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I chose this article due to its simplicity in how it breaks down the levels of management and their purpose.

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With the growing complexities of business, the process of management also become more complicated and calls for a higher degree of skill and ability. Particularly in view of the technological features influencing the size and the scale of modern enterprise, management cannot be a simple task that can be performed by an individual or a few persons interested therein as proprietors.

As observed by Louis A. Allen,

it is humanly impossible for one individual to do justice to the multi various and complex demands of both managing and operating the business.

Therefore, the managerial functions are assigned to different managerial personnel all along the enterprise. Hence, there arise a hierarchy of management with authority and responsibility graded according to functions arranged department-wise.

Three Levels of Management

The usual way of classifying the set up of any undertaking is:

1. Top Management

2. Middle Management, and

3. Lower Management,

the pictorial representation of which is shown in the following Figure.

We shall now discuss the different levels of management.

1. Top Management

Since majority of the large scale undertakings are organized as joint stock companies, the top level management is made up of Board of Directors. However, in practice the Directors do not take part in the day-to-day affairs of the enterprise. But the task is generally entrusted to the Managing Directors or General Managers. They are called as Chief Executives and they are responsible to carry out the broad policies formulated by the Board. However, the ultimate control rests with Directors.

This top level management is the policy making body responsible for the overall direction and success of all the activities of the company.

Functions of the Top Management

The principal functions of.the top management can be outlined as follows:

1. Determination of Objectives

It is the top level management which determines the broad objectives of the enterprise. Within the framework of the Memorandum of the company, the Board must determine the goals of the enterprise. The objectives may be either general or specific.

2. Formulation of Policies

For realizing the cherished goals of the company, the top management must also formulate the policies. The objectives and policies must guide the activities of the company, the selection of policies also calls for the Board's judgement.

3. Long Range Planning and Strategy

Since long range plans and strategies are major decisions, they are also rested in the hands of the top level management. If the long range planning proves faulty, the company shall find itself in serious financial difficulties.

4. Organizing for Action

Setting up of the administrative organization of large companies with thousands of employees is a complex problem and calls for greater caution and skill. Hence, this function also vests with the top management. Responsibilities which are necessary to execute the policies must be assigned to different employees and relationship among the jobs should also be clarified.

5. Developing of Major Resources

This function includes the finding out of the various ways and means for procuring the resources required to put the plans into action. Resources also include physical resources such as machinery, tools, furniture, equipment, building, etc.

6. Selecting Key Personnel

The managerial personnel not only dominate the success or failure of the existing policies but they are key figures in formulating future plans. Right type of men must be selected and placed at the right places. Hence, this function also vests with the top management.

7. Co-ordination and Controlling

Although the top management is primarily concerned with the future, it must maintain guiding influence on the current activities. It must guide in the execution of plans through the organization with the resources assembled. This calls for co-coordinating and controlling the operation.

2. Middle Level Management

The middle level management is concerned with the execution of the policies and plans evolved by the top management. Therefore, the middle level management comprises of departmental heads and other executives. Though the top management forms the head and brain of the enterprise, the personnel in the middle management actually take part in the execution of the plans and experience the difficulties involved in it.

In this connection Newman rightly remarked as follows:

Without good executive personnel, sound objectives and policies and a clear organization plan soon become idle hopes and unrealistic aspirations; with good executive personnel, they provide the guidance and the structure for a purposeful enterprise.

Functions of the Middle Management

The principal functions of the middle level management can be outlined as follows:

1. Middle level management interprets the policies of the company.

2. It is the responsibility of the Middle Management to prepare organizational set up in their department.

3. They issue orders to the subordinates and others in their department,

4. Middle level management motivate the personnel for higher productivity.

5. Collecting reports and other information about the work turned out in their respective departments, and

6. Providing information and assisting the top management in revising the plans to secure better performance.

3. Lower Level Management

This term is applied to subordinate departmental heads, foremen, office superintendents, supervisors, etc. The personnel in the lower level management come in direct contact with the workers. They actually carry out the operations as per schedule. Hence, they are also designated as 'operating management'. They provide the essential link between the worker and the management. In fact, the efficiency of the whole organization depends on the efficiency of the lower management.

Functions of the Lower Management

The important functions of the personnel in lower management can be summed up as follows:

1. Executing of the work entrusted to them,

2. Maintaining of the standard, quality and workmanship of the product,

3. Eliminating wastage of material, time, etc.,

4. Maintaining strict discipline amongst the workers,

5. Preserving the morale of the workers, and

6. Providing instructions and other information to the workers and guiding them while in action.

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Levels of Management and their Functions

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Table of ContentsThree Levels of Management1. Top ManagementFunctions of the Top Management1. Determination of Objectives2. Formulation of Policies3. Long Range Planning and Strategy4. Organizing for Action5. Developing of Major Resources6. Selecting Key Personnel7. Co-ordination and Controlling2. Middle Level ManagementFunctions of the Middle Management3.

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This is a picture of Henry Fayol who is recognized as the birth of "Modern Management".

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For week 2 of our studies, Corporate social responsibility is the main topic and I believe this cartoon defines the importance of CSR in any business!

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I chose this topics because it exemplifies what a consistent effort to social responsibility can accomplish as you can clearly see in this article of PPG earning the Gold Rating for CSR.

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Nov 25, 2019 17:08 UTC

PITTSBURGH--(Business Wire)--PPG (NYSE: PPG) today announced that it earned a Gold Rating in corporate social responsibility from EcoVadis, a leading provider of business sustainability ratings. PPG saw double-digit improvement compared to the prior year in the areas of environment, labor and human rights, and ethics, securing its position among the top five percent of companies evaluated.

EcoVadis experts evaluate company performance on 21 material issues that were grouped into four categories: environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. Each company is assessed in these areas as they pertain to their company's size, location and industry.

"Corporate social responsibility remains a core focus for PPG," said Mark Cancilla, PPG vice president, environment, health and safety (EHS). "The EcoVadis Gold Rating represents PPG's unwavering commitment to sustainable economic, social and environmental impact, and signifies an important milestone in our ongoing journey. We are encouraged by our improvement and look forward to reporting further progress on our 2025 sustainability goals."

PPG continues to embed sustainable practices into its operations. Last year, the company introduced new sustainably advantaged products for customers, achieved a record low in injury cases across the company, advanced its global community engagement initiatives, and underscored its commitment to diversity and inclusion. The company's full 2018 Sustainability Report is available at sustainability.ppg.com.

EcoVadis certifies companies' commitment to sustainable development, specializing in the evaluation of suppliers for global supply chains. Its rating methodology is based on international sustainable development standards, such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the United Nations Global Compact and ISO26000. Learn more at www.ecovadis.com.

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD™

At PPG (NYSE:PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and specialty materials that our customers have trusted for more than 135 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers' biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $15.4 billion in 2018. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com.

We protect and beautify the world is a trademark and the PPG Logo is a registered trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191125005616/en/

PPG Media Contact:
Greta Edgar
Corporate Communications
+ 1 412-434-3046
edgar@ppg.com

Mark Silvey
Corporate Communications
+ 1 412-434-3046
silvey@ppg.com
www.ppg.com

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PPG Earns EcoVadis Gold Rating for Corporate Social Responsibility Progress

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EcoVadis experts evaluate company performance on 21 material issues that were grouped into four categories: environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. Each company is assessed in these areas as they pertain to their company's size, location and industry.

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The WTO is a great example of global management which deal with the smooth trade between countries around the world.

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Global trade - The World Trade Organization (WTO) deals with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that global trade flows smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.

Global trade - The World Trade Organization (WTO) deals with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that global trade flows smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.

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Global trade - The World Trade Organization (WTO) deals with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.

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Coca Cola I believe is an excellent example of how a company deals with Cultural differences around the world. Each country essentially has their own Coca Cola, varying in taste and as seen above, design as well!

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The SWOT analysis is a fantastic tool a company can incorporate to determine everything seen above and plan their next steps accordingly.

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SMART goals for goal setting! The picture explains it all!

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The United States Navy is an interesting example of a Centralized organization where the top level management make decisions for lower level to be tasked with accomplishing those directives.

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Employee Empowerment is giving the Employee the ability to make decisions without consulting management. A perfect example of this is allocating an employee to make necessary purchases that will benefit the company on their own accord.

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One topic during week 6 was communication which I believe can be one of the biggest significant issues in any business especially when you begin expanding. A simple cartoon above should do the trick!

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In the learning module Managing Human Resources, there is a section that explains the importance of an Orientation and how it can increase productivity and retention. As the world modernizes, you are beginning to see this a common practice in any business.

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The most frequent complaints about new employee orientation are that it is overwhelming, boring, or that the new employee is left to sink or swim. Employees feel as if the organization dumped too much information on them which they were supposed to understand and implement in much too short of a time period.

The result is often a confused new employee who is not as productive as he could be. He is also more likely to leave the organization within a year. It is costly to both the employer and the employee. Multiply this by the number of employees that you hire each year, and the cost of turnover becomes significant.

With an ongoing labor crunch, developing an effective employee orientation experience continues to be crucial. It is critical that new hire programs are carefully planned to educate the employee about the organization's values and history and about who is who in the organization.

A well thought out orientation program, whether it lasts one day or six months, will help not only in the retention of employees but also in the increases in employee productivity. Organizations that have good orientation programs get new people up to speed faster, have better alignment between what the employees do and what the organization needs them to do, and have lower turnover rates.

Employers have to realize that orientation isn't just a nice gesture put on by the organization. It serves as an important element of the new employee welcome and organization integration.

To Reduce Startup Costs
Proper orientation can help the employee get up to speed much more quickly, thereby reducing the costs associated with learning the job.

To Reduce Anxiety
Any employee, when put into a new, strange situation, will experience anxiety that can impede his or her ability to learn to do the job. Proper orientation helps to reduce anxiety that results from entering into an unknown situation and helps provide guidelines for behavior and conduct, so the employee doesn't have to experience the stress of guessing.

To Reduce Employee Turnover
Employee turnover increases as employees feel they are not valued or are put in positions where they can't possibly do their jobs. Orientation shows that the organization values the employee, and helps provide the tools necessary for succeeding in the job.

To Save Time for the Supervisor
Simply put, the better the initial orientation, the less likely that supervisors and coworkers will have to spend time teaching the employee. You can effectively and efficiently cover all of the things about the company, the departments, the work environment, and the culture during orientation. The manager and coworkers will then need only to reinforce these concepts.

To Develop Realistic Job Expectations, Positive Attitudes, and Job Satisfaction
It is important that employees learn as soon as possible what is expected of them, and what to expect from others, in addition to learning about the values and attitudes of the organization.
While people can learn from experience, they will make many mistakes that are unnecessary and potentially damaging. The main reasons orientation programs fail: The program was not planned; the employee was unaware of the job requirements; the employee does not feel welcome.

Employee orientation is important-orientation provides a lot of benefits, and you can use feedback from participating employees to make your orientations even better.

All new employees should complete a new employee orientation program that is designed to assist them in adjusting to their jobs and work environment and to instill a positive work attitude and motivation at the onset.

A thoughtful new employee orientation program can reduce turnover and save an organization thousands of dollars. One reason people change jobs is that they never feel welcome or part of the organization they join.

The most important principle to convey during orientation is your commitment to continuous improvement and continual learning. That way, new employees become comfortable with asking questions to obtain the information that they need to learn, problem solve and make decisions.

A well-thought-out orientation process takes energy, time and commitment. However, it usually pays off for the individual employee, the department, and the organization. One such example is Mecklenburg County's (North Carolina) success in revamping its employee orientation program.

The employer wanted to live up to its credo of employees being the organization's greatest resource. In 1996, as part of a larger initiative to redesign services to meet customer needs, the Mecklenburg County Human Resources Department staff made a smart decision. They viewed new employees as part of their customer base and asked their customers what they wanted.

Employees were asked what they wanted and needed from orientation. They were also asked what they liked and didn't like about orientation. New employees were asked what they wanted to know about the organization. Additionally, the organization's senior managers were asked what they believed was important for employees to learn when joining the county payroll.

Using feedback collected from employees, Mecklenburg's HR training staff first realized that meeting employees' needs required more than a half day training session. Trusting employee feedback, the trainers crafted a one-day orientation that gave employees what they said they wanted and what senior management believed employees needed to know.

Essentially, the orientation mix now includes the less exciting topics such as W-2s and various policies and procedures, but it also includes details that let the employee know something about the organization.

Need more on how to plan an employee orientation that's beneficial and fun?

Human Resource professionals and line managers first need to consider key new employee orientation planning questions before implementing or revamping a current program. These are the key questions to ask.

What things do new employees need to know about this work environment that would make them more comfortable?

What impression and impact do you want to have on a new employee's first day?

What key policies and procedures must employees be aware of on the first day to avoid mistakes on the second day? Concentrate on vital issues.

What special things (desk, work area, equipment, special instructions) can you provide to make new employees feel comfortable, welcome and secure?

What positive experience can you provide for the new employee that she could discuss with her family at the end of the first day of work? The experience should be something to make the new employee feel valued by the organization.

How can you help the new employee's supervisor be available to the new employee on the first day to provide personal attention and to convey a clear message that the new employee is an important addition to the work team?

Since first impressions are crucial, here are some tips for putting your best foot forward. Have some fun. Concentrate only on the very important topics of the handbook. Play some games-this can help people learn. Games include:

Photo Match: after the tour. Each employee is provided photos of other employees and a list of names. The object is to match the name with the face.

Signature Hunt: While employees are touring the facility, provide them with a piece of paper with the names of several associates they will be meeting. They are then asked to obtain the signatures of the people they meet. The employee who obtains the most signatures from a variety of new coworkers gets a prize.

Other games that pertain to what the employee learned during orientation are also effective assurances that orientation is successful.

Begin the process before the new person starts work. Send an agenda to the new associate with the offer letter so that the employee knows what to expect. Stay in touch after he or she has accepted the position to answer questions. Make sure the new person's work area is ready for the first day of work.

Make sure that key coworkers know the employee is starting and encourage them to come to say "hello" before orientation begins. A new employee welcome letter with an agenda allows coworkers to stay in touch with the new employee and her schedule.

Assign a mentor or buddy, to show the new person around, make introductions, and start training. Let the mentor have sufficient notice so that they can make preparations. The mentoring relationship should continue for 90 days and may continue much longer if the pair makes a great connection. Many relationships go on for years and may even turn into a sponsorship.

Start with the basics. People become productive sooner if they are firmly grounded in the basic knowledge they need to understand their job. Focus on the why, when, where, and how of the position before expecting them to handle assignments or big projects. Don't overwhelm them with too much information.

Provide samples about how to complete forms and the person's job description with the orientation packet.

Have some fun. Concentrate only on the very important topics of the handbook. Play some games-this can help people learn.

Provide a list of FAQs with a contact person, and phone number or extension.

Plan to take the new employee to lunch, or ask others to join the new employee in the lunchroom or in a conference room with other members of the department. The first day on the job is not the day to leave the new employee alone during lunch.

This is a good time for the supervisor to take the employee to lunch, include other coworkers, and make sure the employee is at ease. It's also an excellent environment in which employees can get to know each other and the new coworker.

Keep the new person's family in mind. A new job means an adjustment for the entire family, especially if they have relocated. Do what you can to ease the transition and help them feel comfortable in the community.

Ask for feedback. Find out from former new hires how they perceived the orientation process, and don't be afraid to make changes based on those recommendations. You can send an evaluation two to four weeks after the employee has started, and ask: Now that you have been with the company awhile did the new employee orientation meet your needs?
After the employee has worked for you for a while, and he finds out what he should have learned but did not at the orientation. At Mecklenburg County, after their redesign process, one of the trainers, Allyson Birbiglia said, "We recognize that we have to continuously improve orientation to meet the changing needs of our customers. What works now may not serve our employees well next month or next year."

An effective orientation program-or the lack of one-will make a significant difference in how quickly a new employee becomes productive and has other long-term impacts on your organization. The end of the first day, the end of the first week, the end of each day in your employment, is just as important as the beginning.

Help your employees feel that you want them to come back the next day, and the next, and the next.

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Dr. Judith Brown is a Program Manager for Policy and Performance Management at Naval Intelligence.

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Why Orientation Is Key to Retaining New Employees

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The most frequent complaints about new employee orientation are that it is overwhelming, boring, or that the new employee is left to sink or swim. Employees feel as if the organization dumped too much information on them which they were supposed to understand and implement in much too short of a time period.

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The cartoon above shows how different styles of leadership have different outcomes. A leader who helps his employees and ensures everyone is successful will be more successful than one who simply sets an example and expects everyone to accomplish it on their own.

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Motivating employees can be a daunting task for management, luckily I found this article that shows 14 great ways to keep employees thriving and engaged!

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I found this article that shows how to effectively evaluate performance within the workplace. It also has cartoons and quotes included!

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If your employees are not "salespeople," it can be a lot harder to track their work performance.

To find out how others do it, we asked 10 entrepreneurs from the YEC to share what they feel are the most important points to consider when evaluating a team member.

1. Level of execution

At the end of the day, nothing is more important than execution. Once you've committed to doing something, do you get it done on time and at a high level?

That's what people on the "A Team" do, and a startup needs A players! There is always a way to prioritize your tasks, be creative, and execute like crazy until you get it done. People who love what they do also tend to execute well.

- Mitch Gordon, Go Overseas

2. Quality of work

In the world of web and hosting, our most important data point is the quality of work that our employees create.

This is measured through regular review of our client deliverables, their role in client efforts, stability of the production changes/platform, best practices, and feedback from the client.

- Michael Spinosa, Unleashed Technologies

3. Level of creativity

Creativity is one of the most important points in evaluating employee performance.

How often did the employee question basic assumptions about a problem and come up with a new solution? Did they think outside of the box and successfully take risks on their own?

By keeping track of the incidents of creative, well-informed risk-taking, we can identify and reward high performers in a meaningful way.

- Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com

4. Amount of consistent improvement

Consistent improvement across the board is the most important factor in performance evaluation for me at Marbaloo Marketing.

No employee has the capacity to be truly excellent at every evaluation point on our quarterly review form; however, every employee has the opportunity to improve each day, month, quarter, and year.

The desire and effort to become better is the most rewardable quality in my eyes.

- Faithe Parker, Marbaloo Marketing

5. Customer and peer feedback

An employee with good customer feedback, even one who is not making sales, can improve.

One who has negative feedback will most likely go down in sales over time. Remember that the customer can also be any internal peer who works with, for, or alongside this employee.

- Kevin Henrikson, Acompli (now Outlook iOS/Android @ Microsoft)

6. Sales revenue generated

The revenue that each employee brings in on a monthly basis reflects on that individual's overall performance.

The majority of our company is made up of sales representatives, and they are measured by the total number of venues they sign up to be listed on our site, which translates into how much revenue is made from those venues.

- Jayna Cooke, EVENTup

7. Responsiveness to feedback

If an employee is doing something incorrectly, I don't want to hear excuses or justifications.

However, I also don't want my staff member to blindly and soullessly adjust to my comments. My ideal worker would take feedback and really think critically, such that he understands why he is being asked to change. Or he has a two-way conversation with me about what is working and what is not.

- Firas Kittaneh, AstraBeds

8. Ability to take ownership

An employee who takes ownership of assigned tasks and can figure out how to get things done is a great asset.

This is very important for early stage companies, as people who take ownership can help you move a lot faster as they can overcome challenges and remove roadblocks.

- Randy Rayess, VenturePact

9. Percentage of tasks completed on time

Each team member must maintain an up-to-date task list that they can use to monitor their deliverables and measure their progress.

When evaluating the employee's performance, check their rate of completion and evaluate the quality of their tasks to ensure they are working on things that are in line with the growth of the company.

- Rahim Charania, American Fueling Systems

10. Being on time and on budget

We go by delivering on time/on budget. So we track every project and deliverable and determine whether it is on time and on budget. We consider the person responsible's time as part of the budget.

As long as it's both, we are good. When it's not, we discuss.

- Brandon Dempsey, goBRANDgo!

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10 Easy Ways to Evaluate an Employee's Performance - Bplans Blog

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If your employees are not "salespeople," it can be a lot harder to track their work performance. To find out how others do it, we asked 10 entrepreneurs from the YEC to share what they feel are the most important points to consider when evaluating a team member.

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You often see little stickers on clothing or inspection stickers on various items you can buy. Quality Control is an important aspect of any business as it ensures the consistent quality for customer satisfaction!