Why do organisations exist? What purpose do they serve? Outline some of the historical factors and key people that have influenced our understanding of management and organisations today.
             Organisations are "a consciously coordinated social unit, composed of two or more people, that functions on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals" (Robbins, S.P., Millett, B., Cacioppe, R., Waters-Marsh, T., 2001). Organisations exist due to the simple thing that one person cannot do everything. Organisations strive for a common goal to produce products and services for the consumer. Management of these organisations has changed throughout time, and theories have been developed to maximise to productivity and running of the organisation. The main theories that have been developed include scientific/classical, behavioural, political and systems. These all have advantages and disadvantages.
             Scientific/classical approach was pioneered by Max Webber and Henri Fayol. Their management was seen as a precise science where there is a best way of doing things.
             "Notice that most of these activities are very task-oriented, rather than people-oriented" (www.business.com). The levels of management were very hierarchical with many levels of management where workers had strict rules and regulations and a chain of command delegated power from the top to the bottom. Examples of this type of management are seen in Ford Motors and McDonalds.
             Advantages of scientific/classical management:
             - Work was based on time and motion studies under scientific principles
             - Individual needs are overridden by the needs of the business.
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