The Four Functions of Management

Essay by mtzerepUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, August 2008

download word file, 3 pages 5.0

Some would define management as an art, while others would define it as a science. Whether it’s an art or a science is not important the success of any business venture relies upon effective management. Management is the process of “organizing and directing human and physical resources within an organization so as to meet defined objectives” (Management, 2006, ¶ 1).

Our organization is a consulting firm that is hired to consult and managed various types of businesses. For the sake of this paper, I will focus on Bedroxx, a family entertainment center, located in Tucson, Arizona. Bedroxx offers 30 lanes of Bowling, a million dollar arcade, a lounge area and a finger food style snack bar. Survival in the entertainment industry depends largely on good management but regardless of the business the four key functions of management are applied: planning, organizing, leading and controlling.

Planning was our company’s first step in delivering strategic value to the investment group whom owns Bedroxx.

Planning is the process of selecting the course of action towards the fulfillment of the company’s objectives (Management, n.d, ¶ 1). Planning was a strategic phase of the management functions wherein we had to study the entertainment market in and around Tucson, not just in relation to bowling but also other forms of family entertainment. Once the goals of the organization are clearly identified we assessed the different possibilities and arrive at a framework of action to materialize our corporate goals. Planning itself was a multistage process that included analyzing the entertainment business trends. Forecasting took into consideration both external and internal factors affecting Bedroxx. Our next step was determining alternative courses of action and the feasibility of the same. It was up to us to produce a good plan that provided plenty of alternative methods. Our final...