The Management Process

The Management Process presents new and traditional subject matter in a different context because it is felt that greater emphasis should be given to the interaction of the management functions. All managers plan, organize, and control the work of others, but not in a simple, sequential pattern. Managing is a continuous operation or process involving the interaction of these functions. Managers must plan for organizing activity, organize for it, and control it, and they must perform these same functions for control. It is felt that practicing managers do, in effect, think in these terms. Consequently, an analysis of traditional and other materials in this context should not only be more realistic but also more meaningful to the student or practitioner. Reference to the chapter headings in the Table of Contents will illustrate the way in which this interaction approach provides a basic framework for the organization of this book. As a text this book is intended for a first course in management, or a more advanced course, depending upon the characteristics of the curriculum in which it is used. No specific course preparation, however, need be regarded as prerequisite to its use.