Psychology of Motivation, The: Abraham Maslow and Frederick Winslow Taylor
In the late 19th and early 20th century, attitudes towards workers and how they could be motivated focused on what psychologist Abraham Maslow would later call lower level needs in his hierarchy of needs theory. Frederick Winslow Taylor, known as th...
Social Responsibility Case Study: Patagonia and Esprit
Patagonia and Esprit have been pioneers in a growing category of companies that have successfully integrated social responsibility with profit. Both companies have prospered in the fiercely competitive garment industry, where consumers have become m...
Employee Motivation Case Study: Four Seasons Hotel
The Four Seasons chain of luxury hotels has built its reputation above all on providing extraordinary service and personal attention to guests. In order to attract and motivate quality employees who can maintain the hotel's high standards, the Four ...
Organizational Culture Case Study: Patagonia
Patagonia is a manufacturer of outdoor clothing. While the climate at some firms evolves without much thought or conscious planning, Patagonia's climate has been carefully molded to help employees realize their potential. The hope, of course, is tha...
Ethics Challenges
Managers must be sensitive not only to the needs of those in power, but to colleagues, customers and the general public. In many cases, the interests of these various groups do not coincide, which can lead to ethical dilemmas for the manager. And wh...
Strengthening Corporate Ethics
Codes of conduct at Fortune 500 companies have increased dramatically in recent years. And many companies now require their managers to sign a letter stating that they have no known conflicts of interest that might cause them to conduct their busine...
Types of Organizational Communication
Most organizational communication can be categorized according to the direction or flow of information between sender and receiver. Communication can take place very much along organizational hierarchy lines, either upward or downward, but it can al...
Types of Budgets
Some companies utilize a budget that is both top-down and bottom-up. This allows managers and non-managers alike to contribute their knowledge and expertise to the budgeting process. Whatever type of budget is used, in order to be effective, it must...
The Controlling Function
The most brilliantly conceived strategic plan is only likely to be achieved if the organization has an effective controlling process that monitors performance and keeps the company on target.
Strategic Planning Options
There is a wide range of corporate strategies that can be utilized, depending on the needs and circumstances of a particular company. Once a strategy has been determined, an organization may then elect to utilize one or more specific techniques for ...