This lesson explores early management practices in Sumer, Babylonia, and ancient Egypt. These societies developed ways to record and organize trade, establish rules, motivate workers, and coordinate large groups.
Sumer, in what is now southern Iraq, was the first urban-based civilization described in the unit. It had a flourishing merchant culture in which people traded goods such as grain, livestock, perfumes, and pottery.
All flashcards
How did writing and clay coins support Sumerian trade?
Writing helped merchants record exchanges. Clay coins provided a means of payment, reducing the need to find a trading partner who wanted exactly what the buyer offered.
What was the Code of Hammurabi?
A collection of 282 written laws regulating a range of behavior, including business dealings. It included formal rules and fixed wages for various occupations.
What is an incentive wage, and how did Nebuchadnezzar use one?
An incentive wage connects a worker’s reward to output. Nebuchadnezzar’s cloth weavers received more food when they produced more cloth.
What is division of labor?
Dividing a larger job into separate tasks so different workers can carry out different parts of the work.
What does span of control mean?
Span of control is the number of workers a manager directly supervises. Egyptian pyramid projects used supervisors to oversee groups of workers.
Quiz questions
During the Han dynasty, what role did Confucian-trained scholars have in Chinese administration?Answer: They used Confucian teachings to guide administrative decisions.
Why did Roman administration use consistent measures, weights, and coins?Answer: Common standards made exchange and administration easier across a large territory.
Which idea is associated with Plato’s recognition of human diversity?Answer: Work can be divided according to people’s different abilities.
Which managerial practice did Socrates emphasize?Answer: Sharing and analyzing information to support decision-making.
What financing development is associated with companies in the Roman period?Answer: Some companies sold stock to the public to raise funds from investors.
Based on Principles of Management by David S. Bright, Anastasia H. Cortes, Eva Hartmann, K. Praveen Parboteeah, Jon L. Pierce, Monique Reece, Amit Shah, Siri Terjesen, Joseph Weiss, Margaret A. White, Donald G. Gardner, Jason Lambert et al. (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.