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Strategic Business Management Studies

Course Modules

1 Business Communication and the Communication Process

2 First Class Management skills and Trouble Shooting Common Problems.

3 Effective Leadership Skills Inspiring Excellence Communicating Business Vision.

4 Negotiation Skills and Closing Deals.

5 Presentation Skills, Confident Speaking, Handling Audience

6 Successful Marketing Strategies, Branding Targeted Publicity.

7 Project Maximisation, Plan Implementation, Monitoring Business Activities.

8 Key Financial skills Statements, Profit and Loss Accounts, Balance Sheets and Cash Flow.

9 Project Management (Creating new Products or Services)

End of Course.

Cyprian Lunga 2005

Introduction to Modern Business Issues

Today’s fast moving business environment demands you must be an effective manger, a well organised administrator highly adept in understanding workers’ basic needs and behaviour in the work place. Gaining employees’ commitment, nurturing their talent and ensuring that employees are motivated and productive requires open communication and trust between you the manager and your staff.

Understanding Behaviour. 12

Natural instinctive behaviour is not always appropriate in the work place, because people who work naturally tend to be self protective rather than being open and collaborative. Instinctive behaving people also tend to leap into conclusions and fragment into small warring groups within an organisation.

Companies with natural behavior are highly political; they emphasise status and hierarchy; and generally, they are less pleasant to work with because they are not in tune with the needs of customers in the modern market place.

Behaving Appropriately

Constructive behaviour encourages cooperation, openness and self confidence. Appropriate behaviour skills include ability to communicate positively and confidently with colleagues and staff at all levels; swift and generous recognition of the achievements of others; ability to learn from mistakes and failures and an approach based on collaboration with fellow workers.

Advice for Managers

A business manager can most effectively encourage constructive attitudes in employees by example and reward; a progressive manager must always publicly approve good conduct and positive contributions of employees.

1 As manager you must work hard to influence behaviour change in her or his staff,

2 You must encourage and reward constructive employee behaviour at all times.

3 You should strive to influence people’s behaviour and their personalities.

Replacing negative characteristics table

NATURAL BEHAVIOUR	APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR
Reacting emotionally when information is received.	Establishes the facts using a pragmatic approach without emotions.
Avoiding risks through fear or insecurity	Taking risks in a calculated fashion.
Fighting fiercely and defensively when under threat or when problems occur.	Forms collegiate collaborative non-combative cool working relationships.
Making snap judgments about people and events.	Insisting on detailed analysis before judgment.
Spreading gossip throughout the organisation.	Practises total open communication.
Competing for status and its symbols.	Competes by achievements and not status.
Dwelling on past success.(prisoner of the past) not looking to future success.	Learns from mistakes and failures. Treats mistakes and failures as lessons.
Feeling more comfortable in small groups.	Prefers to work in large co-operative groups.
Always seeking hierarchical superiority and seniority instead of achievement.	Operates within flat non-hierarchical structures and seeks no status authority positions.

Understanding Peoples’ Needs

Employees’ needs go far beyond basic requirements such as good working conditions and fair play by management. A business cannot meet employees’ higher needs of self pride at work and sharing the corporate goals without addressing the above employees’ basic needs.

The classical psychologist Abraham Maslow identified a five stage “hierarchy of needs” starting with basic needs for food and shelter culminating in the higher level need of “self actualization” or “self fulfillment.”

You as modern progressive business manager must understand and appreciate that over and above good working conditions, employees also need food, shelter and warmth at work, they need personal security at work, they need friendly interaction with other workers, they need recognition and praise for their achievements and finally, they need to fulfill their individual potential.

Advice for Managers

1 As managers you should take care that basic employees’ lower needs are met first,

2 You must say thank you to employees whenever they have done a good job,

3 You must add public praise to private words to raise employees’ pride.