ABSTRACT

This chapter investigates the importance of skills and knowledge required by managers, using various business administration and training approaches. It discusses the three main categories of managerial skills: task-related, human-related and self-management skills, and illustrates a brief background of management in an Iranian context. The development of management theory involves the development of concepts, techniques and managerial skills. Task-related skills are related to the technical aspects of the manager's job. This group of skills includes the ability to follow a process with proficiency and expertise by using tools, techniques and procedures in a specific field. The business schools in Iran put the emphasis of their programme on the theoretical aspects of business administration learning rather than the practical ones. The chapter addresses the effectiveness of the processes involved in business administration programmes for managers in Iran. In an open-ended question, the respondents were asked to explain what content they would suggest for an effective business administration programme in their university.