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Sarasvathi. V

Introduction:

As life gradually grew more complex, the methods he used became more refined. In our own pioneer groups, methods used to control his environment were simple and direct. In modern technology, we must depend on reasoned ways of accomplishing results. Fixed rules and traditional ways of doing things are less applicable. So, man is forced to make a choice of the means to obtain what he wants to reach his end. Management, a valuable aid to the improvement of life, is a means of achieving goals. The interrelated activities of the management process include: planning, organizing, implementing, and evaluating the results.

Dissatisfaction can be avoided only through the wise application of management process that will enable one to identify and locate available resources.Resource management is the process of using one’s resources in the most efficient way possible. Resources are inputs in the process of management. Information and creative thought increase the power of resource inputs. Planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating the subsystems involved in the process of decision making. Decisions relate to values, goals and determination.The product of management is quality of living. Management depends on the quality of resources available. These may be thought of as either goods or services that are produced or consumed. The quality of management can be improved through practice, and research.

Significance and Scope of Resource Management

Home management is a practical science that cannot do away with a concept of degree.In home management, managing shows some degree of competence. Thus a home in which goals (ends) are being attained with some degree of satisfaction may be considered a well-managed home. Home management is an essential component of family living. Management is a means of adjusting to change and also results in change. Home management paves way for a better growth of the family members. Life has become very complex because man has increased tools and has changed the tactics of living. Management deals with using what we have, to get what we want. Goals are the aims in our life. Attainment of goals gives pleasure and non-attainment gives dissatisfaction. Family is an important part of man’s social environment. Home management is a very important factor, which contributes to the health, happiness and well-being of a family. As a result, it has become necessary for him to develop more skills in the use of available resources in order to get what he wants for himself and his family to improve his status. In other words management deals with using what we have, to get what we want. What we have is the resources. The resources that we have may be time, money, energy, skill etc. What we want is the achievement of goals. Goals are the aims in our life. Attainment of goals gives pleasure and non-attainment gives dissatisfaction.

Dissatisfaction can be avoided only through the wise application of management process that will enable one to identify and locate available resources. The quality of management will vary depending on the managerial abilities of individuals. Resource management is the process of using one’s resources in the most efficient way possible. Resources are inputs in the process of management. Information and creative thought increase the power of resource inputs. Planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating the subsystems involved in the process of decision making. Decisions relate to values, goals and determination.

Resource management is the process of using a one’s resources in the most efficient way possible. These resources can include tangible resources such as goods and equipment, financial resources, and labor resources such as employees. Resource management can include ideas such as making sure one has enough physical resources for one’s business, but not an overabundance so that products won’t get used, or making sure that people are assigned to tasks that will keep them busy and not have too much downtime.

The product of management is quality of living. Management depends on the quality of resources available. These may be thought of as either goods or services that are produced or consumed. The quality of management can be improved through practice, and research.

Resources are inputs in the process of management. Human, environmental, and economic resources are stored in an available bank of readiness to be selected and utilized in various combinations through the management process. Information and creative thought increase the power of resource inputs in gratification of goals and the creation of desirable quality of living.

Decisions are necessary to determine which resources will be used and to solve problems or resolve situations leading to the desired quality of life. Planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating the subsystems involved in the process of decision making. Decisions relate to value formation, to goal determination, to development of standards, and to selection of resources. Through the management sub–systems, goods and services are produced and consumed or saved for later use. New resources may be produced or the usefulness of old resources may be increased through planning, organizing, implementing, and evaluating.

The purpose of management is to control change. Change is the result of the management process. Change is directly related to quality of living. If the quality of life produced is satisfactory, new goals may be established and the process of management begun again. If the changes produce dissatisfaction with quality of living, the situation can be re-evaluated, alternate goals and resources selected, and action redirected through the appropriate management sub-systems.

Management occurs on many levels, some more effective than others. It also depends on the quality of planning, organizing, implementing, and evaluating that transfers resources into services for other family members. These may be thought of as either goods or services that are produced or consumed by family members in the course of everyday living.

It is, therefore, crucial to the potential quality of life in this nation and the world that education and effort be directed toward improving the quality of individual and family management.

The purpose of Family Resource Management is:

• To use available resources efficiently in order to achieve goals. To improve the quality of family life.
• To enable family members to achieve their full potential

    Nature of Home Management: For a person or a family, management is planned activity directed toward the nurturing of values and the satisfying of wants. It makes use of the findings of science and of knowledge concerning all aspects of family life—economic, social, psychological, physical, spiritual, and techno-logical. It applies this knowledge in using the family’s resources to meet living situations.Home management is the administrative side of family living. It is the dynamic force that puts the machinery of homemaking. It involves decision-making that leads to action. It makes use of findings of science and knowledge. It applies to solve problems, and to help resolve conflicts.

Nature and Role of the Management Process: It involves the weighing of values and the making of decisions. Management is a planned activity directed towards accomplishing desired ends. Everyone learns to manage, the resources at his disposal. All manage in some degree of competence.

Interrelatedness of the management functions: In the management model, the four sub-systems are planning, organizing, implementing, and evaluating. One of the management functions cannot operate without interacting with the other which affects the effectiveness.Hence, the effectiveness of each management process is dependent upon the quality and appropriateness of the other functions in terms of the desired change.

Habits and management:Habits can be resources for management. A manager does not need to consider how to perform routine tasks. If habits are not serving their original purposes; then habits may need to be evaluated.

Quality of management: The quality of management in the home is recognized by the presence of mismanagement. Whenever action is planned and controlled, management occurs. Observations from working with many families show some of the reasons.

1.      Family goals may be so weak that they fail to motivate careful use of resources.

2.      Family members may not completely understand the meaning of management.

3.      Family members simply may be unaware of all available resources, especially the human resources.

4.      People are inclined to seek formulas to use resources they know about.

5.      People may not realize the need to evaluate their experiences and the results of their activities.

6.      The inability to distinguish “essentials” from “niceties” be a basic problem.

Such lack of understanding and awareness may illustrate a failure to realize what management. Providing order and direction to life requires each person and each family to consider their own needs and desires. When all motivations are considered, management becomes a growing and vital part of personal development. Motivation to succeed may be inactive or absent and a “get by” attitude is easily developed if people are unaware of personal or family goals. Management improves quality of life when it places importance on personal or group goals and recognizes the management functions as means rather than ends in them. Providing order and direction to life requires each person and each family to consider their own needs and desires rather than looking for a set of universal rules for management. Resource manageability means that goals may be achieved through conscious choice. A time plan can maximize time available for social attention. It is also possible to implement a food service career by managing knowledge and skills in that direction. It is possible to limit use of environmental resources.

Management Day by Day: Planning for the day’s activities involves an individual or a family may be making plans for reaching a number of different goals, short-, intermediate-, and long-term goals. As decisions are made and plans are carried out, these activities are integrated into many different patterns of action. They form a cycle of action from planning to evaluate and back to planning. Thus the activity of evaluating brings the sequence back to the point at which it started and completes the cycle. In the home, plans are always in the making. Some are being carried out, while others are being started or completed. Usually a number of action cycles are carried concurrently, but all that are made and carried to conclusion follow the same general cycle of action. One can imagine a number of these cycles in action in different stages at the same time.

The Management Process at Work: The management process in the life of a completely independent person functions in the same way as that described for the family. The resources are the same, and the purposive activities and dynamic forces of the management process operate in the same way. The real differences lie in the goals that motivate the individual and the family and the presence or absence of the need for sharing in the use of the resources. With the independent person both the goals and the use of resources are person-centered instead of family- or group-centered.

A person living in a family and sharing family resources also meets personal management situations and problems. Although his wishes and objectives may be person-centered they must be realized by using resources shared in common; or the person’s own resources may be used instead of family resources to satisfy h’s or her desire, thus saving the family resources for group use.

Personal Qualities Associated with Management: The home invariably reflects the character of its management. The qualities that make for success are reflected in the work of the household, in the home life of the family, and in its social life. The creation of -a harmonious, willing, and integrated working spirit within the family group calls for such personal qualities as intelligence, enthusiasm, understanding of human nature, imagination, judgment, perseverance, adaptability, self-management, and the ability to communicate ideas. There are numerous other qualities as well, but these are the most basic ones. Intelligence comes first as a necessary characteristic of the successful homemaker.

Thus the ability to learn to pick out the essentials of a problem, to see the situation as a whole, to see relations between old and new, and to use knowledge previously acquired in solving a new problem and reaching the desired goal depends upon intelligence. Enthusiasm is another characteristic that successful managers always seem to have. This quality is partly a by-product of good mental and physical health, a matter of temperament, and the result of a conviction in the significance of the undertaking.

An understanding of human nature is an indispensable quality for successful home management. Sympathetic understanding of the individual differences among members of the family, and their probable reactions to different personalities and situations, is a great aid in solving many human-relations problems and in reducing friction and disappointments which frequently occur in family life. Knowledge of the abilities, likes, and dislikes of each member of the family serves as a guide in making plans and in fitting responsibilities to individual capacities.

Imagination is an essential characteristic for all creative experiences. Imagination is the ability to recall and rearrange facts and ideas in new relationships or patterns. It enables one to visualize, make plans, and foresee the results of a certain plan of action before it is actually carried out. Originality and resourcefulness are the direct outgrowths of creative imagination. The accuracy of one’s mental picture combined with the processes involved is an important element in management success or failure.

Judgment is one of the most priceless of characteristics. It is this quality that enables one to be fair in weighing the various facts in a situation and to see the problem in relation to others to be faced. The ability to weigh critically, to evaluate, to analyze, and to interpret experiences is of vital importance in making decisions concerning the best course of action to follow judgment is acquired through experience, and it grows slowly.

Perseverance is another valuable quality. This characteristic combines courage and patience. The person who possesses it believes so thoroughly in the inherent value of the idea or tasks in hand that he or she is willing to work unremittingly for its achievement. Also contributing to perseverance is courage to face facts as they are, to act in full knowledge instead of blindly, and the ability to see beyond short-term goals and those less challenging routine jobs to the accomplishment of the more important and the more distant goals.

Adaptability is that quality of human nature which makes for flexibility in living. Success in meeting daily problems depends to a large extent on parental ability to adapt their plans to changing circumstances. The human environment is not static. Conditions and demands change from day to day, so that no sooner has one adjusted to a set of conditions than the call comes to adjust to another. Plans must frequently be shifted or even given up entirely. Conflicts must be resolved and difficulties overcome. Failure to meet changing conditions reflects an inflexibility of mind which stifles growth and progress and causes a lack of harmony in the home.

Self-management or the management of one’s own feelings is a requirement for all family members. The home is a highly personalized enterprise founded upon the intimate and affectionate life of its members. Many problems of management involve personal adjustments and relationships.

Discouragement, worry, frustration, or feelings of martyrdom are all negative qualities that indicate bad mental health. They show a spirit of discontent and are likely to cause irritability and lack of self-control. Any one of these qualities may permeate the whole group and cause an atmosphere of discord.

Ability to communicate involves the conveying of meaning to others. It is essential in working with people and putting plans into action. The ability to communicate successfully within the family leads to the sharing of knowledge, feelings, desires, and experiences.

Dangers in over management: There are certain dangers inherent in the management process which every family should be aware of and guard against. They are of real importance, as they affect all members in the home and may be felt outside. The negative phases are recognized in industry and are termed “preventive management.”

The man or woman who has unusual managerial ability can easily conceive purposes and plans much more rapidly than they can be carried out by the family. It is often hard for this individual to realize the time it takes for each person to do his share of the work, and as a result he or she is often impatient with the lag. Parental challenge is synchronizing the different tempos of the family. Failure to recognize these individual differences is a real hazard to accomplishment and to happiness. A danger that frequently arises in connection with time-and-energy management is that the energies of some or all of the family may be strained in order that one member may take on other responsibilities. The overloading of those who are already carrying heavy responsibilities usually causes worry, friction, emotional upsets, and unhappy relationships.

Overwork, which may result from trying to live up to a plan or finish some task which takes more time than calculated, is another situation to be avoided. The woman who habitually works on her nerve or who borrows from the next day’s store of energy in order to accomplish what work she has planned usually ends the day thoroughly exhausted and unable to carry her full share of responsibility the next day. Another danger can come with the over energetic man or woman who is constantly bustling and is unhappy unless the entire family is also bustling. Such people are not as efficient as they may seem. Successful management is not so obvious and allows a high degree for freedom of action to all members of the family.

Conclusion: Management in family living is effective to the degree that it results in the accomplishment of work which must be carried forward in the home, makes possible better use of money and abilities, releases time and energy from work to allow time for recreational activities, improves the choice and use made of goods, influences the establishment of reasonable standards, and integrates human values into living as changed conditions affect family life. Such management is helpful and satisfying to individuals and to the group

Management is successful in so far as it places development of individuals ahead of organization and makes the process of management the means to the end—to provide satisfying human experiences. Solutions to home-management problems cannot be set up as “patterns of action” that a homemaker can fit to her individual family. Each family has its own needs and requires a plan of its own. Parents who are effective in the management of their home will shape their plans of action to fit the family’s needs and desires. When this is done, management becomes a growing, vital part of the family’s experience.

References:-

Web links

1. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/downtime
2. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/dynamic
3. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/gratify
4. www.dictionary.com/browse/indispensable
5. www.dictionary.com/browse/managerial