Introduction
Modern management of business organizations remains to be very complicated, dynamic and challenging. Whether in accounting, finance, architecture, technology, human resource, consultancy, gender related issues or politics, diverse aspects of management have continued to lead to the emergence of critical concerns that relate to business and management.
Proper management, allocation of resources, effective and strategic planning are fundamental issues that can no longer be ignored when addressing alternative perspectives of management (Billing and Alvesson 2000: 145-151; Clark and Salaman 1998: 27-31).
Kornberger and Clegg (2004: 1095-1114) argue that most conventional perspectives of management relate to the manner in which business organizations are managed and the exact means through which some of the core operational functions are addressed. It is crucial to align critical perspectives to the exact operations and management of the business by focusing on integrating the views and experiences of employees, top level managers, shareholders and other existing stakeholders (Kornberger and Clegg 2004: 1098-1109).
Critical perspectives
It is very crucial for any business organization to ensure that business and aspects of management are neither presented as fully functional, political and rational activities nor are they detached from the existing or any potential stakeholders of the organization. According to Fitchett (2002: 315-322), it is very unfortunate that business and management are presented as purely functional, rational and political activities.
However, as critical management scholars argue, this functional image is often detached from organizational members and other stakeholders’ experiences.
In a business environment, understanding all stakeholders’ cultures is crucial. For a sustained level of consumer involvement to be realized, it is imperative for business managers to initiate strategic efforts geared towards ensuring that consumer culture is effectively addressed.
Having such a goal in business can never be treated as a purely functional, political, or rational managerial function of an organization (Hines 1988: 62-74). Furthermore, understanding consumer and integrating unique issues of concern to the actual business operations are issues of utmost importance.
Technical, managerial, accounting, financial, security and commercial activities can neither be assumed to be insignificant nor can they be assumed to be mere operational aspects of a business organization.
According to Alvesson (1990: 373-394), functional, rational and political activities are fundamental aspects of business management that demand diversification of ideas in order to ensure that all other issues and operations of an organization are integrated in all other functions of business and that such issues are aligned to the needs and demands of all stakeholders.
Brown, McDonagh and Shultz (2012) are of the view that business and management should be accorded due attention in order to foster participation of stakeholders and ease the level of flow of feedback.
Marketing
The claim that the problems of business and management are mere theoretical, functional, political and rational can best be illustrated through the analysis of various issues that relate to marketing.
Like frontier leadership and implementation of various innovative and creative aspects of management, marketing is a practical issue that can best be done by if one is proactive. Rather than be idle and dormant, managers should engage in practical steps in an effort to ensure that all stakeholders are involved in the management process (Bjelland and Wood 2008: 9-13).
On the issue of marketing and with reference to my experiences as an employee, it is evident that marketing entails taking very deliberate and practical steps towards enhancing consumers’ demands and sales levels of a given product or service. Though an important functional image, marketing can never be successful when handled as a purely functional, rational and political task.
Instead, it is crucial to employ more practical, realistic, robust and intentional strategies so as to enhance the success of proactive marketing tactics. This helps to ensure that all stakeholders are effectively involved in the management and operational functions of the organization (Hancock and Spicer 2011: 91-105; Fitchett 2002: 315-322).
In marketing aspects of business and management, visionary leadership provokes one to put into practice workable aspects of marketing. Though incorporation of both theoretical and practical aspects of management is vital for the success of marketing of most consumer goods, my personal observations in marketing online products such as online advertisement platforms reveals that customers only prefer to associate with products that appeal to their emotions and are geared towards fulfilling their needs, demands and aspirations.
In this case, marketing must employ very proactive means of enticing consumers to purchase specific products and sustain their appetite for more of the same. According to Adcroft, Willis, and Hurst (2008: 40-45), such a managerial undertaking can only be successful if the top level managers remain resilient and active in embracing consumer needs, demands and desires.
Consultancy
In business and management, consultancy is an aspect that has continued to elicit diverse opinions and views from various stakeholders. While some people are of the view that consultancy is a very theoretical aspect of business and management, Price, Gioia and Corley (2008: 134-173) argue that consultancy is very practical and that it can no longer be assumed to be a fully rational, political and functional aspect of business and management.
In my view and based on my assessment of many small and medium enterprises in the information technology sector, consultancy is a vital and practical mechanism employed by many organizations in solving selected and well defined organizational concerns.
Business organizations should focus on tasks such as reducing operational costs, improving brand value, identifying means of generating business revenue through more diversified sources and employing more creative and innovative means of boosting the competitive advantage.
Consultancy has helped to minimize business risks. It has also proved to be not only a mere rational, political and functional activity of business and management in the I.T sector but also a means to the survival of any business. According to Green (2001: 147-165), consultancy helps to streamline business operations and to identify new means of implementing well defined mechanisms of boosting the business profitability level through overall constant organizational improvements.
Consultation is a very critical issue of concern in nearly all forms of organizations. As a result, business managers need to be more focused on streamlining business operations. In an I.T firm that deals in sales of networking products, this can best be done by employing many aspects of consultancy within the organization, cooperation and strong aspect of teamwork (Ali 2002: 54-57; Killian 2010: 721).
Consultancy is an activity that is supposed to enhance production, operational efficiency, effectiveness and reliability of the services being offered to consumers. The practical aspects of the consultation process state that there is need to constantly involve members of the organization and other stakeholders.
This has remained to be fundamental to the success and sustainability of most organizations (Washbush 2002: 398-413). For instance, in the information technology sector, tasks such as networking of systems, computer maintenance and repair and implementation of new information systems have continued to demand the use of connoisseur consultancy services.
I.T systems development and networking sectors are very technical and complex. Consultants are compelled to be very proactive in the manner in which they undertake their duties and responsibilities.
In the view of Adcroft, Willis, and Hurst (2008: 43-44), such proactive business and management measures involve active involvement of members of the concerned organization by seeking advise on the end user expectations and needs and understanding issues that are likely to lead to end users’ refusal to cooperate and embrace the new ways of working.
According to Alvesson (1990: 373-394), consultancy is an aspect of business and management that is dynamic, complex, project based and is often undertaken from an entrepreneurial point of view.
My interaction and interrelationship with a number of information technology organizations has proved that to exploit its functional image concept, effective I.T consultancy should involve spending most of the time performing practical tasks at the client’s station, constant analysis of business operations, undertaking research activities, making presentations, preparing business proposals and analyzing the outcome of most business processes. Indeed, such business and management activities are not purely rational, functional and political.
Conclusion
Based on the above analysis, it is evident that business and management are not entirely functional, rational and political activities. It is clear that other critical perspectives of management and business do exist. Proper planning and strategic alignment of business operations are essential as these not only enhance increased productivity but also boost long term sustainability of reliable, effective and streamlined business processes.
References
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