ABSTRACT
Henri Fayol, a French businessman, writing in the early years of the twentieth century, used his experience to theorize about the manager 's job. He described the functions that managers perform.4 His five-fold classification ha s been used, with minor modifications, to the present day. First, managers mus t plan: set objectives, forecast, analyse problems, and make decisions about what should be done. The timescale for planning and the na ture of the decisions will vary with the level
of management . Secondly, managers organize: they determine what activities are necessary to achieve the objectives, they classify the work, divide it and assign it to groups and individuals. Thirdly, managers motivate: tha t is, they inspire their staff to contribute to the purposes of the organization, to be loyal to its aims and to pull their weight in achieving them. Fourthly, managers control what is done by checking performance against the plans. The interpretation of 'control' h a s changed over the years so tha t it is less top down. This is recognized by the change in the words tha t are used from controlling subordinates to guiding staff in setting mutually agreed objectives, establishing s tandards and the means of measurement for self-control. But practice does not always follow this modern rhetoric!
