Management sciences: what are they, characteristics and functions?

Management sciences help us to understand work organizations.

We live in an era in which everything is increasingly measured and standardized so that we can optimize resources. Management sciences are a good example of this..

In this article we are going to discover what they consist of, what characterizes them and what their usefulness is today in a whole series of very different fields.

What are management sciences?

The science or sciences of administration, also called the science of management, is the study that is dedicated to trying to explain the forms of human organization related to the world of work.The company's management structures, such as companies, but also other administrative structures such as various types of associations and even much larger and more complex networks such as local, regional, national or even supranational administrations (those that connect several countries).

In short, the object of study of the administrative sciences is all the behaviors performed by human beings in this type of structures.. In this way, we will be able to know in a standardized way why a human system has organized itself in a particular way, what are the characteristics of that choice and what are the advantages it brings as opposed to other different models for which they could also have opted.

It is a scientific discipline, born of nothing less than applied mathematics itself, since at the beginning the search was for the optimum system, that in which, once the variables involved had been studied, the values that would allow maximum efficiency and therefore the best results would be obtained using the minimum level of resources possible, and all this based on statistical and therefore quantifiable decisions.

Its origin is in the studies initiated for operations research, especially relevant in the period of World War II, since the best way to achieve the best results was sought.It originated in the studies initiated for operations research, especially relevant in the period of World War II, when the best way to create strategies that would guarantee maximum use of resources, so limited in the war scenario, was sought. It was then that mathematics came into play, as a way of objectifying procedures, seeking efficiency through numbers.

But the sciences of administration have been growing and developing more and more, so that today it is possible to apply these studies to practically any form of human organization, with the objective of finding the most optimal way to carry out its management, whatever its nature may be. This is why we can find studies referring to the organization of a multinational company, a sports association, or a town council, since all of them are formations that can be analyzed.

Levels of operation

When we talk about the sciences of administration, we must bear in mind that it allows us to carry out research at different levels, specifically at three. The following is a description of each of them in order to establish a comparison and discover their differences.

1. Fundamental

The first level of research is called fundamental, and it is the one that allows us to access the most basic data of the organization. that allows us to access the most basic data of the organization.. These data are all those that can be quantified and treated through applied mathematics, and more specifically through three branches of this science, which are dynamic systems, optimization and probability. Thanks to these tools we will be able to organize all the information and perform a first level of analysis.

2. Modeling

Once we have all the data available and ready to operate with them, we can move on to the second phase, which is modeling. At this point, and with the help of computer tools, we can create models that simulate different scenarios and thus be able to analyze and compare them, in search of the one that is most optimal for our organizational purposes. for our organizational purposes. In contrast to the previous level, the branches of mathematics that have more weight here would be statistics and, by extension, econometrics.

3. Application

The last level, as it could not be otherwise, would be that of the application itself. At this point we move from the theoretical levels, which were the previous ones, and which have provided us with the necessary information to establish the lines of action, to the practical level, which would be to carry out the said research.This would be the implementation of the model, in search of the results we have anticipated, always on the basis of mathematical data and processes, which are the basis for the validity of management sciences.

Associated disciplines

We have already seen that the management sciences have spread notably throughout a number of sectors, and in this process have established links with numerous disciplines, from which they draw to generate their knowledge of management methods. Let's mention some of the most notable ones.

1. Human Resources

Logically, Human Resources are the basis of any company. We cannot expect an organization to function properly if we do not have an adequate management of its Human Resources, both to incorporate new members to the team and to take care of all the issues related to those who already belong to it.. That is why this branch could not be missing when we talk about management sciences.

2. Accounting

Accounting is another discipline that provides a great deal of information about the organization of the company, and it is also purely numerical, so its relationship with applied mathematics, which was the origin of the management sciences, is more than evident. For this reason we must take very much into account the data provided for the study of the organization of the company..

3. Logistics

Likewise, logistics is key for making decisions that optimize the procedures carried out within a company, so it will be key to take them into account in order to develop an adequate study of the way in which the company is being managed. will be key to take them into account in order to develop an adequate study of the way in which the company is being managed at all levels. at all levels.

4. Finance

The management sciences are also nourished by the study of finances which, as with accounting, is a discipline based on figures and therefore quantitative, which facilitates the design of strategies in search of optimization and maximum results with the least expense.

5. Marketing

We cannot understand today's business organizations if we do not take into account all the issues related to marketing, which are the ones that, to a great extent, are the most important for the company.These are what, to a large extent, allow a company to succeed or fail to take off, regardless of the product or service we are offering. Therefore, it is another of the fundamental pillars in our search for absolute knowledge about human organizations.

6. Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship encompasses all issues related to the creation of new companies, and therefore includes a series of knowledge that are basic to complete the map that makes up the management sciences. It will help us to understand the process of creating an organization from its origin as a small company to its development as a huge multinational company, if it completes this cycle.if it completes this cycle.

7. Business strategy

As with marketing, all business decisions regarding the strategies to be followed can make the corporation either follow a successful course and achieve its objectives or have difficulties in maintaining its position in the market. Therefore, this entire body of knowledge must also form part of the management sciences.

8. Information systems

Information systems refer to all the interactions of data, in this case concerning the organization, which are pooled through a system of hardware and software, as well as the people who operate the equipment.and software system, as well as the people who operate the equipment. Without this information network we could not conceive the company itself, so it is another of the disciplines we need to better understand this concept.

9. Administration

The administration of the companies itself is already encompassing several of the sectors that we have been describing in the previous points, but its importance is so high that it deserves a separate mention. This compendium of tasks is another of the sources that make up all the knowledge accumulated in the management sciences.

10. Other

Although some disciplines related to business organization have not been mentioned in this list, this does not mean that they are not necessary for a better understanding of the concept we are studying, since all of them provide, to a greater or lesser extent, a series of data of great value in order to be able to tackle this study. Therefore, any other variable that affects the company should be considered, even if it has not been mentioned here.

Bibliographical references:

• Anderson, D.R., Sweeney, D.J., Williams, T.A., Camm, J.D., Cochran, J.J., Fry, M.J., Ohlmann, J.W. (2018). An introduction to management science: quantitative approach. Cengage.
• Dockner, E.J., Jorgensen, S., Van Long, N., Sorger, G. (2000). Differential games in economics and management science. Cambridge University Press.