© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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• Information availability• Attitude toward the work environment• Demographics• Diversity

– The glass ceiling• Business ethics

– The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

The Changing Nature of the Manager’s Environment

© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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McGraw-Hill

Information Availability

• Increasing sophistication results in new data• Examples are

– The Internet provides information that was previously difficult to obtain

– Cell phones and like technologies enhance communication

– New information increases technological change

• Increases in information availability and technological change require managers to have increased technical skills.

© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Attitude toward the Work Environment

• Prediction: More emphasis on the quality of work life

• Factors that determine the quality of work life include:– Working conditions– Opportunity for growth– The right for privacy

• Changes in these factors will have a direct impact on the manager’s job

© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Demographics and Diversity

• Latest United States demographic data shows population is becoming older and more diverse

• Diversity in the workforce means including people of different genders, races, religions, etc

• Increasing diversity in the workplace represents a major social change in the United States

• The problems women and minorities have had obtaining promotions compared to white men is termed the glass ceiling.

© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Business Ethics

• Business ethics involves the application of standards of moral behavior to business situations

• A new level of examination is now legally enforced through the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

• The world of a business manager can be challenging and is without doubt constantly changing