Management Functions in Application

Amy Wilson

Denise Harrison

Ashford University

MGT 330

4/26/2015

Introduction
Management practices are those methods which provide an effective way of achieving the organizational goals. This is coupled with the maximum utilization of the available resources, as well as the minimization of the costs as much as possible. In every organization, there are those costs which are extremely important, and this may not be avoided. The cuts are implementented on the aspects which would not have a significant effect on the organization. The main reason why organizations get into business is to make profits. This is the reason why costs are kept as low as possible since in that case, the profit margin is increased (Baack, Reilly & Minnick, 2014).
The Functions of Management
There are several managerial functions. Nonetheless, most of them can be categorized into five. These include the planning, organization of resources and related aspects, staffing, coordination, as well as control. The whole essence is to create a framework where the employees find it easy to exploit the resources. The arrangement has to be in such a manner than the employees are motivated. This makes it easy for the organization to achieve its goals Effective leadership and management involves finding solutions to the emergent problems and challenges, motivating the employees, as well as ensuring the goals and objectives of the organization are achieved as much as possible (Baack, Reilly & Minnick, 2014).
Management is a broad endeavor and in addition to the issues which have been highlighted above, managers are expected to ensure that there is an appropriate level of financing The fact that profits are acquired after the sales are made means that the aspects of marketing and distribution have to be included and accounted for by the management. Managerial functions have to be in line with the organizational goals and objectives. Indeed, this is why strategic planning is of essence in any organization: this is what keeps on reminding the stakeholders on the direction that ought to be taken at any one time.
Management Functions Applied
Planning is the first function of management where the manager sets the goals of the organization and determines there course of action. It requires an effective understanding of the resources and future goals of an organization. Planning ought to be flexible, and this is to ensure that any emergent issue does not cause significant derailment. It also ought to be easy to have the functions and roles coordinated. Coordination is important as all the key stakeholders are able to know and appreciate what is expected of them at any given time. In most of the times, planning is accomplished by the most experienced leaders. At least these are the people who understand the organization as well as the external environment in an optimal manner (Griffin, 2012).
Managers are responsible for pinpointing and recognizing the additional planning needs. Each manager is expected to understand what ought to be accomplished so as to ensure that the organization realizes its goals on a timely basis. These management aspects have been applicable at Cargill Company where I worked in the marketing department. At Cargill Company, whenever the marketing manager intends to increase the sales, much of the time is spent in the planning stage. This is where the necessary steps are drafted, and the stakeholders are asked to make their contributions
At Cargill Company, planning is a team effort. Some of the issues the managers consider include the impact of increased advertising, contacting customers to see if they are interested, giving offers, and increasing sales representatives. These issues are evaluated so as to understand how they help the organization in its endeavor to reach a wider customer base. Also, as a planner she constantly evaluates the success of her plan and take corrective measures when necessary.
The organizing function involves designing of an organizational structure and command chain. It does also address the issue of allocation of human resources so as to achieve the organizational goals. It involves allocating employees duties and responsibilities depending on their skills so as to complete the various tasks as it is expected of them. Moreover, this function helps in deciding on how to departmentalize and put jobs in the correct department so as to have them coordinated in an effective (Wiztel, 2004).
Departments are created based on the roles and function at hand. If need be, the organization may employ multiple methods in an endeavor achieve this goal. At Cargill Company, the marketing manager determines how to distribute the available resources and organize her team depending on the most immediate plans. In addition to taking care of the immediate plans, the managers are also expected to ensure that the organization’s future is safeguarded. It is the responsibility of the manager to identify the different duties and assign the right number of employees to carry out the plan. In addition, under this function, the manager is responsible for delegating authority as well as giving directions upon which her teams undertake the assigned duties and responsibilities. A manager ought to ensure that the employees are not derailed with unnecessary challenges during the completion of their tasks
Leading involves the act of influencing other people towards attaining the goals of the organization. It requires motivating subordinates, effective communication, and effective use of power. Effective leadership enables employees to be enthusiastic and work hard towards achieving the objectives of the organization. An effective manager should understand the personalities, values, emotions and attitudes of the subordinates (Hutt & Speh, 2012). At Cargill Company, the marketing manager goes beyond the managing tasks and spends time connecting with the employees at an interpersonal level.
The marketing manager at Cargill Company accomplishes the above through communicating, inspiring, encouraging, and motivating the employees towards a higher level of productivity. In order to increase their performance, the manager motivates the employees through such means as the awarding of commissions. This is where their salary is raised by a certain amount of money for any sales made beyond a certain limit. This improves the performance as employees are able to follow directions voluntarily. The employees look upon the manager, and the manager listens to their needs and aspirations. The feedback mechanism is effective, and this is one of the reasons why the workers have found their work being enjoyable.
Under the staffing function, the management is responsible for recruitment and all personnel requirements in the company. The main aim of this management function is to ensure that jobs get the right people so as to achieve their goals. In addition to recruitment, staffing is responsible for employee training, performance appraisals, transfers and promotions. At Cargill Company, the human resource department is responsible for hiring new employees. In order to increase sales, the marketing team needed more sales representatives to be hired so as to cover a wider area. Since the marketing department is not responsible for hiring, therefore, it is the responsibility of the marketing manager to write down the skills and numbers of people required and give the list to the human resource manager to contact and select those who meet the criteria.
Controlling is the management function which ensures that all the other functions are in place and successfully operating. In an organization, performance can be measured in various ways. Some of these ways include; monitoring employee output, customer satisfaction from feedback reports, financial statements, performance appraisals and production reports depending on the standards set by the organization. It involves establishing standards and monitoring them to ensure that each employee meets those (Adekola & Sergi, 2007).
This process enables the manager to identify situations and problems that should be carefully addressed by developing new standards. However, controlling does not involve control or manipulation of personal abilities, emotion and attitudes of the employees. For example, at Cargill the marketing manager evaluates the results obtained against the set goals. If certain goals have not been met, she is responsible for finding out where the deviations from the expected results lie and take corrective actions by making changes where necessary.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the managerial functions discussed in this paper have provided an insight on how the manager ought to engage in his responsibilities. Management is primarily meant to ensure that the available resources are exploited in the most optimal manner possible, and that the organization does not incur unnecessary costs. In so doing, profit maximization is attained, and the future of the organization is safeguarded. The essence of management is to create and retain a competitive edge. That is achievable through careful and timely planning, co-ordination, direction, staffing, and leading.

References
Adekola, A., & Sergi, B.S. (2007). Global Business Management: A Cross-cultural Perspective. Farnham, England: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
Baack, D., Reilly, M., & Minnick, C., & (2014). The five functions of effective management. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Griffin, R. (2012). Management. London: Cengage Learning
Hutt, M., & Speh, T. (2012). Business Marketing Management: B2B. Boston: Cengage Learning
Witzel, M. (2004). Management: The Basics. Florence, Kentucky: Psychology Press