Unit_1,_Business_Management_and_Leadership

Management Changes Within the last ten years of business, many managers have experienced changes in society that are having an effect on management. Managers will face new ideas and new ways of doing business from years past as society continues to change. Considerations to different environmental forces and thinking globally are now more important to managers than ever before. Managers will develop a better understanding of today’s management skills when they embrace the outside environmental forces in technology and consider the new ideas in global management. Technologically advanced systems have been adopted by companies, retailers and other organizations to get a competitive advantage over their competition. Some of these advances are in the speed of communication traffic and in the information systems used in the outside environments. A new concept that relies on this technology is the Just-In-Time Knowledge-Management system used to speed up production and delivery. According to E-Center for E-Business, this system helps managers get the right information, to the right people, at the right time (Kerschberg & Jeong, 2008). This information system was developed by Toyota and made famous by Wal-Mart when they delivered low prices on name brand goods. Management information systems are becoming more popular and managers are now being required to understand and utilize these systems to be a more effective manager. As managers learn to advance in the technology environment, they must also learn to advance globally. Management in the global environment challenges managers with forces in the legal-political, economic, and cultural environmental areas. Companies are now developing their businesses in foreign countries to maximize growth and profits. One new example of globalization that is affecting managers is called outsourcing. The Global Outsourcing Guide indicated that no other country can beat the United States in designing and developing new products, but to cut labor cost a company must outsource to other lower-wage foreign areas (Overby, 2006). When a company outsources, managers must pay particular attention to the cultural needs of the host nation. Productivity and cost may fall below the projected goals due to misunderstandings the manager may bring to this foreign workforce. Globalizing can be very challenging to managers without first understanding the country of operations sensitivities. Managers will continue to change and adapt to better understand the needs of society and to promote the growth of organizations in the outside environments and across the globe. Managers will utilize information systems to better serve their customers and provide the most cost effective products. Outsourcing requirements has become a sensitive issue for managers to understand. As the world develops and technology continually reaches further out to people, managers must respond to the new challenges put before them for future success. References Kerschberg, L., & Jeong, H. (2008). Just-in-Time Knowledge Management. Retrieved June 10, 2008, from E-Center for E-Business: http://eceb.gmu.edu/pubs/JIT_KM_Kerschberg_Jeong.pdf Overby, S. (2006). Global Outsourcing Guide. Retrieved June 10, 2008, from Offshore Outsourcing Guide: http://www.cio.com/archive/071506/2006_global_outsourcing_guide.pdf