Question based on Case Law

[hemant pandey]

Mr. Vincent, the Manager of a large supermarket, was taking a management course in theevening programme at the local college. The Professor had given an interesting but disturbinglecture the previous night on the various approaches to management. Vincent had always thoughtthat management involved just planning, organizing and controlling. Now this Professor wassaying that management could also be thought of as quantitative models, systems theory andanalysis, and even something called contingency relationships. Vincent had always consideredhimself a good manager, and his record with the supermarket chain had proved it. He thought ofhimself, “I have never used operations research models, thought of my store as an open system,or developed or utilized any contingency relationship. By doing a little planning ahead,organizing the store, and making some things got done, I have been a successful manager. Thatother stuff just does not make sense. All the professor was trying to do was complicate things. Iguess I will have to know it for the test, but I am sticking with my old plan, organize and controlapproach to managing my store.

 

Please provide Me suitable answer of the following two questions...

1. Critically analyze Mr. Vincent’s reasoning.

2. If you were the professor and you knew what was going through Vincent’s mind, what would yousay to Vincent?

[DR.MARIAPPAN GOVINDARAJAN]

This is the discussion forum where doubts are being clarified and shared the views gathered by experience. Not for such items.

AI Summary

Management theory resistance undermines recognition of systems, contingency and quantitative approaches for complex managerial decisions. Mr. Vincent restricts management to planning, organising and controlling and rejects operations research models, systems theory and contingency relationships based on his practical success. This reasoning is narrow because it treats management as a fixed set of tasks rather than a repertoire of analytic tools adaptable to different problems and environments. A constructive pedagogical reply would recognise his competence while explaining that quantitative models, systems perspectives and contingency approaches complement classical functions and improve decision making when situational complexity or interdependence increases.