QUEENS’ COLLEGE

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT
MASTERS PROGRAM /MBA/

A Book Review
Reviewed by: LUBABA YESUF

Submitted to:

Addis Ababa/Ethiopia
February 19, 2022
Book Information:

This book outlines the difficult responsibility of the manager by rising and providing answers for

questions like what does a manager really do? What is a manager supposed to do? What is the

difference between a manager and a leader? The main topics such as planning, organizing,

leading and controlling are covered, as well as issues such as competitive advantage, team

structure, business ethics, trust and flowcharting. Each section concludes with a comment about

the not-for-profit sector. While there are many similarities between the for-profit and not-for-

profit sectors, there are also differences. These comparisons are explored in some detail. Each

section of the book starts with a running case to bring the material to life. In addition, there are

questions and research opportunities at the end of each section in the text.

Title of the book:

Management Basics

Author:

Susan Quinn, Associate Professor, Bissett School of Business

Susan Quinn has taught and researched at the post-secondary level and consulted to businesses

and not-for-profits for over 30 years. Areas of interest and expertise include leadership, strategy,

ethics, corporate social responsibility, diversity, organizational behavior and human resource

practices.

In her teaching, Susan’s reputation is that she is able to help translate academic theories and

illustrate their applicability (or not) in the business world. She is also a firm believer that “good”
management and human resource principles are straightforward although not in practice as much

as they should be. She hopes that her books take the mystery out of these practices and help

readers make sense of the manager/leader job.

She most recently retired as an Associate Professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary,

Alberta, Canada and continues her interest in the business and not-for-profit world.

Publisher:

BOOKBOON.COM

No. of pages:

75 Pages

Reviewed by: Lubaba Yesuf

I affirm that I have read this book in its entirety.

Basic Theme of the book:

“The key to successful leadership today is influence not authority.”

Book Audiences / Targets/:

The intended audiences of the book are managers and students who want to learn the different

concepts as well as the skills to be an effective manager. The book is also useful to the practicing

managers for them to really understand, what do managers really do? What is a manager

supposed to do? The book is also appropriate to the students for them to identify the crucial

concepts, and ideas of management.

Style used by the author:

The style of writing that is used by the author is descriptive and somehow fictitious. The author

created a fictional character that is used for her to explain the different concepts and situations

related to management. The name of the company and the location are fictional. It is a case that

is based on a real industry, so that readers, instructors and students can research the industry to

apply the concepts and expand the application of the material contained in this text.

Basic Points noted in the book:

In her book, Susan identified management as a universal term applied to for-profit, not-for-profit

and governmental organizations. In line with this definition of management, the author has

vividly noted the difference between a not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. Thereby she

defined a not-for-profit organization as a charity organization which is supposed to raise money

or solicit enough funds to conduct their business, but it is not designed to make a profit, and a

for-profit organization is supposed to make a profit, although not all of them are successful at

this.

Besides, the author of the book has revealed that managers/leaders are found at all levels and

have different titles. To mention some of her points, team or area leader, front-line supervisor,

mid-level manager, department head, vice-president, president, chief executive officer, managing

director and deputy officer are the indicated levels and names that a manger found in different

organizations. She went on to further explain that the job description for a manager changes

depending on what industry they are in, the organizational culture they’re apart of, and whether

they are of a junior or senior position in the organization.

Moreover, the author has identified three management skills as conceptual (being able to see

accurately into the future and the ability to plan and figure out the best direction for the

organization); technical (possessing the necessary technical skills for the position); and human

relations (the ability to lead and motivate the employees supervised which includes the ability to

deal well with all people – others in the organization at all levels, customers, other industry

professionals, etc.)

More importantly, Susan, in her book, has tried to briefly discuss different functions of

management such as planning, organizing, leading and controlling in separate chapters by

providing deep theoretical and practical case studies for each functions and role of management

within the organizations. To begin with planning, the author has tried to show how

organizational planning is helpful to get an answer for questions like: Where are we going?

What is the purpose of the organization? What is NOT the purpose of the organization? How are

we going to get there? (Co-ordinates efforts so that everyone is aiming for the same goals).What

is our competitive advantage? Secondly, the author has tried to show how organizing is helpful

to get an answer for questions like: How are we going to best get the work done? What kind of a

structure will we need to accomplish our goals? (This explains why goal-setting comes first).

In third part, the author explained what Leading/Motivating meant for the organization and the

difference between leaders and managers in detailed manner. And finally, the author provides

brief theoretical and practical overviews regarding the fourth function of management which is

controlling. To this end, Susan identifies controlling as the process of measuring actual

performance in order to check to make sure that what was outlined and detailed in the planning

process has happened. And she adds that, if there is no difference between what was supposed to

happen (from the planning process) and what actually happened (from the control process); this
means that the employees achieved the plan and if there is a difference between what was

supposed to happen (from the planning process) and what actually happened (from the control

process), then a number of factors could be examined.

Usefulness:

A person who can read the book could learn the different tasks and roles of the manager. It

consist different managerial facts and practices, that which the reader the can apply it to

actuality. The reader can use this book in order to learn how to be an effective, efficient leader. If

the reader will be a manager someday he or she could use the ideas of the book to his or her

future organization, for the organization to be more is effective and time bounded. The book can

be a channel to possess the skills that is needed to enhance the three managerial skills such as

Conceptual, Technical and Human Relationships. The book has also the different approaches in

controlling and regulating the employees that is useful in terms of organizational operation.

Basic knowledge and insights that I gained from the book:

The learning that I acquired from the book is the Managerial Functions which is the POLC

(Planning, Organizing, and Controlling Leading). And the managerial skills that is very

important which are Conceptual, Technical, and Human Relationships. My learning’s are:

 In conceptual a manager should have the ability to see the big picture, to figure out the

best in the organization.

 In technical I learned that a manager should have the ability to set job description as well

as function for the organization to operate efficiently.

  In the book I learned that in organizing there is structure that is designed which is

Bureaucratic Structure, and the role of it is to have unity of command and it has a span of

control

 The second structure is Autocratic which mean the top management will always dictate

what to do

 The third structure is participative in this type of leadership the opinion of the

subordinates and manager is equal.

 I also learned that there are two t types of motivation which is the Intrinsic and Extrinsic.

Intrinsic is the inner source of an individual example (reorganization, saying good job

etc.) .while extrinsic is outside example (rewards, trophy, price etc.)

 I learned the 5 theories of motivation which are: Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs

McGregor’s theory X and Theory Y, Herzberg’s Motivation hygiene Theory, Job design

theory.

 Also I learned the equity theory and expectancy theory in the Equity theory people

compare their own input to their received reward while Expectancy people compare to

each other their received rewards and addresses the inequality.

Overall Evaluation of the book:

The score that I will give is 9/10 because; it was a great introduction to the management concept

with simple language and clear emphasis. I learned a lot about the basics and I know now where

to go for the next step because the book has asked the best questions. It was a little bit

disappointed when the author did not finish the book with her point of view for the best solution

in the organization’s problem.

Recommendation:
This book will assist the reader in understanding the difference between what managers and

leaders do. This book is very helpful and it's concise in terms of explaining the concepts and

ideas. This could be useful to the practicing managers to identify the different skills as well as

approaches to be an effective and successful manager. And it is highly recommended to those

who are taking up management and to those who are quite new to the position. It has fully

covered the responsibilities of the manager supported by facts and current events.

Reference

Quinn, S. (2010). Management Basics. bookboon.com