Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 7

Management - Essay Example Traditionally Management was considered a process of leading and directing all or part of an organization, often a business, by deploying and manipulating resources. It was also defined as a process of getting things done through people. (Dabbah, R. 1999 p,15). The old traditional ways of managing are not applicable now. The old management practice was established on the assumption of human limitations as a basis for organizing. This assumption is so pervasive that it can be found in almost every aspect of conventional managing. Consequently it over-bureaucratized organizations. (Dabbah, R. (1999 p.15) In the new knowledge-driven economy, people have become organization’s most important asset. Well-trained and motivated people play important role in the development and execution of strategies. A Company needs people who can deliver. (Dabbah, R. (1999 p.16) Literature Review Contemporary management theories help to understand the changing nature of today’s organizational environments. These theories emphasize following points Managers should make a decision keeping in view all aspects of the current situation and act on those aspects that are key to the situation at hand. While managing organization look at all the resources such as raw materials, money, technologies and people. All these resources may be mobilized and utilized to achieve desired objectives. Management is not limited to business management only. Management is the specific and distinguishing organ of all organizations. The task of the manager is to lead people. And the goal is to make productive and specific strengths and knowledge of each individual. (Harris, P., Lock, A., & Rees, P. (Eds.). (2000)) Organizational Structure Organizational structure provides the basic template for the continuance of an organization's culture; i.e., norms, values, philosophies, and informal activities. Organizational culture provides both the organization and its members insight into "how things are done around here" If the current organizational design is "wrong" for the change, then either the desired change should be modified or the organizational structure should be redefined. Successful organizational change depends on more than simple cosmetic or surface changes; it requires changes at the core of the organization. Management's responsibility within an organization is to continually carry out three management functions: 1) planning; 2) controlling; and 3) organizing. Planning involves defining organizational objectives and developing the methods and resources by which they will be accomplished. Controlling is the process of developing, implementing and using feedback systems that provide continuous information on the success of all system elements that have been put in place in order to achieve the organizational goals. Organizing is the activity of designing and deciding upon the most appropriate organizational structure for achieving the organization's goals. Management of a Maritime Organization A maritime organization for example shipping company should have to operate in, and be responsible to, a number of different external environments. Let us take example of a leading international shipping company and analyze the proposition in given in above statement

The Iraq War 2003 in Western media and public opinion Essay

The Iraq War 2003 in Western media and public opinion - Essay Example Although opinion polls indicated a shift in the British public opinion about the war, the public opinion did not actually change during the entire period. Though the polls conducted by different agencies in the UK indicated an increase in the level of support for the war, it did not reflect the true opinion of the public. The public opinion only appeared to change because of the shortfalls in the polling process. In any opinion poll, there are priority issues that can alter the respondents’ answer depending on the way they are presented. If such priority issues are overshadowed by time or other events, the pollsters can ignore them in subsequent polls. For instance, in the British case, the pollsters left out the key issues because of time and other events that had occurred. Thus, if it were possible to incorporate the key events in the polls disregarding other events that had occurred, the polls could have otherwise suggested a different result. Apart from ignoring the real i ssues that initially determined people’s attitude, opinion polls possibly misidentified the respondents’ support for related issues as the support of the war. For instance, a respondent could have identified with one side of the conflict for personal reasons without necessarily supporting the war. In such situation, the polls deceptively indicated the support of the war. As a result, the outcome became unreliable. According to Baines and Worcester (2005), the public opinion changed during the war because of three major reasons.