Managerial Behaviour and Effectiveness Ques Paper -Ignou

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMETerm-End Examination

MS1: MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS AND BEHAVIOUR

Time: 3 hoursMaximum Marks: 100(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i)There are two Sections A and B. (ii) Attempt any three questions from Section A, each question carrying 20 marks.(iii) Section B is compulsory and carries 40 marks.

SECTION A

1. Explain the concept of MBO. Describe its key features and critically analyse the extent of feasibility and usefulness of MBO in the present day business scenario.

2. Briefly describev arious managerialp rocesses and explain major elements of any two of them with suitable examples.

3. How do conflicts get generated in an organizational situation ? How does it impact the group behaviour and functioning of the organization ? Explain with relevant examples.

4. What is differentiation ? How is it done in an organizational set-up ? Discuss briefly with examples the basis of differentiation and its relationship with the choice of hucture.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :

(a) Process of Organizational Change

(b) Group Formation

(c) Johari Window

(d) Managerial Values and Ethos

(e) Channels of communication

SECTION - B

6. (a) Read carefully the Case And answer the questions given at the end.

Fine Constructions was engaged in the fabrication of heavy structurals. The company had six shops besides engineering, accounts, personnel, sales, and administrative departments. It employed 7000 men. The chief executive of the company was the General Manager.

In one of the shops employing 1000 men, 900 tons of structurars were fabricated every month. The day-to-day management of the shop was entrusted to the Manager, who was assisted by the senior Foreman. The three main sections of the shop were preparation, Marking, And finishing.

In the Marking and Finishing Sections, the work was supervised by two foremen each. The Preparation Section was under the direct supervision of the Senior Foreman, who, in addition, planned and coordinated the work of all the three sections.T he preparations ection was responsible for the collection and classification of works orders, for reading intricate machine And structural drawings, determination of priorities of execution orders, checking bilts of materials, and processing raw materials for fabrication. This section had 200 men on the rolls.

In 1981, the shop started receiving heavy orders, and as the work-load increased considerably, the Senior Foreman was unable To cope with it. On the Manager's recommendation, the General Manager sanctioned two new posts of Foremen for the Preparation Section. Two Progress Incharges attached to the Senior Foreman were thus rendered surplus and their principal work, namely, reporting progress of work in the shop, was transferred to the Production Planning Department. This action of the General Manager had the concurrence of the Manager. The Incharges themselves were not transferred to the Production Planning Department, as this had its own departmental men to take care of this work. They continued on the rolls of the shop, awaiting orders for transfer to vacancies of equivalent grade in other shops.

The minimum qualifications for the recently created posts of Foremen, prescribed by u Joint Committee, were a diploma in engineering And five years' experience in structural shop. The posts were advertised for in the organization but none of the applicants was found suitable for appointment. The Incharges concerned, who were non-matriculates, did not apply, as they did not possessth e prescribed qualifications. The posts were therefore advertised in the press. Three outside candidates applied. Only one appeared for the interview and he was not considered suitable for appointment.

The case of the two surplus Incharges did not come within the purview of the grievance procedure in operation, in the company, as it involved a change in the minimum quarifications prescribed for the post of Foreman. As, however, they were powerful members of the Union executive, the secretary of the reco gnized trade trade union took up their case for appointment as foreman with the Generar Manager. The union Secretary argued that they had been doing part of the foremen's job before the posts were created and, in the absence of suitable candidates they should be preferred for promotion.

The General Manager maintained that the men concerned were not qualified for the posts and did not possess the technical background required to perform the Foremans duties. The written job-descriptions of the posts of progress Incharge and Foreman prepared by the Joint Committee indicated that the job content of the former was only about 25% of that of a Foremary and only, on the administrative side. They did not supervise the work of the Preparatios Section in any way, whete there were mistries in line for promotion. The latter, though good in their own area, could not be promoted as they were not technically qualified to hold the higher position.

After prolonged discussion, the General Manager concededt hat in the circumstancest, he Incharges would be given an opportunity to prove their fitness for the iob. It was also agreed that in the first place, test specifications for the posts of Foreman would be worked out by a Joint Committee and given to the men concerned if they wished, they would also be given guidance for a period of three months, to learn the iob. They would then be subjected to a test by the Training Officer, and if they passed the test, they would be promoted to Foremen.

The Manager communicated this decision to the senior Foreman in the presence of the two men. He readily agreed to give them the necessary guidance whenever they requested it.

However they maintained that the decision was not only to give them guidance when asked for, but fulltime training and guidance in order to enable them to pass the test. On hearing this, the Senior Foreman remarked: I have no one to spare primarily for the Purpose of training them to pass the test.

Questions :

(i) What is the main problem in the case?

(ii) Identify and discuss the stage and action required to tackle the problem before it became a grievance. Comment on the role of the management.

(iii) Critically evaluate the grievance and the follow-up action. Evaluate the unionmanagement compromise and its possible consequences with your own point of view, in detail.

(iv) If you were the manager of the 'shop', how would you handle the problem, after the Senior Foreman's remark about sparing the 'Incharges' for three months ?

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMETerm-End Examination




SECTION A

1. Briefly describe different skills required for a manager and discuss the role of a manager in Institution Building.

2. Describe different phases of decision making according to Mintzberg and their relevance. Discuss any two models of decision-making process.

3. Explain the process of conflict and different strategies of conflict management in organisational context. Give examples.

4. Describe and differentiate between delegation, decentralisation and centralisation. Discuss the problems in delegation and how to overcome them to make the process more effective.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :(i) Johari window(ii) Informal communication(iii) Matrix structure

(iv) Kurt Lewin's model(v) Domino effect

SECTION B

6. Read the following case and answer the questions given at the end.

The ABC Manufacturing Company is a metal working plant under the direction of a plant manager who is known as a strict disciplinarian. One day a foreman noticed Bhola, one of the workers, at the time-clock punching out two cards his own and the card of Nathu, a fellow worker. Since it was the rule of the company that each man must punch out his own card, the foreman asked Bhola to accompany him to the Personnel Director, who interpr eted the incident as a direct violation of a rule and gave immediate notice of discharge to both workers. The two workers came to see the Personnel Director on the following duy. Nathu claimed innocence on the ground that he had not asked for his card to be punched and did not know at the time that it was being punched. He had been oflered a ride by a friend who had already punched out and who could not wait for him to go through the punch-out procedure. Nathu was worried about his wife who was ill at home and was anxious to reach home as quickly as possible. He planned to take his card to the foreman the next morning for reinstatement, a provision sometimes exercised in such cases. These circumstances were verified by Bhola. He claimed that he had punched Nathu's card the same time he punched his own, not being conscious of any wrongdoing.

The Personnel Director was inclined to believe the story of the two men but did not feel he could reverse the action taken. He recognized that these men were good workers and had good records prior to this incident. Nevertheless, they had violated a rule for which the penalty was immediate discharge. He also reminded them that it was the policy of the company to enforce the rules without exception.

A few days later the Personnel Director, the Plant Manager, and the Sales Manager sat together at lunch. The Sales Manager reported that he was faced with the necessity of notifying one of their best customers that his order must be delayed because of the liability of one department to conform to schedule. The department in question was the one from which the two workers had been discharged. Not only had it been impossible to replace these men to date, but disgruntlement over the incident had led to significant decline in the cooperation of the other workers. The Personnel Director and the Sales Manager took the position that the discha rge of these two valuable men could have been avoided if there had been provision for onsidering the circumstances of the case. They pointed out that the incident was costly to the company in the possible loss of a customer, in the dissatisfaction within the employee group, and in the time and money that would be involved in recruiting and training replacements. The Plant Manager could not agree with this point of view. "We must have rules if we are to have efficiency; and the rules are no god unless we enforce them. Furthermore, if we start considering all these variations in circumstances, we will find ourselves loaded down with everybody thinking he is an exception." He admitted that the grievances were frequent but countered with the point that they could be of little consequence if the contract agreed to by the union was followed to the letter.

Questions

(a) Identify the core issues in the case

(b) Place yourself in the position of the Personnel Director. Which of the following courses of action would you have chosen and why ?

(i) Would you have discharged both men ?(ii) Would you have discharged Bhola only ?(iii) Would you have discharged Nathu only ?(iv) Would you have discharged neither of them ? Justify your choice of decision.(c) What policy and procedural changes would you recommend for handling such cases in future ?

MS1(S): MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS AND BEHAVIOUR



Section A

1. Briefly describe and discuss the determinants and dimensions of organisational climate.

2. Describe the importance and steps involved in planning process. Briefly discuss the relevance of strategic and operational planning.

3. Describe any two leadership styles and their relevance in the present day context. Illustrate with examples.

4. What are the tasks a manager has to perform while functioning in an organisation ? Describe briefly.

5. Write short notes on any threeof the following :(a) Johari Window(b) Semantic Barriers(c) Managerial ethos(d) Line and Staff functions(e) Informal delegation

6. Read the following case and answer the questions given at the end of the case.

LOSING A GOOD MAN

Sundar Steel Limited was a medium-sized steel company manufacfuring special steels of various types and grades. It employed 5,000 workers and 450 executives.

Under the General Manager operation, maintenance, and headed by a chief. The Chief of and under him Mukherjee Maintenance Engineer. The total was 500 workers, 25 executives, (Production), there were services groups, each Maintenance was Shukla was working as the strength of Maintenance and 50 supervisors.

Chatterjee was working in Maintenance as a worker for three years. He was efficient. He had initiative and drive. He performed his duties in a near perfect manner. He was a man of proven technical ability with utmost drive and dash. He was promoted as Supervisor.

Chattejee, now a Supervisor, was one day passing through the Maintenance Shop on his routine inspection. He found a certain worker sitting idle. He pulled him up for this. The worker retaliated by abusing him with filthy words. With a grim face and utter frustration, Chatterjee reported the matter to Mukherjee. The worker who insulted Chatterjee was a "notorious character" , and no supervisor dared to confront him. Mukherjee took a serious view of the incident and served a strong warning letter to the worker. Nothing very particular about Chatterjee or from him came to the knowledge of Mukherjee. Things were moving smoothly. Chatterjee was getting along well with others But after about three years, another serious incident took place. A worker came drunk to duty, began playing cards, and using very filthy language. When Chatterjee strongly objected to this, the worker got up and slapped Chatterjee. Later, the worker went to his union - and reported that Chatterjee had assaulted him while he was performing his duties.

Chatterjee had no idea that the situation would take such a turn. He, therefore, never bothered to report the matter to his boss or collect evidence in support of his case.

The union took the case to Shukla and prevailed over him to take stern action against Chatterjee. Shukla instructed Mukherjee to demote Chatterjee to the rank of a worker. Mukherjee expressed his apprehension that in such a case Chatterjee will be of no use to the department, and.the demotion would adversely affect the morale of all sincere and efficient supervjsors. But Chatterjee was demoted.

Chatterjee continued working in the organisation with all his efficiency, competence, and ability for two months. Then he resigned stating that he had secured better employment elsewh ere. Mukherjee was perturbed at this turn of events. While placing Chatterjee's resignation letter before Shukla, he expressed deep concern at this development.

Shukla called Chief of Personnel for advice on this delicate issue. The Chief of Personnel said, "l think the incident should help us to appreciate the essential qualification required for a successful supervisor. An honest and hardworking man need not necessarily prove to be an elfective supervisor. Something more is required for this as he has to get things done rather than dohimself." Mukherjee said, "l have a high opinion of Chatterjee. He proved his technical compe tence and was sincere at his work. Given some guidance on how to deal ,with the type of persons he had to work with, the sad situation could h.ave been avoided." Shukla said, "l am really sorry to lose Chatterjee, He was very honest and painstaking in his work. But I do not know how I could have helped him; I wonder how he always managed to get into trouble with workers. we know they are illiterates and some of them are tough. But a supervisor must have the ability and presence of mind to deal with such men. I have numerous supervisors, but I never had to teach anybody how to supervise his men."

Questions :

(a) Identify the problems in this case.

(b) Do you think the decision taken by shukla is in keeping with the faith, trust and creating developmental climate in the organisation ? Critically evaluate

(c) How would you help in improving rough and tough behaviour of employees ?




December 2007

SECTION A

1. "Merely designing the organisation structure with efficient groupings to suit its specific requirements may not achieve the desired goals. However ensuring functional integration of these differentiated groups towards the organisational objectives assumes great significance". Elaborate this statement and discuss the underlying issues with suitable examples.

2. What kind of decisions is a manager generally required to make in organisational context ? Differentiate between decision making under risk and under conflict or competition, with suitable examples.

3. What are the basic features of delegation ? What problems do managers generally face in implementing delegation ? Briefly discuss the essential prerequisites for effective delegation.

4. Define and distinguish between the dimensions and determinants of organisational culture. Briefly discuss how culture and ethos are maintained in organisations.

5. Write short notes on any threeof the following :(a) Delphi Technique(b) Johari Window(c) Leadership Styles(d) Matrix Structure(e) Span of Control

SECTION B

6 Read carefully the following case and answer tfre questions given at the end

The Vice President for Prciduction at the AB Steel Plant was giving the Production Department Manager, Mr. Singh, a hard time for not doing anything about his wolk group which rwas perpetually coming late to work and was behind schedule in the performance quotas for several months now. The vice President's contention was that if the production' crew was consistently tardy, the production process was delayed by about 15 minutes on an average per member per day, and this was no way for the department to meet the assigned quotas. "They are losing about 6 to 8 hours of production time per member per month, and you don't seem one bit concerned about it," he yelled at the manager. He added that he was pretty upset about the 'lax management style' of the manager and very clearly stated that unless the manager did something about the tardiness problem, another manager who can manage the crew effectively' will have to be found.

Mr. Singh knows that he has an able and good group of workers but he also realises that they are bored with their work and do not have enough incentives to meet the production quotas. Hence, they seem to respond to the situation by taking it easy and coming late to work by a few minutes everyday. Mr. singh has also noticed that they were taking turns leaving the workplace a few minutes early in the evenings. Even though singh was aware of all this, he pretended not to notice the irregularities and was satisfied that once the workers started their work, they were pretty good at their jobs and often helped to meet rush orders whenever they knew that Mr. Singh was in a bind.

Questions :

(a) What do you think is the real, problem in this case ?

(b) How do you percelve the stand of Mr. Slngh ? Analyse critically.

(c) What intervention should Mr. Singh use to rectify the type, of situation he is presently confronted with ? Discuss giving the reasons.

(d) Discuss the implications of effecting them with your recommendations.

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MS1(S): MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS AND BEHAVIOUR



December 2007

SECTION A

1. "Hiring talent is perhaps not as difficult as is retaining and keeping them motivated. While favourable image of anorganisation may attract someone to get in, at the same time it is also crucial for the employees to find appreciation for and satisfaction from their work." Elaborate this statement and critically discuss the underlying issues.

2. Compare and contrast Theory X and Y. Critically analyse their relevance in today's organisations facing global competition.

3. What is a group ? Why do individuals join groups ? Discuss with example the characteristics of effective work group.

4. Briefly describe various sources of conflict and its impact on organisational processes. Explain with example.


(a) Brain-storming(b) Socialisation process in an organisation(c) MIS(d) Methods of control(e) Types of power

SECTION B

6. Read the case and answer the questions given at the end of the case.

PK Mills manufactures woollen clothes. Over the years, it has earned an envious reputation in the market. People associate PK Mills with high quality woollen garments. Most of the existing employees have joined the company long back and are nearing retirement stage. The process of replacing these old employees with younger ones, drawn from the nearby areas, has already begun. Recently, the quality of the garments has deteriorated considerably. Though the company employs the best material that is available, the workmanship has gone down. Consequently, the company has lost its customers in the surrounding areas to a great extent. The company stands, in the eyes of general public, depreciated and devalued. The production manager, in a frantic bid to recover lost ground, held several meetings with his staff but all in vain. The pr:oblem, of course, has its roots in the production department itself. The young workers have started resisting the bureaucratic rules and regulations vehemently. The hatred against regimentation and tight control is total. The old workers, on the verge of retirement, say that conditions have changed considerably in recent years. In.the days gone by, they say, they were guided by a process of self-control in place of bureaucratic control. Each worker did his work diligently and honestly under the old set-up. In an attempt to restructure the organizational set-up, the managers who have been appointed afterwards brought about radical changes. Workers under the new contract, had very little freedom in the workplace. They are expected to bend their will to rules and regulations. Witnessing the difference between the two 'cultures' the young workers, naturally, began to oppose the regulatory mechanism devised by top management. The pent-up feelings of frustration and resentment against management, like a gathering storm, have resulted in volcanic eruptions leading to violent arguments between young workers and foremen on the shop-floor. In the process production has suffered, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The production manager in an attempt to weather out the storm, is seriously thinking of bringing about a radical change in the control process that is prevailing now in the organization.

Questions :

(a) What are the core issues the case ?

(b) Do you agree with the statement "The probiem, of course, has its roots in tl-p production department itself" ? Reason out your stand.

(c) Critically evaluate the finding that old supervisors complain and new workers too resist any type of control.

(d) What type of control system would you suggest to the company to improve the production ?

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June 2007

1. What are the characteristics of a professional manager? Briefly discuss the profile of various tasks performed by a professional manager in an organisational set-up, with suitable examples.

2. "A decision maker may not have complete knowledge about decision alternatives, outcome of chosen alternative. These conditions of knowledge are often referred to as 'States of Nature'". Elaborate on the state and discuss the underlying concepts with suitable examples.

3. Why is communication important for smooth functioning of an organisation ? Explain with examples, the various channels of formal and informal communication in an organisational set-up.

4. What is delegation ? What are the basic elements of delegation of authority and problems faced in doing so in an organisational set-up. Explain with suitable examples.


(i) Leadership styles

(ii) Group formation

(iii) Conflict Handling Strategies

(iv) Building Interpersonal Skills

(v) Span of control and Manageria levels

SECTION - B

6. Please read the case and answer the questions given at the end.

Ms. Renu had graduated with a degree in foreign languages. As the child of a military family, she had visited many parts of the world and had travelled extensively in Europe. Depsite these broadening exeriences, she had never given much thought to a career until her recent divorce.

Needing to provide her own income, Ms. Renu began to look for work. After a faily intense but unsuccessful search for a job related to her foreign language degree, she began to evaluate her other skills. She had become a proficient typist in college and decided to look

into secretarial work. Although she still wanted a career utilizing her foreign language skills, she felt that the immediate financial pressures woudld be eased in a temporary secretarial position.

Within a short period fo time, she was hired as a clerk/typist in a typical pool at Life Insurance Company. Six months later, she became the top typist in the pool and and was assigned as secretary to Mrs. Khan' manager of marketing research. She was pleased to get out of the pool and to get a job that had more variety in the tasks to perform. Besides, she also got a nice raise in pay.

Everything seemed to proceed well for the next nine months. Mrs. Khan was pleased with Renu's work, and she seemed happy with her work. Renu applied for a few other more professional jobs in other areas during this time. However, each time her application was reiected for lack of related education and/or experi ence in the area.

Over the next few months, Khan noticed changes in Renu. She did not always dress as neatly as she had in the past, she was occasionally late for work, some of her lunches extended to two hours, and most of her productive work was done in the morning hours. Khan did not wish to say anything because Renu had been doing an excellent job and her job tasks still were being accomplished on time. How ever, Renu's job behaviour continued to worsen. She began to be absent frequently on Mondays or Fridays. The two-hour lunch periods became standard, and her work performance began to deteriorate. In addition, Khan began to suspect that Renu was drinking heavily, due to her apearance some mornings and behavior after two-hour lunches.

Khan decided that she must confront Renu with the problem. However, she wanted to find a way to held her without losing a valuable employee. Before she could set up a meeting, Renu burst through her fdoor after lunch one day and siad:

"I want to talk to you Mrs. Khan"

"That's fine," Khan replied. "Shall we set a convenient time?"

"No! I want to talk now."

"OK, why don't you sit down and let's talk?"

Khan noticed that Renu was slurring her words slightly and she was not too steady.

"Mrs. Khan, I need some vacation time."

"I'm sure we can work that out. You've been with company for over a year and have two weeks vacation coming."

"No, you don't understand. I want to start it tomorrow."

"But, Renu, we need to plan to get a temporary replacement. We can't just let your job go for two weeks".

"Why not ? Anyway anyone with an IQ above 50 can do my job. Besides,I need the time off. "

"Renu , are you sure you are all right ?"

"Yes, I just need some time away from the job."

Khan decided to let Renu have the vacation, which would allow her some time to decide what to do about the situation.

Khan thought about the situation the next couple of days. It was possible that Renu was an alcoholic.

However, she also seemed to have a negative reaction to her job. Maybe Renu was bored with her job. She did not have the experi ence or job skills to move to a different type of job at present. Khan decided to meet with the Personnel Manager and get some help developing her options to deal with Renu's problem.

Questions :

(a) What is the problem in your opinion ? Elaborate.

(b) How would you explain the behaviour of Renu and Mrs. Khan? Did Mrs. Khan handle the situation timely and properly?

(c) Assume that you are the Personnel Manager. What are the alternatives available with Mrs. Khan?

(d) What do you consider the best alternative? Why?




June 2007

1. "The degree of involvement of managers with various management processes may differ from manager to manager. But all managers have to be concerned with all the processes in an organizational set-up." Elaborate this staterrlent and discuss briefly the underlying concepts with suitable examples.

2. Explain the term 'Bounded Rationality'. What are the factors leading to bounded rationality and satisficing decisions ? Discuss.

3. How is Strategic Planning different from Operational Planning ? Discuss with suitable examples. What are the essential steps in formulating a plan ? Describe with illustration.

4. What is the significance of Organisation Structure and Organisation Chart in the functioning and efficiency of an organisation ? Discuss with examples, the factors which influence the choice of the structure of an organisation.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :(i) Theories of Leadership(ii) Johari Window(iii) Organisation Culture(iv) Control Process(v) M.B.O.

SECTION B

6. Please read the case and answert he questions given at the end.

John was rapidly becoming the main topic of discussion for the workers on E-shift. For the past year, he had been working in the jeep-transportation department at a large manufacturing plant. His record of attendance was good and his work was considered far above average by his immediate supervisor. His supervisor also considered John the informal leader of the transportation department. This feeling was shared by the foreman and the other workers.

Lately, though, John had been seen by several supervisors breaking different safety regulations. Most of the violations would have been of no more consequence than a god talking to, so the supervisorsl et them slide.

Finally, John was caught by the plant safety supervisor without his safety glasses on. This resulted in his being laid off without pay for five working days.

It was was the plant's policy that safety glasses must be to gain admittance to the plant and must be wom times in the plant. This policy was to ensure that no employee would lose his eye-sightfrom an accident or from a resulting fire.

This written policy stated that an employee who was caught not wearing his safety glasses would for the first offence get a five day lay-off and then for a second oflence get another five day suspension. After John returned to work, he was again observed not wearing his safety devices. Within a few days of his return, John was caught by the same safety supervisor without his safety glasses. The supervisor informed John in an angry voice, "l m getting tired of writing you up for stupid mistakes." At this point, John replied, "Why don't you go home and smash your head. " The supervisor then struck John, dt which point John proceeded to beat the supervisor unconscious.

John was laid off from work until the company could decide what action to take regarding the fight. After a brief meeting the next day, Mr. Prasad, the transportation supervisor, informed John that he was terminated. A union steward then asked Mr. Prasad about the fate of the supervisor. Mr. Prasad replied, "He will remain at work as far as I know. " The union steward immediately stepped to the telephone and called the union president. From the ensuing conversation, Mr. Prasad learnt that a wild cat strike might be ordered over the firing of John and not the supervisor.

Mr. Prasad knew that it was the company's stated policy that whoever started or was involved in a fight would be terminated immediately. Mr. Prasad was beginning to wonder whether the company had rnade a mistake in its decision and what should be done now.

Questions:

(a) What is the problem in the case ?

(b) How do you see the behaviour of the safety supervisor ? What would you do if you were the safety supervisor ?

(c) How do you see the change in John's behaviour from an informal leader to the one involved in a fight with a supervisor vis-d-vis the company's policy ?

(d) Could Mr. Prasad and the safep supervisor have prevented John's case at the initial level ?




SECTION A

1. Define and describe control in the context of an organisation . Discuss various characteristics and pre-requisites for instituting an effective control mechanism in an organisation. Explain with example.

2. Under what conditions does it become imperative to stimulate conflict in an organisation? Briefly discuss the techniques of conflict management in an organisational set-up.

3. How and why are the tasks and activities differentiated within an organisation? Discuss with suitable examples.

4. Define and describe the concept and key features of MBO. To what extent is MBO feasible and useful in the context of the present business scenario? Critically analyse with suitable examples.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following

(i) Channels of Communication

(ii) Matrix Structure

(iii) Formal / Informal groups

(iv) Leadership

(v) Decision making models

SECTION B


One afternoon in January 1982, John, industrial engineer of ABC company, was called to the office of his immediate superior Nair, the production manager. Nair said, 'John I want to discuss a situation in the production department. A lot of people feel that Govinda is not the right man for the Assistant Superintendcnts position. The President and others have decided that I have got to fire Govinda or at least move him out of production. Everyone wants to fire Govinda, but I wont do it to him. I was talking with Bhadra this morning, and we deckled that you might be able to make use of Govinda in your department.'

John was surprised by both the information, and the proposal.

Nair concluded his comments with, 'John. I am asking you to take Govinda. You can say 'No'. But then he gets fired. I have told Govinda this. Also, Govinda knows that if he goes with you, he will take a pay cut. However, I think you can make use of him both to your own and his satisfaction. You are, anyway, carrying out an in-process quality control and you might to able to make good use of Govinda in view of his long technical experience of production work. Think It over, and let me know by tomorrow.'

John thought over the matter

ABC company had been a successful enterprise until March 1982 at which time it suffered a sharp decline of profits : Sales had fallen off, and production costs had risen. The President adopted three measures which he hoped would improve the condition. FIrst, by creating an Industrial Engineering Department for establishing work standards on all production operations, to determine which manufacturing costs were out of line and where remedial action should be taken. John, 28 years old, who had been with the company for two years in the Purchasing Department, was selected. John had WE. and MBA degrees to his credit. What he lacked in his business experience, he made up by his eagerness to learn. He was ambitious and liked by his associates. He wanted a transfer from Purchasing to Production for better opportunities for advancement.

Secondly, he consulted a Management Consultation firm to make a study of the Production Department. They pointed out that the chain of command was too long from Production Manager through Plant Superintendent through Assistant Superintendent to Foremen. They recommended the elimination of the position of Assistant Superintendent.

Thirdly, he engaged an Industrial Psychologist to appraise all the Supervisory Personnel.

Govinda had been with the company for 20 years since its founding and during this period had worked on every production operation, and his last 11 years had been in supervisory capacity. His manners were rough and aggressive, he had little formal education. The Industrial Psychologists report about Govinda contained the following points

(i) Evaluation for the position of Assistant Superintendent : Not good enough.

(ii) Capacity for good human relations in supervision will have friction frequently.

(iii) Need for development counselling : Counselling greatly needed.

(iv) General Evaluation : Govinda had a good ability profile. He suffers from a sense of inferiority. He does not like the responsibility of making decisions. His supervision is that of Autocratic type. Though he has the ability, as far as his personality make-up is

Questions :

(a) What is the problem in the case? Explain.

(b) Explain Govinda's behaviour and work experience vis-a-vis the psychologist's report.

(c) How do you see Nair's suggestion to John? Give reasons.

(d) What are John's considerations in taking a decision? What should he do? Explain.




SECTION A

1. What kind of decisions is a manager generally required to make in organisational context? Explain with examples as to which of these correspond to programmed And non-programmed categories.

2. Define 'Planning'. Discuss various components that would make a plan effecti,b and successful in achieving its objectives. Explain with relevant examples.

3. Why do people generally resist change? Do personal factors play a role in this process? Briefly discuss the common coping strategies for change.

4. How would you differentiate between a successful and an effective leader? Enumerating various leadership theories, briefly discuss various aspects of the Managerial Grid Theory.


(i) Managerial values and Ethos

(ii) Socialisation process in an organisation

(iii) Management Information Systems

(iv) Johari Window

(v) MBO

SECTION B


Roy, the president and founder of Electric Manufacturing Corporation (EMCORP) is wondering how he can follow the advice of his doctor, who had told him to take it easy after

last year's coronary attack. EMCORP manufactures a full line of fractional horsepower electric motors sold to both original equipment manufacturers and distributors throughout the country. At present, the company employs approximately 1,000 people.

Roy, an engineer, has maintained tight control over all major functions throughout the years, and though each of the heads of the engineering, manufacturing, sales, finance and personnel departments has the title of vice-president, they come to Roy for approval before making any change in procedure. Usually, each of these executives sees Roy several times a day. Thrj personnel director once suggested a weekly meeting, but Roy voted the idea as too time consuming. Now. worried about his health as well as the problems of the company, Roy is beginning to feel the need for some relief from the constant pressure.

The manufacturing rising costs department shows a picture of, consistent failure to meet deliverv schedules, and an increasing nurnber of quality complaints. John, Vice President Manufacturing, admits to poor performance, but says that the cost ligures from accounting are pure history and of no use since they do not reach manufacturing until the fifteenth of the month following the month in which the work is completed. He states that his failure to meet delivery schedules is due almost entirely to the fact that the sales department makes unrealistic promises, and does not bother to check manufacturing schedules. John attributes most of the quality problems to the incessant flow of engineering changes that come without warning and with no time to work out the production problems present in all new products. Roy admits to himself that he had asked Smyth, Vice President Engineering, to put all the approved changes into production immediately.

The vice president and general manager of sales, Rita, recognizes that she has no knowledge of the manufacturing schedules and realizes that she, too, is being criticized by Roy for many broken promises in regard to delivery dates. Howevgr, Rita's chief complaint at the present time is the result of having sold a large order of standard motors to a distributor having a supply of replacement parts in stock, and then discovering that engineering had changed specifications : a change that made all replacement parts in the field obsolete. Another irritant for Rita is the tightening of credit requirements instituted by the finance department without prior consultation with the sales department. Again, Roy admits to himself that it is the same engineering change which caused so much trouble in manufacturing that is causing trouble for the sales department and making obsolete the existing stock of replacement parts. He also realizes that at his request, due to an unusually short cash position, the finance department tightened up on credit requirement.

Questions

(a) Define the major problem of EMCORP's management.

(b) Will the formation of a committee be of any value in this situation? If a committee is needed, assign a title to the committee and indicate who should be members of the committee?

(c) In the event that Roy decides to retire, will the presence of a committee make it easier or more difficult for Roy's successor? Discuss.




December 2005

SECTION A

1. Identify various responsibilities of a professional manager. Highlight any five important responsibilities of a manager in an organizational set-up and bring out their functional consequences with suitable examples.

2. Explain with examples the various phases and types of managerial decision making.

3. Describe how and why conflict is generated in the organization and briefly discuss various modes of conflict management.

'Having designed the organisation structure, to suit the specific needs of the company and its environment, on the basis of most efficient grouping, it becomes desirable to ensure that these differentiated groups are integrated towards the common organisational objectives.

Elaborate and discuss the underlying issues in this ststement.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :(i) Sustaining leadership effectiveness(ii) Managerial values and ethos(iii) Matrix structure(iv) Policies and design choices in control(v) Challenges of change

SECTION B


Mr. Banerjee is the Chief Executive of a medium sized pharmaceutical firm in Calcutta. He holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacy. However, he has not been involved in research and development of new products for two decades. Though turnover is not a problem for the company, Mr. Banerjee and his senior colleagues noticed that the workers on hourly basis are not working upto their full potential. It is a well known fact that they filled their days wiih unnecessary and unproductive activities and worked only for the sake of a pay cheque. In the recent past the situation has become quite alarming as the organization began to crumble under the weight of uneconomical effort. The situation demanded immediate managerial attention and prompt rectificational measures. Mr. Banerjee knew very well that the only way to progress and prosper is to motivate workers to peak performance through various incentive plans.

One fine morning, Mr. Banerjee contacted the Personnel Manager and enquired : "What is the problem with the workers on hourly basis ? The wage bill shows that we pay them the highest in the industry. Our working conditions are fine. Our fringe benefits are excellent. Still these workers are not motivated. What do they require really ?" The personnel Manager gave the following reply : "l have already informed you a number of times, that money, working conditions and benefits are not enough, Other things are equally important. One of the workers in that group recently gave me a clue as to why more and more workers ara joining the bandwagon of non-performers'. He felt bad that hard work and efficiency go

unnoticed and unreward, in our organization. Our promotions and benefit plans are tied to length of service. Even the lazy workers, accordingly, enjoy all the benefits in the organization. which, in fact, according to the worker, should go to only those who work hard." Mr Banerjee then wanted the personnel Manager to look into the problem more closely and find out a solution to the problems of workers on hourly basis.

Questions :

(a) What is the key problem in the case ? What probably may be the "other things" which the personnel Manager is pointing out to Mr. Banerjee ?

(b) Discuss the problem of motivation in this case, relating to Herzberg's theory.

(c) What would be your recommendations as personnel Manager to tackle the problem in the organization ?

MS1 : MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS AND BEHAVIOUR



Section A

1. Enumerate various systems and processes involved in managing an organisation. Briefly explain system concept and its inter-relationship with sub systems in an organisational set-up.

2. Discuss various techniques used in decision making. Describe what are the main barriers to effective decision making. Explain with examples.

3. How do Traditional, Behavioural and lnteractionist views explain the process of conflict ? Evaluate the changes which take place within and between the groups as a result of long standing inter-group conflict.

4. "Various multi-faceted task and activities of an organisation have to be differentiated into smaller, manageable components to facilitate efficient achievement of objectives" . Elaborate this statement and discuss underlying issues with suitable examples.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :(i) Responsibilities of a manager towards society(ii) MBO(iii) Organisational culture and climate(iv) Span of control and levels of management(v) Leadership styles

SECTION B

6. Please read the case and answer the questions given at the end :

Case

One afternoon in June 1972, Seth, the industrial engineer of ABC Company, was called to the office of his immediate superior Kapil, the production manager. Kapil said, "Seth. I want to discuss a situation in the production department. A lot of people feel that Joshi is not the right man for the Assistant Superintendent's position. The President and others have decided that I have got to fire Joshi or at least move him out of production. Everyone wants to fire Joshi, but I won't do it to him. I was talking with Bhal this morning, and we decided that you might be able to make use of Joshi in your department."

Seth was surprised by both the information, and the proposal.

Kapil concluded his comments with, "Seth I am asking you to take Joshi. You can say 'No'. But then he gets fired. I have told Joshi this. Also, Joshi knows that if he goes with you he will take a pay cut. However, I think you can make use of him both to your own and his satisfaction. You are, anyway, carrying out an in-process quality control, and you might be able to make good use of Joshi in view ol his long technical experience of production work. Think it over, and let me know by tomorrow".

Seth thought over the matter.

ABC Company had bear a successful enterprise until March 1972 at which time it suffered a sharp decline of profits : sales had fallen off, and production costs had risen. The President adopted three measures which he hoped would improve the condition. First, by creating an Industrial Engineering department for establishing work standards on all production operations, to determine which manufacturing costs were out of line and where remedial action should be taken. Seth, 28 yeals old, who had been wiih the company for two years in the Purchasing department, was selected Seth had B.E. and M.B.A. degrees to his credit. What he lacked in his business experience he made up by his eagerness to learn. He was ambitious and liked by his associates. He wanted a translet from Purchasing to Production for better opportunities for advancement.


Thirdly, he engaged an Industrial Psychologist to appraise all the Supevisory, Personnel.

Joshi had been with the Company for 20 years since its founding, and during this period had worked on every production operation, and his last 11 years had been in supervisory capacity. His manners were rough and aggressive, and he had little formal education. The Industrial Psychologists report about Joshi contained the following points :

(i) Evaluation for the position of Assistant Superintendent, Not good enough.(ii) Capacity for good human relations in supervision : Will have friction frequently.(iii) Need for development counselling : Counselling greatly needed.(v) General evaluation : Joshi had a good ability profile. He suffers from a sense of inferiority. He does not like the responsibility of making decisions. His supervision is that of Autocratic type. Though he has the ability, as far as his personality make-up is concerned, he is out of place in the present position.

Questions :

(a) What is the core problem in the case ? Explain.

(b) Explain Joshi's behaviour and work experience vis-a-vis the psychologist's report.

(c) How do you see Kapil's suggestion to Seth ? Give reasons.

(d) What are Seth's considerations in taking a decision ? What should he do ? Explain.




SECTION A

1. Briefly discuss the various managerial skills. Discuss with suitable examples the interplay between the different skills and contextual domains. (15)

2. Describe the various channels of communication in an organization. What are the characteristics of grapevine as summarized by Keith Davis ? (15)

3. What is 'control' in context to an organization ? Explain the prerequisites and characteristics of an effective control Do you agree with the statement "Delegation of auihority is not same as Division of work" ? Explain the various elements of Delegation. (15)

4. What do you understand by Line and Staff relationships ? What is Matrix structure of Organization ? (15)

5. Write short notes on any three of the following : (15)(i) MBO(ii) Determinants of Organizational Culture(iii) Types of Organizational Conflict(iv) The Domino effect(v) Span of Control

SECTION B

7. Read the case carefully and answer the questions given at the end. (40)

Ceylon Fertilizer is a urea manufacturing unit having a capacity of 500 tonnes per day. The total work force of the plant is around 2,000. Being a self-contained plant, it has its own workshop in order to take care of regular maintenance work. The workshop functions in two shifts a day under ; shift incharge for each shift who is in the cadre of AEE. The workers have been grouped into two groups, i.e., Relay 'A'and 'B'. The shift routine changes once a week,

Sunday being the weekly holiday Besides the two shifts, there are a group of people under a Senior AEE attending in general shift hours.

The Relay 'A', consisting of 18 workers is placed under the charge of Shri Muthu who is a graduate in mechanical engineering. After undergoing training for a period of six months in various divisions in fertilizers, he had acquired a thorough knowledge of works to be undertaken by the Workshop After being a Relay Supervisor for 3 years, he has been recently promoted to the post of AEE, who is the shift incharge. When he joined the workshop, he found that the tasks were done with the application of thumb-rules and higher officers had to be satisfied with such a quality of work.

Shri Muthu, on witnessing this, started to instruct his workers in various theoretical aspects of welding, machining etc.. which he had studied in his college. They all highly appreciated the skill and techniques he had taught. The workers now learnt to do things in a better way. Thus, he gained the confidence of workers. As he was able to finish his work in time and in a better way than Relay 'B', more work orders were allotted to his group. A few workers in this group started to grumble and one of the Foremen came and told Mr. Muthu that the "other relay workers do not have much work load and our workers too do not want to strain much and they are murmuring over getting more work." Muthu, however, convinced the Foreman that extra work should be taken as a credit and recognition, and they should do their best. After this had happened some workers even tried to get transferred to the other Relay.

One morning, Muthu was making arrangements for the work to be taken and was giving instructions to his foreman. Turner, Kali, came and told him, "Sir, father of Fitter Sami expired last night and we all want to go and attend the funeral" and added "it is customary for the men in the workshop to attend such funerals and the shift-incharge has to arrange a lorry or any conveyance for the people to go to Sami's house, which is nearly eight km from the Plant. Since Muthu joined the company, this was the first such instance occurring and as he had to finish some urgent work orders. He told the worker Kali, "You all need not go to the funeral. I can, however, permit a few of you as representatives of Relay 'A' to go and offer condolences to Sami's famiiy." Further, he regretted that he would not make any arrangements for conveyance, This statement created a turbulence among the workers and a group of workers stopped the work and started demanding that they be allowed to attend the funeral or else they wanted to stop work in the coming shifts. The Foreman hurried up to AEE, Mr. Muthu to explain the turbulent situation on the shop-floor.

On hearing this, Muthu told his Foreman, "I have given you an alternative and I have already told the urgency of work and I am going to allocate the work as per plannlng schedule. If the work is not done, I may have to take action against you." Then the group of workers started discussing among themselves as to what to do next. A Turner came forth and said, "You are not considerate enough on human matters and if yoll are still adamant we may prefer half-a-day wages cut as we must go and attend the funeral. Anyhow you have to make arrangements f r our conveyance." Muthu at this instance noted that a small group, who were usually complaining about the workload and were murmuring, were keenly interested in the affair. He decided to face the situation as a matter of prestige. He issued the gate pass to whoever wished to go, still emphasizing that he would not arrange any conveyance. Nearly 25 per cent of the workers remained and the others collected money from all for the funeral and went off.

On that day, Muthu could finish only a part of the work as planned and he had to explain what had happened in his Relay, to his boss.

When he came the next morning, it was rumoured that only a few of the workers attended the funeral and the others had gone to the cinema theatre near the village. Muthu got

irritated by the workers' behaviour and started writing memos to those who had received the gate pass the previous day. Some workers got annoyed by this action of Muthu and they aproached the union to intervene. The news had spread to other divisions and there was an air oI protest at all places in the Fertilizer Plant.

Questions :

(a) What is your view of the action taken by Mr. Muthu ?

(b) What are the weakness and strong points, as you consider, of Mr. Muthu as a Manager ?

(c) How would you have tackled the situation, if you were Mr. Muthu ?




SECTION A

1 Describe various tasks and responsibilities of a professional manager in today’s context. Cite suitable examples from your experience.

2 Explain briefly the major elements of management processes. what new skills would a manager require as he/she moves from middle to top management level? Discuss.

3 Differentiate between the decision-making models and techniques. Explain with suitable examples.

4 What are the various determinants of organistional culture? How does leadership influence the culture of an organisation? Discuss.

5 Identify major sources of conflict in an organisation. What approaches will you suggest for managing conflict in a service organisation in today’s context?

6 Describe the inter-personal needs in terms of expressed behaivour and wanted behaviour. Give suitable examples.

7 Write short notes on any three of the following :(i) Delegation and Decentralisation(ii) Process of organizational change(iii) Johari Window model of communication(iv) Enriching relationship with others(v) Group dynamics

SECTION B

8 Read the case and answer th question given at the end.

The ABC Manufacturing Company is a plant under the direction of a plant manager who is known as a strict disciplinarian. One day a strict disciplinarian. One day a foreman noticed Bhola,one of the workers, at the time-clock punching out two cards- his own and the card of Nathu, a fellow worker. Since it was the rule of the company that each man must punch out his own card, the foreman asked Bhola to accompany him to the Personnel Director,who interpreted the incident as a direct violation of a rule and gave immediate notice of discharge to both workers.

The two workers came to see the Personnel Director on the following day. Nathu claimed innocence on the ground that he had not asked for his card to be punched and did not know at the time that it was being punched. He had been offered a ride by a frienf who could not wait for him to go through the punch-out procedure. Nathu was worried about his wife who was ill at home and was anxious to reach home and was anxious to reach home as quickly as possible. He planned to take his card to the foreman the next morning for reintatement, a provision sometimes exercised in such cases.

These circumstances were verified by Bhola. He claimed that he had punched Nathu’s card the same time he punched his own, not being conscious of any wrongdoing.

The Personnel Director was inclined to believe the story of the two men but did not feel he could reverse the action taken. He recognized that these men were good workers and had good records prior to this incident. Nevertheless, they had violated a rule for which the penalty was immediate discharge. He also reminded them that it was the policy of the company to enforce the rules without exception.

A few days later the Personnel Director, the plant Manager, and the Sales Manager sat together at lunch. The Sales Manager reported that he was faced with the necessity of notifying one of their best customers that his order must be delayed because of the inability of one department to conform to schedule. The department in question was the one from which the two workers had been discharged. Not only had men to date, but disgruntlement over the incident had led to significant decline in the cooperation of other workers.

The Personnel Director and the Sales Manager took the position that the discharge of these two valuable men could have been avoided if there had been provision for considering the incident was costly to the company in the possible loss of a costomer,in the dissatisfaction within the employee group, and in the time and money that would be involved in recruiting and training replacements.

The Plant Manager could not agree with this point of view. “ We must have rules if we are to have efficiency; and the rules are no good unless we enforce them. Further more, if we start considering all these variations in circumstances, we start considering all these variations in circumstances, we will find ourselves loaded down with everybody thinking he is an exception.” He admitted that the grievances were frequent but countered with the point that they could be of little consequence if the contract agreed to by the union was followed to the letter.

Questions

1 Place yourself in the position of the Personnel Director in this situation. Which of the following courses of the information which he has available at the time of the decision?(a) Would you have discharged both men?(b) Would you have discharged Bhola only?(c) Would you have discharged Nathu only?(d) Would you have discharged neither of them?

Justify your choice of decision.

2 What policy and procedural changes would you recommend for the handling of future cases of this type?




SECTION A

1. What are the various determinants of organizational culture? How does leadership influence the culture of an organisation?

2. Describe the responsibilities of a professional manager towards customers and society. Illustrate your answer with suitable example.

3. Why do people generally resist change? Identify the major factors which play a significant role in this process. Discuss, what are the common strategies for change and its management.

4. Describe conflict avoidance, conflict diffusion and conflict confrontation strategies with the help of suitable examples.

5. Distinguish between decision making under risk and decision making under conflict or competition. Support your answer with suitable examples.

6. “Managers are known by the work they do and the function they perform.” Elaborate and critically evaluate the statement.

7. Write short notes on any three of the following:

(a) Line and Staff functions(b) Managerial Values and Ethos(c) Socialization process in an organization(d) Management Information System(e) Theory X and Y

SECTION B

8. Please read the case given and answer the questions that follow:

Ceylon Fertilizer is a urea-manufacturing unit having a capacity of 500 tonnes per day. The total work force of the plant is around 2,000. Being a self-contained plant, it has its own workshop in order to take care of regular maintenance work. The workshop functions in two shifts a day under a shift in charge for each shift who is in the cadre of AEE. The workers have been grouped into two groups, i.e., Relay ‘A’ and ‘B’. The shift routine changes once a week, Sunday being a weekly holiday. Besides the two shifts, there are a group of people

under a Senior AEE attending in general shift hours.

The Relay ‘A’, consisting of 18 workers is placed under the charge of Shri Muthu who is a graduate in mechanical engineering. After undergoing training for a period of six months in various divisions in fertilizer, he had acquired a thorough knowledge of works to be undertaken by the Workshop. After being as a Relay Supervisor for 3 years, he has been recently promoted to the post of AEE, who is the shift in charge. When he joined the workshop, he found that the tasks were done with application of thumb-rules and higher officers had to be satisfied with such a quality of work.

Shri muthu, on witnessing this, started to instruct his workers in various theoretical aspects of welding, machining etc., which he had studied in his college. They all highly appreciated the skill and techniques he had taught. The workers now learnt to do things in a better way. Thus, he gained the confidence of workers. As he was able to finish his work in time and in a better way than Relay ‘B’, more work orders were allotted to his group. A few workers in his group started to grumble and the Foreman came and told Mr. Muthu that the “other relay workers do not have much work-load and our workers too do not want to strain much and they are murmuring over getting more work”. Mr. Muthu, however, convinced the Foreman that extra work should be taken as a credit and recognition, and they should do their best. After this had happened some workers even tried to get transferred to the other-Relay.

One morning, Mr. Muthu was making arrangements for the work to be taken and was giving instructions to his the work to be taken and was giving instructions to his foreman. Turner, Kali, came and told him, “Sir, father of Fitter Sami expired last night and we all want to go and attend the funeral,” and added, “It is customary for the men in workshop to attend such funerals and the shift-incharge has to arrange a lorry or any conveyance for the people to go to Sami’s house, which is nearly eight kms. From the plant.” Since Muthu joined the company, this was first such instance occurring and as he had to finish some urgent work orders, he told the worker Kali, “You all need not go to the funeral. I can, however, permit a few of you as representatives of Relay ‘A’ to go and offer condolences to Sami’s family.” Further, he regretted that he would not make any arrangements for conveyance. This statement created a turbulence among the workers and a group of workers stopped the work and started demanding that they be allowed to attend the funeral or else they wanted to stop work in the coming shifts. Foreman hurried up to AEE Mr. Muthu to explain the turbulent situation in the shop- floor.

On hearing this, Muthu told his Foreman, “I have given you an alternative and I have already told the urgency of work and I am going to allocate the work as per planning schedule. If the work is not done, I may have to take action against you.” Then the group of workers started discussing among themselves as to what to do next. A turner came forth and said, “You are not considerate enough to human matters and if you are still adamant we may prefer half-a-day wages-cut as we must go and attend the funeral. Anyhow you have to make arrangements for our conveyance.” Mr. Muthu at this instance noted that a small group, who were usually complaining about the workload and were murmuring, were keenly interested in the affair. He decided to face the situation as a matter of prestige. He decided to face the situation as a matter of prestige. He issued the gate pass t whoever wished to go, still emphasizing that he would not arrange any conveyance. Nearly 25 per cent of the workers remained and the others collected money from all for the funeral and went off.

On that day Mr. Muthu, could finish only a part of the work as planned and he had to explain what had happened in his Relay, to his boss.

When he came the next morning, it was rumored that only a few of the workers attended the funeral and the others had gone to the cinema theatre near the village. Mr. Muthu got irritated by the workers behavior and started writing memos to those who had received the

gate pass the previous day. Some workers got annoyed by this action of Mr. Muthu and they approached the union to intervene. The news had spread to other divisions and there was an air there was an air of protest at all places in the Fertilizer Plants.

Questions1. What are the dominant features of this case?2. What is your view of the action taken by Mr. Muthu?3. What are the weaknesses and strong points, as you consider, of Mr. Muthu as a Manager?4. How would you have tackled the situation, if you were Mr. Muthu?




SECTION A

1 “Coordination is imperative for the success of any organization.” Explaining the need for coordination suggest the ways to achieve effective coordination in a decentralised private sector manufacturing organisation.

2 Describe the interpersonal needs in terms of expressed and wanted behavior. Cite suitable examples to support your views.

3 Why do managers need to acquire different skills at various levels? What are the skills conceptualized by Katz? Explain how they are proving useful for Indian managers at different levels.

4 Discuss various strategies used in implementing organisational change in the context of a large public sector manufacturing organisation.

5 Identify major barriers of communication and explain why do they arise. Explain ways to overcome these barriers with suitable examples.

6 Write short notes on any three of the following :(i) Delegation and Decentralisation(ii) Line and Staff functions(iii) Theory X and Y(iv) Domino Effect(v) Organisational culture and climate

SECTION B

7 Read the case carefully and answer the questions given at the end.

One afternoon in June 1972, Rao, industrial engineer of P.M.A. company, was called to the office of his immediate superior V.R. Naik, the production manager. Naik said, “Rao, I want to discuss a situation in the production department. A lot of people feel that Govindan is not the right man for the Assistant Superintendent’s position. The President and others have

decided that I have got to fire Govindan or at least move him out of production. Everyone wants to fire Govindan, but I won’t do it to him. I was talking with Bhadra this morning, and we decided that you might be able to make use of Govindan in your department.”

Rao was surprised by both the information, and the proposal.

Naik concluded his comments with, “Rao I am asking you to take Govindan. You can say ‘No’. But then he gets fired. I have told Govindan this. Also, Govindan knows that if he goes with you he will take a pay cut. However, I think you can make use of him both to your own and his satisfaction. You are, anyway, carrying out an in-process quality control, and you might be able to make good use of Govindan in view of his long technical experience of production work. Think it over, and let me know by tomorrow.

Roa thought over the matter.

PMA company had been a successful enterprise until March 1972 at which time it suffered a sharp decline of profits : sales had fallen off, and production costs had risen. The President adopted three measures which he hoped would improve the condition. First, by creating an Industrial Engineering department for establishing work standards on all production operations, to determine which manufacturing costs were out of line and where remedial action should be taken. Rao, 28 years old, who had been with the company for two years in the Purchasing department, was selected. Rao had B.E. and MBA degrees to his credit. What he lacked in his business experience he made up by his eagerness to learn. He was ambitious and liked by his associates. He wanted a transfer from Purchasing to Production for better opportunities for advancement.


Thirdly, he enagaged an Industrial Psychologist to appraise all the Supervisory Personnel.

Govindan had been with the Company for 20 years since its founding and during this period had worked on every production operation, and his last 11 years had been in supervisory capacity. His manners were rough and aggressive, he had little formal education. The Industrial Psychologist’s report about Govindan contained the following points :

1. Evaluation for the position of Assistant Superintendent : Not good enough.

2. Capacity for good human relations in supervision : Will have friction frequently.

3. Need for development counselling : Counselling greatly needed.

4. General evaluation : Govindan had a good ability profile. He suffers from a sense of inferiority. He does not like the responsibility of making decisions. His supervision is that of Autocratic type. Though he has the ability, as far as his personality make-up is concerned, he is out of place in the present position.

Questions :

(a) What is the problem in the case? Explain.

(b) Explain Govindan’s behaviour and work experience vis-a-vis the psychologist’s report.

(c) How do you see Naik’a suggestion to Rao? Give reasons.

(d) What are Rao’s considerations is taking a decision? What should he do? Explain.




SECTION A

1. Define organisational effectiveness. How do you differentiate effectiveness from efficiency? Comment critically with suitable examples from Indian organizations.

2. “Hiring good people is still a relatively simpler task as compared to the task of retaining them. People may join a company because of its favorable image but will stay on only if they find appreciation for and satisfaction from their work.” Critically evaluate the statement and discuss the underlying concepts.

3. What are the salient features of different models of decision making? Explain any two of them in details and compare them.

4. What are the consequences of inter-group conflict? What are the ways to reduce the negative consequences of inter-group conflict?

5. Why do people generally resist change? Do personality factors have any role in the process? Explain common coping mechanisms adopted for managing change.

6. Write short notes on any three of the following:(i) M.B.O.(ii) Managerial Values and Ethos(iii) Brain-Storming(iv) Effective delegation(v) Leadership Styles

SECTION B

7. Read carefully the case and answer the questions given at the end.

SARVODAYA STRUCTURALS LTD.

Sarvodaya Structural Limited was engaged in the fabrication o f heavy structural. The company had six shops besides engineering, accounts, personnel, sales, and administrative departments. It employed 7000 men. The chief executive of the company was the General Manager.

In one of the shops employing 1000 men. 900 tons of structural were fabricated every month. The day-to-day management of the shop was entrusted to the Manager, who was assisted by the shop were Preparation. Marking, and Finishing.

In the Marking and Finishing Sections, the work was supervised by two Foremen each. The Preparation Section was under the direct supervision of the Senior Foreman, who , in addition, planned and coordinated the work of all the three sections. The Preparation Section was responsible for the collection and classification of own and his satisfaction. You are anyway, carrying out an in-process quality control, and you might be able to make good use of Govindan in view of his long technical experience of production work. Think it over, and let me know by tomorrow.

Rao thought over the matter.

PMA company had been a successful enterprise until March 1972 at which time it suffered a sharp decline of profits: sales had fallen off, and production costs had risen. The president adopted three measures which he hoped would improve the condition. First, by creating an Industrial Engineering department for establishing work standards on all production operations, to determine which manufacturing costs were out of line and where remedial action should be taken. Rao. 28 years old, who had been with the company for two years in the Purchasing department, was selected. Rao had B.E. and MBA degrees to his credit. What he lacked in his business experience he made up by his eagerness to learn. He was ambitious and liked by his associates. He wanted a transfer from. Purchasing to Production for better opportunities for advancement.



Govindan had been with the Company for 20 years since its founding and during this period had worked on every production operation, and his last 11 years had been in supervisory capacity. His manners were rough and aggressive, he had little formal education. The industrial Psychologist’s report about Govindan contained the following points:

(i) Evaluation for the position of Assistant Superintendent: Not good enough.(ii) Capacity for good human relations in supervision: Will have friction frequently.(iii) Need for development counseling; Counseling greatly needed.(iv) General evaluation: Govindan had a good ability profile. He suffers from a sense of inferiority. He does not like the responsibility of making decisions. His supervision is that of Autocratic type. Though he has the ability, as far as his personality make-up is concerned, he is out of place in the present position.

Questions:

1. What is the problem in the case? Explain.2. Explain Govindan’s behaviour and work experience vis-à-vis the psychologist’s report.3. How do you see Naik’s suggestion to Rao? Give reasons.4. What are Rao’s considerations is taking a decision? What should he do? Explain.




SECTION A

1 Explain the approaches to leadership and discuss which could be the best suitable style of leadership. Give reasons.

2 “Communication is considered to be the most important and most effective ingredient of the management process.” Elaborate this statement and discuss the underlying concept with suitable examples.

3 Discuss whether you need any control when everything is going as planned.

4 Define organisational structure and explain with suitable examples, how structure and productivity can be linked to each other.

5 Define and differentiate between centralisation and decentralisation of authority. Critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the two systems in organisational context.

6 Write short notes on any three of the following :(i) Delphi technique(i) Johari Window(iii) Democratic vs Laissez-Faire(iv) Semantic barrier(v) Informal groups

SECTION B

7 Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

Ms. Subhashini had graduated with a degree in foreign languages. As the child of a military family, she had visited many parts of the world and had traveled extensively in Europe. Despite these broadening experiences, she had never given much thought to a career until her recent divorce from Mr. Srinivas.

Needing to provide her own income, Ms. Subhashini began to look for work. After a fairly intense but unsuccessful search for a job related to her foreign language degree, she began to evaluate her other skills. She had become a proficient typist in college and decided to look into secretarial work. Although she still wanted a career utilizing her foreign language skills, she felt that the immediate financial pressures would be eased in a temporary secretarial position.

Within a short period of time, she was hired as a clerk/typist in a typing pool at Life Insurance Company. Six months later, she became the top typist in the pool and was assigned as secretary to Mrs. Arora, manager of marketing research. She was pleased to get out of the pool and to get a job that had more variety in the tasks to perform. Besides, she also got a nice raise in pay.

Everything seemed to proceed will for the next nine months. Mrs. Arora was pleased with Subhashini’s work, and she seemed happy with her work. Subhashini applied for a few other more professional jobs in other areas during this time. However, each time her application was rejected for lack of related education and/or experience in the area.

Over the next few months, Arora noticed changes in Subhashini. She did not always dress as neatly as she had in the past, she was occasionally late for work, some of her lunches extended to two hours, and most of her productive work was done in the morning hours. Arora did not wish to say anything because Subhashini had been doing an excellent job and her job tasks still were being accomplished on time. However, Subhashini’s job behavior continued to worsen. She began to be absent frequently on Mondays or Fridays. The two-hour lunch periods became standard, and her work performance began to deteriorate. In addition, Arora began to suspect that Subhashini was drinking heavily, due to her appearance some mornings and behavior after her two-hour lunches.

Arora decided that she must confront Subhashini with the problem. However, she wanted to find a way to help her without losing a valuable employee. Before she could set up a meeting, Subhashini burst through her door after lunch one day and said :

“I want to talk to you Mrs. Arora.”

“That’s fine,” Arora replied, “ Shall we set a convenient time?”

“No ! I want to talk now.”

“OK, why don’t you sit down and let’s talk?”

Arora noticed that Subhashini was slurring her words slightly and she was not too steady.

“Mrs. Arora, I need some vacation time.”

“I’m sure we can work that out. You’ve been with the company for over a year and have two weeks’ vacation coming.”

“No, you don’t understand. I want to start it tomorrow.”

“But, Subhashini, we need to plan to get a temporary replacement. We can’t just let your job go for two weeks.”

“Why not? Anyway anyone with an IQ above 50 can do my job. Besides, I need the time off.”

“Subhashini, are you sure you are all right?”

“Yes, I just need some time away from the job.”

Arora decided to let Subhashini have the vacation, which would allow her some time to decide what to do about the situation.

Arora thought about the situation the next couple of days. It was possible that Subhashini was an alcoholic. Hoever, she also seemed to have a negative reaction to her job. Maybe Subhashini was bored with her job. She did not have the experience or job skills to move to a different type of job at present. Arora decided to meet with the Personnel Manager and get some help developing her options to deal with Subhashini’s problem.

Questions :

1. What is the problem in your opinion? Elaborate.2. Assume that you are the Personnel Manager. What are the alternatives available with Mrs.

Arora?3. What do you consider the best alternative? Why?




1 What are the various determinants of organisational culture? How does leadership influence the culture of an origanisation?

2 Describe the responsibilities of a professional manager towards customers and society. Illustrate your answer with suitable examples.

3 Why do people generally resist change? Do personal factors play a role in this process? What are the common coping strategies for change?

4 Describe conflict avoidance, conflict diffusion and conflict confrontation strategies with the help of suitable examples.

5 Distinguish between decision making under risk and decision making under conflict or competition.

6 Write short notes on any three of the following :(i) Line and staff functions(ii) Managerial values and ethos(iii) Socialisation process in an organisation(iv) Management Information System(v) Theory X and Theory Y

SECTION B

7 Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

CASE

Modern Industries Limited (MIL) in Bangalore, a subsidiary of a multinational company, is a consumer durables manufacturing industry. Presently, the company has over 5000 employees and an annual turnover of about Rs. 75 crores. It is a reputed high-technology industry with a strong team of technological experts.

The company offers an excellent training scheme for fresh technical graduates, known as “Graduate Engineer Training (GET) Scheme” which is of 2 years’ duration. The objective of this scheme is to identify and train engineers for the specialised technological requirements of the company. Over the past decade several fresh graduates have undergone this training programme and at present hold key positions in the organisation, having proved their worth to the company. Even those who have left the organisation are reported to be doing extremely well in their jobs. The company regarded it as a Prize Scheme. It has gained high reputation among the student community and there is keen competition among graduates

country-wide to join this scheme.

Mr. Mohan joined the company as a Graduate Engineer Trainee in 1986 after obtaining his B.Tech. degree in Mechanical Engineering from I.I.T. Bombay. He has secured the second position in the class, and had a brilliant academic record to his credit. After his B.Tech., he had several attractive offers for employment including a scholarship from an American University, but he preferred to join MIL as a GET. He had reasons to do so. Firstly, the scheme had a high reputation and was helping fresh engineers to start their career in industry on a sound footing. Secondly, he was interested in getting practical experience rather than continuing his education. Thirdly, he was the eldest son of his parents, who were settled in Bangalore, and he wanted to stay with them and lessen their financial burden.

He did quite well during his training, which included working in different departments on specific assignments. This helped the trainees to get a feel of the challenges in different functional areas and at the same time enabled the departmental managers to know them. This helped the managers to identify the aptitudes of trainees and place them finally in suitable areas of specialisation.

Mr. Mohan’s training was oriented towards his final placement in the production engineering department. After his training in 1988 he was placed in that department as an Engineer. The job was quite challenging: it called for a lot of hard work and ingenuity. He was required to tackle technical problems related to a particular manufacturing workshop, and was also expected to improve the existing process and parameters. The workshop was one of the key manufacturing areas. He was quick to understand the complexities of his job and was able to show improvements in a short period of time.

The company had a reasonably good system of performance appraisal and rewards, and the contributions of individuals were usually well rewarded. Mr. Mohan earned an additional increment in 1990 in appreciation of his contribution. This encouraged him to work with greater enthusiasm. He was also a member of some of the workgroups, which were formed from time to time for tackling specific problems; and did well in this capacity. He was quite competent in his area of work and earned an extra increment in 1991.

However, trouble started brewing from then onwards. he and his superior, Mr. Tagore did not agree on many matters. Mr. Tagore felt that Mr. Mohan was not cooperative, and tended to be dogmatic in his approach. This adversely affected their work relationship.

Mr. Tagore, who was the head of the production engineering department, had over 25 years’ experience and held a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. He had worked for other organisations before joining the company in 1976. He was placed as Manager of production engineering department in 1984. He had sound practical knowledge and was handling the production engineering department quite effectively.

Generally ex-trainees were considered for promotion after 3 to 4 years of experience. In 1992, many of those who completed training in 1988 were promoted as Senior Engineers. Mr. Mohan was expecting his name to be in the list of promotes, but to his surprise it was not. His performance during the year was rated as normal, and this upset him greatly leading him to feel frustrated. He met the Training Manager and appraised him of the situation. He requested him to arrange for his transfer to some other functional area. The Training Manager took up the case but could not transfer Mr. Mohan, as the workshop serviced by him was a critical one and his expertise was very much in demand there.

The difference between Mr. Tagore and Mr. Mohan were widening and becoming serious on technical matters. Mr. Tagore complained that Mr. Mohan unnecessarily argued on every minor detail, and that this amounted to disobedience. Mr. Mohan was considered an

obstacle to work; his annual increment for 1993 was also withheld.

Mr. Mohan was thoroughly upset. He met the General Manager and contended that he was fully competent in his job and, therefore, there wan no reason for withholding his increment. He argued that his superior was less educated than him, and that this accounted for the widening of differences between him and the Manager. He requested the General Manager to look into the matter, and he promised to do.

A week later, the General Manager called him and informed him that he was being transferred to another department. Mr. Mohan was quite willing to work in that department provided he was posted there on promotion. Inter-departmental transfers were not uncommon. Young engineers, in particular, were transferred from one department to the other with a view building them up for higher positions which required better inter-functional understanding. In all such cases the practice was to post them on promotion. However, Mr. Mohan’s demand was not conceded. He was transferred in June 1993. His performance in the new department was far from satisfactory and he was considered to be a “deadwood” there. He was understandably disgusted. He tried for a scholarship abroad and succeeded. This lead to his decision to quite his job. He left the country in January 1994, full of bitterness and disgust.

Questions :

(a) How did a brilliant engineer turn out to be a “deadwood”?(b) Was Mr. Mohan too sensitive and arrogant?(c) Did Mr. Tagore handle sensitive and intelligent engineers properly?(d) Was it not advisable to transfer Mr. Mohan in 1992 when the signs of trouble were seen?(e) Should Mr. Tagore have stopped Mr. Mohan’s increment in 1993, knowing fully well that he was quite competent?




SECTION A

1(a) What kind of decisions is a manager generally required to make in the organisational context? Explain with examples as to which of these correspond to programmed and non-programmed categories.

(b) Discuss various strategies used in implementing organisational change in the context of a large manufacturing company.

2(a) What is the system approach to management? Explain the salient features of this approach.

(b) Describe various managerial skills briefly. Discuss the roles these skills could play in building an institution.

3(a) Distinguish between the individual and the group decision making, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of group decision making.

(b) Distinguish between individual change and organisational change.

4 Write short notes on any three of the following :(i) Domino Effect(ii) Functional and Dysfunctional conflict(iii) Formal and Informal groups(iv) MBO(v) Organisational Culture and Climate

SECTION B

5 Please read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

One afternoon in June 1972, Rao, industrial engineer of P.M.A. company, was called to the office of his immediate superior V.R. Naik, the production manager. Naik said, “Rao, I want to discuss a situation in the production department. A lot of people feel that Govindan is not the right man for the Assistant Superintendent’s position. The President and others have decided that I have got to fire Govindan or at least move him out of production. Everyone wants to fire Govindan, but I won’t do it to him. I was talking with Bhadra this morning, and we decided that you might be able to make use of Govindan in your department.”

Rao was surprised by both the information, and the proposal.

Naik concluded his comments with, “Rao, I am asking you to take Govindan. You can say ‘No’. But then he gets fired. I have told Govindan this. Also, Govindan knows that if he goes with you he will take a pay cut. However, I think you can make use of him both to your own and his satisfaction. You are, anyway, carrying out an in-process quality control, and you might be able to make good use of Govindan in view of his long technical experience of production work. Think it over, and let me know by tomorrow.”

Rao thought over the matter.

PMA company had been a successful enterprise until March 1972 at which time it suffered a sharp decline of profits : sales had fallen off, and production costs had risen. The President adopted three measures which he hoped would improve the condition. First, by creating an Industrial Engineering Department for establishing work standards on all production operations, to determine which manufacturing costs were out of line and where remedial action should be taken. Rao, 28 years old, who had been with the company for two years in the Purchasing department, was selected. Rao had B.E. and MBA degrees to his credit. What he lacked in his business experience he made up by his eagerness to learn. He was ambitious and liked by his associates. He wanted a transfer from Purchasing to Production for better opportunities for advancement.



Govindan had been with the company for 20 years since its founding and during this period had worked on every production operation, and his last 11 years had been in supervisory

capacity. His manners were rough and aggressive, he had little formal education. The industrial Psychologist’s report about Govindan contained the following points:

(i) Evaluation for the position of Assistant Superintendent : Not good enough.

(ii) Capacity for good human relations in supervision : Will have friction frequently.

(iii) Need for development counseling : Counseling greatly needed.

(iv) General evaluation : Govindan had a good ability profile. He suffers from a sense of inferiority. He does not like the responsibility of making decisions. His supervision is that of Autocratic type. Though he has the ability, as far as his personality make-up is concerned, he is out of place in the present position.

Questions :

1. What is the problem in the case? Explain.2. Explain Govindan’s behavior and work experience vis-à-vis the psychologist’s report.3. How do you see Naik’s suggestion to Rao? Give reasons.4. What are Rao’s considerations in taking a decision? What should he do? Explain.

Documents

Managerial Behaviour and Effectiveness Ques Paper -Ignou