Management Concepts

Management Planning and Control

The essence of the management process is decision-making. Decision making is an unavoidable and continuous management activity. It may be directed towards some specific objectives, or it may result as a reaction of environmental factors as they occur. The decision-making process should be both efficient and effective. It would be effective when management’s objectives are achieved. It is said to be efficient when objectives are realized with the minimum use of resources. The process of decision-making involves two basic management functions of planning and control.

Planning Function of  Management  

The decision-making process starts with planning.   Planning is a statement of what should be done, how it should be done and when it should be done.… Read the rest

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Brand Attributes – Meaning, Components and Importance

In order to understand the meaning and importance of brand attributes, and their contribution to the creation of memorable and attractive brands, it is important to understand the significant difference between products and brands. A product is purely a physical thing, defined by physical attributes. For example, cola is a physical product made from a combination of caramel, caffeine, sugar, carbonated water and other colors and flavors. In contrast, a brand is a defined image and name associated with a specific firm’s products, and used to differentiate these products from those of competitors. As a result, a brand effectively represents the promise of quality for consumers, and the promise that a product will meet certain standards and expectations.… Read the rest

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Theories of Learning

Learning is an important psychological process that-determines human behavior. Learning can be defined as “relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience or reinforced practice”.

Important theories of learning are:

1. Classical Conditioning

The work of the famous Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov demonstrated the classical conditioning process. When Pavlov presented a piece of meat to the dog in the experiment, Pavlov noticed a great deal of salivation. He termed the food an unconditioned stimulus and the salivation an unconditioned response. When the dog saw the meat, it salivated. On the other hand, when Pavlov merely rang a bell, the dog did not salivate.… Read the rest

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Motivation – Definition, Process, Types, Features and Importance

Definitions of  Motivation

The word Motivation derives from the   Latin word “Movere”. The Latin word “Movere” means “To move”, “To drive” or “To drive forward” etc.  Motivation can be defined as stimulating, inspiring and inducing the employees to perform to their best capacity. Motivation is a psychological term which means it cannot be forced on employees. It comes automatically from inside the employees as it is the willingness to do the work.

Joe Kelly  defined Motivation as “Motivation is a process where by needs instigate behavior directed towards the goals that can satisfy those needs.”

According to W. G. Scot, “Motivation means a process of stimulating people to action to accomplish the desired goals.”

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Managerial Grid Model

The Ohio studies led to two dimensions of leadership behavior-concern for tasks and concern for relations. Almost in the same style, the Michigan University studies made the distinction between job-centered and production-centered leaders. Blake and Mouton rated these concepts in a framework called the Managerial Grid. They interpreted the concepts in a broad way. Blake and Mouton have used “Concern for Production” and “Concern for People'” in their Managerial Grid on horizontal and vertical axes respectively. Managers may be concerned for their people and they also must also have some concern for the work to be done. The question is, how much attention do they pay to one or the other?… Read the rest

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Organizational Performance – Meaning, Definition and Measures

Managers are concerned with organizational performance–the accumulated end results of all the organization’s work processes and activities. It’s a complex but important concept, and managers need to understand the factors that contribute to high organizational performance. After all, they don’t want (or intend) to manage their way to mediocre performance. They want their organizations, work units, or work groups to achieve high levels of performance, no matter what mission, strategies, or goals are being pursued.

Managers measure and control organizational performance because it leads to better asset management, to an increased ability to provide customer value, and to improved measures of organizational knowledge.… Read the rest

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