Analyzing the Relevance of Taylorism and Linear Programming in Modern Business Efficiency and Decision-Making
Question
Task: How do Taylorism and Linear Programming remain relevant in modern business practices for improving efficiency and decision-making?
Answer
E-learning Activities
Activity 1– Ford and Taylor Scientific Management
Would workers in Australia, America or Europe accept the Taylorism and Linear Programming in this form today?
Every business intends to monitor employee efficiency but the approach which an organization adopts to monitor and measure efficiency varies depending on the nature of the work being done. Taylorism and Linear Programming as a strategy which was invented in the 1900’s and was aimed at measure employee efficiency and continued to be used today. Unlike the past when staff efficiency was directly measure using stopwatches, today human resource and management use technology to determine and measure an individual’s performance (Waring, 2016).
In many situations, the employee does even not know they are being monitored. Employees are today being monitored using modern technologies such as computer software, sensors and CCT cameras which allow discreetly monitoring to determine an individual’s performance. Employees would not accept direct Taylorism and Linear Programming strategies of measurement as used by Taylor in the 1900 but most continue being monitored in the same manner using modern technologies and gadgets without them knowing they are under surveillance.
Consider Call Centres scripts; can you see Taylorism and Linear Programming in that? Explain.
Yes, the scripts used in call centres have been tailored to determine a potential client in the shortest possible time. This is important due to call centre agents needing to identify a potential client quickly so as to increase the number of sales they execute in a day (Willman, 2014). This makes it important that the call centre scripts are brief and pitch to the client in the shortest possible time to get their response, make a decision and move on.
Only clients who show an interest towards the products or service are valuable for the call centre agent and there is no need of wasting resources attempting to convince a client who may not be interested in the product or service. It’s also important to maximize the number of calls made on a daily basis which maximizes the call centres profits. Unlike the past when monitoring was done individually, today many call centre agents are managed by special software which assists speed up the process and registers all their inputs which can be used to analyses their performance and help improve performance
Taylorism and Linear Programming in world today; these ideas might be just what they need? Explain.
The idea of related to this clip may have happened 100 years ago but it continues to be used by practically every business today. Today most medium and large businesses have put in place Human Resource Department and managers who monitor employee performance before developing suitable employee management strategies. This makes this a form of Taylorism and Linear Programming which continues to be practiced at most businesses and organizations today with the intention of tailoring their approaches to the goals of improving efficiency and productivity of each employee. Every business must tailor its own management approach related to following processes and productivity which continued to be analysed and reviewed to improve efficiency with the goals of maximizing each employee’s performance.
Activity 2 – Activity Title
What insights into rational decision-making approach can you draw from this video?
The video helped deliver an n important understanding towards the rationale related to cost estimation which can be used to help a business determine costs. Cost management plays an important role towards organizations profitability, making it important to evaluate the different options and determine the most suitable option. Using the Linear Programming also allows for the combination of two different products to secure a specified requirement amount.
There is no fixed number or amount identified while using the Linear Programming approach but it helps deliver a relative accuracy of +/-10% which is fairly accurate while considering to product combinations to achieve the desired or prescribed quantity (Matousek & Gärtner, 2007). This would allow for a clearer decision to be taken with regard to selecting the best product or combination of products which deliver the lowest-cost and most accurate specifications based on the requirement.
What would be the limitations of linear programming?
Linear Programming is an effective technique related to ensuring preference and determines quantities that best fit the prescribed requirement. The limitation related to linear programming is its heavy dependence on specified quantities. To create a linear program and determine the best fit at the lowest cost the individual would require having specific measurements from the products so as to determine the best combination. With products, thick may be easier for to their being clear guidelines of the quantities but for services, this becomes more difficult as therein is limited ability to measure and control the measurement or control of the products.
In what kinds of situation could the linear programming be useful to decision-making?
Linear programming would be useful in decision-making situation which has definite measurable quantities. This would allow for accurate measurement of the best fit which would allow the business make the most accurate decision with regard to combining the products so as to secure the closest fit to the requirement. Linear programming will in most situations deliver an accuracy of approximately 10% of the requirement. This is due to linear programming mainly being used to combine different differing quantities of a product with the objective of narrowing the difference and cost to the least possible number without compromising quality
Conclusion
Both Activities are related to measuring and controlling efficiency and quality which are basic requirements of every business. This makes it important to understand that Taylorism and Linear Programming are both important aspects which every business must utilize to measure productivity and quantity as well as secure the most accurate combinations and approaches which can be utilized to handle different business productivity and quality related concerns.
References
Matousek, J. & Gärtner, B., 2007. Understanding and Using Linear Programming. New York: Springer Science & Business Media.
Waring, S., 2016. Taylorism and Linear Programming Transformed: Scientific Management Theory Since 1945. UNC Press Books.
Willman, P., 2014. Understanding Management: The Social Science Foundations. Croydon: OUP Oxford.
