Management: Challenge and Response [antikvár]

Introduction ObjechVes The application of the basic concepts, principles, and techniques of management often proves to be confusing when attempts are made to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Paradoxically, this is true even of those who have had actual on-the-job experience at the lower levels in business organizations. It is not until the junior executive has experienced membership in the management team that he realizes both the significance of theory and its limitations in decision making. One way to acquire broad-gauge experience would be to visit a variety of companies and to observe whether theory was being implemented in actual company situations. This, of course, is not feasible for many reasons, the least of which is time. But just as the biologist may dissect a frog to verify his theoretical knowledge of its nervous system, so may the potential administrator use company histories for his verification of the value of management theories. The study of a company's history, its method of operation, and the people identified with its rate of growth provides realism and practicality for the field of management. In addition, such an approach mirrors the many facts and complexities of modern business and furnishes a comparative view of the "art" of administration. This book presents case histories of specific companies, which describe the problems they faced and how they solved them. All of these company situations have appeared in Fortune in recent years. The problems are those which resulted from social and economic forces in the business environment as they were reported. In a number of instances the articles discuss pivotal management decisions made in situations of company crisis. These represent management at the crossroads. The material is based on interviews with key personnel of the companies as well as on research documentation by the author of the article. In a sense, each case is a bird's-eye view of the company at one point of time, providing material for both micro- and comparative analysis. The case histories in this book differ from those normally used in the so-called "case method" of instruction. The latter usually