TABLE OF CONTENTS The inputs to work processes are called resources, which can be classified in at least three ways. You may see resources separated into:
money
manpower
machines and
materials
the four Ms.
A second classification is 'land, capital and labour'. Here, land is the term used to describe all natural resources, including water, airspace and raw materials. Capital is all non-human, non-natural resources, and labour is the term used for human resources.
However, the most usual way of categorizing resources, and the one we will use, is:
people
capital
materials
information.
Let's look at what we mean by these four groups.
People (also called labour): those who run the organization, and work in it
It should be said from the start that many object to applying the word 'resource' to people.
It does seem strange and unfeeling to think of people as a resource. We do this simply for convenience. But it is important to remember, when bracketing employees alongside capital, materials and information, that:
people are the most precious, most flexible and most necessary of all the resources of an organization.
Without people to organize and direct the work, nothing worthwhile can be achieved, even in those workplaces where there is a high level of automation.
Getting the best from people, whether or not you classify them as a resource, is the most challenging aspect of a manager's job.
Capital: equipment, machinery, finance, land, buildings and goodwill
We...
