UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN (UTAR)

FACULTY OF ACCOUNTANCY AND MANAGEMENT (FAM)

OCTOBER 2017

UKMM1013/UBMM1013

MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES

TUTORIAL QUESTIONS

FAM
Bachelor of International Business (Hons) (IN)
Bachelor of Accounting (Hons) (AT)
Bachelor of Global Economic (Hons) (GE)
Bachelor of Building and Property Management (BP)

FBF
Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) (BA)

FICT
Bachelor of Information Systems (Hons) Business Information Systems (IB)
Bachelor of Information Technology (Hons) Information System Engineering (IA)

FSc
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Biochemistry (BE)
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Biotechnology (BT)
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Agricultural Science (AG)
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Food Science (FD)
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Chemistry (CE)
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Microbiology (MB)
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Biomedical Science (BM)

FEGT
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Construction Management

FES
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Quantity Surveying (QS)
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Materials & Manufacturing Engineering (MM)
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Software Engineering (SE)
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Mechanical Engineering (ME)
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Civil Engineering (CI)

Main Text Book:

Goodman, S. H., Fandt, P. M., Michlitsch, J. F., & Lewis, P. S. (2016). Management: Challenges for
tomorrow's leaders (6th ed.). SJ Learning.
 UKMM1013/UKBM1013 Management Principles (OCT 2017)
CONFIDENTIAL FOR TUTOR USE ONLY

WEEK 1 (a)
Tutorial 1: General Introduction

1. Self-introduction by tutors and student.

2. Explanation on Unit Plan.
3. Specify expectations in tutorial class.
4. Team formation for group assignment. Briefing on group assignment to students.

WEEK 1 (b)
Tutorial 2: (Topic 1: Managers and Management)

Discussion Questions.

1. Name and discuss the four major functions of management. How do these functions relate
to the goals of an organization?

2. Identify the three levels of managers found in most large organizations. Describe the
important skills required of managers to play their role at different levels of the management
hierarchy.

3. According to Henry Mintzberg, what are the three primary roles that managers perform?
Provide examples of each of these roles in a modern business organization.

4. Explain FOUR (4) important factors that affect managing process in the 21st century.

Page 2 of 11
 UKMM1013/UKBM1013 Management Principles (OCT 2017)
CONFIDENTIAL FOR TUTOR USE ONLY

WEEK 2 (a)
Tutorial 3: (Topic 2: Evolution of Management Thought)

Discussion Questions.

1. Describe the major behavioral perspective contributions of Follett, Mayo, McGregory, and
Barnard.

2. Describe the major factors that have influenced the evolution of management thought.

3. Describe the difference between theory X and theory Y. Would you rather work for a
manager who helps the Theory X or Theory Y assumptions? Why?

4. Discuss the two basic characteristics of the quantitative perspective of management.

5. What is the main contention of the contingency perspective of management?

WEEK 2 (b)
Tutorial 4: (Topic 3: Planning In the Contemporary Organization)

Discussion Questions.

1. Discuss the necessity for an organization to plan and specify some of the advantages.

2. Discuss the advantages of bottom-up planning.

3. Illustrate and describe the strategic planning process.

4. Discuss corporate level strategy options with an example on each.

5. Identify, describe and provide examples of the business level strategies pursue by
organization.

Page 3 of 11
 UKMM1013/UKBM1013 Management Principles (OCT 2017)
CONFIDENTIAL FOR TUTOR USE ONLY

WEEK 3 (a)
Tutorial 5: (Topic 4: Managerial Decision making)

Discussion Questions.

1. Why is obtaining reliable and accurate information so important to the first step of the
decision-making process? Give an example (other than those in the textbook) which
demonstrates how incomplete or poor information leads to poor decision-making.

2. What are the main differences between programmed and non-programmed decisions?
Describe a situation in which a programmed decision and a non-programmed decision
would apply.

3. Define the term satisficing. Are there occasions when satisficing is appropriate? Discuss
your answer.

4. Explain the limitations of the rational-economic model of decision-making.

5. Discuss the gained from successful brainstorming sessions.

WEEK 3 (b)
Tutorial 6: (Topic 5: Organizing for Effectiveness and Efficiency)

Discussion Questions.
1. Define effective and efficient organizations. Which are more important? Discuss.

2. Describe job design and explain the importance of JCM core job dimensions.
3. Describe the behavior perspective of job design which includes job enlargement, job
enrichment and job rotation.
4. Discuss the following concepts: (i) chain of command, (ii) span of control, (iii) line versus
staff departments, and (iv) authority and responsibility.

Page 4 of 11
 UKMM1013/UKBM1013 Management Principles (OCT 2017)
CONFIDENTIAL FOR TUTOR USE ONLY

WEEK 4 (a) :
Tutorial 7: (Topic 6: Organisational Design)

Discussion Questions:
1. Describe six key elements in organizational design.

2. Identify the contingency factors that favor the mechanistic model.

3. Discuss the design challenges faced by todays organizations.

4. Discuss the following types of organizational structure, functional structures, divisional

structures, Matrix and Network structures.

WEEK 4 (b)
Tutorial 8: (Topic 7: Human Resource Management)

Discussion Questions:

1. Identify and briefly describe the Human Resource Management process.

2. Describe what recruitment in HRM is and identify some of the different recruiting
techniques used by organizations.

3. Explain why job analysis must be conducted first to be sure that the best-qualified people
can be placed in a job.

4. Discuss what are the criteria are appropriate to consider when selecting an applicant to fill
a vacant position in your company and what not appropriate (or legal) to consider.

5. What is the role of realistic job preview? Write a realistic job preview about the position
for sales executive and account executive.

Page 5 of 11
 UKMM1013/UKBM1013 Management Principles (OCT 2017)
CONFIDENTIAL FOR TUTOR USE ONLY

WEEK 5 (a)
Tutorial 9: (Topic 8: Organization Culture and Change)

Case Study 1:
How Martin Mackay Controlled Conflict at Pfizer

Pfizer is the largest global pharmaceuticals company, with sales of almost $50 billion in
2011. Its research scientists have innovated some of the most successful and profitable drugs
in the world, such as the first cholesterol reducer, Lipitor, that used to earn Pfizer $13 billion
a year. In the 2000s, however, Pfizer encountered major problems in its attempt to innovate
new blockbuster drug, while its blockbuster drugs like Lipitor lost their patent protection.
Pfizer desperately needed to find ways to make its product development pipeline work. And
one manager, Martin Mackay, believed he knew how to do it.

When Pfizers long time R&D chief retired, Mackay, his deputy, make it clear to CEO
Jeffrey Kindler that he wanted the job. Kindler make it equally clear he thought the company
could use some new talents and fresh ideas to solve its problems. Mackay realized he had to
quickly come up with a convincing plan to change the way Pfizers scientists worked to
develop new drugs to gain Kindlers support and get the top job. So Mackay created a
detailed plan for changing the way its thousands of researchers make decisions to make sure
the companys resources, its talent and funds, would be put to their best use. After Kindler
reviewed the plan, he was so impressed and promoted Mackay to the top R&D position.
What was Mackays plan?

As Pfizer had grown over time as a result of mergers with other large pharmaceutical
companies, Mackay noted how decision-making problems and conflict between the managers
of Pfizers different drug divisions had increased. As it grew, Pfizers organizational structure
had become taller and taller and the size of its headquarters staff grew. With more managers
and levels in the hierarchy there was a greater need for committees to integrate across their
activities. However, in these meetings different group of managers fought to promote the
development of the drugs they had the most interest in and they increasingly came into
conflict in order to ensure they got the resources they needed to develop them. In short,
Mackay felt that too many managers and committees resulted in too much conflict between
managers who were actively lobbying other managers and the CEO to promote the interests
of their own product groupsand the companys performance was suffering as a result. In
addition, although Pfizer success depended on innovation, this growing conflict had resulted
in Pfizer developing a bureaucratic culture that reduced the quality of decision making,
making it more difficult to identify promising new drugs.

Mackays bold plan to get rid of this increasing conflict involved slashing the number of
management layers between top managers and scientists from 14 to 7, which resulted in the
layoff of thousands of Pfizers managers. He also abolished the scores of product
development committees whose wrangling he believed was slowing down the process of
transforming innovative ideas into blockbuster drugs. After streamlining the hierarchy he
focused on reducing the number of bureaucratic rules scientists had to follow, many of which
were unnecessary and had promoted conflict. He and his team eliminated every kind of
written report that was slowing down the innovation process. For example, scientists had
been in the habit of submitting quarterly and monthly reports to top managers explaining each
drugs progress; Mackay told them to pick which one they wanted to keep, and the other
would be eliminated.

Page 6 of 11
 UKMM1013/UKBM1013 Management Principles (OCT 2017)
CONFIDENTIAL FOR TUTOR USE ONLY

As you can imagine, Mackays efforts caused enormous upheaval in the company as
managers fought to keep their positions and scientists fought to protect the drugs they had in
development. However, Mackay was resolute and pushed his agenda through with the
support of the CEO who defended his efforts to create new R&D product development
process that empowered Pfizers scientists and promoted innovation and entrepreneurship.
Pfizers scientists reported that they felt liberated by the new work system, and the level of
conflict fell and new drugs started to move faster along the pipeline. By 2011, Pfizer had won
FDA approval for a major new antibacterial drug, and several potential new blockbuster
drugs in its pipeline were on track.

Q1. (a) Which categories of organisational change have been executed by Mackay
in Pfizer? Explain and justify from the case.

(b) Discuss TWO (2) driving forces toward change that has made Pfizer to
implement such a radical change in its company. Support your answer with
evidence(s) from the case.

(c) Since Mackay has made a radical changed in Pfizer, the resistance of change
will be expected. Provide FOUR (4) practical suggestions to Mackay in how
he can reduce the restraining forces.

(d) Recommend FOUR (4) ways in improving reward effectiveness for the
scientists who successfully developed new drugs for Pfizer.

WEEK 5 (b)
Tutorial 10: (Topic 9: Communicating Effectively within Diverse Organizations)

Discussion Questions.

1. What is the role of communication in the organization, and why is it so complex for
managers to understand?

2. Identify the components of the communication process. Explain why each is important.
The primary components of the communication process are:

3. Some people would argue that, because oral communication is the type preferred by
managers, managers should focus on improving their oral communication skills and not
worry so much about their written skills. Do you agree or disagree with this argument?
Explain your answer.

4. Describe nonverbal communication. Is nonverbal communication an important part of the

communication process?

5. Numerous barriers can interfere with effective communication. Select three and provide
examples.

Page 7 of 11
 UKMM1013/UKBM1013 Management Principles (OCT 2017)
CONFIDENTIAL FOR TUTOR USE ONLY

WEEK 6 (a)
Tutorial 11: (Topic 10: Leading in Dynamic Environment)

Case Study 2
Lady boss finds suitable leadership style

MANILA, Philippines Most lady executives are grappling with the challenge of
finding the right leadership style. If women demonstrate warmth and friendliness at work,
they are perceived as too soft and unable to get down to business. Otherwise, they are
criticized for not caring enough. To former Accenture country managing director Beth Lui,
who went through this classic dilemma, the solution was to strike a balance between the two.
Her soft-on-people-but-hard-on-results leadership style was something she developed through
the years. It all started with a painful realization.

Not a people person

Lui, to put it bluntly, was a cold and insensitive boss. How she went beyond putting work
results above all else and into making a difference in peoples lives is the story she wants to
share. In the early 90s, when Lui was just a new manager at Accenture (formerly Andersen
Consulting), she made significant headway in her career by delivering a huge development
project that proved the company's capability as an offshore delivery center. Lui had about 60
people working on the project with her, and most of them thought she was demanding,
unappreciative and emotionally detached. She was the typical bulldozer, "Type-A" boss. All
she cared about was getting the job doneeven if it meant her subordinates must miss out on
their personal affairs to put in extra hours in their work. In her drive to deliver, Lui
overlooked and hurt the people in her team. "I was very much task-oriented. My only
concerns then were whether my subordinates would be able to finish their deliverables on
time or if they should work weekends to complete their tasks," she said. "Did I get the job
done? Yes. Was the quality good? Yes. Did I have friends? No. I was sad."

Technical to managerial
Lui joined Accenture when she was only 22. She started as entry level programmer at the
business process outsourcing (BPO) firm. She yielded years of experience as she went up the
corporate ladderfrom programmer to system designer, then team leader, project manager,
and finally, country head. But unlike her managerial roles which involved dealing with a lot
of people, her early roles were focused only on her own deliverables. "I was focused on what
I needed to finish. You only have to really rely on yourself. If you work hard, work long
hours, manage your own time, you can do your job. That was life for me then," Lui recalled.
She said that as she took on large projects, she realized it was "so much harder to manage
people than just manage ones self." "If you're supervising a large group, you're not just
thinking about your deliverables. Along the way, you need to take time to get to know each
one of your team members. There's a lot of interpersonal dynamics," she shared. She said she
discovered that developing good management skills was harder than developing the technical
skills that led to her promotions. She vowed to make a change.

Evolution
She made deliberate steps to shift from push-oriented, micro-management style to an
empowerment approach. She was no longer limited by the belief that she had to think through
every problem herself and have all the answers. She learned to encourage employees to take
more initiative in solving problems, guided by the principles and philosophies of the
company. "I hold regular meetings with the core group that works with me on a day to day

Page 8 of 11
 UKMM1013/UKBM1013 Management Principles (OCT 2017)
CONFIDENTIAL FOR TUTOR USE ONLY

basis. We talk about issues and how we should solve these." "This is another evolution of my
leadership. You dont have to tell employees what to do all the time. As long as there are
philosophies, principles, the employees can find their own way." Not that she was letting up.
Lui said she remained as decisive as she had always been. "I listen. But at the end of the day,
someone has to make a decision." Apparently, in Lui's case, soft skills helped deliver hard
results too. With her at the helm, Accenture was one of the leading and biggest BPO
companies in the country, employing about 16,000 people - the highest among players in the
industry.

Human touch
Lui said treating employees as real human beings, not as machines or tools, makes them more
engaged and productive. "The human touch factor is very important. It doesn't always have to
be a big event. It's a lot of day-to-day stuff." "As a manager, you have the responsibility to
deliver what clients ask from you without demoralizing your employees. You have to make
them feel you are a team and you have a common goal." "If you have good rapport with your
subordinates, you get things done without being in an emotional rollercoaster with them. You
complete projects on a friendly note." She stressed that forging good relationship with
employees must lead to improvement in the company's bottomline and not the other way
around. "You need to strike a balance."

1. Define task-oriented behavior and people-oriented behavior and explain how these
categories are used to evaluate and adapt leadership style.

2. Identify and explain the behavioral style that Liu used when she was a new manager.
Provide clear evidences from the case to support your answer.

3. Describe Hersey and Blanchards situational leadership theory

4. Based on Hersey and Blanchards situational theory, describe the style that Liu used at the
later stage of her career. Provide clear evidences from the case to support your answer.

WEEK 6 (b)
Tutorial 12: (Topic 11: Exploring Individual Differences and Team Dynamics)

Discussion Questions.

1. Identify and explain the Big Five personality traits.

2. Why is it important for an individuals personality to match his or her job

requirements?

3. Describe the FIVE (5) primary elements that make successful teams?

4. Identify some situation that can make a team become dysfunctional.

Page 9 of 11
 UKMM1013/UKBM1013 Management Principles (OCT 2017)
CONFIDENTIAL FOR TUTOR USE ONLY

WEEK7 (a)
Tutorial 13: (Topic 12: Motivating Organizational Members)

Discussion Questions.

Case Study 3
Motivation at Work

IT is generally acknowledged that speed and productivity of ship-to-shore quay cranes

is the single most important machine factor in the efficiency of a container terminal. And, at
Westport Malaysia, productivity is cherished and rewarded. On July 22, quay crane operator,
Azmi Ashaari became a "Westport hero" when he achieved the remarkable record of 72
moves per hour (mph) on board the Johan Amber. Azmi readily vouched that his record was
not one born of an overnight success, but rather the fruition of hard work.

To Azmi, dedication is certainly the key to greater achievements. The 36-year old
Perakian began his career in Westport in 1996 as a prime mover driver before progressing to
rubber tyre gantry. After a training stint in 2000, he assumed the present position. Today,
Azmi is reaping the rewards of his sacrifices and hard work. Currently he pockets an
additional RM500 to RM600 per month under Westport's incentive scheme to promote
productivity among staff. He is one of 10 top Westport quay crane operators recognized for
their outstanding performances this year. Realising the importance of motivating its staff to
even greater heights,

Westport has implemented various measures to enhance productivity. These include

staff benefits like salary advance, children's education assistance scheme and subsidised
interest for housing, car and motorcycle loans. Staff are also given various allowances such as
for shift work, transport, laundry, meals and subsistence allowance. Apart from the monetary
incentives, staff welfare is another important consideration at Westport. Employees enjoy
maternity and medical benefits in the form of specialist medical treatment and hospitalisation,
group personal accident schemes and industrial accident coverage. Other benefits include
loans for further education, financial assistance for bereavement expenses and retirement
benefits.

Westport has placed great importance in the supply-driven approach to provide port
facilities. `This has enabled the port to cater to the increasing needs of the shipping
community,' says Westport's executive chairman Tan Sri G Gnanalingam. He added that the
availability of tugboats has enabled the port to achieve an impressive track record of berth
turnaround productivity. In view of this, Westport has ensured that there are sufficient
tugboats to handle ships of any size at any given time. As a result, its commitment to
productivity has seen the port attracting a number of major shipping lines including CMA-
CGM, Goldstar, China Shipping, Evergreen, Norasia, Hanjin, Maersk and APL. CMA CGM,
one of the world's leading container shipping companies, has chosen Westport to handle its
increasing volume and bigger vessels as it believes the latter is now among the most
productive hub ports.

Page 10 of 11
 UKMM1013/UKBM1013 Management Principles (OCT 2017)
CONFIDENTIAL FOR TUTOR USE ONLY

1. Based on reinforcement theory, identify and describe the tool that Westport used to
increase the productivity level. Provide clear justifications from the case to support your
answer.

2. Explain the other THREE (3) tools in reinforcement theory with your own example each.

3. You are now the CEO of Westport. You would like to make Azmi Ashaari even more
productive by using goal-setting theory. Explain and demonstrates how you are going to
use this theory and its components.

4. Based on your understanding, describe the job design approach that you think Westport
implements in Azmi Ashaari from the day that he joins until now. Justify your answer.

5. What role would money play in (a) the hierarchy of needs theory, (b) equity theory, (c)
expectancy theory, and (d) motivating employees with a high nAch? How do needs affect
motivation?

WEEK 7 (b)
Tutorial 14: (Topic 13: Organizational Control in a complex Business Environment)

Discussion Questions.

1. Discuss each of the four steps that should be taken in a systematic process of control.

2. Describe the difference between feedforward control, concurrent control, and feedback
control.

3. Explain the difference between a bureaucratic control philosophy and an organic control
philosophy.

4. Discuss some of the organizational control practices that raise ethical dilemmas.

5. Describe the differences between a balance sheet and an income statement.

Page 11 of 11