How to Best Align Operational Structures with Strategy

Proposals of the authors on how to best align operational structures with strategy Kaplan and Norton (2006) first looked at six ways in which organizations may choose to align their structures with strategy. In one of the oldest models, the authors assert that companies may choose to align their structure with strategy through centralized functions. This mode was quite common during the industrial era because it provided a means of gaining from economies of scale.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on How to Best Align Operational Structures with Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the lack of adaptability in this method caused organizations to look for other routes such as decentralization by product and geographical region, matrix functions, networked organizations, Velcro organizations and even virtual organizations. Regardless of all these tactics, this quest to find the right organizational str ucture is often fruitless because the right way to bring out value in an organization is to focus on the balanced scorecard. The writers believe that one should look for a structure that creates the least amount of problems and then work out a system for aligning that structure with the organizational strategy. In doing this, there are four perspectives that the proposal handles. In terms of operations strategy, the perspective that would best fit is the process perspective. In the process perspective, business units decide to share or synergize their processes and hence generate savings or gain other benefits. Usually, it may be possible to find companies sharing functions such as distribution, research, manufacturing and purchasing. Therefore, amalgamating these processes does lead to substantial gains by the economies of scale. Furthermore, a business unit with a core competency can share that capability with another business unit and thus lead to value addition. For example, in technology drive organizations, a core competency such as the use of optics in Canon Incorporated caused it to benefit from the same optics in its other products. This type of perspective deals directly with operational structures because business processes are what constitute operational structures (Slack et. al, 2007).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Four perspectives Kaplan and Norton (2006) beleive that the sources of value creation through the scorecard occur at these levels: customer level, growth and learning level, process level and financial level. In the customer’s perspective, the authors affirm that when firms align their various business units then this is likely to lead to better results because of an ability to deliver the same value in various outlets (if the organization is a franchise). Alternatively, customer perspectives sometimes arise out of the sharing of certain relationships common to various units. This implies that services will be delivered conveniently and the products will be better created. Customers can also get more comprehensive services in one organization compared to what they would normally get from specialist providers. The other perspective that can alter corporate strategy is the process perspective. As explained earlier, this aspect comes about when business units arise and then synergize certain processes that are common to them. It leads to cost savings and efficiency. Learning and growth is also another perspective that can arise out of the synchronization of knowledge management as well as human capital development. This creates an enterprise wide advantage because today’s business environment is characterized by a need to develop intangible assets. Those who do not take the time to do so may not be in a position to increase their value and hence beat their competitors. Organizations can d o this in various ways. For example, if a firm happens to be a multinational then it can take advantage of its wide employee pool in order to fill its management positions. A case in point is General Electric which accords its various workers opportunities for promotions from different geographical units and this has created a vast number of experienced management. Alternatively, companies may choose to develop their employees through training opportunities in different product units. Knowledge management can also be done through the sharing of knowledge management ideas between various business units.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on How to Best Align Operational Structures with Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Lastly, the financial perspective is mostly achieved through the efficient use of business resources such that most wastage is eliminated during production, purchase or distribution. Convers ely, organizations can also get opportunities to work on their corporate governance through the balanced scorecard and this will ensure effective use of company materials or finances without those losses that arise out of unethical use. Certain business units may also have a lot of commonalities and can be easily synchronized. Therefore effectively integrating those units can lead to a lot of cost savings. Furthermore, some business units may have better relationships with certain external parties compared to others. Bringing these levels together could cause disadvantaged sectors to benefit from those sectors that already have established themselves (Kaplan and Norton, 2006). Conclusion The article endorses the use of the balanced scorecard as a method for aligning structure and organizational strategy. Through the four perspectives, one can see how the balanced scorecard does lead to value creation. References Slack, N. Chambers, S. and Johnston, R. (2007). Operations Management 6 th Edition. NY: Prentice Hall Kaplan, R. and Norton, D. (2006). How to implement a new strategy without disrupting your organization. Harvard Business Review 84(3), 100-109 This assessment on How to Best Align Operational Structures with Strategy was written and submitted by user Rayden G. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

A History of the Colony of Rhode Island

A History of the Colony of Rhode Island The colony of Rhode Island was founded between 1636 and 1642 by five separate and combative groups, most of whom had been expelled or left the Massachusetts Bay colony for disputative reasons. The colony was first named Roodt Eylandt by Dutch trader Adriaen  Block (1567–1627), who had explored that area for the Netherlands. The name means red island and it refers to the red clay that Block reported there. Fast Facts: Rhode Island Colony Also Known As: Roodt Eylandt, Providence PlantationsNamed After: Red Island in Dutch, or perhaps after RhodesFounding Year: 1636; permanent charter 1663Founding Country: EnglandFirst Known European Settlement: William Blackstone, 1634Residential Native Communities: Narragansetts, Wampanoags  Founders: Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, William Coddington, William Arnold, Samuel GortonImportant People: Adriaen BlockFirst Continental Congressmen: Stephen Hopkins, Samuel WardSigners of the Declaration: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery Early Settlements / Plantations Although the Puritan British theologian Roger Williams (1603–1683) is often given the sole role of founder of Rhode Island, the colony was in fact settled by five independent and combative sets of people between 1636 and 1642. They were all English, and most of them began their colonial experiences in Massachusetts Bay colony but were banished for various reasons. Roger Williamss group was the earliest: in 1636, he settled in what would become Providence on the north end of Narragansett Bay, after he was kicked out of the Massachusetts Bay colony.   Roger Williams had grown up in England, only leaving in 1630 with his wife Mary Barnard when the persecution of Puritans  and Separatists began increasing. He moved to the Massachusetts Bay Colony and worked from 1631 to 1635 as a pastor and a farmer. Although many in the colony saw his views as quite radical, Williams felt that the religion he practiced must be free from any influence of the Church of England and the English king. In addition, he questioned the right of the King to grant land to individuals in the New World.  While serving as a pastor in Salem, he had a fight with the colonial leaders, because he believed that each church congregation should be autonomous and should not follow directions sent down from the leaders.   Founding of Rhode Island In 1635, Williams was banished to England by the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his beliefs in the separation of church and state and freedom of religion. Instead, he fled and lived with the Narragansett Indians  in what would become Providence Plantation (meaning settlement). Providence, which he formed in 1636, attracted other separatists who wished to flee from colonial religious rules of which they did not agree.   One such separatist was the poet and feminist  Anne Hutchinson (1591–1643), another Puritan from Massachusetts Bay, who began Pocasset on Aquidneck Island in 1638, which eventually became Portsmouth. She had been banished for speaking out against the Church in Massachusetts Bay. William Coddington (1601–1678), a magistrate at Massachusetts Bay, settled first in Pocasset but split from Hutchinsons group and settled in Newport, also on Aquidneck Island, in 1639. In 1642, Massachusetts Bay ex-patriot William Arnold (1586–1676) settled on the mainland in Pawtuxet, now part of Cranston. Finally, Samuel Gorton (1593–1677) settled first in Plymouth, then Portsmouth, and then Providence, and finally set up his own group in Shawomet, later renamed to Warwick in 1642.   A Charter Political and religious squabbling was a common feature of these small plantations. Providence evicted people for speaking out in meetings; Portsmouth had to hire two police officials in late 1638 to keep the peace; a small group of people from Shawomet were arrested and brought forcibly to Boston where they were tried and convicted on various charges. William Arnold fell into dispute with Warwick plantation and for a time put his plantation under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts Bay. These disputes were primarily were struggles over religious practices and governing, in addition to boundary issues with Connecticut. Part of the problem was they had no charter: the only legitimate authority in Rhode Island from 1636–1644 was the voluntary compacts which everybody but Gortons group had agreed to. Massachusetts Bay kept intruding into their politics, and so Roger Williams was sent to England to negotiate an official charter in 1643.   Uniting the Colony The first charter was validated by British Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell in 1644 and that became the basis of government in Rhode Island colony in 1647. In 1651, Coddington obtained a separate charter, but protests led to the reinstatement of the original charter. In 1658, Cromwell died and the charter had to be renegotiated, and it was on July 8, 1663, that the Baptist minister John Clarke (1609–1676) went to London to get it: that charter united the settlements into the newly named Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.   Despite the conflict, or perhaps because of it, Rhode Island was quite progressive for its day. Known for fierce independence and the absolute separation of church and state, Rhode Island attracted persecuted groups such as Jews and Quakers. Its government guaranteed freedom of religion for all its citizens, abolished witchcraft trials, imprisonment for debt, most capital punishment, and chattel slavery of both blacks and whites, all by 1652.   The American Revolution Rhode Island was a prosperous colony by the time of the American Revolution with its fertile soil and ample harbors. However, its harbors also meant that after the French and Indian War, Rhode Island was severely impacted by British import and export regulations and taxes. The colony was a frontrunner in the movement towards independence. It severed ties before the Declaration of Independence. Although not a lot of actual fighting occurred on Rhode Island soil, except for the British seizure and occupation of Newport until October 1779.   In 1774, Rhode Island sent two men to the First Continental Congress: former governor and then-chief justice of the Supreme Court Stephen Hopkins and former governor Samuel Ward. Hopkins and William Ellery, an attorney who replaced the deceased Samuel Ward, signed the Declaration of Independence for Rhode Island.   After the war, Rhode Island continued to show its independence. In fact, it did not agree with the federalists and was the last to ratify the U.S. Constitution- after it had already gone into effect, and the government had been established. Sources and Further Reading Bozeman, Theodore Dwight. Religious Liberty and the Problem of Order in Early Rhode Island. The New England Quarterly 45.1 (1972): 44-64. Print.Frost, J. William. Quaker Versus Baptist: A Religious and Political Squabble in Rhode Island Three Hundred Years Ago. Quaker History 63.1 (1974): 39-52. Print.Gorton, Adelos. The Life and Times of Samuel Gorton. Philadelphia, Higgenson Book Company, 1907.  McLoughlin, William. Rhode Island: A History. States and the Nation. W. W. Norton Company, 1986

The Confucian Relationship of Parent and Child Essay

The Confucian Relationship of Parent and Child - Essay Example The following part of the text i.e. ‘The wife of Feng Yen’ however depicts the sketch of a highly unorganized and inflexible lady. All the reasons why her husband hats her and now wants to divorce her are mentioned in the text. To summarise, we can say that both the characters sketched in the two parts of the text are poles apart and it's hard to find any similarity between them. In my opinion, the mutual bond of love and caring between a mother and a child is very important for the better development and grooming of the child. As the famous saying goes â€Å"Give me good mothers and I’ll give you good nations†. One thing about the world that would never change is the love in the heart of a mother for his children. This relation is still viable in the world of today. The main responsibilities of a mother as highlighted in the Confucian text include; finding the best nurturing surroundings and atmosphere for her child. This includes the kind of friends he/she interacts with, the school he/she attends, how he/she studies and how much does he/she apply that knowledge to his/her daily life. However, If one’s mother is disoriented as the mother sketched in the second part of the text, it is impossible for her child to become a good human being. Ignorance on the mother’s part leads to a disaster eventually. It not only destroys her life but also the life of her family members. Her children are not likely to value filial relationships. This is the case in Western households, where both the parents and children are ignorant of each other and indulged into activities such as drinking and gambling. Whereas, the Eastern households value these relationships and share strong bonds within families.  Ã‚