The purpose of this document is to explain the role of the manager in an organization. Manager has been variously defined by different authors. However, to summarize the views of some of the major theorists, the manager is a person who controls resources, men, structures and processes within an organization. It can do this at the top level or within the hierarchy. The manager as the leader of the organization has a fundamental role to play. The first role that must be played by the manager is planning. Planning refers to the process by which managers determine a course of action that helps the company achieve organizational objectives. Planning involves first having goals for the company. These are set and determined by managers by examining the internal and external environment as well as feedback. If the company wants to avoid mistakes that can prove very costly, good planning is necessary. For example, one of Toyota's goals is to be profitable and the other is to produce environmentally friendly cars. Both goals are contradictory. If the com...