BBA 4951 Unit V Assessment

BBA 4951 Unit V Assessment

QUESTION 1

Briefly explain seven of the guidelines to follow in developing an organizational chart. 

According to David and David (2017) there are several basic dos and don’ts to consider in developing and constructing an organizational chart, especially in firms of medium to large size. Seven of the fifteen guidelines to follow in developing an organizational chart are as follows:

Reference:

1. Ensure that the CEO of the firm does not also carry the title of president. The title of president should be reserved only for the top executive of a firm. The title of president should not be used for this person and should instead be used for top managers within divisions if the firm has divisions.
2. Ensure that the firm has an individual appointed to be the COO (Chief Operating Officer). This person is assigned directly below the CEO.
3. Ensure individual appointed as Chair of the board is titled as Chairperson of the board versus Chairman of the board, this title is much better and more appropriate for diverse workplaces.
4. Have top functional executives such as the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, Research and Development head, CLO, CTO and finally Human Resources Officer report directly to the CEO and not to the COO.
5. Make sure that diversity in race, ethnicity, gender, and age is well represented in both the board of directors as well among corporate executives.
6. It is important to make sure that every individual in an executive position has one boss. This enables lines on the chart to be drawn accordingly and ensures unity in command.
7. One final step is to ensure that titles given to executives match the names of products to the best extent possible in division-by-product and SBU-designed firms.

David, F. R., & David, F. R. (2017). Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach, concepts and cases (16th ed.) [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134167947

QUESTION 2

Describe the relationship between annual objectives and policies. 

David and David (2017, p. 208) define annual objectives as “desired milestones an organization needs to achieve to ensure successful strategy implementation.” There are five primary reasons that annual objectives are essential for strategy implementation, they are:

Policies are described as specific guidelines, methods, procedures, rules, forms, and administrative practices put into place in order to support and encourage the work required to meet stated goals. Policies are designed as required to make strategy work. Several reasons why policies are essential to strategy implementation are as follows:

1. Annual objectives represent the basis for allocating resources
2. They are the primary mechanism for evaluating managers
3. They enable effective monitoring of progress toward achieving long term objectives
4. They establish organizational, divisional, and departmental priorities
5. They are crucial to keeping a strategic plan on track

To put it most simply, policies are put into place as a means of achieving objectives.

1. Policies set specific boundaries, constraints, and limits on rewards and sanctions
2. Policies set expectations for employees and managers
3. They provide a basis for management control and allow coordination across units
4. Policies reduce the amount of time key personnel spend making decisions
5. The promote delegation to appropriate levels
6. Policies clarify and state what can or cannot be done in pursuit of an organizations goals (David & David, 2017)

Reference:

David, F. R., & David, F. R. (2017). Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach, concepts and cases (16th ed.) [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134167947

QUESTION 3

Define and give an example of business analytics. Why is this technique becoming so widely used in organizations today? 

Business analytics is “an MIS technique that involves using software to mine huge volumes of data to help executives make decisions” (David & David, 2017, p. 76). Business analytics is also sometimes referred to as predictive analytics, machine learning, and data mining. This intelligent software is a very powerful tool that allows researchers to asses and use the cumulative experience of an organization, which is considered a priceless asset for a firm. Business analytics is a widely used tool in many organizations as it aids them in tracking and organizing huge amounts of data concerning things such as the trend behaviors of customers and in turn helps them to better understand their needs. Business analytics enables organizations to make decisions regarding the future based on past experiences (David & David, 2017). Additionally, business analytics is becoming a widely used tool in firms today due to the fact that it “can provide a firm with proprietary business intelligence regarding, for example, which segment(s) of customers choose your firm versus those who defer, delay, defect to a competitor and why” (David & David, 2017, p. 76). This is important as it allows firms to make adjustments accordingly to retain and attract customers by revealing where competitors are weak in order to allow marketing and sales activities to be directly targeted to take advantage of the weaknesses (David & David, 2017).

Reference:

David, F. R., & David, F. R. (2017). Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach, concepts and cases (16th ed.) [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134167947

QUESTION 4

Do you agree with privacy advocates who contend that Facebook should provide ways for users to opt out of the mobile ad targeting? Why, or why not? 

Yes I do agree with privacy advocates who contend that Facebook should provide ways for users to opt out of mobile ad targeting. The internet has become one of the most powerful and widely used tools by people all over the world and the introduction and explosion of social media via the internet offers greater access to an unprecedented number of people via multiple platforms. Social media offers a one-stop-shop for advertisers and large companies to reach numerous people all in one location. Facebook has introduced various types of software that tracks and monitors user’s habits as well as tracks what types of apps consumers are using on their phones. Facebook does this by allowing users to sign into other applications using their Facebook account and collects this information for advertising. Though every user signs a privacy agreement when creating an account, I feel that Facebook should do a better job of notifying users of their intentions within mobile ad targeting and allow users to opt out. Facebook could limit the type of account that a user has in return as a result of the potential lost revenue, but it gives the user a choice. What people do on their personal mobile device is their business and Facebooks exploitation of this information is an invasion of privacy in my opinion.