| Business Management characterizes the process | | | | |
| of leading and directing all or part of an | | | | Today, we find it increasingly difficult to |
| organization, often a business, through the | | | | subdivide management into functional |
| deployment and manipulation of resources | | | | categories in this way. More and more |
| (human, financial, material, intellectual or | | | | processes simultaneously involve several |
| intangible). Early twentieth-century business | | | | categories. Instead, we tend to think in |
| management writer Mary Parker Follett defined | | | | terms of the various processes, tasks, and |
| management as "the art of getting things done | | | | objects subject to management. |
| through other people." | | | | |
| | | | One consequence is that workplace democracy |
| One can also think of business management | | | | has become both more common, and more |
| functionally as the action of measuring a | | | | advocated, in some places distributing all |
| quantity on a regular basis and of adjusting | | | | management functions among the workers, each |
| some initial plan, and as the actions taken | | | | of whom takes on a portion of the work. |
| to reach one's intended goal. This applies | | | | However, these models predate any current |
| even in situations where planning does not | | | | political issue, and may be more natural than |
| take place. From this perspective, there are | | | | command hierarchy. |
| several major management functions, namely: | | | | |
| planning, organizing, leading, coordinating | | | | All management is to some degree democratic |
| and controlling. | | | | in that there must be majority support of |
| | | | workers for the management in the long term, |
| Management is known by some as "business | | | | or they leave to find other work, or go on |
| administration", although this then excludes | | | | strike. Hence management is becoming less |
| management in places outside business, e.g. | | | | based on the conceptualization of classical |
| charities and the public sector. University | | | | military command-and-control, and more about |
| departments that teach management are | | | | facilitation and support of collaborative |
| nonetheless usually called "business | | | | activity, utilizing principles such as those |
| schools". The term "management" may also be | | | | of human interaction management to deal with |
| used as a collective word, describe the | | | | the complexities of human interaction. |
| managers of an organization, for example of a | | | | |
| corporation. | | | | Copyright 2007 Ismael D. |