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Company: Solito Fashions

a. Briefly describe your job responsibilities as a manager.

Basically I am the managing director of a tailoring store in the heart of the city (Orchard Road). As a manager, I have many responsibilities such as checking on my staff, ensuring that customers get their clothes on time, and even ensuring that I have sufficient stock of material left as we mainly sell custom-made formal wear and western outfits. Therefore, having enough stock is highly adequate.

b. What is your management style?

To be honest, I think the way I manage my company and allow it to expand and flourish is by keeping my staff motivated. They do know that if they are doing really well at work, I will raise their pay and also give them bonuses and extra leave. However, I am also a very strict boss. It is clear that they have to ensure that customers get their goods on time and each and ever one of their customers' needs are taken care off. I also allow my customers to write their feedback to me to see where my company stands, then I can make improvements. You could also visit Solito Fashions' website for more information on the items that I cater.

Furthermore, I also assign specific jobs to specific staff. For instance, I have front line staff who negotiate with the customers, I have people who manages the materials (cutting, sewing of materials) and I also have people to take material stocks for me at the end of the day.

His managing style is mainly the Classical School of Management. He uses scientific management to coordinate tasks. He selects the right employees for the right positions, and gives economic incentives to motivate employees.

Principle 3 of scientific management is evident in his style. He cooperates with workers to ensure that all work is done by asking for feedback from them. Principle 4 is also put to account; management takes all the work for which it is better suited for than the workers as opposed to the workers doing all the work. He introduces bonuses when jobs are completed well.

Also, his pattern of division of work according to specialisation fits under Henri Fayol's 1st principle when it comes to Administrative management. Another part of his style is that he also uses Human Relations School of Management. He uses Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs; he recognises that each individual is motivated by different needs. An example is the 2 days off of 14 day work leave if a staff is late three weeks in a row. Theory X is used.

c. What are some of the difficulties you face as a manager?

Many a times, customers might not receive their goods on time due to unforeseen circumstances. There are certain times when my staff report to work late. Also, taking stocks of material can be really difficult and it requires lots of patience.

d. How do you overcome these difficulties?

Basically, we give customers a 20 per cent discount on their next visit to ensure that the late-coming or absence of their goods will not be a reason for them to stop coming to our store. In addition, we keep calling up our tailors to check in on the clothes, pressure them a little to get the clothes done on time.

For the late-coming of staff, I would overcome by forfeiting their work leave days. For example, staff that reports late for three weeks in a row, will have two days less from their 14 day work leave, unless they were late for a valid reason.

As for overcoming the difficulties faced with the stocks, I try to find a solution by hiring more workers. As me and my staff were having difficulties measuring all the material left, taking stocks wasted time for the few of us since we had to concentrate on selling. Therefore, I hired part time students just to measure my material lengths. Giving others specific work to do really saves time if they specialise in it and it definitely makes our jobs a lot more efficient.

e. In your opinion, what makes a good manager?

In my opinion, a good manager is one that keeps their staff motivated and is able to handle everything in an organised fashion. A good manager is able to think of solutions to problems and execute it. A good manager is also someone who is not biased to a certain staff and is able to hold the company together allowing their staff to have a sense of belonging in the company.