Universidad Central – Departamento de Administració n de Empresas

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
English Virtual Activity, Friday 3rd April 2020
Teacher: Martha Lucía Quiroz Rubiano

DEFINING YOUR JOB

Most job descriptions list a series of activities which the job holder is expected to complete. A different
approach puts the emphasis on what the job holder is expected to achieve. This approach emphasizes
performance effectiveness. A three stage process is involved.

Establish objectives
Objectives are a statement of why the position exists. Sometimes there is a single objective for a position, more
often a number. Here are examples of objectives for managerial positions.

A manager might have three objectives:

 To increase sales revenue.

 To control costs.
 To run the office effectively

Define key result areas

Key result areas refer to those parts of the manager´s work which are critical to achieving the objectives of his
or her position.

A quality manager might have the objective “to ensure product conformity to customer specifications”. Key
result areas might include:

 Agreeing product specifications

 Instrument calibration
 Inspection
 Vendor certification

Set goals
Goals are the standard by which managerial performance is measured. All performance can be measured in
terms of quantity, quality, cost and time. In fact, all goals should include a time factor. Examples of goals are as
follows:

 Increase sales of product X by 5% per quarter over the next 12 months

 Reduce absenteeism to 4% by the end of July
 Hire ten graduate engineers during quarter 1
To set effective goals use the SMART formula. Ensure that goals are:

 Specific
 Measurable
 Attainable but challenging
 Relevant
 Time-orientated

If you are working from a job description, develop objectives, key result areas and standards of performance for
your job. Agree them with your manager.

SOURCE:

https://books.google.com.co/books?id=01XM-
bkhOmgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Management+skills+pdf&hl=es&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiglc2qn5PoAhWFdd
8KHVreBgYQ6AEIQTAC#v=onepage&q&f=false

EXERCISE:

In pairs, write a description of the work you have to do as Business Administration´s students in the hybrid
modality (virtual and face-to-face education) to successfully complete the academic semester; especially, to
face the current contingency of COVID-19 that the world is experiencing right now.

Use this chart to write your description (say as much as you can, but only things that depend on you):

JOB DESCRIPTION

Establish objectives

Define key results areas

Set goals (with the SMART formula)