Abstract
In this inaugural lecture Sir Hugh Ford discusses definitions of management and the modern connotations of the word. He questions whether management can be successfully taught to undergraduate engineers without ‘hands-on’ experience. He outlines the essential requirements for a good relationship between shop floor and management and differentiates between the management of people and the management of material resources. The current complexities of managing an engineering enterprise have prompted Sir Hugh to enunciate Ford's Law on shrinking time. He goes on to consider the financial aspects of engineering management and concludes by stating his own definition of the term ‘management’.