Horse sense

The verb manage comes from the Italian maneggiare (to handle — especially a horse), which in turn derives from the Latin manus (hand). The French word mesnagement (later ménagement) influenced the development in meaning of the English word management in the 17th and 18th centuries.

I lifted this etymology of the word management from Wikipedia. It interests me in more ways than one, not the least because I myself am going to attend a B school. The roots of the word management is strongly related to handling, especially the word manus(hand). It refers to hands on experience, the sort of "get your hands dirty" experience that comes only through the willingness to work.This quality was important in the 17th and 18th centuries, when formal training in management was unheard of. People started working at the grass root level and moved up the ranks through experience or dexterity. Compare this trait to the modern practice of seeing a business school degree as an extension of your UG education. Final year students seek to enter B schools directly from their colleges without having any real life work experience. Of course, in our modern world characterized by instant dissemination of information and knowledge, most intelligent students might be able to overcome this lacunae by building upon the experience of others. But the lack of personal experience will always remain a stumbling block for many management trainees.

It is also worth noting that the Italian word maneggiare was used to denote handling of horses. In the 17th and 18th centuries, in the absence of faster forms of transportation, horses formed the backbone of human traffic and logistics. The very fact that the word management derives from a word used to denote handling of horses shows the importance that people attached to management.

On a lighter note, the word sophomore, commonly used to denote a second year student in a university, is said to be derived from the Greek words "sopho" meaning "wise" and "moros", meaning "foolish". The assumption is that a second year student is wiser than a fresher, but not wise enough that he or she may be considered fit to graduate.Put simply,they are regarded as self-assured and opinionated but crude and immature. Now, most prestigious B school courses last only two years, meaning that the students graduate in their sophomore years (at least, what can be called a sophomore year from the perspective of the university). Think about it.....