The Universal Process or Operational Management Theory And Henri Fayola:

As one of the oldest and most popular approaches to r m1gement thought. Henry Fayal’s theory holds that administration of all organizations--whether 'public or private", or "large or small' requires the sane rational process or functions. This school is based on two assumptions; first, although the objective of an organization may differs (For example. business. education, or religion), yet there is a core management process that remains the same for all institutions. Successful managers, therefore, are interchangeable among organizations of differing purposes. Second, the universal management process can be reduced to a set of separate functions and related principles 4 it has rightly been said by some scholars that "perhaps the real father of modern management theory is the French industrialist Henri Fayola." Despite the belated appearance of his classic work, Administration Industrially at General, in the English speaking world, Fayal’s book has left a permanent mark on twentieth-century management thinking. A successful industrialist. Fayola headed a steel and coal combine in France. He is now considered the father of the universal process or operational management theory, because he made universal generalizations about management based on his keen insight and practical management experience. As opposed to Taylor, Fayola endeavors to deal with "classical administration." He focuses his attention on the enterprise as a whole rather than on a single segment of it. He pioneered the concept of viewing management as being made up of functions, and his work supplied a comprehensive framework from which management could be studied and developed.5 He also repeatedly emphasized that his principles apply not only to business but also to political, religious, philanthropic, military and other undertakings.

Industrial Activities Identified by Fayola: royal identifies the following six major activities of any industrial or business organization:

            (1) Technical (production and manufacturing)

(2) Commercial (buying, selling and exchanging):

            (3) Financial (search for an optimum use of capital);

            (4) Security (safeguarding property and people);

            (5) Accounting (including statistics). And

(6) Managerial (planning. organization, command, co-ordination and control)

While pointing out the existence of these activities in business of any kind or size, Fayola particularly stresses on the analysis of the sixth.

Devoting a substantial portion of his book (mentioned earlier) to this aspect of management.