Sankofa Herbal Centre The Job Description On account of his review of the job description for the position of a District Business Manager for the sales organisation, Sankofa Herbal Centre, which is based in Navrongo, Mr. Peters concluded that one of the first matters he had to attend to involved developing job descriptions for the District Business Managers (DBM). Sankofa Herbal Centre is one of the top herbal medicine companies in the West African Sub-Region. Sankofa Herbal Centre produces herbal medicines, other adolescent medications, and over the counter products. Some of the brands include, "Sleep well", "Power for Power", "Thunder Fire" and "Alokoto Powers". The Mission of the Company is to extend and enhance human life by providing the highest-quality herbal medicine and related health care products". In addition, all employees live by the Sankofa Herbal Centre pledge, which states as follows: "To our customers, to our employees and all other stakeholders, home and abroad, we pledge to act on our belief that our products have the honour and integrity of its maker/manufacturer". As Mr. Peters puts it, his basic exposure and knowledge in organisation reviews and job analysis when reading for his degree programme in the management course were not sufficient to fully convince him of the pivotal role job descriptions actually played in the smooth functioning of a business enterprise. Several times during his first few weeks on the job, Mr. Peters found himself asking some of his District Business Managers why they were not complying with recommended company policies and procedures. Various flimsy answers were provided. Most common and get away answers were either This is not how we do our assignments over here. What matters to us is to get the job done, finito! One of the District Business Managers responded." or "Because I didn't know that was the way we were required to do it. In fact, I did not attend any induction programme when I was employed". Mr. Peters knew that a job description, along with job accountabilities, set of standards and procedures that specified what was to be done and how to do it, would go a long way toward alleviating this problem. In general, the District Business Manager is responsible for creating the environment to build an innovative culture, creating and articulating a vision, driving innovation by embracing diversity and change, setting the example and thereby shaping the culture. Developing and communicating the business plan, understanding and explaining the company's strategies, translating national plan to business plans for districts and sub- districts, setting goals and expectations of performance, setting priorities and allocating resources. Executing the business plan. executing and implementing the plan, maximising rank order lists (ROL) of medical education professional relationships, achieving optimum coverage frequency of highest potential physicians, taking accountability, and achieving results. Building relationships focused on customer retention, developing relationships (i.e. networks), influencing others (i.e. internal and external), and developing self and others. Strong skills in the following areas required: written and oral communication, negotiation, strategic analysis, leadership, team building, and coaching. Answer these questions 1. With the knowledge that you have acquired from discussions in class on the topic "Job Analysis", provide a formal design or framework for the District Business Manager's job description? 2. Is it appropriate to specify standards of performance and procedures in the body of the job description, or should these be kept separate? Argue your case out cogently using your professional knowledge as HR Director. 3. How should Mr. Peters go about collecting the information required for the job description, standards, and procedures? Why should Mr. Peters accept cach of the methods that you have proposed? 4. Using the framework that you have proposed in Question 1 above write the full job description for the District Business Manager
