professionalism of mgmt

8/3/2019 Professionalism of Mgmt

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INTRODUCTION

Management is a global activity. The increased specialization of management

education and technical expertise has been the primary forces in movement towards

professionalization. In recent trends, there has been a growing body of systematicknowledge concerning management of complex business organization.

Complex business organizations have become a primary means in our

society for the specialization and utilization of knowledge business is making

increasing use of professionals in accomplishing their goals. Over the years, number

of trained professionals and personnel’s has grown by leaps and bounds. Professionals

are frequent agents and a source of innovation and creativity. For most organization,

the effective use of their skills has been the primary objective. The way professionals

are managed reflects the philosophy and attitude of the management towards other

employees in future.

Realizing the importance of professionalism in management, a good

number of management institutes have been established in India and abroad. Some of

the prominent concerns using professionalism in management in private sectors

include Wipro, Infosys, Tisco, Hindustan lever, ITC, Indian oxygen limited.

Similarly, in public sector includes Indian oil corporation Ltd, Steel Authority of

India Ltd, bharat heavy electrical Ltd.

“Management is about human beings. Its task is to make people capable

of joint performance, to make their strength effective and weakness irrelevant. This is

what organization is all about and is a reason the management is a determining

factor.”

- Peter Drucker

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MEANING OF PROFESSION

Profession is an occupation which renders expert services to its clients.

Professionals have specialized knowledge and skills, which they use for instructing or

advising their clients. Professionals are self-employed experts and charge commissionfor their services. Professionals are the members of their professional association and

have to follow a code of conduct prepared by their professional body. The relationship

between professional and his clients is based on mutual trust and confidence.

DEFINITION OF PROFESSION

In simple terms, profession can be defined as,”calling in which one

professes to have acquired a specialized knowledge which is used either in

instructing, guiding or advising.”

Hence, profession is a field where people posses excellent analytical and

critical faculties. The professionals are committed and dedicated operators and

possess body of skills, aptitudes and knowledge.

IS MANAGEMENT A PROFESSION?

Management is a profession and management education contributes to

career development. In general, management education means education for those

already in managerial positions and also for those who may at some time assume such positions. It is a specialist education in that sense that it concentrates on a specific

area of management.

Management education nowadays has become a recent trend. It is seen

as a part of management developmental process. Management development is seen as

an entity in which development primarily occurs through learning from work and

experience. It includes participation in management programmes and job rotations

and career planning.

Management can be treated as professional activity to some extent but

cannot be treated as a full fledge profession. The management thinker peter drucker isnot in favor to professionalized management. According to PETER

DRUCKER,”management is a practice rather than a science or a profession though

containing elements of both. No greater damage could be done to a country or to a

society than to attempt to professionalized management by licensing managers or by

limiting access to management of people with special degree. Any serious attempt to

make management scientific or professional is bound to lead to the attempt to

eliminate the economic freedom.”

. Current trends treat management as a high class profession. Business

enterprises prefer to have professional manager for dealing with the complicated

managerial problems. In the words of C.G George,” management is not an outright profession but it is taking a giant step in that direction.

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FEATURES OF PROFESSION

Profession is defined as “calling in which one professes to have

acquired a specialized knowledge which is used either in instructing or advising

others”

However it posses a number of features;

1. Specialized knowledge: Professionals require a specialized

knowledge and skills. A profession is a continuous study, so that new

techniques are acquired to improve and enhance the profession.

2. Qualification: Qualification is also one of the most important features of

profession. The qualification of a professional must be based on formal body

of knowledge which is obtained through formal learning, training andexperience. Their learning techniques must be intellectual in nature.

3. Code of conduct: Professionals follow and have to follow a well

defined code of conduct. A professional manager has to be honest in his

attitude and philosophy.

4. Registration: A professional has to register himself with professional

body, which issue license to act as a professional.

5. Fees: Professionals normally charges fees for their services.

6. Operation: Professionals are the one’s who operate from their own

offices and are accountable to their clients.

7. Specialization: Every professional specializes in one specific field and

operates in that field only.

8. Social obligation: A professional must operate with a professional

spirit and a sense of mission with the aims and objectives of the society. He

must be willing to give unselfish service to community and respond

positively to the growing needs of society.

9. Association: Professionals from their association, which guide them to

raise the standard of their profession.

10. Personal qualities: A professional must posses certain personal

qualities like maturity, patience, sophistication and analytical ability. He must

behave professionally.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF PROFESSION TO

MANAGEMENT

1. Body of knowledge:

Management has reasonably well defined body of knowledge which is

transferable. There are basic principles of management which can be

identified, mastered and practiced. Knowledge is enriched from the

experiences of successful managers and research findings.

2. Specialized skills:

Managers are now, specialized in specific areas of management such

as accounts, marketing and product research. They use their specialized skills

and expertise while dealing managerial problems in their specific field.

3. Education and training:

Managers get specialized practical education and training through

different management training institutes. This creates a team of professional

managers at the business level.

4. Sophisticated tools:

Managers are using sophisticated tools and techniques e.g. Computer

and information technology, while performing their functions.

5. Code of conduct:

Professional managers are alert as regard their duties, responsibilities

and professional code of conduct and social obligations.

6. Social responsibilities:

Professional’s managers occupy prestigious social status

due to their qualifications and positive contribution in efficient management of

business.

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Along with these plus points, the following features of profession are not

applicable to management:

1. Unrestricted entry:

The entry in the field of management is not effectively regulated

through minimum formal education/ qualifications/ training experience.

2. Absence of licensing

There is absence of single group to which majority of managers

belong. In India licensing is practically absent in the case of practicing

managers.

3. Absence of uniform code of conduct:

There is absence of uniform code of conduct for managers in India.

Managers use high pressure tactics and unfair competition to increase the

market share of their products.

4. No fixed client:

Management is not able to identify a specific client system to

which it owes its loyalty.

5. Unethical practices:

In the absence of code of conduct, managers sometimes, indulge in

unethical practices aimed at maximizing personal gains. Even the concept of

accountability is absent in the case of managers.

6. Monetary gains:

The motto of every professional manager should be service

before self. In practice, management as a profession lacks service motive.

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Who are Professionals?

Professionals include those who perform tasks requiring advanced knowledge

which acquired through specialized intellectual instruction. They are educated in

institutions of higher learning. Professionals are respected because they practice

applied knowledge. Professionalism serves to maintain the standards of performance

of the technical task by developing expertise, autonomy, commitment and

responsibility among practitioners in significant areas of human endeavor. Kornhauser

makes the following observation:

Professional expertise is based on the belief that the performance of an

important function in society requires specialized knowledge and skill,

which his acquired through advanced education and prolonged experience.

Professional autonomy is based on the belief that the qualified

practitioners are best able to determine how the function supposed to be performed and that each practitioner must be free to exercise his own

judgement in the specific case.

Professional commitment is based on the belief that the development and

exercise of expertise is worthy of the devotion of a lifetime and carries its

own reward.

Professional responsibility assumes that managers should remain

accountable in the society for financial transactions.

Mary Parker Follet expressed her views in the conclusion of her paper “Management as a Profession”

“What does all this imply in regard to the profession of business

management?” It means that men must prepare themselves as seriously for this

profession as for any other. They must realize that they, as professional men are

assuming great responsibilities, that they are to take a creative part in one of the large

functions of society, a part of which, I believe, only trained and discipline men can, in

future, hope to take with success”

Professionals have a high need for achievement and self-actualization. They

show keen interest in their work and the development of knowledge. They are moved

by the problems which have an intrinsic importance to them. They do not need

outside motivation because they are self-motivated. Positive motivation is related

directly to the task performance and includes such factors as:

a) Importance of work

b) Challenge of the project

c) Individual autonomy

On the other hand, dissatisfaction is peripheral to the actual task performance

and includes such factors as:

a) Promotion and pay.b) Supervisory opinions.

d) Working conditions.

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PROFESSIONALISATION OF MANAGEMENT

The outstanding managers are highly professional, committed and

dedicated operators. They are well trained and educated. They possess excellent

analytical and crital faculties. In addition, there is a body of skills and aptitudes,

knowledge, attitudes and behavior which the effective managers possess. Managers

are expected to have, strategic planning and organizational skills necessary to

determine and carry out the directive functions required in a given situation. They

must understand the basic aspects of human behavior and motivation if they are to

elicit better performance from the staff. They must be well acquainted with

quantitative and analytical methods to know difference between truly profitable and

non-profitable activities. They must be familiar with information system. Based on

information, they can draw accurate conclusions. They must be able to manage,

maintain, develop and improve the human resources to succeed in their assignments.

Professional managers must have good knowledge of law as it keeps them to operate

within the limits of law. They must be able to apply strategic processes, priorities,schedules, timetables and techniques. Managers often have to meet deadlines and

work within resource constraints. They must possess basic skills and aptitudes in

marketing and presentation. They must set standards of performance for all and take

remedial measures when the target is not achieved.

Personal qualities of professional managers

Commitment.

Job, product and service knowledge.

Energy.

Self-motivation.

Drive and enthusiasm.

Creativity and imagination.

Continuous development both personal and professional.

Affection for the organization.

Thirst for knowledge.

Commitment to improvement.

Positive and dynamic attitude.

Self- discipline.

Ability to grow and broaden outlook.

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PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION

Nowadays it is simple for the youngsters to obtain professional qualifications

through the study of business at management institutes and universities. By no

means is this a compulsory requirement because a host of successful managers

never went to management institutes. Their success was based on there intrinsic

abilities and business acumen. However, education has its own role to play and

prepares managers in several ways.

Professional managers possess knowledge, understanding and better grasp

of basic economic concepts.

They can define the relationship between organization and their

environments.

They show better understanding of conduct issues and affairs.

They provide improved ability to conduct business.

They assimilate knowledge in the areas of

Strategy

Policy

Marketing

behavioral sciences

personnel and industrial relation

R & D

System

Projects

Service

Hence, lessons can be both learned and offered. Truly expert and

committed managers will ensure that they keep themselves updated with every thing

that makes impact on both their job and profession. Therefore this may be use as a

condition of continuing membership.

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USE OF KNOWLEGDE BY PROFESSIONALS

The task of professionals is intellectual in nature. their function is primarily to

provide knowledge to be used by the organization. All social units use knowledge but

business organization uses more knowledge, more systematically. Most knowledge is

created in organizations and passed from generation to generation. Within

organizations professionals are the main source of intelligence. With the increased use

of knowledge, new patterns of power and influence have evolved. Organizations

using services of professionals must find some mechanism for integrating

administrative authority and professional knowledge. According to Amitai Etzioni

there are three ways in which knowledge is handled in organizations, they are:

Knowledge is produced, applied preserved or communicated in

organization. Professional organization is characterized by the high proportion of professionals on their staff. Professionals enjoy higher

authority over the major activities of the organizations.

In service organizations, professionals are provided with the instruments,

facilities and auxiliary staff required for their work. Professionals are given

relative authority to operate.

Professionals may be employed by organizations whose goals are non-

professional e.g., military establishment or universities. Here professionals

are assigned certain positions which take into account their special needs.

These organizations use knowledge of the professionals as an input to attainits goal and objectives.

Professionals have greater power within their employing organizations. They also

exert influence upon the entire society. At the community level, they influence

cultural activities, educational institution and public service institutes. At the national

and international levels, their knowledge is utilized towards making policy decisions.

Professionals are indispensable assets of the society. Employment opportunities for

professionals have multiplied.

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PROFESSIONALS AS ORGANISATION MEN

In some professions like medicines and law activities are carried out in close

interpersonal relationships with clients. Professional managers do not enjoy this sort

of autonomy and independence. They are organization men affiliated to different

types of business. In the last few decades the number of “salaried professionals” has

increased many times faster than has the number of “independent professionals”. This

is because there is increased specialization of knowledge.

In addition, there is growing need of professionals for facilities and

equipments, which they cannot afford to, buy to perform their work independently.

They need the resources of the organization to fully utilize their professional

knowledge and skills. This trend of working in organization has affected all

professional groups. According to Vollemer and Mills, “No profession has escapedthe advancing tide of bureaucratization.” In contrast with doctors and lawyers who

are mostly self-employed, new professional groups representing managers are almost

exclusively employed by organizations.

The newer and salaried class of professionals has a different role to play as

compared to independent professionals. Professional managers have to bear the

responsibility for task performance. They are subject to control by their employees.

As salaried professionals work within bureaucratic organization, they are compelled

to go in for compromises. The role of conflicts and resistance to change by the

employees often imposes heavy administrative responsibilities on these professionals.

Although these professionals are well-qualified, experienced and possess applicationof knowledge to deal with varying circumstances still at times, they are forced to take

help from consultants and experts who work independently.

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PROCESS OF PROFESSIONALIZATION

The process of professionalism includes definition. A definition clearly and

precisely signals to society as a whole what is special and unique to a professional practice. A "weak" profession emerges if definition is vague and if the resolve is

lacking within the profession to see that practitioners practice within defined

boundaries.

Definition becomes important in opening the door of official sanctioning to a

profession. Licensing is granted to professions when its members show they offer a

unique service whose regulation would benefit the public good. Definition serves as

the basis for determining a legal perception of the performance of a professional. At

issue, for example, when a doctor is being sued for malpractice is whether the doctor

acted within the standards or defined practices of his or her profession during work with the patient. Definition thus serves as the basis for holding the professional liable

for his or her actions.

The traditional professions of law and medicine are solidly established .With the

passing of time some other professions have been recognized like chartered

accountancy. Many occupational groups are in the process of professionalization such

as nursing, librarianship, pharmacy, and management. This process establishes certain

values, norms and characteristics which define the professional role differently from

other participants. According to Wilensky3 the move of occupational groups towards

professionalization involves at least four basic steps which are described below:

The creation of full-time occupation for the performance of a definable

body of tasks and skills.

The establishment of a formal institute for training. These training

institutes may initially be outside universities but as professionalisation

progresses; they are integrated into the university system.

The establishment of a formal code of ethics by the professional group and

the development of means to enforce these codes.

The formation of professional association and the establishment of a

professional title. The association helps to establish standards of

performance and also earmarks the boundaries of the professional task.

There is a common felling to protect professional authority and integrity by

winning the support of government agencies through legislation. Licensed engineers

and lawyers are example of professional groups who have used law to protect the

profession and to sustain its code of ethics.

The increased specialization of management education and technical expertise has

been the primary forces in the movement towards professionalisation. There has been

an increase in the number of highly trained technical personnel’s who possess

specialized knowledge. Such as accountants, quality control experts, operation

researchers, safety engineers and risk managers. In many cases it comes from their desire to upgrade the status and prestige of their work."The degree of

professionalisation is measured not just by the degree of success in the claim to

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exclusive technical competence but also by the degree to adherence to the service

ideal and its supporting norms of professional conduct.” PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

Professional management is of great utility because it contributes to thedevelopment of Indian economy. Strictly speaking, professionalization is still a far cry

in company management in India. Mostly management in India is restricted to family

management. Most of the large businesses in India are controlled by business

families. The members of these families act as senior managerial personnel’s. A sea-

change should be brought to Indian business keeping in view tough competition and

globalization. P.L.Tandon once remarked “In a family business, you have professional

engineers, accountants and marketers but all decision making is centralized at the top,

with the head of the family, who has no professionalism but perhaps only experience

and intuition, the decision are not likely to be as good as that of a modern professional

board.”

Realizing the importance of professionalism in management, a good number

management institutes have been established in India. High class management

education is spreading through IIMs. There is a tendency to recruit professional and

trained managers both in public and private sectors. Some of the prominent concerns

using professional management in the private sector include Wipro, Infosys, TISCO,

TELCO, Hindustan Lever, ITC, Indian Oxygen Ltd., Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.

Etc. As the size of the business is growing at fast pace it is important to manage the

business professionally and effectively compete both in the domestic and overseas

markets.

Future of Management as a Profession in India

There is a strong case for professionalization of management in India because of the

following reasons:

Professionalisation will define the duties and responsibilities of managers

precisely. This will help in lying own standards of education and training

future managers.

Professionalisation would improve the quality of management education and

training. More talented and dynamic young persons would be attracted toadopt management as a carrier.

Professionalisation would help in regulating the conduct of professional

managers. This would strengthen ethical practices by the organizations.

Professionalisation of management would improve the status and prestige of

managers. It would improve the impression that managers are interested only

in maximizing profits/wealth for shareholders. They would be seen as catalyst

of transformation in the economy.

Business environment in future will be more challenging because of technological innovations, abrupt changes in economic policies of the

government, rise of multi-national corporations, and increasing consciousness

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on the part of consumers and workers. Only the professional managers would

be able to meet such challenges.

Besides the above factors, two more factors have contributed to the move towards

professionalisation of management in India.

First, the growth of private sector has been faster than that of the business families

controlling about three-fourth of the private sector.

Second, the growth of the public sector has given an honorable place to the

professional managers in the industrial enterprises run by the Government.

It has been realized in India that management is a key factor in the development of the

economy. Social and economic transformation is taking place at a very rapid speed.

The expectations of the people from the business have changed and they have found

the ways to express their expectations.

People and their elected representatives have made the business enterprises

understand their social obligations. No business enterprise can perform its social

obligations unless professional managers manage it.

Moreover, management of industrial enterprises has become a very complex job

because of a number of factors including tough competition in the market, growth of

trade union movement, increase in literacy level of the workers, and increasing

participation of Government in business. All these factors have been given way to the

professionalisation of management in India.

Formal education and training in management is being imparted to the students at

various universities and institutions. The institutions of Chartered Management

Association have also been established for the benchmarking of management

education and development of future managers.

The company form of business organizations has gained popularity. The divorce

between management and ownership of companies has increased the need for

professional managers.

Even the owner-managed companies and other enterprises also employ professionaland other enterprise also employ professional managers because of the specialized

knowledge required in managing the different areas of business like productions,

finance, personnel, marketing, etc.

In short, it can be said that professional status for management in India is assured

because it will satisfy all the elements of a profession in the future. The society has

also started recognizing management as a profession.

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PROFESSIONALS-CONFLICTS AND

ACCOMODATIONS

With the fast pace of industrialization that is witnessed in our country,

the services of professionals have been in heavy demand. They have normally

received greater share of the benefits available to organizational participants. It could

be expected that these professionals will have a higher level of satisfaction with their

organizational life than other employees. A number of surveys of professionals in

organizations indicate that their life is not comfortable, because there are numerous

conflicts between them and organization. W.Richard Scott pointed out that there are

two main reasons:

Professionals participate in two systems- the profession and the

organization and their dual membership places important restrictions on

the organizations attempt to deploy them in a rational manner with respect

to its goals.

Profession and bureaucracy rest on fundamentally different principles of

organization. These divergent principles generate conflict between

professionals and their employees in certain specific areas.

Some of the areas of conflict are:

1. Bureaucratic Orientation:

Professionalism and bureaucracy share some similarities. In both,

decision-making and actions are based on standards of rational methods and

application of knowledge. Professionals and bureaucracy treat their clients

objectively. Professionals earn respect through better performance and bureaucrats

achieve their position because of their positions. The main difference between

professionalism and bureaucracy is in the control structure. Bureaucracy uses

hierarchical control and professionalism uses self-restraint. There are four major areas

of conflict between professionals and bureaucrats.

a) Resistance by professionals to bureaucratic rules.

b) Resistance to bureaucratic supervision by professionals

c) Rejection of bureaucratic standards by professionals

d) Professionals conditional loyalty to the bureaucracy

The bureaucratic administration places more importance to financial

soundness, hierarchical authority, loyalty to the company, conformance with

established policies and procedures, growth of output, volume and size of

organization and a reward system for superior performance. In bureaucracy

performance is controlled by direction from one superior. In case of professionalism,there are self-imposed standards.

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2. Technical and Managerial Roles:The professionals because of their background, training and psychological

needs, are dedicated to the application of their technical knowledge. From the point of

view of management, premium is attached to those professionals who perform

managerial roles. This is a signal to the professionals that if they want to climb higher

up in the hierarchy, they must give up technical skills, which they have achievedthrough training and education.

3. Administrative vs. Professional Authority:

Participants in a social system are subject to some from of control.

This ensures integration of their activities into the total system. In the bureaucratic

organization, administrative authority and control is the main mechanism to provide

this integration. However, professionals can achieve this integration through self-

control and adherence to professional norms. In bureaucratic organization, control is

exercised by a superior over his subordinates. Professionals, normally, resist

bureaucratic authority and desire to follow professional’s norms. The accommodationof these two sources of control is a major crisis facing the organization employing

large number of professionals. In order to deal with this problem effectively,

organizations should try to find a balance between the desire for hierarchical control

and professional’s desire for self-control.

4. Autonomy and Integration:Conflicts often arise because of the desire for autonomy and the

requirements for integration. Professionals demand sufficient autonomy to fulfill their

managerial role. Professionals and organizations are interdependent. Functional

authority puts emphasis on free inquiry, scientific standards, research activities and

responsibility to the community. By contrast, functional integration puts emphasis on

administrative standards, research utility and responsibility to the organization

5. Dual Hierarchy:One major problem facing the organization is to reward professionals

for good technical performance without removing them from their specialized task.

Some organizations have experimented with “Dual Hierarchy” to achieve higher

status and organizational rewards. One is through the managerial hierarchy and the

other is the technical ladder. This dual hierarchy facilitates professionals to continue

to emphasize application of technical knowledge rather than to move into a

managerial position.Dual hierarchy poses practical difficulties. Not all professionals want

greater autonomy which is related to promotion. Quilt likely; promotion may be more

based on rewards for past service rather than possible future contributions.

6. Accommodation and Integration:An increasing number of professionals are working for organizations

and are making important contributions. This accommodation is achieved by making

changes on both sides e.g. modifications on the part of the professionals in their desire

for autonomy and modification on the part of the organization removing strict

hierarchical control and authority.Conflicts take place during the initial period of professional’s career in

the organization. The professionals want autonomy and maintain close relations with

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professional norms. This is also the time when the organization withholds autonomy

until they prove themselves. The professionals are adversely affected because they

spend more time on job assignments.

SPECIALISATION OF MANAGEMENT

EDUCATION

The management education programs were divided into basically four fields:

1. Undergraduate education in management:

Undergraduate education in management by which was meant a

traditional professional higher education, at universities, business schools and

commercial institutes, which provided some managerial training.

2. Postgraduate management education:

Postgraduate management education by which young managerial

recruits received after a fairly short managerial experience, primarily at the

age of 25-35. The aim was to either supplement and update their managerial

knowledge or provide managerial recruits, whose undergraduate training had

consisted of a limited amount of management training, with management

education, The first program of this type, the 12-week JOKO-program at

Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration and the 8-week

Hankled program, at the Swedish School of Economics and BusinessAdministration, emerged in the early 1970s. However, the supply of this form

of management training was still in the 1970s limited. The first MBA-

program, which developed out of the JOKO-program, emerged in 1983.

3. Post-experience general management education:

This type of management training aimed ‘at mastering managerial

skills pertaining to the organization as a whole.’ The target group was

employees who had already an extensive experience from special management

position and who had recently risen to top managerial position or had potentialto do so. Participants were mostly of the age of 35 to 50. The LIFIM program

was a typical representative of group three. Johtamistaidon opisto (JTO) also

provided shorter courses of type three for senior technical managers.

4. Follow-up management education :

This usually consisted of shorter specialized courses or

seminars for senior top manages, who wanted to supplement and brush up

their knowledge and skills, at later stages of their career. For instance LV-

Rastor organized courses of type three and four and LIFIM provided an

additional course of type four, for those who had completed the “long course”

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RECENT PROFESSIONS

MBA

In the corporate world, moving up the ladder is what matters the most and

the road to the top favors those who armed with an MBA. No wonder MBA is one of

the worlds most popular and expensive courses today.

MBA is seen as an investment in terms of both time and money. An MBA

is for those who know what they want in fact most who apply for MBA are sure about

what they intend to do in life. There is almost a global consensus on what an MBA

degree is made up of. MBA courses include business skills, skills in finance, skills in

marketing and management. An MBA professional in management prepares a

business plan, work with the different people, make every project a success, creating

and delivering effective presentations, working on strategies and developing

leadership skills and hence this course brings in various elements of the work in life

so that professionals can tuned into the realities of corporate life.

A number of instates have begun designing tailor made for those who seek to

enrich their outlook. for example: IIM Kolkata, XLRI Jamshedpur and IIFT Delhi.

Hence, MBA’s objective is to give insights into the latest update on marketing andstrategizing, on human resource and finance management.

HOTEL/RESTAURANT/FOOD SERVICE

MANAGEMENT

Online distance education program offers students the opportunity to

study a comprehensive curriculum in hotel management and food service, and receive

their bachelor’s degree. All of the courses are focused on the major thus allowing

students maximum learning in the core courses and the education needed today to

succeed in this management specialty. This specialty in business management remainsstrong as a career option and companies seek out candidates who have a strong

business education in all of the major faculties of hotel and restaurant management.

Core courses are focused in multiple facets of business related to hotel, restaurant and

food service specialties. Two intensive symposium courses allow students to conduct

research and produce study projects related to specific areas of the major. Besides the

major core courses, students study human resource management, operations, health

and safety regulations and issues, as well as bookkeeping and accounting.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology

Association of America (ITAA), is "the study, design, development, implementation,

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support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software

applications and computer hardware." In short, IT deals with the use of electronic

computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit and

retrieve information, securely.

Recently it has become popular to broaden the term to explicitly include thefield of electronic communication so that people tend to use the abbreviation ICT

(Information and Communications Technology).

Information technology today

Today, the term information technology has ballooned to encompass many

aspects of computing and technology, and the term is more recognizable than ever

before. The information technology umbrella can be quite large, covering many fields.

IT professionals perform a variety of duties that range from installing applications to

designing complex computer networks and information databases. A few of the dutiesthat IT professionals perform may include:

• Data management

• Computer networking

• Computer engineering

• Database systems design

• Software design

• Management information systems

• Systems management or System administration

• Voice over IP or VoIP

RETAIL MANAGEMENT

India is one of the youngest nations in the world with more than half the

nation’s population below the age of 25 years! High aspiration levels and optimism

of this young India has been a key driver for consumption in India today. Pantaloon,

they believe that the next phase of economic development in India will be

consumption led. With the sustained and strong rates of economic growth, retail

sales is expected to cross USD 400 billion by 2010, turning India into the biggest

retail market in the world!

Today, Pantaloon is one of the leading multi format retailer in India with

presence in food, fashion, home solutions and consumer electronics, books and

music, health, wellness and beauty, general merchandise, communication products,

E-tailing and leisure and entertainment. As per their projections, their business would

grow in the next few years, both in terms of new formats as well as the new locations

that are planning to venture into. Hence, they are looking for bright, young people

like youth to partner them in their growth journey.

The two-year full time Post Graduate Retail Management program has

been designed with the intention of inspiring and preparing young graduates to be

leaders in the field of modern retail. This course will combine the best of academicexcellence and the necessary practical training and corporate exposure that Pantaloon

will provide.

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TOURISM MANAGEMENT

Managing tourism destinations is an important part of controlling tourism's

environmental impacts. Destination management can include land use planning,

business permits and zoning controls, environmental and other regulations, business

association initiatives, and a host of other techniques to shape the development and

daily operation of tourism-related activities.

The term "destination" refers broadly to an area where tourism is a

relatively important activity and where the economy may be significantly influenced

by tourism revenues. Destination management is complicated by the fact that a single,recognizable destination may include several municipalities, provinces, or other

government entities - in island environments it may be the entire country.

Participating governance structures led by local authorities, with the

involvement of local NGOs, community and indigenous representatives, academia,

and local chambers of commerce, make up what are known as "Destination

Management Organizations" (DMOs). Often DMOs take the form of local tourism

boards, councils, or development organizations. The network of local tourism

businesses (hotels, attractions, transportation services, service providers such as

guides and equipment rentals, restaurants, etc.) are also a significant part of a

destination.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

This Certificate is designed for generalists needing to acquire targeted

skills as well as specialists needing to broaden their knowledge in the topics of:

• Employee Benefits

• Employee Relations

• Compensation

• Selection and Staffing• Performance Management and Appraisal

Human Resources is an evolving and dynamic field that challenges the

ability of even the most seasoned professionals to keep abreast of policies,

procedures, compliance requirements, and best practices.

HR Managers are looking to make a career change into the HR field, and

seeking an opportunity to obtain a richer, deeper understanding of HR policies and

practices.

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CASE STUDY

THE NEEDLE OF SUSPICION

Since the time Mr. Jawahar Kaul was appointed as office manager there was marked

improvement in office discipline and administration. Mr. Kaul, a professionally

qualified manager, was appointed by the management with a view to set the house in

order and help improve relations among the employees who have been at logger headsfor a long time.Therefore the appointment of Mr. Kaul raised high expectations and

employees considered him as management’s man. It is to the credit of the Mr. Kaul

that he beautifully maintained the balance implementing the policies of management

and acting as mouthpiece of office employees. He succeeded in improving the overall

work environment and infused friendliness among the employees.

It was lunch time and all office employees left for dining room expect for Mr. Satish

Shah the senior most typist, who was hurrying to complete the work. Having

completed the work within few minutes , he too went to the dinning room. When the

employees returned to their table Mrs. Asha Sharma , the telephone operator

complained that in her absence someone has pilfered money from her purse whichwas kept in her drawer. All the employees said we were together. The needle of

suspicion pointed at Mr. Shah who pleaded innocence. Led by Mrs. Sharma all the

employees approached Mr. Kaul and pressurized him to either recover the money

from Mr. Shah or suspend him because circumstantial evidence was against him.

Mr. Kaul gave them patient hearing but something in him was telling him that Mr.

Shah is innocent but he could not prove it. Mr. Kaul tried to pacify the crowed by

saying, “Mr. Shah has been with this company much before I joined. There has been

not even one complaint filed against him. Considering his dedicated service , I gave

him benefit of doubt but will make inquiry at my level”. The office employees were

not the least satisfied and dispersed grumbling. Mr. Kaul continued his inquiry whichrevealed that during lunch break the sweeper of the office had entered and stole

money from the purse. The money thus recived was given to Mrs. Sharma.

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QUESTIONS:

1. What did management consider Mr. Kaul an asset to busssiness?

2. Why the needle of suspicion pointed at Mr. Shah and to what

consequence?

3. Do you agree Mr. Kaul handled the situation professionally? Did he have

other option?

ONE POSSIBLE SOLUTION:

1) The management considered Mr. Kaul an asset to business because he was

professionally qualified and had the ability to run administrationobjectively. He possessed the added quality of maintaining balance

between the employees and employers. The atmosphere of mistrust and

suspicion was replaced by friendliness which by any measure was not a

mean achievement. The overall relaxed work environment made the

employeed feel at home and it ensured conflict –free administration and

Mr. Kaul claimed credit to it.

2) A theft was committed in the office when Mr. Shah, the typist was doing

his work all alone. His singular presence pointed the needle of suspicion at

him.All other employees joined hands and raised their voice calling Mr.

Shah a thief. This culminated into representation made to the officemanager Mr. Kaul with the demand to either recover money from him or

to suspend him from the job. This show of strength created herculean

problem for Mr. Kaul and an embrassing situation for Mr. Kaul.

3) Certainly Mr. Kaul handled the situation professionally. His intuition came

to his rescue. Had he punished Mr. Shah that would have caused injustice

to an innocent person? Mr. Kaul considered the human aspect of

management and gave benefit of doubt to Mr. Shah. In doing so, he

bought time. He did not crumble under pressure from employees. He was

proved right when the inquiry was completed. This further elevated his

stature before management and employees

Perhaps the other option open to him was to take some action against Mr.

Shah. Had he acted against Mr. Shah it would have proved disastrous, though for the

time being the employees would have become happy. It is managing a crisis like this

successfully that distinguishes a professional manager from a non-professional.

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professionalism of mgmt

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