Authors:
David M. Leuser, Ph.D.

Chapters:
Management and Its Environment
Planning
Organizing
Leading
Controlling

Audience: New managers, management trainees, engineers or other professionals with supervisory responsibility, and incoming MBA students who need to review the contemporary principles which contribute to success in management.

Abstract: Many years of research have contributed to the development of a generally accepted set of management principles which are associated with higher levels of individual and organizational performance. This product reviews the critical essentials that the practicing manager, professional, or business student needs to master in order to succeed as a manager and/or to demonstrate competency on a formal examination assessing understanding of management principles. It blends research conclusions with practical applications and the theoretical underpinnings needed to understand and manage human issues in the dynamic, 21st century workplace. The self-paced, interactive learning format promotes rapid mastery through active learning exercises with detailed feedback that maintains ongoing student engagement.

Chapter 1 describes the general nature of management in terms of management levels, functions, roles, and skills. It evaluates components of the organizational environment, including the global environment and the social and ethical environment.

Chapter 2 details the first function of management: planning. It provides an overview of planning, describes categories of plans, and presents an analysis of strategic management. Finally, it reviews the basics of managerial decision making.

Chapter 3 reviews several components of the organizing function of management. It describes the nature of organizing and touches on the essentials of organization design, job design, organizational culture, and human resource management.

Chapter 4 outlines the leadership function, covering both the practical aspects and the theoretical underpinnings of leadership, motivation, groups and teams, interpersonal communication, and managing change in organizations.

Chapter 5 describes the control function. Topics covered include the nature of and approaches to control, types of control, information management, and operations management.

Taken together, these five chapters summarize the critical essentials of a university level principles of management course in a manner designed to promote practitioner success.