Running head: MANAGER ROLE WITHIN FUNCTIONAL AREA OF BUSINESS 1

Manager Role within Functional Area of Business

Shyam Sunder Bansal

MGT/521

July-28, 2014

Sandra Griffin
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Manager Role within Functional Area of Business

Business functional areas are nothing but departments, teams or divisions where each unit

performs similar tasks and activities carried out by employees possessing common skills and

expertise. For example: Finance, Sales & Marketing, Administration, Human resource,

Production, Legal and Research. Though all business performs all activities and actions for

performance but big organization normally have a separate function for concentration of typical

activities. Functional managers head these departments, who have role and responsibility to plan,

organize, direct and control department/division or team to achieve department objectives and

finally organizational objectives.

Who are managers and what they do?

“Manager is someone who uses authority and reason for efficient and effective problem

solving and to mobilize, coordinate, and control organizational resources by the use of

standardized procedures that are a part of organizational policy” (Prevodnik, M., & Biloslavo,

R., 2009, P.87). As we know that Manager is a person who uses all management functions like

Plan, Organize, Lead and Control to perform business functions successfully. The roles of

manager include directing, overseeing and leading resources of the organization towards

objective led by organization and then sub-divided for each function. He is responsible for

evaluation of performance and carried out activities, controlling deviations and implementing

contingency plans to ensure things are in proper shape. He set in the long term, and short term

planning based on business function, he is part of, and putting together organization resource as

part of organizing to make sure availability of resources at right time and right place.

Human Resource and Administration

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Human resource business function is all about activities concentrated towards employee

life cycle in the organization. Human resource manager formulates policies and plan for

recruitment, compensation, performance evaluation, training and performance, research and

analysis in align with the organization vision, mission, goal and strategic objectives. He then

setup a team, coordinates with recruiting, training, advertisement and promotional agencies for

hiring people and put process for defining jobs, compensation structure, job and position

hierarchies and for employee performance evaluations. He directs his team and department to

make sure right employee at right place having clear definition of the job description with proper

compensation plan including opportunities for training and development. He evaluates

performance of each employee and then award and control through performance appraisal

system. Manager often works as an administrator/facilitator to support and help employees in

carrying out activities.

Finance, Accounting, Law and Economics

As these are Lifelines of any business, Manager must have niche expertise in these areas

since he needs to plan about sources of finance as an equity, debts or loans. He decides about

future business roadmap based on national, international, economic and political situation.

Business and government law needs to consider formulating plan for finance, accounting and

economics. He directs resources to acquire funds and utilize as per budgeting. Maintain accounts

and confirm correct representation as per accounting guidelines like GAAP, IFRS or IAS.

Manager is responsible for keeping check on activities of these departments to make sure

everything is leading towards the attainment of organization objectives, adhering to accounting

standards, business ethics, the legal requirement of business and making its organization

financially, economically and legally sound. Manager needs to have knowledge of business law
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to ensure proper application of guidelines of the law and use these guidelines to set policies and

business ethics.

Operations, Marketing and Research

“Good planners recognize the path to growth is leverage -- that is, having the right

people, structure and processes to serve a larger number of more profitable clients. Many firms

reach a point at which maximizing that leverage requires the attention of a kill-time operations

manager" (Hulett, K.,2008). A good manager in Operations, Marketing and Research department

supposed to be a good right hand planner. Managers thought to have firsthand information,

required for research and data collections for performance analyses and identified the area of

improvement. It is research, and analytical skills facilitate manager to take a decision as per BCG

matrix. He needs to forecast and do research for demand, interest and likeness of market and

consumer to decide and plan future operations, marketing strategies. He led resources for

innovative research, marketing campaigns and cost efficient operations to provide quality

outputs. Concentrating of research activities and launching innovative marketing activities helps

him to create and maintain demand for products and services. He thought to evaluate and control

his departments operations in align with strategy and objectives, he has placed before.

Leadership and Strategic Planning

“The successful leaders and managers are team leaders. They coach the people under

them to all work towards the success. They become mentors, sharing their skills and experience

in a positive way” (Hofener, S. D., 2000). He must be a good negotiator, facilitating compromise

between people and groups. Manager should always go win-win for every situation and since the

other definition of management is getting things done from others, Manager should always

delegates task to others, empower them with responsibilities and control deliverables and
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performance through his management skills. Another role of leader perform as a strategy

planner, they are visionaries and guide to the organization, who formulates future path for the

organization based on knowledge, information, research and studies of internal and external

environment. Manager plays a critical role in formulating strategic policies by directing decision

of orchestration of resources, utilizing latest technologies, exploring future opportunities and

makes business ready for future threats. It is the strategy of any company that makes a difference

and helps them stand as market leaders.

Conclusion

Even though undefined, Manager is a critical part of the business because Manager Plan,

organizes, lead and control business operations to achieve objectives and goals and Manager is

responsible for smooth integration of interdependent business functions. Manager's functions are

not only limited to coordinating daily activities and resources. It also include a monitor, control

and take corrective actions to ensure all business areas are running in order to achieve

organization goals and objective. He needs to make sure that Organization mission and vision are

part all decisions and actions.

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References

Hofener, S. D. (2000). Recipe for success as a leader and manager. Institute of Transportation

Engineers.ITE Journal, 70(5), 28-30. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/224894822?accountid=35812

Hulett, K. (2008). Defining the ideal operations manager. Journal of Financial Planning,, 11.

Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/217562338?accountid=458

Prevodnik, M., & Biloslavo, R. (2009). Managers and leaders in organizations of a post-

transition economy. Organizacija, 42(3), 87. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/v10051-009-

0006-1