Management functions.

Essay by thankyouCollege, UndergraduateA, May 2003

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I. Planning

Great ideas do not achieve greatness until their originator posits some plan to get there. In management science, no grand expectation or promise of future growth is likely to ever be fully realized unless its predictor develops some well-organized plan to turn figures on paper into genuine productivity. The plan is essentially a road map to success and when it is clear and well written, the this map helps travelers find their way with little or no difficulty.

Perhaps one of the most common examples of planning is in those functions, which relate to management of a sales force. Forecasting expected sales volume enables administrators to make decisions based upon the next fiscal period's predictions. In many case studies, that I've reviewed, planning proved it more effective when it was more long-term. Sales forecasts that evaluate an entire year are generally considered more useful those that only seek to assess the next quarter or two.

A long-term plan is generally better suited for change, if the need for such arises. When a one or two quarter plan has failed, it is often to late to change it.

Planning is the fundamental and core essence of management in that it enables leaders to become leaders. Human resource operations are performed according to the executive "master plans" set forth by key managerial personnel who alone have authorship and a full understanding of what is being done and what needs to be done. Thus, the function of planning not only helps to make predictions about the company, but it also inherently help to draw the dividing line between upper management and general human resources. The former is aware and in charge of planning operations while divisions of the latter each only play some individual role in achieving the company's ultimate goal...