Scientific Management was the product of 19th Century industrial Essay

Scientific Management was the product of 19th Century industrial practices and has no relevance to the present day. Discuss - Essay Example Referring to Murugan (2004), scientific management is a systematic and thoughtful approach to the job of management which applies the scientific methods of study and analysis to the problem of management, while using scientific approach of techniques to improve efficiency. This approach was based on the four main principles as developed by the earlier pioneers ; it included developing a science of work, scientific selection and training, educating workers and managers in the benefits of scientific management, equal division of responsibility, maximum output and finally specialization and collaboration between workers and managers (Admin, 2011). The modern form of management has been inspired through the social, economic, technological and legal importance attached to a firm or business. Modern management has blown out the significance of scientific management by introduction of reliable concepts which step further away from the classical management thought. Modern management employs empirical, decision theory, social, quantitative management, system management and contingency approach schools of thoughts, which create easier and flexible methods to handle differences in behavioural changes of the work force, and the demanding tasks in the working environment. Globalization: Pioneers of scientific management in the 19th century focused their attention on a particular area of production in manufacturing industries. The science of work carried out rotated within the industry hindering its application on the wider scope. Today, modern management operations have focused on broad concepts of management without limitations to its application on a variety of work environments, both local and foreign. Geographic boundaries are no longer barriers to management, even as organizations are increasingly been set up in different regions. Every business outside there has a mission to make profits in the common markets; the managers and other leaders in an organization will exp erience similar challenges inline with their job, not unless it can be able to sustain a comparative advantage over other competitors in the market. Modern management has extended to international co-operations which require managers to have a strategic plan in coordinating the functions and activities at different platforms. The scientific concept is primarily applicable to production operation of industrial engineering more than the general management, restricting its applicability to serve functions (Murugan 2004). Following the modern system’s approach, â€Å"management is expected to perform maintenance and adaptation functions† emphasizing on the interrelationship and interdependence among various activities of an organization (Murugan 2004, p.66). As organisations spread out across the globe through branches, their management complexities become difficult to monitor, requiring new faces to shape current practices in management, and solve different forms of crisi s as managers also take a new direction in the way they carry out their jobs. Though the entire large system is sub divided into manageable sub systems, all of them must be in balance with each other to ensure harmonization. The open system is ready to adapt new changes from the environment that is affected by different instabilities around the globe. Technology: Jobs today differ from the old method of manual practice. Businesses and organizations

Managing in Multinational Companies Research Paper

Managing in Multinational Companies - Research Paper Example Culture refers to a set of gained knowledge that some individuals may employ to make meaning of experiences towards generating a unique set of behavior. Different business establishments engage diverse cultures in their setups. These cultures are necessary for guiding the entire organization towards a common objective, by promoting a uniform way of thinking and acting. In other words, an organization prevents the subjectivity of decisions and behaviors in an organization, which promotes uniformity and team working spirit. On the other hand, countries will have different cultures that organizations have to respect, which are inherent in the views and values of such a country. A multinational company setting its operations in the US will need to observe a relatively diverse organizational culture compared to one setting operations in Mexico. An organization has to respect and observe a country’s culture while designing its organizational culture. This report investigates the dif fering views and beliefs surrounding overtimes and how the issue differs across the two countries. In this investigation, the report will illustrate that national cultures have a role to play in shaping organizational cultures.  A common aspect in both countries is that a company will consider other types of employment other than permanent employment to save on labor costs, to achieve flexibility and to benefit from workers for a short period (JILPT, 2009). Such an approach is common in short-term specialized jobs. In addition, there is a major variation in hourly pay rates between permanent and part-time workers in Japan compared to Germany (Smith 2000). Part-time employees have fewer benefits in bonuses offered compared to their full-time colleagues in Japan than in Germany where bonuses are not of much importance. Germany has more part-time employees than in Japan due to the working time variation. There are two reasons to explain the prevalence of part-time working in Germany than in Japan. One, such part-time workers are found in the tertiary sector, which bore the brunt of economic crises than the manufacturing sector, which has motivated employers to source more part-time workers (Smith, 2000). Part-time working in both countries has mainly improved because of structural changes in the economy towards a service economy. In Japan, non-regular employees get much fewer salaries with the difference increasing when the bonuses and one-off payments are considered in permanent employment (Ishiguro 2008). In Germany, on the other hand, part-time employees and regular employees have fewer differences in their wages; a part-time worker earns almost like a regular worker (Smith, 2000), with part-time workers taking advantage of overtime payments to bridge this salary gap. These are some of the factors differentiating working patterns between the two countries.