...Benefit of Grapevine I concur with you that grapevine is basically “informal communication” and that it can cripple a corporation because it is not formal (Robbins & Judge 2009). The grapevine is unstable and unreliable; it can fuel anxiety, conflict and misunderstanding in small or large group situations. But, grapevine can also be beneficial because in most cases, grapevine information holds at least a kernel of truth. Information from upper management that flows through the grapevine to lower-level employees can allow them to see, and possibly relate to, the struggles that management is facing. When employees have a sense of these challenges, even if it is not entirely accurate they can rise up and make suggestions or work to improve a situation of which they might not otherwise have been aware. Also, if trouble is on the horizon, it can give employees a chance to make plans and temper their reactions when the news is formally communicated to them (Lorette, 1996). I would not agree totally that grapevine is never a good form of communication because grapevine is useful as a supplement to formal channels of communication and it often travels more quickly than other channels and is usually more direct. I know that grapevine consists basically rumors and gossip and it travels from person to person during breaks, lunch and in after-work gatherings, but God warn us about gossip, according to the bible “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a...
Words: 329 - Pages: 2
...Understanding Organisational Behaviour IB1230 Compare and contrast the contributions of Taylor and Ford to our understanding of organizational behaviour at work Introduction: For this essay it is very important to understand just what organisational behaviour is: ‘the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations’ (nwlink, 2011). Our early understanding of management can attributed to the work of Taylor and Ford, in particular Taylor can be considered to be the first person to have broken down the concept of management into scientifically backed steps, laying down a blueprint for organisations the world over to follow. Taylor is considered to have fathered the idea of ‘scientific management’, which is also sometimes known as ‘Taylorism’. This is a theory that breaks down every task into small steps, which are then easily analysed and taught, the main purpose being to increase efficiency (BusinessDictionary, 2013). Fordism (the term referring to Ford’s style of work) refers to a management style ‘based on bureaucratic organization, hierarchical decision-making with strict functional specialization and tightly defined job design (scientific management) and specialized machinery to mass produce a standard product for mass markets’ (McKinlay & Starkey, 1998, p.113). There are five main elements in organisational behaviour: leadership, motivation principles, team & teamwork, managing organisational conflict, politics & negotiation...
Words: 2484 - Pages: 10
...Understanding Organisational Behaviour IB1230 ID: 1323413 Describe how either Taylor or Ford changed organisational management and workplace practices. Critically analyse how they continue to influence contemporary organizational behaviour Student ID: Word count: 1976 Submission Date: 1 1323413 20/01/2014 Understanding Organisational Behaviour IB1230 ID: 1323413 Introduction “In the past the man has been first; in the future the system must be first.” Frederick Winslow Taylor. In the late 19th century, Frederick Winslow Taylor, known to many the forefather of scientific management, sparked the automation revolution, the third great transition in the history of humanity (after the Neolithic Revolution, a result of the development of agriculture around 6,000 B.C and the industrial revolution in the 18th century) (Souza, 1999, p.1). However, it can be argued that Taylor’s greatest contribution to capitalism was not the revolution itself, but how Taylorism brought about the era of competition and syncretism with contrasting or corresponding concepts on organisational management and workplace practices, particularly Fordism, which arguably extended the dynamics of Taylorism centered on the use of assembly line. This essay will examine how Fordism developed organisational management and modified workplace practices by exploring known historical application of its principles and theories. Thereupon, it will further analyse how elements...
Words: 2420 - Pages: 10
...Introduction to management Barak Remalli DATE \@ "d MMMM y" 9 April 2015 “Are idea’s such as mutualism and industrial democracy of relevance to the 21st Century business management?” The world as we know it today is in constant advancement of technology and knowledge. In result, economists have developed a myriad of theories that have shaped and changed the way we manage people, time and resources. Organisation theorists such Russell Ackoff, Warren Bennis & Chris Argyris have been advocating the need for a more ‘free-form, humanistic, and democratic organisation’ (Nodoushani & Nodoushani para. 23), whereas theorists with the names of Henry Ford and Frederick W. Taylor oppose such notions. Some theories stand true and thrive in today’s economy, while others have faded as time has progressed. However, are ideas such as mutualism and industrial democracy of relevance to the twenty first Century business management? Is there still social and economic inequality? Or do citizens have natural rights to liberty, justice and property? Perhaps these ideas may have been diminished with time? This paper argues that the business management has had a major shift in its structure due to the concepts and influences of mutualism and industrial democracy. Although these ideas may not be prevalent in its purest form, there have been major refinements in the structuring of management in twenty first century, including the focus on de-layering and a more co-operative environment....
Words: 1788 - Pages: 8
...Proceedings of the 2012 International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Istanbul, Turkey, July 3 – 6, 2012 Car Recalls: A Problem Unique to Toyota or For All Car Makers? Kamrul Ahsan School of Management and Information Systems, Faculty of Business and Law Victoria University Australia Abstract Often automobile recalls are drawing media and public attention. Influenced by Toyota’s recent automobile recalls 2009-2010 this research conducts an empirical study on historical car recalls. The research uses secondary data from recall websites maintained by public and private organizations. For different car model year and manufacturer the study looks at frequency of recalls, recorded customer complaints, and yearly sales data. Analysis shows recalls are a common event with the majority of recalls initiated by only a few car makers. Though car makers use many eye catching and popular quality and customer care slogans and programs, many popular car makers still face valid customer complaints and consequently face many unwanted recalls. This study identifies that most recalls occur during the first five years of the car model year. This preliminary study of automobile recalls can be further extended at a later stage to identify key causes of recall. Keywords Product recalls, Reverse logistics, car recalls, product returns, closed loop supply chain 1. Introduction Though manufacturers use state-of-the-art operations philosophies, tools and techniques...
Words: 6841 - Pages: 28
...to discuss the issue of employee motivation and rewards, and recommend how a company can successfully motivate its employees and achieve high performance levels similar to Google Australia. Diverse methods/techniques and reward programs are used for successful employee motivation and the effectiveness of these are examined in this report. This report examines the two main arguments comprising extrinsic and intrinsic methods regarding effective employee motivation and job satisfaction and correlating it with high levels of work performance from employees. The arguments of extrinsic rewards for work achieving higher levels of motivation are stated by Victor H. Vroom’s Expectancy theory (1964). It is and also reinforced by Frederick Winslow Taylor Theory which claims employees are primarily motivated by pay. This is contrary to that of Frederick Herzberg’s Two-factor theory (also known as Motivator-Hygiene Theory) , which argues that intrinsic factors such as recognition increase motivation and job satisfaction, against that of extrinsic factors. Therefore in this report it is imperative to identify the most effective scheme in which employees achieve high levels of motivation and performance on a long term and consistent basis for a company. 2.0 - Problem Identification Google Australia Management has been able to effectively achieve success with their unique rewards scheme and sociable work environment. However a potential problem could occur if their methods were to wear off...
Words: 2678 - Pages: 11
...Fordism and Taylorism are responsible for the early success and recent decline of the U.S. motor vehicle industry Ronald Jean Degan International School of Management Paris 2011 Working paper nº 81/2011 globADVANTAGE Center of Research in International Business & Strategy INDEA - Campus 5 Rua das Olhalvas Instituto Politécnico de Leiria 2414 - 016 Leiria PORTUGAL Tel. (+351) 244 845 051 Fax. (+351) 244 845 059 E-mail: globadvantage@ipleiria.pt Webpage: www.globadvantage.ipleiria.pt WORKING PAPER Nº 81/2011 Setembro 2011 Com o apoio 2 Fordism and Taylorism are responsible for the early success and recent decline of the U.S. motor vehicle industry Ronald Jean Degen Ph.D. Candidate at the International School of Management Paris Vice Chairman of Masisa Chile Address: E-mail: rjdegen@gmail.com Phone: +55 21 8068 9000 Av. Pasteur 333 Botafogo/Urca Lancha Ovelha Negra Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro 22290-240 Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil 3 Fordism and Taylorism are responsible for the early success and recent decline of the U.S. motor vehicle industry Abstract This paper identifies the ways in which the ideas of Fordism and Taylorism have been responsible for the success of the U.S. motor vehicle companies until 1955, and for their subsequent decline. On three occasions, the motor vehicle industry has changed the fundamental ideas on the process of manufacturing, and, perhaps more significantly, on how humans work together to create value. Under Fordism...
Words: 8511 - Pages: 35
...Ford Motor Company (Case Analysis) Group #6- TGAA TTH 1:00 Member 1- Taylor O’Neill Member 2- Knyra Ratcliff Member 3- Alex Perkins Member 4- Xu Han Member 5- Kevin Carter Member 6- Alex Dundon/ Nick Tran Presentation Date: 11/17/15 Introduction Our group has chosen Ford Motor Company as our case analysis subject. Ford is an American multinational automaker and was founded by Henry Ford in 1903. Ford Motor Company is the second largest automaker in the United States and is also the fifth largest automaker in the world. Throughout the paper we will be sharing background information of the company such as the vision statement, mission statement, company history, the industry, and our company’s strategy. We will also be sharing the elements of Ford’s internal and external environment (includes historical and competitor financial information), problem statements, possible alternative solutions to those problems, and our recommendations as to which alternative solutions would be best used in response to the problems at hand. Towards the end of our case analysis on Ford Motor Company there is a visual present for both the SWOT analysis and the grand strategy matrix. We have provided appropriate and significant content in completion of this case analysis. Background Vision Statement “To become the world's leading Consumer Company for automotive products and services. (Homepage, 2015)” Mission Statement “One Team. People working together as a lean, global enterprise...
Words: 5526 - Pages: 23
...5. Reference INTRODUCTION: TAYLORISM: Definition: Production efficiency and methodology that breaks every action job or task into small and simple segments which can be easily analyzed and taught. Taylorism, * Aims to achieve maximum job fragmentation to minimize skill requirements and job learning time, * separates execution of work from work-planning, * separates direct labor from indirect labor * replaces rule of thumb productivity estimates with precise measurements, * introduces time and motion study for optimum job performance, cost accounting, tool and work station design, and * makes possible payment-by-result method of wage determination Named after the US industrial engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915), Taylor believed that the industrial management of his day was amateurish, that management could be formulated as an academic discipline, and that the best results would come from the partnership between a trained and qualified management and a cooperative and innovative workforce. Each side needed the other, and there was no need for trade unions. His approach is also often referred to, as Taylor's Principles, or frequently disparagingly, as Taylorism. Taylor's scientific management consisted of four principles: * Replace rule-of-thumb work methods with methods based on a scientific study of the tasks....
Words: 3066 - Pages: 13
...Running head: MENTAL HEALTH: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE Running head: MENTAL HEALTH: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE 2 African Americans living in urban, low-income, impoverished environments are at high risk for exposure to traumatic events, and have a potential prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to previous and repeated trauma exposure. African-Americans living in urban, low income communities with continuous exposure to community violence and previous personal trauma exposure, may have a higher prevalence of PTSD and other mental health disorders. As a result, living in these environments could increase the likelihood of poor social and developmental outcomes, including but not limited to increased anxiety, aggression, depression, and social withdrawal. There are numerous factors that contribute to this hypothesis: African Americans were six times more likely than Whites to be murdered or victimized (Fox & Zawitz, 2002). These include low socioeconomic status, trauma exposure, lack of cultural competency, lack of diversity in the mental health-care work force; the fragmentation of mental health services to include a mix of disparities in private plans’ coverage of mental health services, public insurance and safety net programs, federal laws, and financial barriers. Lack of trust for physicians and health care providers; exposure to urban stressors such as poverty, racism, and violence can also be barriers...
Words: 1180 - Pages: 5
...would recall more than 6.5 million tires, most of which had been mounted as original equipment on Ford Motor Co. Explorers and other Ford light trucks. Bridgestone/Firestone had become the subject of an intense federal investigation of 46 deaths and more than 300 incidents where Firestone tires allegedly shredded on the highway. The Firestone tires affected were 15-inch Radial ATX and Radial ATX II tires produced in North America and certain Wilderness AT tires manufactured at the firm's Decatur, Illinois, plant. This tire recall was the second biggest in history, behind only Firestone's recall of 14.5 million radial tires in 1978. The 1978 tire recall financially crippled the company for years to come and the August 2000 recall threatened to do the same. Consumers, the federal government, and the press wanted to know: Why didn't Ford and Firestone recognize this problem sooner? Let us look at the series of events surrounding the tire recall and the role of information management. 1988---Financially weakened from its 1978 tire recall, Firestone agreed to be acquired by Bridgestone Tires, a Japanese firm. To increase its sales, Firestone became a supplier of tires for Ford Motors' new sport-utility vehicle (SUV), the Explorer. March 11, 1999---In response to a Ford concern about tire separations on the Explorer, Bridgestone/Firestone (Firestone) sent a confidential memo to Ford claiming that less than 0.1 percent of all Wilderness tires (which are used on the Explorer) had...
Words: 3139 - Pages: 13
...Final Current Trends and Issues in Operations Management Presented To Operations Management Respectfully Submitted By Introduction 3 A Brief History of Operations Management 4 Current Trends and Issues in Operations Management 6 Lean Operations (Just-in-time) 6 Shrinking Product Life Cycles 7 Employee Empowerment and Training 8 Globalization 9 Total Quality Management 9 Advances in Technology 10 Insourcing 10 Conclusion 11 References 12 Introduction Operations is the part of a business organization that is responsible for producing goods and services (Stevenson, 2012, p. 4). In this definition, goods are tangible items. Goods can be finished items that are sold to end consumers such as a chair, a car, a computer, or a house. Goods can also be the raw materials, parts, and subassemblies that comprise the finished goods described above. These raw materials are sold as well, but not to end consumers. They are sold to the producers of the finished products. Services, for the most part, are not tangible, but are activities that provide some combination of time, location, form, or psychological value (Stevenson, 2012, p. 4). Services such as the ability to place a cell phone call, electricity in a home, advice from a financial planner, traveling on an airline, receiving medical treatment, or staying in a hotel are all considered services directed at an end consumer. One definition for the word management is “the person or persons controlling...
Words: 2745 - Pages: 11
...every individual has the capacity of leading or managing others, the only requirement is trust, courage and faith in oneself. In comparison to a nation that is structured by scientific management, who conserves its resources and achieves good national efficiency in terms of labor and production, to one that does not, the latter suffers great loss through many inefficiencies occurring day in day out. Every individual has the responsibility to ensure that the nation’s resources are well managed by taking part in various management practices. According to Taylor, scientific management principles are applicable in all human related activities thus, people should call for elaborate collaborations in their actions (Taylor, 1991). Frederick Taylor came up with five elements of scientific management which are: labor, position, selection, actions and decisions, and management (Taylor, 1991). Elaborating the first element, labor, Taylor discussed the relationship between...
Words: 1792 - Pages: 8
...J.B.M. Vol. 17 No. 1 Journal of Business and Management Editors Cristina M. Giannantonio, Ph.D. Amy E. Hurley-Hanson, Ph.D. Published by Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics Sponsored by the Western Decision Sciences Institute WDSI WDSI WESTERN DECISION SCIENCES INSTITUTE The Western Decision Sciences Institute is a regional division of the Decision Sciences Institute. WDSI serves its interdisciplinary academic and business members primarily through the organization of an annual conference and the publication of the Journal of Business and Management. The conference and journal allow academicians and business professionals from all over the world to share information and research with respect to all aspects of education, business, and organizational decisions. PRESIDENT Mahyar Amouzegar California State University, Long Beach PRESIDENT-ELECT Nafisseh Heiat Montana State University-Billings PROGRAM CHAIR/VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROGRAMS/PROCEEDINGS EDITOR John Davies Victoria University of Wellington VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROGRAMS-ELECT Sheldon R. Smith Utah Valley State College VICE PRESIDENT FOR MEMBER SERVICES David Yen Miami University of Ohio SECRETARY/TREASURER Richard L. Jenson Utah State University DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS Abbas Heiat Montana State University - Billings IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT G. Keong Leong University of Nevada, Las Vegas REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT Vijay Kannan Utah State University Journal of Business...
Words: 52229 - Pages: 209
...enabled every nation to be involved in this global market. Scientific management is the theory which serves as the ‘backbone’ to many current management theories. Scientific management will be briefly described initially. After that, the essay will identify why scientific management is an important contribution to management theory when Frederick Taylor proposed it.... [tags: Business Employee Management] 1639 words (4.7 pages) $19.95 [preview] Scientific Management - Scientific Management Fredrick Taylor, the father of scientific management. He had a firm belief in "one best way" (Samson & Daft, 2003), of doing something. In the year 1899, Taylor held an experiment that involved German and Hungarian men, whose job involved some very heavy-duty work (Gabor, 2000). To his disappointment, men either refused to work, or wouldn't work to his expectations. The men hated him utterly; to the extent he required security when going home (Gabor, 2000). In his entire dilemma with his employers, in stepped Schmidt, a man not of intelligence but had the strength of a bull and an ox-like mentally required to reach the standards of Fredrick Taylor.... [tags: Taylorism Business Management Essays] :: 3 Works Cited :: 6 Sources Cited 1822 words (5.2 pages) $29.95 [preview] Scientific Method - Scientific method what comes to mind. Do we start thinking of some type of formal process that will answer all our scientific questions or problems. When I was in school many years ago, we were...
Words: 8474 - Pages: 34
