MANAGEMENT: THEORY, PRACTICE, APPLICATION
Functions of Management
Management is defined as the process of working with people and resources to accomplish organizational goals Snell, Bateman (2007). Even though the people, resources and goals might change constantly, the one thing that never changes is the way that managers achieve these goals. The entire concept and effectiveness of management is made up of four distinct and equally important functions. The four functions of management, defined as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. These four functions, when applied simultaneously will create a work environment that’s conducive to productivity. If any one of the four functions is not applied by managers that manager has failed to be an effective leader. It is important for managers to know what the four functions are and how to apply them in the work place. As a manager your tasks and duties will vary, having such a big work load often makes it difficult to continually apply the four functions of management. It’s important to periodically double check and make sure that you’re applying all four of these functions in a judicious manner.
\Planning
Planning is specifying the goals to be achieved and deciding in advance the appropriate actions needed to achieve those goals Bateman, Snell (2007). Murphy’s Law (2007) states that “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. Planning is an integral part of any goal. Take as an example my employer Safety-Kleen, where I am employed as a market sales specialist. The sales period is four weeks; there is a quota that every salesman must meet by the end of the four week period. Safety-Kleen has many sales tools available to the employees that are designed to help its sa ...