Archived Bulletins

WHO SAID BEING A MANAGER IS EASY?

By Andrew Tarawali
First-Year Student

"Managers have an easy job. All they do is sign papers, give orders, attend meetings and get driven in luxury cars." This is the idea many people have of the functions of managers. However this assumption was disproved to the Ashesi University pioneering class of 2002 upon their visit to Intravenous Infusions Ltd, a pharmaceutical industry located in Koforidua, a town in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Intravenous Infusions Ltd specializes in producing IV fluids which are critical to health care.

Upon arrival at the company the class was welcomed warmly by Mr. Appenteng, the General Manager of Intravenous Infusions Ltd, who proceeded to give the class a brief history about the company from its inception to the present day. During this presentation, he was cordial, informal and frank with the class.

The students were then divided into two groups to be taken on a tour around the factory. This was to enable the students to view the production process first hand, interact with the staff and ask relevant questions. It was clearly apparent that the company took quality control very seriously due to the fact that each batch undergoes several quality control measures before being released. What truly impressed the students was the fact that the company saw quality more important than profit, which should be the case as their products are used to save human life.

After the tour the students engaged in a "Question and Answer" session with Mr. Appenteng. It was during this period that many students became aware of how skilled, broad minded, knowledgeable and effective a manager like Mr. Appenteng had to be. It was clear that he possessed a considerable amount of knowledge of all the facets of the company and seemed to know everything about the company's operations as he single handedly answered all questions. He spoke with confidence and emotion, suggesting he knew what he wanted for the company and therefore did not sit inside his office all day just signing papers.

Students learned that good managers value their staff', and continuously work to improve their employees' skills through professional development programs. Another aspect of this company that impressed students were the various ways the management helped the population of Koforidua, not only through employment, but through scholarships and funding of special projects.

The students finally returned to Ashesi after having learned much about being a manager. They learned that to be a successful manager, an individual must trust and motivate his staff, have knowledge about everything the company does and be very good with public affairs. They learned that being a good manager is not an easy job, but is a very rewarding one.

Copyright © 1999-2008 Ashesi University Foundation. All rights reserved.