Chapter 3 Organisation and business structures Flashcards

1
Q

What is the organisational structure in a business?

A

formed by grouping people into departments and allocating responbility and authority
e.g. division of work (specialised)
unity of command (one supervisor)
unity of direction (single head and plan)
centralisation (appropriate level)
scalar chain (authority top to bottom)

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2
Q

What are modern principles of a organisation

A

multi skilling (train to perform variety of skills therefore more efficient)

flexibility (flex hours, matrix strucuture therefore adaptive to changing markets)

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3
Q

What are six building blocks in the business defined by Mintzberg?

A

Operating core - basic work of the organisation (shop floor)
strategic apex - higher managment (long term planning)
middle line - managers link between operating and strategic
technostructure - accountants, computer specialists & engineers
support structure - provision of services
ideology - organisations values and beliefs

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4
Q

How are the six building blocks of Mintzberg co-ordinated?

A
  • mutual adjustment (informal contact)
  • direct supervision
  • standardisation of work process (G&S specification)
  • standardisation of skills and knowledge (identify training needs, skills)
  • standardisatin of norms (culture)
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5
Q
What are the outcomes of building blocks and co-ordinations mechanism
1 environment 
2 internal factors 
3 key building blocl
4 key co-ordinating mechanism

a. entrepenuerial strucuture (newsagent)
b. functional/bureaucratic (unionised company)
c. professional bureaucractic (Kaplan)
d. divisional structure
e. matrix structure

A

A1 - simple dynamic
A2 - small young simple task
A3 - stragic apex
A4 - direct supervision

B1 - complex
B2 - large, old regulated
B3 - techno structure
B4 - standardisation of work

  • complex
  • professional simple
  • operating core
  • standardisaiton of skills
  • simple
  • very large
  • middle line
  • standardisation of outputs
  • complex
  • young
  • operating
  • mutual adj.
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6
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantage of a entrepenuerial structure?
built around the owner-manager

A

adv:

  • fast decision making
  • more responsive market
  • good control
  • close bond to workforce

disadv.
- lack of career structure
- too centralised
- cannot cope with diversification

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7
Q

Once outgrown the entrepenuerial structure it is the functional structure
with board of directors
and marketing dept., prod. dpt, finance dpt. HR dpt.
what are the adv. and disadv.
(appropriate to

A

adv.
- Economic of scale
- standardisation/efficiency
- specialists prefer this

disad.

  • empire building
  • slow to adopt to market changes
  • conflicts between functions
  • cannot cope with diversification
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8
Q

Whare the adv. and disadv. of a divisional structure

with BoD and chemical division, plastics division , electricals divisiom, paper divsion

A

adv.
enables product or geo growth
clear responsbility and accounting products
training of general managers

disad. 
potential loss of control lack 
lack of goal congruence 
duplication
specialists may feel isolated
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9
Q

What is the matrix structure made of ?

A

combine to benefit of divisional structure and functional structure (found in multi-product/functional-organisation

Area x Various department

Pro:
flexibility - focus on customers projects

Cons:

  • Dual comman
  • Dilution of functional authority
  • time consuming meetings
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10
Q

What is defined by centralisation and decentralisation?

A

The degree of autonomy/decision making ability diffused through organisation

pro

  • senior management free to concentrate on strategy
  • better local decision due to local expertise
  • better motivation
  • quicker responses/flexbility

cons:
loss of control by senior MGMT
- dysfunctional decision due to goal congruence
- poor decisions made by inexperienced managers
- extra costs re information (e.g. multiple MGMT accounts

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11
Q

Which factors afffect the degree of decentralisation?

A
  • MGMT style and ability
  • size of org.
  • Range of G&S
  • Geo location
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12
Q

What is the span of control?

A

The tall has many MGMT levels (narrow span of control)

Flat has fewer sp wider span of control

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13
Q

What are the adv. and disadv. of tall org

A

adv.
- promo opp
- narrow spans of control = more supervision
- smoother progression
- small spans of control

disadv.
- inhibits delegation
- more expensive of MGMT overheads
- Xtra level of MGMT slow down process

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14
Q

What are the adv. and disadv. of flat org?

A

Adv.

  • wide span of control = more delegation
  • lower MGMT costs
  • better MGMT costs
  • better communication among MGMT

disadv.

  • managers may be overworked
  • greater delegation = less control
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15
Q

What are the factors influencing span of control?

A
  • complexity of work
  • degree of change
  • MGMT ability
  • Ass received
  • Lvl of knowledge and experience of staff
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16
Q

Which of the below are mechanic and organic?

  • informal
  • hierarchical
  • project teams
  • power based
  • authority and control based
  • focuses on efficiency
A
Mechanistic 
rigid and formalised 
- formal 
- hierarchical
- authority and control based
- focuses on effciciency 
organic 
fluid and flexible
- informal
- flat
- project teams 
- power based on expertise 
- cant use floating charges
17
Q

What is the business structure of a sole trader

and adv. and disadv.

A
single proprietor owns business and takes all risk and rewards of business
adv.
- no need to share profit
- self-sufficient
- little or no regulation
- own boss

disadv.

  • carries unlimited liability
  • personal responsible
  • high risk about 75% of small business
  • extensive personal debt
  • small -> hard to negotiate
18
Q

What is a partnership and adv.

and disadv./

A

two or more people take all risk and all rewards

two seperate forms

  • general (no seperate legall entity)
  • LLP (seperate legal entity so limited to amount invested)

adv. for general
- few regulatory obligation
- more skills together
- more finance raised from MGMT

disadv.

  • all partner unlimited liability
  • potential disagreements
19
Q

What is a limited company?

A

company a seperate legal entity
two forms
- private ltd
- public plc

adv. .
- liability of shareholders to business debts is limited to persona investement
- ownership transferred easily through sales of shares
- companies find it easier to raise new capital
- use floating and fixed charges

disadv.

  • legal burdens - comply with CA (need company audit)
  • quoted companies suffer from short-termist pressure
  • FS to public scrutiny
20
Q

What is meant by a Group

A

No. of companies own companies
parent company own share in subsidary (extent to owning shares)

adv.
- diff companies respon for diff products
- easy to sell part of business
- EoS through vertical integration

disadv.

  • consol acc to be prepared
  • many acqui and -ve shareholder value
21
Q

What are the types of alliances one can do

what are those?

A
  • Joint ventures (seperate owned company - sony ericsson
  • strategic alliances (loose collaboration)
  • licensing/franchising
    one company allows another to manafacture/market
  • agency agreements
    one party distributes another products