General management

General management provides the basic management knowledge managers and entrepreneurs require in today's ever-changing and competitive environment. The book incorporates the fundamental concepts found in any general management course, including the basic management functions of planning, organising, leading (activating) and control, as well as some additional management functions. The discussion is augmented with real-life management in action examples. Today's business environment is challenging and ever-changing. Accordingly, any manager, whether in the public or private sector, whatever the size and type of organisation, has to have some basic management knowledge and skills. Although the emphasis of this book falls on the management functions, important management issues such as diversity, organisational change, ethics and social responsibility are also introduced. In addition, the book emphasises the importance of effective management because all organisational stakeholders are affected by the way today's managers manage their organisations. This is a new 'back-to-basics' South African textbook on management with no unnecessary frills. It is believed that this book, with its easy-to-follow, practical layout, will be invaluable to all existing and potential management practitioners in all organisations, from corporate companies with management training programmes, to organisations in the public sector and small business ventures, all of which are tasked with managing people in an ever-changing and demanding competitive environment. The editor, Kobus Lazenby, is an associate professor in the Department of Business Management at the University of the Free State, specialising in general, strategic and project management. The other contributors to this book all lecture in management at South African universities.