The Concept of Efficiency
This article aims to give an analysis of the concept of efficiency. The importance of such an analysis lies in the fact that the role which efficiency plays in different sectors of our society leads to opposite evaluations resulting in a clash of opinions concerning this role. In order to clarify this situation, I first trace the historical roots of the concept. This brief historical reconnaissance shows that ‘efficiency’ is not a unitary concept. Moreover, I also argue that our use of the concept of efficiency presupposes the decisions which we make with regard to the kinds of costs we recognize. Such decisions do not come out of the blue; they relate to the opposite evaluations of efficiency mentioned above. The decisions concerning what we consider to be costly determine in part the actual content of the concept of efficiency. I argue that this content must be in harmony with the meaning of the different practices in which we are engaged, otherwise this concept can easily lead us astray. Therefore, a proper use of the concept of efficiency demands a clear and reliable view of these meanings.
1. Introduction
Efficiency is a concept widely used by economists, engineers, organization theorists, consultants, politicians, managers and others. It figures large in the many vocabularies that abound in the world today and it seems that 'efficiency' is one of the focuses of Western culture.
Efficiency has met with enthousiasm as well as critique. An early advocate of efficiency is Frederick Taylor (1911). (1) Shortly after, John Dewey made critical remarks on scientific management but considered efficiency to be a "servant of freedom" (Middle Works, Vol. 10, p. 119). Kotarbinsky (1968) defended e...
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The government utilized politics to their advantage by strategically manipulating situations. The election of Québec Premier Lesage’s election, the Clarity Act, and Prime Minister Harper speech contributed towards the anti-separatist movement. Alternatively, they successfully integrated Québec’s language into Canada by holding the Bilingualism and Biculturalism Commision and passing the Official Languages Act during the 1960s. The increase of Francophone immigration rates had also reduced French Canadian isolation. As well, the government reacted intelligently to many social Francophone issues, using it to their advantage to unite the nation. The Prime Ministers during the 1980 and 1995 referendums effectively communicated with Canadian citizens and invoked the War Measures Act to protect the Québecois. Although there is still a minuscule divide between cultures in the nation, both the French and English have learned to embrace their differences and live unanimously. In fact, the idea of separatism has proved itself to be no longer desirable. An example of the new perspective is shown through a poll taken in October 2016 suggests that 82% of Québec citizens are opposed to sovereignty, compared to the 60% in opposition in 1990. Ultimately, Canada continues to exhibit its cultural diversity throughout the nation
Taylorism is a system that was designed in the late 19th century, not only to maximise managerial control, but to also expand the levels of efficiency throughout workplaces. With this being said, productivity levels increased and fair wage distribution was the main result. However, with other, more recent theories and systems, such as Maslow and Herzburg’s theories, these helped to focus on the satisfaction and motivation of the workers rather than the concern of managerial control and empowerment. Fredrick W. Taylor ended up developing 4 main principles to help increase the work efficiency and productivity in workplaces; these will be discussed later on. Other theories relating to this include, Fayol, Follett, Management Science Theory as well as Organisational-Environmental Theory. All theories listed have an influence on the way businesses work effectively and put their skills to action. This essay will highlight how Taylorism was designed to maximise managerial control and increase productivity, furthermore, showing how more recent theories were developed to focus on empowering employees and to extend the use of organisational resources.
It was not until the Quiet Revolution where the voices of Quebecers were surfacing, as they demanded equality and the mobilization of their language rights (Haque 21). They were largely self-interested and this idea of selling multiculturalism was seen as an illusion, which painted Canada with a very uncomfortable picture of immigration (Bissoondath 23). The lack of policies that accompanied multiculturalis...
Efficiency is not always the answer, according to David Owen, in his novel The Conundrum, explains that society is headed in the wrong direction, believing that to be greener we need to make our everyday lives more efficient when in reality we need to change our behavior. As consumers, people want to be sustainable and preserve the Earth while greedily expanding our collection of trinkets. Efficiency can be beneficial, but to make the world a greener one, it is essential for people to change their behavior, not efficiency of the products.
When reading the book The Goal written by Eliyahu Goldratt, there were many lessons that I learned in order to have a clear and concise understanding of a positive level of productivity in a company. To have a positive level of productivity there are may components that are taken into consideration. Understanding what it actually means to be productive and how to increase the level of productivity by knowing the actual goal of the company that is trying to be reached and the components that go into the process of being productive. There are many factors that contribute to the level of productivity and being able to identify these factors is the key ingredient to having a successful level of productivity.
Social efficiency is related to the concept of the government intervening in a situation where the costs pertaining to a firm or a number of firms acting in a specific way is higher that its benefits. One might want to say for correctness purposes that one achieves social efficiency when "the marginal benefits to society - or marginal social benefits (MSB) of producing any given good or service exceed the marginal costs to society or marginal social costs (MSC)." [2]
EFFICIENCY: This simply means making the most out of available resources. Thus in public administration it could be the provision ...
For operations management to be successful, the function of the operation must be first be defined. The degree to which this is achieved is a measure of effectiveness, the key objective of operations management. Efficiency is less important since there is no point in which carrying out an irrelevant, or worse damaging, activity effectively. Effectiveness means achieving objectives, efficiency means consuming minimum resources. While both are desirable, the former is of overriding importance.
Norman Wilner Special to the, Star. "The great ghost hoax." Toronto Star (Canada) n.d.: Newspaper
As the popularity of systematic management rose, there were many organizations that were implementing its main features such as employment of more unskilled workers and work standardization methods (Thompson and Mchugh, 2009, p.28 a). It had several features, a few of which included focusing on the manner in which production took place, being precise about how the activities were going about and to ensure that productivity and overall efficiency improved. Thus, the primary focus was on methods of production as compared to the end result of the production activity. This is when the role of Taylorism came about. Frederick Winslow Taylor, a name that transformed the management scheme forever. Also known as the Father of scientific management, Taylor was the brain behind recognizing the need for efficiency in the workplace. He first started off with his research at Midvale Steel Works, where he meticulously observed the workers and in order to develop his principles and theories with the prime focus of constructing a way to have full control over the activities taking place (Thompson and Mchugh, 2009, p.28 a).
Determinants of Productivity Determinants of Productivity Productivity is the quantity of output formed by one unit of production input in a unit of time. Inputs used in the production of the goods and services are the major determinants of any country’s productivity; they are also called factors of production. There are four major determinants of productivity in any country’s economy. Land: the land itself, and raw materials such as oil and minerals beneath it. The natural resources that are available without alteration or effort on the part of humans.
An ambition is an eager, and sometimes an inordinate, desire for preferment, honor, superiority, power, or the attainment of something. To obtain object or goal that is immensely desired. It comes from the Middle English word “ambicioun,” meaning and excessive desire for power, money or wealth. Ambition is something that everyone, no matter their age or cultural background, has instinctively. Ambition can be a driving force for success, or in some cases a road to failure. Through ambitious undertakings we can set goals and find ourselves and our God-given talents.
Efficiency is highly prized in a culture turned toward productivity. It is therefore cultivated in contemporary business administration theories. It also tends to be prized above all other values in modern society, as society is more and more oriented toward technological advancement. Efficiency is also defined here as the most economic or the shortest or fastest or most simple way of realizing or achieving a goal with the least cost.
Although it maximized efficiency and productivity but its main limitation was ignoring human aspects of employment. This is manifested in the following:
This essay will discuss the relevance of Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management to organisations today. Taylor’s theory of Scientific Management is based around how efficiently a member of staff works in order to improve their productivity, the theory was introduced in 1911 and has four principles which were tested to determine optimal work methods, and are still seen in organisations today such as fast-food restaurants. Taylor believed that workers left to their own devices would restrict their output and not progress with the task, this was called ‘soldiering’ and it was described in two forms; natural