Introduction This assignment is divided into three parts. Part A addresses organ

Question

Introduction

This assignment is divided into three parts. Part A addresses organizational structure and design, Part B involves communication and information technology and Part C relates to human resources.

This assignment is out of 100 marks and will count for 12 per cent of your total course mark. The breakdown of marks is as follows:

Part

Marks

Part A: Organizational Structure and Design

50

Part B: Communication and Information Technology

20

Part C: Human Resources

30

Total

100

Instructions

Part A: Organizational Structure and Design (50 marks)

Read the Case Study “Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company” and answer the following questions.

Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company is a start-up company. Which organizational design would you recommend for the company during its start-up phase? Explain why. (10 marks)

Which approach to decision-making—centralized or decentralized—would be most beneficial for the company at the present time? Support your position. (20 marks)

One possible organizational structure for the Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company would be to hire a small number of full-time employees who “contract out” certain aspects of the work such as hull fabrication, electronic components, boat interior components, advertising, accounting and final assembly. Many aspects of running the company could be undertaken remotely. Would a “network” organization be a good option for the Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company as the company grows? Why or why not? (20 marks)

Part B: Communication and Information Technology (20 marks)

Indicate how the Tamarack Electric Boat Company can use social media to improve communications and to help grow it business. (20 marks)

Part C: Human Resources (30 marks)

Read the Case Study “Work-Life Balance: Canadian Voices and the British Experiment.” Next, read the Section “Improving Work-Life Balance” on pages 229–230 in your textbook. Then, answer the following questions.

What is meant by work-life balance? Should contemporary organizations offer work-life balance initiatives? Explain why or why not. (15 marks)

Which work-life balance initiative appeals the most to you? Explain why. (5 marks)

What lessons can British Telecom teach Canadian businesses about work-life balance and productivity? (10 marks)

Part

Marks

Part A: Organizational Structure and Design

50

Part B: Communication and Information Technology

20

Part C: Human Resources

30

Total

100

Explanation / Answer

1) For a company like Tamarack, i would suggest "Functional organizational structure". When a company establishes a functional organizational structure, it is building on a hierarchy which is based on the job role of each employee. Functional organizational structure groups together employees who work toward a common goal.

In the case of Tamarack, there are two other people other than Gisborne who have been hired for a purpose. And the purpose is to help Gisborne in bringing more business and assist him in the production. Hence the bottomline here is to increase the topline and bottomline of the business.

Since, the people who have been hired work towards the common goal, and fulfill the goals of the business. Functional organizational structure is the apt structure for Tamarack Lake electric boat company. The functional structure provides focus to the employees, because they know they are working toward a common goal. In this example, the common goal is marketing and promoting the business.

2) Decentralized approach to decision making would be most beneficial to the company. For any startup, it is important to note that there should be an open communication. They should be more flexible and ready to face any kind of change and obstacles.

Generally, in decentralized organizational structure, management is given the power of freedom to run their department as they see the fit, yet they are still held accountable for production or promotion. The owner or company executives will rely heavily on management to instill and manage the processes and guideline they have set in place but will allow the manager to bring their own style to the mix.

The benefits to a decentralized organizational structure are more flexible and open to change. There is room for innovation and individual thought processes that could benefit the company as a whole or even one simple task. Employees of this type of environment favor change and like the fast paced environment that allows them to have input and feedback.

In case of Tamarack, since one employee assists Gisborne with the production and other employee helps him with promoting the designs, they bring forth their expertise and experience and help the business to grow, Unlike in centralized where the staff should follow what the boss says. Therefore, this startup (Tamarack) can be said to be a decentralized organizational structure.

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