Perhaps the Most Important Study of All	15	(4)
The First Three Steps to Becoming a Good Manager	19	(6)
Step 1: Mind-Set	19	(1)
Step 2: Integrity	20	(2)
Step 3: Training	22	(3)
Understanding the Importance of Customers	25	(10)
Losing Touch	27	(1)
Understanding External and Internal Customers	27	(2)
The Ten Commandments of Business Success	29	(1)
What Is Good Customer Service?	30	(2)
The Final Word	32	(3)
PART II: BASIC THOUGHTS ON AND THEORIES OF MANAGEMENT
Management Competencies and Styles	35	(6)
Managerial Competencies	36	(1)
Managerial Styles	37	(3)
To Recap	40	(1)
Getting the Most from Employees	41	(12)
Tapping into the Workforce	41	(1)
Delegating Responsibility	42	(4)
The Employee-Customer Connection	46	(3)
Employee Empowerment	49	(3)
Summary	52	(1)
Organizational Structures and Cultures	53	(10)
Bureaucratic and Adaptive Organizations	53	(3)
Organizational Cultures	56	(6)
Can Structure and Culture Be Changed?	62	(1)
Managing Change	63	(8)
Preparing for Organizational Change	64	(1)
Understanding Resistance to Change	65	(2)
Building the Commitment to Change	67	(1)
Change Management: Some Examples	68	(3)
Managing Conflict	71	(8)
The Value of Conflict	72	(2)
The Nature of Work-Related Conflict	74	(1)
Dealing with Conflict	75	(2)
Battling the Stress That Work and Conflict Create	77	(1)
Putting It All Together	78	(1)
Managing Teams and Work Groups	79	(6)
Types of Teams	80	(1)
Developing a Functional Team	81	(2)
Overcoming the Obstacles of a Team	83	(2)
Managing by Objectives	85	(6)
Goal Setting: A Three-Step Process	85	(4)
Management by Objectives	89	(2)
Quality	91	(8)
Achieving Quality	91	(3)
Measuring Quality	94	(1)
Putting Quality into Action	95	(4)
Ethics	99	(6)
Ethical Behavior	100	(1)
Four Levels of Organizational Ethics	101	(1)
Unethical versus Ethical Decision Making	101	(2)
Whistle-Blowing	103	(1)
The Bottom Line	104	(1)
Leadership	105	(10)
Leadership versus Management	105	(1)
Leadership: Abilities and Actions	106	(1)
Coming to Grips with Leadership Theory	107	(2)
The Nature of Leadership	109	(6)
Management: Theory versus Practice	115	(6)
A Practical Example	117	(1)
Theory versus Practice: A Metaphor	118	(3)
Managing in Different Cultures	121	(10)
Culture and Human Behavior	122	(1)
Errors in Cultural Perceptions	123	(1)
Culture Shock	124	(2)
Communicating in Different Cultures	126	(2)
In Conclusion	128	(3)
PART III: THE BASIC SKILLS OF MANAGEMENT
Managerial Decision Making and Problem Solving	131	(8)
Making Up Your Mind	132	(1)
Good Problem Solving and Decision Making: A Step-by-Step Approach	133	(2)
Practices to Avoid When Making Decisions	135	(2)
Creativity and Decision Making	137	(1)
A Final Thought	138	(1)
Managing Time	139	(6)
Understanding Effective Time Management	140	(1)
Tips for Maximizing Your Time	141	(3)
The End Game: Making Life Easier	144	(1)
Dealing with People in the Workplace	145	(8)
Understanding Employee Behavior (Four Theories)	146	(2)
Corrective Communication	148	(2)
Behavior Modification	150	(2)
Summing Up	152	(1)
Oral Communication in the Workplace	153	(6)
Dealing with Difficulties As They Arise	153	(3)
A Few Communication Basics	156	(1)
A Final Tip	157	(2)
Written Business Communication	159	(6)
The Roles of Business Writing	160	(1)
Forms of Business Writing	161	(2)
Tips for Business Writing	163	(1)
In Conclusion	164	(1)
Presenting Yourself and Your Ideas: Mastering the Skills of a Presentation	165	(8)
The All-Important Goal: Communication	166	(2)
Making or Breaking a Presentation	168	(3)
Final Thoughts	171	(2)
Making Meetings Matter	173	(4)
Ten Steps for Planning a Successful Meeting	173	(4)
An Outline for Project or Program Planning	177	(8)
PART IV: THE BASICS OF BUSINESS
Know Your Product	185	(6)
Product Levels	185	(2)
Understanding What Your Customers Want	187	(2)
Confronting Competition	189	(1)
Know Your Market	190	(1)
Competitive Advantage Strategy	191	(4)
Types of Strategies	191	(3)
Matching Strategy to the Business	194	(1)
The Importance of Marketing	195	(8)
The Basics of Marketing	195	(1)
The Marketing Mix	196	(1)
The Promotion Mix	197	(2)
Product Life Cycle	199	(1)
Some Marketing Tips	200	(3)
Tools for Developing External and Internal Customers	203	(4)
Establishing an External Customer Database	203	(1)
Monitoring Your Internal Customers	204	(1)
A Stitch in Time Saves Nine	205	(2)
Pricing	207	(6)
Facts About Pricing	207	(1)
The Pricing Process	208	(3)
Summing Up Pricing	211	(2)
Business Marketing and Promotion: A Checklist	213	(6)
In-House Marketing	213	(2)
Out-of-House Marketing	215	(2)
Tips for Marketing That Obtains Results	217	(2)
Advice	219	(6)
The PIG Dance: Discussion versus Action	219	(2)
Ideas for Improving Your Business	221	(2)
A Business No-No: Living in the Short Term	223	(2)
An A-to-Z Business Success Primer	225	(6)
The Basics	225	(4)
An Analogy	229	(2)
Glossary	231	(10)
Bibliography	241	(10)
Index	251