Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Task 1
a) Select two organizations of your choice and compare and contrast the
structure of those two organizations.
There are 9 organizational structures that can be identified.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Hierarchical
Flat
Tall
Functional
Product based
Geographically based
Matrix
Centralisation
Decentralisation
at:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/geographic-
organization.html
[Accessed 23rd January 2013].
Virgin group
this comes under the matrix structure.
1 | Page
case. Each of the 300 odd companies of the Virgin Group operates separately
and Branson serves as shareholder, chairman, and public relations supremo.
Most of them are operating companies that own assets, employ people, and
offer goods and services. These operating companies are owned and
controlled by about 20 holding companies. The Virgin Group has a very
complex structure. It has been termed both as a brand franchising operation
as well as a keiretsu. (Grant, 2008) However, based on its structure, the
Virgin Group can be safely termed as an organization with a keiretsu
structure. A keiretsu is a group of organizations, each of which owns shares
in the other organizations in the group, and all of which work together to
further the groups interests. (Jones, Mills, Weatherbee, & Mills, 2006)
Furthermore, such a large organization with a complex structure needs to be
organic in order to be able to adapt to changes in its environment. An
organic structure promotes flexibility, so people initiate change and can
adapt quickly to changing conditions. ( Jones et al., 2006)
Considering each of the individual companies as a department providing a
unique
product
or
service,
it
is
evident
that
they
exhibit
product
3 | Page
Risk
Low
High
Feedba
ck
and
Work-
play-hard
culture
Slo
w
Tough-guy
macho
culture
Bet-theProcess
culture
company
culture
4 | Page
This culture is the world of sales (among others). Employees themselves take
few risks; however, the feedback on how well they are performing is almost
immediate. Employees in this culture have to maintain high levels of energy
and stay upbeat. Heroes in such cultures are high volume salespeople.
Interestingly, this culture recognizes that one person alone cannot make the
company. They know it is a team effort and everyone is driven to excel.
Contests among employees are common here, as they drive everyone to
reach new heights.
Mind Tools, (n.y.).Deal and Kennedy's Cultural Model Understanding Rites and
Rituals in Corporate Culture.[Online] (n.d.)
Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_86.htm
[Accessed 23rd January 2013].
Virgin group has lot of companies which serve the consumer in different
decisive factors. We cannot put the whole virgin group to a particular culture
because different companies work out in different way.
5 | Page
To compete in the fast food industry they had to differentiate Kfc from
millions of mom and pop restaurants. Therefore they needed to pay
considerable attention to Chinese value. When a restaurant opens, it is
6 | Page
This
acknowledgement
attacks
consumer
anxious
to
Personality
Perception
Attitude
Ability
Stress and change
8 | Page
10 | P a g e
Task 2
a) Describe and evaluate the different management approaches used by the
selected organizations.
Discussion
Virgin Group is made up of more than 200 companies, which employ nearly
50,000 people all over the world. The business has witnessed continual
growth since it was started. The revenues reached a record mark of 10 billion
sterling pounds in the year 2006. This reveals the magnitude and level of
business in which Virgin Group is operating. The nature of leadership in
existence in Virgin Group draws many features from the personality of Sir
Richard Branson. The business philosophy postulated by Sir Richard Branson
believes that the ultimate results of customer satisfaction and shareholders
gain is the responsibility of every individual. He believes that if the staffs are
kept happy then the customers are going to be happy meaning that the
shareholders will be happy too. Consequently, the management of Virgin
Group does not fall in to any particular model. It has a unique management
structure whose characteristics do not fit those of the existing models. The
amalgamation of concepts makes it distinctive. A critical review reveals that
the success witnessed by Virgin Group can be attributed to the uniqueness of
its management styles.
13 | P a g e
there
is
an
element
of
administrative
theory
in
the
In
environments
this
is
management
appreciated.
It
model,
the
recognizes
dynamics
the
fact
of
business
that
different
14 | P a g e
Sir
Richard
Bransons
leadership
style
falls
in
the
category
of
transformational. He has an
Outstanding ability of bringing out the best out of humanity. Interpersonal
and relational skills possessed by Branson are impeccable. He has close
touch with the day to day activities of various companies within his group.
15 | P a g e
In his ventures, he looks for people who are outgoing and willing to start new
businesses. His capacity building nature has made him an admirable leader
of modern business. His focus spans beyond the orthodox perspective of
employees where the management expects the workers to perform to
deserve compensation. The interest of Branson surrounds asking the
question as to whether a partner or employee is optimizing his or her
capacity. He is interested also with people who are willing to take risks and
the best in their tasks. For a long time, he has succeeded in bringing out the
best out of his staff, a core character of transformational leader. There is no
doubt about the fact that Bransons success since 1970s is directly attribute
to his attitude towards management of a team. In his approach, the barrier
existing between the employees and management is broken.
In fact, many people working with him approaches business issues with a
philosophy of achieving through innovative thinking and not adhering to the
preset rules. Because of the ideologies propagated by Branson, all
participants in the organization share similar values. He formulated his own
style of leadership, priding himself on integrating the employees in to his
style and seeking their thoughts on ways of improving value to customers.
Employees are expected to internalize these values and respond in
accordance to them. Integration of corporate values in leadership strategies
means that there is little interference by external forces. Nevertheless, Sir
16 | P a g e
Apart from Sir Bransons input in the success of virgin Group, there is a
contribution of organizational culture in the company. Organizational culture
existing in Virgin Group in fairly complex. The Group serves more than 100
companies operating separately in the industries which are not entirely
related. The common feature within ever company in the group is the
glamorous Virgin Brand. The brand remains unchanged in all companies
operating in different businesses. This is a similarity, which puts a heavy
responsibility on each department or division to positively represent the
brand. The image reveals an overall image of quality and innovation inherent
in the group. Through the creation of an exclusive brand, the company has
been able to consolidate and maintain desirable loyalty levels among the
customers.
lead
to individual
gains
for
every
person involved.
The
As the level of hierarchy moves down, the lower levels of management tend
to concentrate more keenly on the management of the company. Although
leadership is always encouraged among the managers, it requires some
levels of strict management to make sure that the task has been
accomplished.
Different
divisions
within
the
company
have
different
As the hierarchy advances to the junior staffs, goals become more precise
and short lived. The targets set at implementation levels are easily
achievable because they are very specific. These specific goals are
formulated by division managers with close reference to those of the entire
group. This system of information transfer enables the company to remain on
track on the journey to meeting the targets set by executives. Virgin is a
living evidence for the fact that this kind of organization is a major
prerequisite for business success. Breaking down of general goals in to
actionable points is a desirable feature revealed in Virgins organization.
heights
of
success.
This
strategy
enables
people
of
diverse
UK Essays, November 2003. Case Study of The Virgin Group and Its
Leadership [Online] Available at:
http://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/case-study-of-the-virgin-groupand-its-leadership-business-essay.php [Accessed 23rd Jan 2013].
b) Explain how organization theory underpins the practice of management
within the selected organizations.
Virgin was founded in 1970 as a mail order record business and developed as
a private company in music publishing and retailing. In 1986 the company
was floated on the stock exchange with a turnover of 250m (A362.5m).
However, Branson became tired of the public listing obligations: he resented
21 | P a g e
company
producing
ethanol
and
cellulosic
ethanol
fuels
in
competition with the oil industry, he said, Were a slightly unusual company
in that we go into industries we know nothing about and immerse ourselves.
Virgins expansion had often been through joint ventures whereby Virgin
provided the brand and its partner provided the majority of capital. For
example, the Virgin Groups move into clothing and cosmetics required an
initial outlay of only 1,000, whilst its partner, Victory Corporation, invested
20m. With Virgin Mobile, Virgin built a business by forming partnerships
with existing wireless operators to sell services under the Virgin brand name.
The carriers competences lay in network management. Virgin set out to
differentiate itself by offering innovative services. Although it did not operate
its own network Virgin won an award for the best wireless operator in the UK.
Virgin Fuels appears to be somewhat different in that Virgin is putting up the
capital and using the Virgin brand to attract attention to the issues and
possibilities that the technology offers. In 2005 Virgin announced the
establishment of a quadruple play media company providing television
broadband, fixed-line and mobile communications through the merger of
Bransons UK mobile interest with the UKs two cable companies. This Virgin
22 | P a g e
G.
Scholes,
K.
Whittington,
R.
2008.
Exploring
Corporate
23 | P a g e
which
could
add
to
the
organizations
efficiency
and
competitiveness.
2. Five Forces Model
is an important tool in analyzing an organization, such as KFC. This tool
assists in assessing the profitability of its current and future products. Hence,
in part, it helps to determine strategic processes especially in a competitive
industry. The Five Forces can be summarised as follows.
five_forces_1.gif
Competitive rivalries within the market place
Bargaining powers of customers
24 | P a g e
25 | P a g e
26 | P a g e
27 | P a g e
profitability
through
strategic
planning.
Porter
states
that
29 | P a g e
30 | P a g e
developments
to
add
value
i.e.
using
streamlined
32 | P a g e
System
is
directly
integrated
with
KFC
headquarters.
KFC
headquarters received sales reports on a daily basis via the system .The
system is called ARMS System. Also, the system has important features
installed, such as storing information in relation to recipes, cost of products,
purchasing management est. KFC have a website, where information in
relation to all products and their nutrition value is provided in line with a
health conscious society.
Procurement:
KFC headquarters have a uniform policy for all their franchises. The branch
located in South all is required to purchase all its raw material, cooking
33 | P a g e
through
streamlining
their
processes
and
implementing
online
website,
which
assists
in
increasing
business
evolves
each
year
and
new
technology
involves
many
34 | P a g e
fast
food
management
market
systems
by
utilizing
such
as
its
brand
effective
reputation.
Information
communication
between
UK
Essays,
November
2013.
Analyzing
the
Impact
of
Information
c) Compare the effectiveness of the different leadership styles that are used
in the selected organizations.
37 | P a g e
Task 3
a) Discuss the impact leadership theories have had on the motivation of the
selected organizations in periods of change.
Richard Branson, the CEO of the virgin group is known as a very good
example for a leader that proves the qualities of a good leader.
Hellriegel, D. Slocum, W.J., 2004. Organizational Behavior.10 th edition. South
Western: Thomson learning states that, Many chief executives focus on
creating shareholder value and devote their attention primarily to customers.
Branson believes that the correct pecking order is employees first, customers
next, and then shareholders. His logic is this: if your employees are happy,
38 | P a g e
39 | P a g e
40 | P a g e
41 | P a g e
of
frying
chicken,
she
describes
its
present
standard
of
KFC at a glance
43 | P a g e
44 | P a g e
45 | P a g e
defined
contribution
scheme
is
available
to
all
employees.
Family-friendly perks
Childcare vouchers.
Holidays
Other benefits
Champs Club for top 50 restaurant managers and Champions Club for
top 15 restaurant managers.
Free meal for all staff when on shift (subject to shift length, according
to employees contract).
47 | P a g e
According
to
the
theory,
motivation
factors
such
as
factors,
on
the
other
hand,
such
as
working
conditions,
48 | P a g e
at:
http://research-methodology.net/virgin-atlantic-airlines-
employee-motivation-leadership-and-organisational-culture/
49 | P a g e
Task 4
a)
organizations.
Teamwork is very important to KFC staff because for a quick and reliable
service they need to communicate, help and get support from each other in
working at registry, preparing and serving food and in drive through.
50 | P a g e
51 | P a g e
52 | P a g e
53 | P a g e
54 | P a g e
b) Discuss the factors that had promoted and inhibited the development of
effective teamwork within the selected organizations.
Diversity, communication, leadership and team building exercises are some
of the main factors that promote the teamwork in an organization.
55 | P a g e