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BTS management revision sheet: organisational theories, strategy, SWOT, PESTEL, Porter, HR, marketing, corporate culture and CSR. Full programme 2026.
Management studies in the French BTS give students a comprehensive understanding of how organisations function. This sheet covers the official programme: foundational theories, organisational structures, strategic management, human resources, marketing fundamentals, project management, corporate culture, CSR and decision-making.
Taylor (1856–1915) — Scientific Management: decompose tasks into elementary operations (one best way), separate planning from execution, pay by output, and systematically control performance. Achieved huge productivity gains but criticised for dehumanising work.
Fayol (1841–1925) — Administrative Theory: five functions of management — Plan, Organise, Command, Coordinate, Control (POCCC). Also defined 14 principles of administration including unity of command, division of labour, authority and responsibility, and esprit de corps.
Weber (1864–1920) — Rational Bureaucracy: three types of legitimate authority — traditional (custom), charismatic (personal qualities), rational-legal (formal rules and hierarchy). The bureaucratic model, based on written procedures and clear hierarchy, was considered the most efficient form.
Mayo (1880–1949) — Hawthorne Experiments: demonstrated that productivity depends not only on physical conditions but on psychosocial factors — attention, group dynamics, belonging. The Hawthorne effect: being observed and valued improves performance.
Maslow (1908–1970) — Hierarchy of Needs: five levels — physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, self-actualisation. A higher-level need only motivates when lower-level needs are satisfied.
Herzberg (1923–2000) — Two-Factor Theory: hygiene factors (salary, conditions, security) prevent dissatisfaction but do not motivate. Motivation factors (achievement, recognition, responsibility, growth) create genuine motivation. To motivate, enrich the work itself.
Mintzberg: 10 managerial roles (interpersonal, informational, decisional) and 5 organisational configurations (simple structure, machine bureaucracy, professional bureaucracy, divisionalised form, adhocracy).
Drucker — Management by Objectives (MBO): set SMART objectives negotiated with each employee. Autonomy on means, accountability on results.
Vroom — Expectancy Theory (VIE): Motivation = Valence × Instrumentality × Expectancy. If any factor is zero, motivation is zero.
Functional: organised by function (production, marketing, finance). Pros: specialisation. Cons: silos. Suited to SMEs.
Divisional: organised by division (product, region, customer). Pros: flexibility, autonomy. Cons: resource duplication. Suited to large diversified firms.
Matrix: combines functional and project/product logic — dual reporting. Pros: cross-functional collaboration. Cons: complexity, authority conflicts. Suited to innovative firms.
Mintzberg's 5 configurations: simple structure (direct supervision), machine bureaucracy (standardisation of processes), professional bureaucracy (standardisation of skills), divisionalised form (standardisation of outputs), adhocracy (mutual adjustment).
PESTEL analysis (macro-environment): Political, Economic, Socio-cultural, Technological, Ecological, Legal factors.
Porter's 5 Forces (micro-environment): rivalry among competitors, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers.
SWOT matrix (synthesis): Strengths and Weaknesses (internal), Opportunities and Threats (external).
Decomposes activities into primary (inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, service) and support (firm infrastructure, HR, technology development, procurement). The goal is to optimise each link to maximise competitive advantage.
Classifies strategic business units by market growth rate and relative market share: Stars (high/high — invest), Cash cows (high share/low growth — harvest), Question marks (low share/high growth — decide), Dogs (low/low — divest).
Recruitment: define the need (job description), source candidates (internal mobility, job boards, agencies), select (CV screening, interviews, tests), onboard.
Training: a legal obligation in France. Companies fund a skills development plan; employees have a Personal Training Account (CPF).
Motivation theories: Maslow (hierarchy of needs), Herzberg (two-factor), McGregor (Theory X/Y), Vroom (VIE), Adams (equity theory — employees compare their input/output ratio with peers).
GPEC (Strategic Workforce Planning): anticipate future HR needs, identify skills gaps, implement corrective actions (training, recruitment, internal mobility).
Marketing mix (4P/7P): Product (features, quality, brand, lifecycle), Price (skimming, penetration, alignment), Place (distribution channels, e-commerce), Promotion (advertising, digital marketing, PR). For services: People, Process, Physical evidence.
STP: Segmentation (geographic, demographic, psychographic, behavioural), Targeting (undifferentiated, differentiated, concentrated), Positioning (desired brand image vs. competitors).
Product lifecycle: Launch (low sales, high investment), Growth (rising sales, competitors enter), Maturity (peak sales, market saturation), Decline (falling sales — cut costs or withdraw).
Corporate culture: shared values, beliefs, norms, rituals and symbols that shape behaviour within an organisation. Components: founding values, myths and heroes, rites, symbols, taboos.
CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility): voluntary integration of social, environmental and ethical concerns. Three pillars: economic (sustainable performance), social (employee well-being, diversity, dialogue), environmental (carbon footprint reduction, circular economy, eco-design). Reference framework: ISO 26000.
Simon — Bounded Rationality: decisions are limited by imperfect information, cognitive constraints and time pressure. Three phases: intelligence (identify the problem), design (evaluate options), choice (select a satisficing — good enough — solution rather than an optimal one).
Ansoff — Decision types: strategic (long-term, irreversible, made by top management), tactical (medium-term, made by middle management), operational (short-term, routine, made by front-line staff).