Publication Date
Spring 1986
Abstract
Henry Fayol (1841-1925) was a leading administrator in the French mining and metallurgy industry. After studying at the Lycee at Lyons and the Ecole Nationale Des Mines de Saint Etienne, he was appointed engineer of the Commentry pits of the S.A. Commentry-Fourchambault combine in 1860. By 1888 he had risen to the managing directorship of that company, retiring as chief executive in 1918 but remaining as a director. During his lifetime he was awarded a number of prizes and honors.1 In 1916 he published his now famous Administration Industrielle et Generale-Prevoyance, Organisation, Commandement, Coordination, Controle, in the Bulletin de la Societe de l'Industrie Minerale.2 Fayol attempted to develop a teachable theory of general management via a comprehensive set of principles. This theory was intended to demonstrate the benefits of adopting a scientific approach to the management of large organizations and represented the first attempt to outline a general theory of administration.
Recommended Citation
Parker, Lee D. (Lee David)
(1986)
"Henri Fayol, accounting and control: An environmental reflection,"
Accounting Historians Notebook: Vol. 9:
No.
1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aah_notebook/vol9/iss1/1