Mr. Vincent, the Manager of a large supermarket, was taking a management course in the evening
programme at the local college. The Professor had given an interesting but disturbing lecture the
previous night on the various approaches to management. Vincent had always thought that
management involved just planning, organizing and controlling. Now this Professor was saying that
management could also be thought of as quantitative models, systems theory and analysis, and even
something called contingency relationships. Vincent had always considered himself a good manager,
and his record with the supermarket chain had proved it. He thought of himself, “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. That other stuff just does not make sense. All the
professor was trying to do was complicate things. I guess I will have to know it for the test, but I am
sticking with my old plan, organize and control approach to managing my store.”
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 you say
to Vincent?