Functions of Management essay

Deciding on how to manufacture CleanUp Buddy is relatively easy due to AL TechVenture’s partnership with iRobot Corporation, giving iRobot Corp. the responsibility to manufacture the technology and leaving AL TechVenture with the task of the product’s final assembly as well as the packaging, marketing, and distribution activities. The 4 functions of management are: planning, organizing, directing, and controlling. Planning is the starting point from which the other three are built and based on. This is the part of the process where management evaluates the company’s goals and the steps needed to reach those goals.
Managers must establish goals, indentify resources, set tasks according to their goals, set deadlines, and even create alternative solutions for in case an unforeseen factor affects their plans. Managers then move on to organizing. They assign the resources identified during the planning stages to each goal established and give them their tasks and deadlines. They divide up the work that needs to be done, determine the departments who will carry out the work, and then delegate the work to these departments and give them their responsibilities and deadlines.
Directing is the process of managers leading and motivating resources into completing their objectives and goals. This requires the ability to communicate effectively and the ability to read personalities and knowing how to address certain personalities. Controlling is the function of management where managers assess what’s been accomplished of the goals they have established as well as determine what factors kept the goals from being completed. From there, they would need to provide a way to eliminate these causes as well as provide a new or improved course of action.

With my limited partnership with iRobot Corporation signed for the next 6 years which gives them the responsibility to manufacture the technology for CleanUp Buddy, I do not need to establish manufacturing for all components. All I will need is to establish final assembly only operation of my product with the components purchased from local vendors. A big advantage to this decision is that I did not need to raise huge capital that would have hindered me starting the business in the first place.
It will also help in minimizing labor cost since there will be no need to hire personnel that will create the technology. I could also use the extra capital and allocate it to hire top-notch quality control so to inspect the parts supplied by iRobot and other vendors. One drawback is that iRobot Corp. will be given control as to how to manufacture the technology and will be in charge of determining the schedule and allocating their resources as they see fit which could affect how I plan. I would be dependent on their schedule and will need a good backup plan should there be any scheduling conflicts.
Since planning could be affected, it stands to reason that organizing could be affected as well since I would need to allocate necessary resources to ensure that AL TechVenture do not fall behind on schedule and will be able to meet deadlines. This decision also impact the directing and controlling since I will not be able to oversee iRobot’s personnel’s task and influence them in fulfilling their task on schedule and would not be responsible in evaluating the job performed by iRobot employees that are hired to create CleanUp Buddy’s technology