Theories of Management in Small Businesses

Theories of Management in Small Businesses A Stationery Business Small businesses nowadays find it very hard to survive. Everyone is forced to embrace new changes in the environment he lives in due to global economy. Individuals in the work place are the basis of the performance of an organization, especially with the knowledge they bring along. In todays society, organizations are expected to provide the best quality available. This is where management takes place. Managers ensure the workers are using their energy to the maximum by supporting them, and also monitoring the environment to make sure the organization is maximizing its performance (Porter 1998). Management is made up of four parts which are planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Managers in the modern world must gain human and technical skills to succeed in the business world, as they must take risky decisions at some point. This essay talks about the four topics of management: workplace, management history, organization environment, and international organization. The essay also talks about a business idea to be formed at the UWA business school where it will use the different points. To take advantage of the workers, employers should help them by providing a relaxing work environment which respects work-life balance and which offers rewards. Nowadays, work requirements changed. They require employees have a set of skills in order to gain value in an organization( Evans 2015) . In addition, individuals in an organization must learn new technology skills, because nowadays, the internet is modifying the structure of organizations. For an organization to survive in the competitive world, it must offer quality services to the society which would lead to satisfied customers. This is how the performance of an organization is determined. The manager reviews the performance of an organization and makes decisions and certain changes so that the organization functions as planned and to reach the desired vision. To achieve that, the management process must be applied. It is made up of 4 steps (Cheng 2010). The first step is planning, where the manager states the goals that n eed to be reached. The second step is controlling which is done by monitoring the performance of the organization and comparing it to the results. The third step is organizing by allocating resources and giving roles to employees and groups. The last step is leading. Managers encourage the workers to do their best so that goals can be reached. Despite the fact that businesses are obliged to adapt to the new changing environments, managements history must not be ignored. Management can be approached in many ways that have evolved over time (Kilmann 1986).   Classical approach notes that universal work ethics are used in various states of management. The behavioural approach concludes that the worker is an important asset of the organization and plays a vital role in its performance, that is why, workers are given rewards and easy work schedules. The third approach is quantitative and it relies on math and complex calculations such as mathematical forecasting to take final decisions. The modern approach is the latest one and it states that organizations must adapt to the constant change of the environment and peoples needs. In the modern worlds, organizations need to be ahead of the game, monitoring any changes in the environment and to act immediately (Spicer 2011). That is why organizations must have a clear vision of its goals in order to succeed in a competitive world. Organizations have internal and external environments. Internal environments form the culture inside the organization which shapes its personality and how the people inside interact with each other. The external environment focuses on the external variables that directly affect the organization, such as the customers, or economy or laws governing the country (Borrello 2015). Organizations who embrace a robust culture inside   perform much better than others because its workers respect each other and the business ensures everyone is equal. Everyone is paid the same and treated the same regardless of their race and cultural differences. International management was found when organizations were created in different countries around the world (Ohmae 1996). The global manager is aware of every organization and its environment. However, the international business is affected by the global economy since countries and economies have become interdependent. Organizations who are willing to become international, must acquire skills related to export and import, in addition to sourcing (Kramar 2001). I have decided to open a stationery in the UWA Business school. The reason for this is because students do not have enough time to go outside the campus and purchase their stationery needs. In addition, students will always need to buy books, copybooks and other study material. This will save time and will provide low prices to students with a Student ID. The stationery will provide new technologies such as wireless printing and digital printing cards so that students can print before even coming to the store, thus, saving more time. Employees will be university students who are passionate about helping other students with their research or materials of study. That is why the workers at my business will be given routine trainings to ensure they gain new skills. They will be given rewards for helping more students, and a flexible work schedule to study at the university and work at the same time. The performance of the business will be monitored and changes will be done based on the o utcome. Changes can be introducing new services such as graphic design services and even coupons which offer cheaper prices. In conclusion, the performance of an organization is determined by different managerial processes. Customers expect businesses to always provide perfect quality of product or service. However, this can be fulfilled only if the organization takes care of its people and supports their talents. Managers must ensure that employees are learning new skills especially in the technology field since the internet has changed the equations and everything has become connected together. Managers role is to set a clear vision for the organization and to monitor the results of a certain plan, then compare the results with the performance in order to perform the necessary changes within an organization. References Michael E. Porter, The Competitive Advantage of Nations: With a New Introduction (New York: Free Press, 1998). Simon Evans, Blackmores to Give Six Weeks Bonus Pay for 900 Staff After Pro t Surge, The Sydney Morning Herald à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨(26 August 2015), www.smh.com.au. V. Cheng, J. Rhodes and P. Lok, A Framework for Strategic Decision Making and Performance Among Chinese Managers, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨The International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 21, no. 9 (2010), pp. 1373-95. Ralph H. Kilmann, Mary J. Saxton and Roy Serpa, Issues in Understanding and Changing Corporate Culture, California à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Management Review, vol. 28 (1986), pp. 87-94 David P. Spicer, Changing culture: A Case Study of a Merger Using à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Cognitive Mapping, Journal of Change Management, vol. 11, no. 2 (2011), pp. 245-64. Eliza Borrello, China FTA: Labor Agrees to Support Free Trade Deal; Says New Agreement Secures Protections for Workers, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨ABC News (21 October 2015), www.abc.net.au/news. Kenichi Ohmaes books include The Borderless World: Power and Strategy in the Interlinked Economy (New York: Harper, 1989); The End of the Nation State (New York: Free Press, 1996) Robin Kramar, Managing Diversity: Challenges and Future Directions, in Retha Wiesner and Bruce Millett (eds), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Management and Organisational Behaviour: Contemporary Challenges and Future Directions (Brisbane: John Wiley à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Sons, 2001).