This paper presents the context of production management evolution and assesses the application of some heuristic production approaches within construction sites of Brazil and England. The study revealed that, although the production management theory evolved significantly, construction practices do not apply the theory in a systemic and comprehensive manner. Clearly, lack of motivation and poor instruments for enabling “learning” are the central cause of this problem. According to McFarland (1979) the word “manage” seems to have come into English usage directly from the Italian word “maneggiare”, that means “to handle”.
This word, in turn, traces back to the Latin word “manus” (hand).
In the early sixteenth century the word “manage” was quickly extended into the common language of war situations and used in the general sense of “taking control”, “taking charge”, or “directing”. Management is the fundamental integrating processes used to achieve organised, purposeful results. This dynamic flow between practice and theory, and vice versa, is also one of the key virtues of disciplines relating to production management.
Academics and consultants are continually developing new ways for solving production problems and marketing these solutions to practitioners. Occasionally, these solutions are transformed into books. In other situations, the active experimentation of practitioners leads to new ideas and insights that are themselves gradually transformed into theories. These theories, in turn, help the communication of their solutions to other practitioners facing similar problems. Key Contributions: Taylor and Gilbreth: Frederick W.
The Term Paper on Talent Management Problem In China
In this paper, China’s current problem with talent management –mainly due to lack of qualified university graduates for multinational companies that engage in offshore service operations, the lack of English skills, poor financing of universities, and quality-lacking curriculums– and the ways that China can tackle with this problem by engaging in talent management operations will be discussed. The ...
Taylor is acknowledged as the “father” of scientific management, because of his famous work entitled Principles of Scientific Management (1911).
* Efficient use of time. * Tried to discover the relationship between the “horsepower that a man exerts” and the correspondent “tiring effect that this work has on man”. * Controlling factor: Amount of work a worker could do was the percentage of time that the worker was under load or resting, and the length and frequency of resting periods. Frank Bunker Gilbreth was already managing a construction company in the twentieth century. study of “needless, ill-directed and ineffective motions of bricklayers in construction processes”. * Analysed and reduced the number of motions from 18 to 5. * Doubled productivity without increasing the effort. Hawthorne: A turning point in the theories of management came with the study carried out by Western Electric managers and Harvard University researchers at the Hawthorne works, near Chicago, from 1924 until 1932. Originally, this study sought to confirm Taylor’s principle that more lighting in the workplace would result in greater productivity.
However, to the amazement of the researchers, the experiment showed productivity rising still further, even with a decrease in illumination. The investigation then turned its attention to the relationship between managers and workers, still aiming for the manipulation of workers to maximise the output ofproduction (Mayo, 1949; Barnes, 1980, p. 283; Wren, 1994; Weihrich and Koontz, 1993).
After a number of experiments, they finally concluded that the improvements in productivity happened almost solely due to social factors, such as moral and satisfactory inter-relationships within the production team.
The study also showed that just the fact of being chosen for the study motivated workers to continually improve production, regardless of the working environment (Mayo, 1949; Wren, 1994; Weihrich and Koontz, 1993; Lee and Schniederjans, 1994).
The Essay on Sweetness And Power Workers On The Plantation
Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History Some of the most brilliant minds have made many unorthodox suggestions. This is the case with Sidney Mintz's thesis in Sweetness and Power: The Place of Modern History. Mintz's suggestions that industrial capitalism originated in the Caribbean sugar plantations may seem to contradict the European version of world history fed to most of the ...
Courtesy: Proquest Just In Time Theory: A production strategy that increases productivity and ROI by reducing process inventory and associated carrying costs. The process relies on signals between different points in the process, which tell production when to make the next part.
They can be simple visual signals. JIT focuses on continuous improvement and can improve ROI, quality and efficiency. To achieve this, the key areas of focus could be flow, emp. Involvement and quality. Courtesy: Wikipedia Adam Smith: Smith concluded that division of labor increased productivity by increasing each worker’s skill and dexterity, by saving time that is usually lost in changing tasks, and by the creation of labor- saving inventions and machinery. Probably, the most important influence on management was the Industrial Revolution.
It began in the late eighteenth century in Great Britain, where machine power was being substituted for human power. Courtesy: Yahoo Answers. Max Weber: Characteristics of Bureaucracy Forms of Authority 1. Rulification & routinization – effort-saving rules and equal treatment 2. Specific spheres of competence – clear division of labor, specialization 3. The principle of hierarchy – leave no office uncontrolled 4. Expertise of office holders – managers to have technical training 5. Written record-keeping – everything to be recorded & filed, red tape.
Courtesy: Answers. yahoo. com According to Max Weber, there are three types of power in an organisation:- Traditional Power – Readily accepted. Unquestioned as it comes from deeply set customs and tradition. Charismatic Power – Gained by those who have gained the respect and trust of their followers. Bureaucratic Power Or Legal Power – Stems from the setup of an organisation and the position held by the person in authority excised within stipulated rules and regulations of an organization.
The characteristics or features of Bureaucratic Organisation are as follows :- There is a high degree of Division of Labour and Specialisation. There is a well defined Hierarchy of Authority. It follows the principle of Rationality, Objectively and Consistency. There are Formal and Impersonal relations among the member of the organisation. Interpersonal relations are based on positions and not on personalities. There are well defined Rules and Regulations. There rules cover all the duties and rights of the employees. These rules must be strictly followed.
The Research paper on Policy Instruments Taxation Spending And Regulation
H2>Does the choice of Policy instruments (taxation; spending and regulation) involve both the "means" and "ends" of policy development? Discuss. Governments have at their disposal a selection of instruments with which they can implement their policies. Amongst them, are the policy instruments of taxation, spending and regulation, mentioned in this essay title. I intend in this paper to discuss ...
There are well defined Methods for all types of work. Selection and Promotion is based on Technical qualifications. Only Bureaucratic or legal power is given importance. Bureaucratic organisation is criticised because of the following reasons :- Too much emphasis on rules and regulations. The rules and regulations are rigid and inflexible. No importance is given to informal groups. Nowadays, informal groups play an important role in all business organisations. Bureaucracy involves a lot of paper work. This results in lot of wastage of time, effort and money.
There will be unnecessary delay in decision-making due to formalities and rules. Bureaucratic model may be suitable for government organisations. But it is not suitable for business organisations because business organisations believe in quick decision making and flexibility in procedures. Too much importance is given to the technical qualifications of the employees for promotion and transfers. Dedication and commitment of the employee is not considered. There is difficulty in coordination and communication. There is limited scope for Human Resource (HR).
