Introduction: Management as a Discipline

Management emerged as a formal discipline in the late 19th century alongside the Industrial Revolution. The shift from small family workshops to large industrial enterprises created the need for systematic coordination of large workforces, resources, and processes. Two schools dominated early management thought:

1. Scientific Management School (Taylor, Gantt, Gilbreth): Focus on efficiency at the operational level — time studies, standardisation, incentive pay.
2. Administrative/Classical School (Fayol, Weber, Urwick): Focus on principles applicable to entire organisation — hierarchy, authority, functions.

Today, management is defined as both a science (body of systematic knowledge) and an art (practical skill requiring judgment). It is universal (applies to all organisations), goal-directed, continuous, dynamic, and social.

Exam relevance: Topic 46 (General Management) is the highest-scoring management topic — 7.5 marks average per year in PYQs. The 2021 exam had questions on Startup India and stock exchanges (linking management to current affairs); 2023 had capital structure and SEBI (financial management). The 2026 exam will likely ask on MBO, Fayol's principles, decision-making models, or management levels — all pure theory questions.

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