Business Administration Articles

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Administrative functions in a business environment

Administrative functions in a business environment

Administrative functions in a business environment are handled by
services managers. They also have the responsibility to coordinate
and direct the support services so that organizations can operate
efficiently.
These administrative functions are performed by different types of
managers according to their level of responsibility and authority. In a
business environment, administrators are assigned common set of
functions to meet the organization's goals which are:
Planning
The most important administrative function in a business environment
is planning. Planning is defined by the decision made at the initial
level at which the administrator has to decide what to do to fulfill a
goal. What are the different ways and means to do it and who are the
right person to perform that job. In planning, the first step is to arrange
the functions, people or components involved into a proper working
order. The next thing is to find out the specific steps the people
involved must take to complete the job. The planning part should also
include the details of the equipment, time and manpower needed for a
particular job.
The planning administrator should identify the entire problem that can
arise due to circumstances so that solutions can be provided
immediately if the problem comes up. The resources and manpower,
skill availability to complete a particular task is also checked in this
part. The planning phase should clearly specify the order in which sub
tasks have to be performed to complete a job successfully. By
deciding the order in which the plans have to be carried out, a
complete plan of action has to be decided before hand. Overall, a plan
of action specifies the tasks in an order for a particular period of time.
If the planning is done by taking certain steps in the right direction
then it is possible to complete the task without interruptions so that it
is possible to complete the given task most efficiently and effectively:
1. At first step, all the actions have to be identified along with the
resources required so that all the problems are identified before
starting the work.
2. A planned time line sheet to complete the tasks in an order.
3. Define the priorities for various tasks so that it helps in mapping
the path from where the organization is to where it wants to be.
Depending upon the nature of the problem to be handled, the planning
can be both short-range and long-range.

Organization
Organizing means the administrator has to identify various jobs and
the right person which can perform those jobs efficiently. The
administrator has to identify which can take the responsibility and can
manage a team of people to complete a job. Such responsible
persons are further grouped together to create departments or
divisions. Such different departments are combined together or inter
related to each other to create a bigger division. Such departments
interact with each other in an organized manner to complete various
tasks. The organized divisions should coordinate with each other so
that different tasks can be performed easily.
In organization, the administrator has to define the responsibilities and
authority clearly so that there is no crossing of lines while working in
coordination. The concept of delegation of authority is very important
in an organized department. It helps the people to perform better
because it includes assigning responsibility to a person to complete a
task. The delegated person has sufficient authority to manage the
resources to do a particular task and also has the right to decide how
that task will be completed with time.
Staffing
This administrative function is very important in a business
environment because it deals with filling up of job positions in an
organization. The job positions should be filled by taking care of the
requirement, time and the type of man power required. The
administrator should check the staffing needs from time to time so that
number of employees are always sufficient and up to the mark. The
staff requirements are identified by the staffing administrators and
then suitable job descriptions are designed. The recruitment process
is also organized at different levels by these administrators to screen
the candidates so that suitable candidates are recruited.
Directing
It is very important for organization because it deals with handling
people in such a way so that they help in every possible way to
achieve the goals of the organization. To make the direction efficient, it
is important that the allocation of resources is done very carefully. It
also helps the system to perform better by providing a complete and
effective support and backup system at the backend. Such
administrators look after the preparation, analysis, negotiation, and
review of jobs related to the purchase or sale of equipment, materials,
products and services. The administrators fulfilling the direction role
should have strong communication skills and has the conviction to
judge and convince people in a positive way. They have to keep a
perfect balance between the requirements and financial status of the
organization.
Controlling
Controlling is the function which deals with the continuous evaluation
of the organization goals. If the goals are not achieved then controlling
administrator has to detect potential or actual difference in the
achieved and original plan of the organization. This helps in improving
the system for betterment so that deviation in the goal achieved is
minimum. By controlling information management it is possible to
measure the performance of the system and to apply corrective

actions to increase the efficiency. There are many types of controlling

functions which are associated with evaluations in organizations.
Some of the examples are: evaluation of marketing efforts, evaluation
of employee performance and program evaluations.
Budgeting
After the jobs are planned and resources are organized, the next
important administrative function in business environment is to
manage the funds efficiently. Budgeting administrators are responsible
for analyzing the requirements of funds for the resources and man
power to achieve goals and tasks. All the financial statements are
monitored and checked from time to time to avoid any financial
problems. All types of financial statements like balance sheet, income
statement and cash flow statements are prepared, checked and
managed by the administrator.