The Meaning and Essence of Leadership

Leadership is a process of influencing the behavior of other people to work willingly towards the achievement of organisational goals. It involves existence of a leader and followers. So leadership is an exercise to influence the behavior of the followers towards attainment/achievement of specified goals. Here the person who guides or directs his followers is known as leader. Leadership is a process of influence: Leadership is a process whose important ingredient is the influence exercised by the leader on goup members. A person is said to have an influence over others when they are willing to carry out his wishes and accept his advice, guidance and direction. Successful leaders are able to influence the behavior, attitudes and beliefs of their followers. Leadership is the function of stimulation:  Leadership is the function of motivating people to strive willingly to attain organisational objectives. Leaders are considered successful when they are able to Continue reading

Quality of Work Life (QWL) – Definition, Scope, Principles, and Techniques

The term Quality of Work Life (QWL) aims at changing the entire organizational climate by humanizing work, individualizing organizations and changing the structural and managerial systems. It takes into consideration the socio-psychological needs of the employees. It seeks to create such a culture of work commitment in the organizations which will ensure higher productivity and greater job satisfaction for the employees. Quality of work life refers to the favorableness or unfavorableness of the job environment of an organization for its employees. It is generic term which covers a person’s feelings about every dimension of his work e.g. economic incentives and rewards, job security, working conditions, organizational and interpersonal relationships etc. The term QWL has different meanings for different people. A few important definitions of Quality of Work Life (QWL)  are as follows: According to Harrison: “Quality of Work Life is the degree to which work in an organization contributes to Continue reading

The Importance of Human Capital in Business

Managers may ask the question what is the most important asset in their company? The greatest asset of a company is not its financial capital, the number of building or it’s properties, nor it is the equipment or products that the company own. The greatest asset that a company own is it employees. Then again, what exactly is human capital? The term human capital is recognition that people in organisations and businesses are important and essential assets who contribute to development and growth, in a similar way as physical assets such as machines and money. The collective attitudes, skills and abilities of people contribute to organisational performance and productivity. Any expenditure in training, development, health and support is an investment, not just an expense. The importance of human capital is rising tremendously since the last few decades. Human capital is now regarded as the most important factor in an organization Continue reading

Differences Between Managers and Leaders

Quite often leading and managing are considered as synonymous terms. Both require several qualities or traits and both are processes involving interpersonal relations. Both involve setting goals and mobilizing resources.  They are complementary qualities inexorably linked to each other, and any attempt to extricate one from the other is impossible.  What is the difference between management and leadership? It is a question that has been asked more than once and also answered in different ways. “There is a  profound difference  between management and leadership, and  both are important. To manage means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct. Leading is influencing, guiding in a direction, course, action, opinion. The distinction is crucial” — Quote from  “On Becoming a Leader” by  Warren Bennis Some people think of the words Manager and Leader and think they are the same. The two are related, but the Continue reading

Important Functions of Money

Money is a critical component of any modern economy, serving as a medium of exchange, a store of value, and a unit of account. It is used by individuals, businesses, and governments to facilitate transactions and to manage financial resources. In this essay, we will explore the functions of money, and how it helps to facilitate economic activity. Medium of Exchange: One of the most important functions of money is its role as a medium of exchange. In a barter system, goods and services are exchanged directly for other goods and services, with no universal medium of exchange. However, money provides a convenient and efficient way to facilitate transactions by allowing buyers and sellers to exchange goods and services for a universally accepted form of payment. This reduces the need for a double coincidence of wants, where a buyer must have something the seller wants in order to complete a Continue reading

Different Categories of E-Business

Introduction to E-business: E-business is an all-encompassing concept that refers to the numerous ways in which companies are taking advantage of the universal connectivity offered by the Internet and other computer networks. Traditional Information Systems courses also discuss how businesses use computers, but focus in addition on technical issues of hardware, software, databases, networks, and management of all of these components. This course focuses on the ideas and processes involved in starting an e-business or in adding e-business functions to an existing business. E-business enables a customer to conduct business anytime, anywhere and from any place via a distribution channel. It helps to get a continuous dialogue between you and your customer, just as if you both were talking face to face. E- business is more than having a web site for your business. Accessing internet to provide information about the company, products, supplies, using appropriate project management software etc. Continue reading