business
CHANGE AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILIY UNIT 1.4
- Social responsibility is about meeting obligations tot he community that are beyond those required by law or economics. It is about doing the right thing.
- Ecological sustainability is an area where managers can do more then required by law. This is concerned with not compromising the needs of future generations by using up all the finite resources such as coal
- Quality of working life is another area where managers can do more. This is concerned with the well-being of people in the workforce
- Technology has a dramatic effect on the way people do their jobs and has both positive and negative effects on society as a whole
- Globalisation brings responsibilities to a wider community and it is concerned with not abusing the rights of other people in other countries
- Managers have a responsibility to ensure that we utilise the talents of a diverse community. This will benefit both the individual businesses and the community as a whole
- E-commerce involves responsibilities relating to trust in the community
UNDERSTANDING BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS WITH REFERENCE TO MANAGEMENT THEORIES Unit1.2
- The management theorists of the past provide valuable insights into current business practices.
- The classical-scientific theorists’ main contribution was the use of the scientific method to determine the one best way of doing things. They:
Were particularly effective in increasing productivity in manufacturing businesses
Gave insights into the managerial functions of planning, organising and controlling
Put an emphasis on the division of labour and organised people into departments
Suggested a hieratical pyramid structure to organise the business with the small spans of control and a rigid chain of command
Supported a leadership style that was highly autocratic
- The behaviourists focused on human and organisational behaviour, relationships, motivation and cooperation (the scientific management theorists treated people as machines). They:
Looked at organisations in terms of group behaviour and team effort rather than individual performance
Saw that the role of management was to harmonise and coordinate the efforts of all the people in the organisation
Had a human relations view of management
Had a leadership style that was more democratic and encouraged participation in decision-making by workers
Supported a flatter organisational structure based on teams
- The political theorists contributed to our understanding of power and
Authority as it affected management interactions with the various stakeholder groups. They recognised that:
The structure of a business as a coalition of stakeholders
Groups of stakeholders have different views on the objectives of a business
Managers have to identify strongly held [next page]