BUS 2019

Essay 1:

The ideas of the classical theorists, particularly those of bureaucracy and scientific management, are generally considered as rather old fashioned and out of date, and of little relevance to work and organisation today.

Ryan Foreman

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This essay will discuss the relevance of the ideas of classical theorists in today’s work and organisations. I will evaluate why these ideas gained popularity when they were published by looking at the influences that classical theorists were surrounded by at the time of their development. I will then focus on bureaucracy and scientific theories, by looking at the organisations and countries that have adopted this style and how a negative reputation has been
All of these factors may have changed the relevance of the classical theories in modern work and organisation

Since the publishing of the classical works, there have been many new laws introduced, in particular laws which protect employees in the workplace. These laws have placed more emphasis on the conditions of employees, a factor that the classical thinking did not detail enough (Grey, 39) “That workers were regarded as no more than components in the organizational machine is important.” When considering Taylor’s theory and his practise of the ‘one best way’, in particular the minimum number of actions that required for a job, I don’t think that his theory accounted for employees with disabilities. This is vital because organisations cannot discriminate against people with disabilities thanks to the “Employers and the Equality Act 2010” Therefore in modern organisations the theory would have to adapt to allow more time and an alternative to the ‘one best way’ for people with disabilities which affected their job.

Globalisation has been benefited businesses by being able to trade internationally, which has increased business growth through the access to new markets. Along with these benefits there are also new barriers that