Correct option is C

Scientific management is a theory that focuses on analyzing and optimizing workflows to improve economic efficiency, particularly labor productivity. It was developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to Taylor's significant contributions, this approach is also known as Taylorism.

Taylor observed inefficiencies in manufacturing industries and sought to apply scientific methods to determine the best ways to perform tasks. His principles of scientific management emphasized standardization, time studies, task specialization, and incentives for increased productivity. Although the formal theory became obsolete by the 1930s, many of its principles are still used in industrial engineering and management practices today.

Information Booster:

• Taylorism is named after Frederick Winslow Taylor, who pioneered the scientific management movement.

• Taylor’s ideas were first implemented in the Midvale Steel Company in the 1880s, where he worked as a foreman.

• The core objective of Taylorism was to maximize productivity and efficiency through scientific study of work processes.

• The theory introduced techniques such as time and motion studies, task standardization, and performance-based pay to improve labor efficiency.

• Even though Taylorism as a distinct theory declined in the 1930s, many of its principles continue to influence modern management and industrial engineering.

Additional Knowledge:

1. Managerial Rationalism (Option a)

   • The passage does not mention Managerial Rationalism as an alternative name for scientific management.

   • Managerial Rationalism is a broader concept that refers to logical and structured decision-making in business, whereas scientific management focuses on workflow efficiency through empirical studies.

2. Fayolism (Option b)

   • Fayolism refers to the management principles proposed by Henri Fayol, who emphasized administrative management rather than scientific efficiency.

   • Fayol developed 14 principles of management, such as division of work, authority, discipline, unity of command, and more.

   • Unlike Taylorism, which focuses on efficiency and productivity at the operational level, Fayolism is concerned with organizational structure and administrative principles.

3. Functional Organization (Option d)

   • A Functional Organization is a type of organizational structure where the company is divided into different functional units such as marketing, finance, production, and HR, each led by specialists.

   • It is not an alternative name for scientific management, but rather a structural approach to organizing a company’s workforce.

   • Although Taylor introduced functional foremanship as part of his management ideas, a functional organization is a broader concept that extends beyond Taylorism.​

Correct option is C

The incorrect statement in the given options is option (c) because it misrepresents Taylor’s actual position in 1880.

According to the passage, Frederick Winslow Taylor started working at the Midvale Steel Company as a clerk in 1877. However, by 1880, he had advanced to the position of "foreman," not a senior supervisor. The term foreman refers to a supervisory role, but it does not necessarily mean a senior supervisory position.

Since the passage specifically states that Taylor became a foreman, but does not mention him advancing to a "senior supervisor" in 1880, the phrase in option (c) is factually incorrect.

Information Booster:

• Scientific management (Taylorism) was developed by Frederick W. Taylor in the late 19th century to improve efficiency in manufacturing industries.

• Midvale Steel Company was the birthplace of scientific management, where Taylor experimented with his principles.

• Taylor's primary aim was to determine the optimal way to perform tasks scientifically.

• By 1920s, scientific management remained influential but was competing with other management theories.

• The concept of task optimization and standardization introduced by Taylor still influences modern industrial engineering.

Additional Knowledge:

1. (a) Scientific management is a theory of management that analyzes and synthesizes workflow. (Correct)

   • The passage defines scientific management as a theory that analyzes and synthesizes workflows to improve efficiency and labor productivity.

   • The goal of scientific management was to use scientific principles to optimize work processes.

2. (b) By the 1920s, scientific management was still influential but had entered into competition and syncretism with opposing or complementary ideas. (Correct)

   • The passage states that even though Taylor died in 1915, scientific management remained influential in the 1920s.

   • However, during this period, it started to compete with other management approaches and merged with complementary ideas.

3. (d) Taylor began his Theory’s development within manufacturing industries. (Correct)

   • The passage clearly states that Taylor developed his theory in the manufacturing industry, particularly steel production.

   • His early experiments were conducted in the Midvale Steel Company, which was one of the leading armor plate manufacturers.​

Correct option is B

According to the passage, Frederick Winslow Taylor began his career at Midvale Steel Company in 1877 as a clerk. This means he started working at Midvale during the 1870s, making option (b) the correct answer.

Taylor's time at Midvale Steel Company was crucial because it was here that he observed inefficiencies in the workplace. These observations led him to develop the principles of scientific management. He later advanced to the position of foreman in 1880 and then used his position to experiment with improving productivity.

Information Booster:

• Taylor joined Midvale Steel Company in 1877 as a clerk and was promoted to foreman in 1880.

• His experience at Midvale was the foundation for scientific management (Taylorism), where he conducted time and motion studies to optimize workflow.

• The company was one of America’s leading armor plate manufacturers, making it a key location for Taylor’s early experiments.

• His observations at Midvale led to the idea that work efficiency could be scientifically measured and improved, which later became the foundation of industrial engineering.

• Taylor continued refining his ideas, and by the 1880s and 1890s, his principles started gaining wider recognition.

Additional Knowledge:

1. (a) 1860s (Incorrect)

   • The passage does not mention Taylor working in Midvale during the 1860s.

   • Taylor was born in1856, so he would have been too young to start a professional career in the 1860s.

2. (c) 1880s (Incorrect)

   • Taylor was already working at Midvale before the 1880s.

   • He joined in 1877 and was promoted to foreman in 1880, meaning his career at Midvale began in the 1870s, not the 1880s.

3. (d) 1890s (Incorrect)

   • By the 1890s, Taylor had already developed key principles of scientific management.

   • While his work gained broader recognition during this period, he did not start his career at Midvale in the 1890s—he had already been working there since 1877.​

Correct option is C

According to the passage, Frederick Winslow Taylor began developing the concept of Scientific Management in the United States during the 1880s and 1890s, particularly in manufacturing industries like steel production.

Taylor was working at Midvale Steel Company in the late 1870s and 1880s, where he observed inefficiencies in the way workers performed their tasks. He sought to scientifically analyze workflows to improve productivity, and by the 1880s, he had begun implementing key principles of scientific management.

By the 1890s, his theories gained further recognition and development, leading to the formalization of the scientific management approach. The peak of its influence came later, in the 1910s, but its foundational concepts were developed during the 1880s and 1890s.

Information Booster:

• Scientific management is a system of work optimization and labor efficiency, pioneered by Frederick Winslow Taylor.

• The Midvale Steel Company was where Taylor started experimenting with his methods in the 1880s.

• Time and motion studies, task standardization, and incentive-based work systems were introduced during this period.

• While Taylor’s theories became widely influential in the 1910s, their initial development happened in the 1880s and 1890s.

• The core principles of scientific management are still used today in industrial engineering and business management.

Additional Knowledge:

1. (a) 20th Century (Incorrect)

   • While scientific management gained widespread influence in the early 20th century (1910s and beyond), its development began earlier, in the1880s and 1890s.

   • The passage clearly states that Taylor began developing his ideas during the 1880s and 1890s, not after the 20th century started.

2. (b) 1st Century (Incorrect)

   • The 1st century (from year 1 to 100 AD) had no connection with scientific management.

   • Scientific management is a modern industrial-era concept that emerged in the late 19th century.

3. (d) 1890s and 1900s (Incorrect)

   • While Taylor's theories continued evolving in the 1890s and early 1900s, their initial development began in the 1880s.

   • Since the passage explicitly mentions that Taylor started his work in the 1880s, the more accurate answer is "1880s and 1890s" (option c) rather than "1890s and 1900s" (option d).​

Correct option is D

According to the passage, Midvale Steel Company was the birthplace of Scientific Management. Frederick Winslow Taylor started working there as a clerk in 1877 and was promoted to foreman in 1880. It was during his time at Midvale that he observed inefficiencies in workers’ productivity and began applying scientific methods to improve workflow.

Taylor conducted time and motion studies at Midvale Steel, developing task standardization and work efficiency principles. These experiments laid the foundation for Scientific Management, also known as Taylorism. Therefore, Midvale Steel Company is the correct answer.

Information Booster:

• Midvale Steel Company was a major steel manufacturer in the U.S., known for producing armor plates.

• Taylor’s early experiments in task optimization and labor productivity began here.

• He introduced scientific methods to analyze workflows, reducing inefficiencies and increasing production output.

• His work at Midvale led to the formalization of Scientific Management principles, which later influenced industrial engineering and factory management worldwide.

• Even though Taylor later worked at Bethlehem Steel, his initial experiments in Scientific Management started at Midvale Steel Company.

Additional Knowledge:

1. (a) Bethlehem Steel Corporation (Incorrect)

   • While Taylor also worked at Bethlehem Steel, it was not the birthplace of Scientific Management.

   • His first experiments and core principles were developed at Midvale Steel Company.

2. (b) Midvale Steel Corporation (Incorrect)

   • The correct name is Midvale Steel Company, not "Midvale Steel Corporation."

   • The passage refers to it as Midvale Steel Company, making this option incorrect.

3. (c) Bethlehem Steel Incorporation (Incorrect)

   • There is no such company as "Bethlehem Steel Incorporation."

   • The correct name is Bethlehem Steel Corporation, but it was not the birthplace of Scientific Management.​