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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Three

Assignment Cover Sheet

Student Name: Linda Michelo Zyongwe

Student Number: 6483
Course: Diploma in Business Administration – Level 4
Assignment No: Three

Marking Criteria:

We expect the learners to write minimum one well expressed point in three lines against each
allocated mark. This means one needs to write 15 lines with 5 well expressed points to get high
grades for a 5 marks question.

For high grades use examples and illustrations where appropriate.

Please insert your completed assignment ( in word format) here:

Q: 1: Short questions:
i. Define the term “Management”.

Management has been defined by various people in different ways. Below are some
of the most common definitions of management:

“Management involves the processes of planning, organizing, directing and

controlling the organization’s resources in order to achieve the organization’s goals.”
(ABE, 2008 p.21)

“Management is the process of working with and through others to achieve

organizational objectives in a changing environment. Central to this process is the
effective and efficient use of limited resources.” (Kreitner R, 2009 p.5)

“Management may be defined as a process of achieving organizational objectives,

within a changing environment, by balancing efficiency, effectiveness and equity,
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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Three

obtaining the most from limited resources and working with and through people.”
(ZICA, n.d)

“Management can be defined as a set of activities (including planning and decision

making, organizing, leading, and controlling) directed at an organization’s resources
(human, financial, physical, and information), with the aim of achieving organizational
goals in an efficient and effective manner.” (Griffin RW, 2016 p.4)

ii. List different levels of management.

There are three levels of management and these are:

 Top or Senior Management – This is the highest level of management and

has the responsibility of developing strategic plans as well as organization-
wide policy. They have the responsibility of making decisions on which
direction the organization will take. Senior management is made up of the
chief executive officer, president, vice president as well as board members as
they are at the topmost layer of the management hierarchy.

 Middle Management- Middle management are tasked with the responsibility

to communicate the strategic goals that are developed by senior management
down to front-line management. Middle management includes those who work
in the roles of a department manager, regional manager and branch
manager. 

 Low level or First/Front Line Management - This level of management

being the lowest of the three layers, has the responsibility of overseeing the
day to day work of individual members of staff by providing them with
instructions and guidance regarding their work. Low-level management
includes roles such as front-line team leaders, foremen, section leads and
supervisors.

iii. Define the term “equity” as a principle of management

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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Three

Equity is one of the fourteen principles of management according to Henry Fayol.

This principle states that, managers are required to not only be kind but they must
also be just to the workers. This promotes a conducive atmosphere of friendliness
between the superiors and their subordinates. It motivates employees to perform
their duties efficiently and effectively. (Gartner, 2022)

According to Management study guide, 2022, Equity implies that mangers should
treat employees with a combination of fairness, kindness & justice if devotion is
expected of them. Managers should be fair and impartial when dealing with their
subordinates and they should give similar treatment to people of similar levels
without discriminating with respect to age, sex, religion, relation, etc. Equity is
important in the creation and maintenance of cordial relationships between the
managers and sub-ordinates.

iv. State the various functions of management.

For a very long time, the functional view has been the most popular approach to
describing what managers do. Its popularity has been based on the fact that it
characterizes the management process as a sequence of rational and logical steps.
Henri Fayol identified five managerial functions which are planning, organizing,
command, coordination, and control. However, over the years, his original list of
managerial functions has been updated and expanded upon by management
scholars to include planning, decision making, organizing, staffing, communicating,
motivating, leading, and controlling. (Kreitner R, 2009 p.14)

 PLANNING - It is usually referred to as the primary function of management.

It is the creating of future series of actions. Planning gives not only purpose
but also direction to an organization, its subunits, as well as contributing
individuals.

 DECISION MAKING - Managers are required to choose amongst different

series of actions when making decisions. This must be done in a manner that
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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Three

is intelligent and ethical.

 ORGANIZING – This function includes matters such as the chain of

command, division of labor, and assignment of responsibility.

 STAFFING – This function includes recruiting, training, and developing people

who will contribute towards the organized effort.

 COMMUNICATING - Managers are responsible for passing on the technical

knowledge, instructions, rules, and information required to get the job done to
their employees. Communication being a two-way process, requires
managers to be responsive to feedback and upward communications from
subordinates.

 MOTIVATING – Providing employees with a reason to pursue collective

objectives by satisfying needs and meeting expectations with meaningful work
and valued rewards is an important aspect of management. Flexible work
schedules have been found to be very motivational for today’s busy
employees.

 LEADING – This is done when managers serve as role models and adapt
their management style according to the demands of the situation.

 CONTROLLING – The control function is conducted when managers

compare desired results against actual results and take a suitable corrective
action.

v. Match the expressions given in column 1 with those

given in column 2 Column 1 Column 2
a) Management as a discipline i) team of managers
b) Management as a process ii) code of conduct for professionals
c) Management as a group iii) developed and grown
through practice and
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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Three

research
d) Management as a profession iv) series of inter-related activities

Column one Column two

Management as a discipline
Management as a process
Management as a group
Management as a profession
Developed and grown through practice and
research
Series of inter-related activities
Team of managers
Code of conduct for professionals

vi. The following table contains the functions, positions and

different levels of management. Pick one from each
column and make a meaningful combination.

Levels of Position Functions

Management
i. Identifying the
(A) Top a) Departmental Heads and departmental objectives
Managers and guiding lower level
towards achievement of
those objectives
b) Board of directors and ii. Carrying out the
(B) Middle chief executives operations and their
supervision
c) Supervisors and Foremen ii. Defining the objectives
(C) Lower and formulating the
policies
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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Three

Levels of Position Functions

Management

(A) Top a) Board of directors and i. Defining the objectives and

chief executives formulating the policies

(B) Middle b) Departmental Heads and ii. Identifying the

Managers departmental
objectives and guiding
lower level towards
achievement of those
objectives

(C) Lower c) Supervisors and iii. Carrying out the

Foremen operations and their
supervision

Q.2. “Planning is looking forward; whereas controlling is looking back”.

Explain this statement.
(7)

ABE, 2008 p.22-23) explains that, planning is the process by which organizations
determine that which needs to be done. It is the steps taken methodically that come
before action, during which available resources are matched against known or
predicted factors in order to achieve the goals of the organization. It involves
forecasting, setting of goals and making decisions. Understanding where the
organization is not only coming from but also what the future may be like is a key
aspect of this process.

Control involves monitoring as well as regulating performance to ensure that the

performance complies with the plans and goals of the organization. It begins from
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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Three

the instant that plans are made. It involves a continuous process of monitoring and
reviewing how goals are met through performance of the specified activities. In the
event that the performance reality differs from the expected performance, control
ensures that appropriate corrective measures are taken to align with that which was
planned. It assesses the levels of accomplishment by revisiting data such as
financial reports, output totals, qualitative progress reports, etc.

Planning sets the series of actions as well as the desirable standard that is to be
achieved. It sets the criteria required for control and is productive once control is
applied. It looks ahead from the foundation of past data. Plans are always formulated
for the future and determine the future series of actions to be taken for the
successful accomplishment of goals. Therefore, it is said that, planning is looking
forward as it involves predicting the future.

Control, on the other hand, compares the actual events on the ground against the
events that were planned. It checks the actual performance against the standard that
was set. By using control, a manager attempts to determine whether or not the
finished work has been done according to the set standard. Control will identify any
digression from the set course and ensures that corrective measures are initiated.
Controlling requires for an assessment of the past performance to be conducted and
evaluated against the standards that were initially set. In this regard, controlling is
said to be a backward looking function. It is therefore clear, that, planning looks
ahead while controlling looks backward.

Although it is said that planning looks forward and controlling looks backwards, they
do invariably cross over. Planning is not possible unless it looks into the past. A plan
can only be successfully created and implemented through comprehending past
actions, experiences, mistakes and successes. Controlling necessitates looking
forward as well because, as much as looking back to assess past performance is
required, it is equally important to look forward in order to be able to take corrective
measures for any digression from the plan. Control requires that reasons for any
deviations are found and accurate corrective actions are taken in order to prevent
future re-occurrence. Therefore, it can be concluded that, Planning and controlling
are both forward looking as well as backward looking.
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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Three

Case Study
(8)

The directors of Vision Tech have reorganized their business. William Davis is now
Chairman, Vijhay Singh is finance manager, and Irene Rogers is the floor in charge
(supervisor).

Keeping in view the above situation, answer the following questions:

1. What is meant by the hierarchy of management?

Hierarchy of management is a leadership structure in a place of work whereby

authority is assigned in ranks and employees take directions from their superiors. It
is a chain of command. From the case study above, the leadership structure will be
as detailed in the figure below:

 In an organization, the hierarchy is normally such that the highest authority is
located at the top and the level of authority reduces as one goes down the chain.
Information flows upwards to a levels immediate superior or downwards to the
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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Three

immediate subordinate. 

2.  How does William Davis know about any problems on the factory floor?

In a hierarchy, information flows from one level to the next up or down the chain of
command. In this instance, information about the problems on the factory floor will be
communicated from Irene Rogers to her superior who is the finance Director. He in
turn will report to this superior who is the Chairman. Therefore, William Davis will
know about the problems on the factory floor from Vijhay Singh.

3. Who determines the objectives for the business?

The senior management are responsible for setting the overall goals and direction of
an organization. They develop strategic plans as well as company-wide policies and
they make decisions about the direction that the organization should head to. They
are responsible for mobilizing outside resources and are held accountable to an
organization’s shareholders as well as the stakeholders regarding the performance
of the company.

In the case study above, senior management comprised of William Davis and the
Directors will determine the objectives of the organization.

4. Who will ensure that the work is carried out properly and on time?

The lowest level of management is tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the
day to day work of employees and providing them with guidance on their work.
These responsibilities often include ensuring the quality of employees’ work, guiding
employees in their day to day activities as well as providing feedback on their
employees’ performance. 

In the case study above, Irene Rogers will ensure the work is carried out on time and
properly because she is the floor in charge or supervisor.
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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Three

REFERENCES:

1. Association of Business Executives (ABE), Business Management Study

Manuals, 2008, Management in Action.
2. Griffin RW, 2016, Fundamentals of Management, 8 th edition, Cengage
Publishing.

3. Kreitner R, 2009, Management, 11th edition, H M Harcourt Publishing.

4. Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZICA), Business Management

Study Manual, n.d

5. Gartner, Equity Theory, 2022,

https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/glossary/equity-theory
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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Three

6. Management Study Guide, Management Principles, 2022,
https://www.managementstudyguide.com/management_principles.htm

Student Statement:

By submitting this assignment, I confirm that this is my own work.

Student Signature: Linda Michelo Zyongwe Date: 03/06/2022

For Tutor / Assessor Use Only

Total Marks
Marks Obtained
Percentage / Grade
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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Three