(Discussion Board Post) (Original Content Only) (300 words) (APA) (in-text citations)
According to Milton Friedman, “Business has only one social responsibility to make profits (as long as it stays within the legal and moral rules of the game established by society). Few trends could so thoroughly undermine the very foundations of our society as the acceptance by corporate officials of a social responsibility other than to make as much money for their stockholders as possible.” Explain why you agree or disagree with such a statement.
Additional information:
Milton Friedman was the recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1976.
“Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:4, NIV)
Literature Review: Outline and Title Page Assignment Instructions
Topic: Chaos Theory (I will complete the Title Page)
Overview
Provide a Title Page and Outline for your Literature Review paper.
Instructions
In your Literature Review: Outline and Title Page Assignment, include a title page that meets the APA requirements. The outline must be per the APA format (Alphanumeric, Full sentence, or decimal). It must be well developed and includes headings and subheadings. The framework of the Literature Review is apparent and well established as follows:
Title page.
Abstract.
Introduction
Findings
Conclusions, recommendations, and suggestions for further study
References.
In the findings section, there must be main headings and subheadings of the material that will be discussed.
Disussion Board replies
(Original Content Only) (Reply to these two Posts) (400 words per reply) (800 words total) (use the references listed on the post) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)
1.
Chapter 1: Why is shared information so important in a learning organization in comparison to an efficient performance organization? Discuss how an organizations approach to sharing information may be related to other elements of organization design such as: structure, tasks, strategy, and culture.
Shared information is a vital aspect to a learning organization because it helps to create an efficient, well informed working group that pursues the same goals. In this type of organization information is shared equally amongst all participants. This in turn creates a positive work culture that promotes continued learning and company growth. In contrast, an efficient performance organization places their focus on high productivity at the lowest cost. As efficiency is defined by Daft (2016) as the number of resources used to achieve the organizations goals (p. 23). Interestingly though, according to Gupta (2022), there is a strong coloration between learning organizations and promoted efficiency as they help give all team members a clear view of what is needed for success which promotes efficient performance as everyone knowingly pursues the same goal.
Organizations approach to sharing information is related to other elements of the organizations design. For example, when information is shared abundantly it promotes a positive culture that pursues the same goals, as everyone can feel up to speed and valued. Knowing what is going on within the organization helps workers to collaborate on strategies to complete all necessary tasks in a well-structured environment.
Chapter 1: What are some differences that one might anticipate among the expectations of stakeholder for a nonprofit organization versus a for-profit business? Do you believe nonprofit managers have to pay more attention to stakeholders than business managers?
There are distinct differences between managers of non-profit versus for profit businesses. According to Daft (2016), managers of for-profit organizations direct their efforts towards earning money for the company and its owners whereas non-profit managers primary effort is directed on creating so sort of social impact. A primary difference is the expectations of stakeholders in these business designs. In a for profit business stakeholders join the organization and are motivated to offer support with a monetary compensation in mind. Whereas, with non-profit businesses stakeholders do not have the same monetary gain and may even be joining the organization as a volunteer or donor. Therefore, I do believe that non-business managers must pay more attention to stakeholders as they are vital to their organization and must be motivated solely from good intentions and social impact.
Chapter 2: How might a companys goals for employee development be related to its goals for innovation and change? How might a company’s goals for employee development be related to its goals for productivity? Explain the ways that these types of goals may conflict in an organization?
A companys goals for employee development frequently are related to their goals for innovation and change. This is due to wanting employees to be able to best support the organization in a future moving forward state. A personal example of this topic is a hospital I worked for in the past would reimburse their employees tuition if they could prove the education could be used to benefit said company. Furthermore, if a hospital company had a goal of reducing c-sections they may offer a class to staff on maternal positions that help promote vaginal delivery and reduce occurrences of c-sections. However, at times these types of goals may conflict with an organization as an individuals personal goals and aspirations may not align with where an organization is projecting to be. In this case the organization may have to adapt, or employees may choose to leave and seek employment elsewhere.
Chapter 2: Suppose you have been asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the police department in a medium-sized community. Where would you begin? How would you proceed? What effectiveness approach would you prefer?
If asked to evaluate the effectiveness of a police department in a medium sized city, I would begin by applying a internal-process approach. As outlined by Daft (2016) this is defined as measuring the effectiveness of an internal organizations health and efficiency. It is important to note though that this approach does not consider outside factors. I would select specific indicators to apply to the organization. Then see how the police department measures up. An example would be operational efficiency such as how long it takes for the department to respond to calls. Another example would be giving employees surveys to outline their workplace satisfaction in multiple categories and their responses on what could be done to offer improvement. From here, an analysis could be done based on the indicators selected to brainstorm techniques to increase efficiency. The effectiveness approach that I prefer is the internal process emphasis this is due to its primary goal of stability and equilibrium as outlined by Daft (2016) which subgoals of information management and communication. I believe these goals corollate closely to a police department and their primary demands for success.
Chapter 3: What types of organizational activities do you believe are most likely to be outsourced? What types are least likely?
How can/should a biblical worldview be applied?
The organizational activities that I anticipate being outsourced increasingly are manufacturing, information technology, and customer service personal. As these are already some of the largest groups of outsourcing as described by Kabus et al. (2022). Furthermore, these are all roles that can be done over the phone or virtually online. In contrast, the roles I would least anticipate being outsourced include managers and upper-level staff, marketing personal, and front-line assistance. The reasoning for this is management and marketing need to see directly their organizations results to make changes and improvements. Furthermore, first line staff must be there to perform organizational tasks for example a hospital cannot outsource frontline caretakers and a retail store cannot outsource clerks to stock shelfs and check individuals out.
A biblical worldview can be applied to this situation by relating it to how good leadership improves the organizational structure. Ephesians 2:10 states you are God’s workmanship who has been created to do good works that God has prepared in advance (NIV). Therefore, when keeping this verse in mind it is important to ensure that the works being in done within an organization are for the glory of God. This verse can help reorient employees unto the true mission and how to best move towards it. This can also be a motivator to an organization describing that we all have immense potential as we were created to do good works.
References
Daft, R. (2016). Organization theory and design. Cengage Learning. 12Ed.
Gupta, D. (2022). What is a learning organization? Whatfix. https://whatfix.com/blog/learning-organization/#:~:text=Learning%20organizations%20increase%20efficiency%20and,what%20is%20needed%20for%20success.
Kabus J, Dziadkiewicz M, Miciula I, Mastalerz M. Using Outsourcing Services in Manufacturing Companies. Resources. 2022; 11(3):34. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources11030034
New International Version. (2001). YouVersion. https://www.youversion.com/the-bible
2. Importance of Shared Information
In a learning organization, shared information plays an important role in helping to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, collaboration, and development of the learning and organizational culture. Learning organizations place an emphasis on continuous improvement and innovation, so the sharing of information becomes an integral part of the learning organization process (Aboiron & Aboiron, 2022, p. 46). The structure of a learning organization may be more decentralized than the typical organization, meaning that communication may flow more freely throughout the organization. When communication can flow freely, so can the sharing of information and knowledge. Organizational tasks may depend on the cross-functionality of teams and members of the organization so that the tasks can be completed in a collaborative manner. Shared information is therefore required for the teams to properly collaborate and succeed in completing their tasks. The strategy of a learning organization typically involves openness to innovative ideas and adaptability. Shared information helps to foster innovation by different minds sharing their ideas in response to a strategic goal or objective. Culture is closely linked to strategy in the same way, in that the sharing of information helps to create and build upon a culture of openness where new and innovative ideas are welcome.
Stakeholder Expectations
Stakeholder expectations tend to differ between nonprofit and for-profit organizations. The main goal of a for-profit organization is to generate profits for their stakeholders, who are invested in the business and expect a return on their investment. The primary goal of a nonprofit organization is to serve a specific cause of a community, with their stakeholders expecting some type of positive change or impact rather than a financial return. Every stakeholder expects some level of transparency and accountability, although that level is typically higher for stakeholders of nonprofit organizations, as much of the funding is achieved through donations. Transparency is still important in the for-profit organization, but they will be more focused on regulatory reporting requirements. The level of stakeholder engagement is expected to be higher in a nonprofit organization as there are a wider range of stakeholders involved, such as donors, volunteers, and the community that the organization is seeking to serve (Bryan et al., 2020, p. 548). Those stakeholders are generally more involved and interested in the cause or mission compared to a stakeholder in a for-profit organization, who are usually more interested in the financial return, meaning they may expect far less interaction and engagement so long as their investment is performing well. With all these differences in mind, I believe that nonprofit managers do have more responsibility to their stakeholders than a business manager would. Nonprofit managers must balance the needs and expectations of the donors, beneficiaries, workforce, and the community or cause that they are serving. These stakeholders are often heavily involved and invested in the nonprofits cause or mission because it is important to them. While a business manager must care for the needs of their investors as well as the business itself, they can focus solely on the business and generating profits, which will in turn satisfy the investors who are seeing a greater return on their investment.
Innovation vs. Productivity
A company may focus on developing skills that directly contribute to innovation, such as creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking. There may also be a focus toward the creation of a learning organization or culture, which helps to create innovative ideas and positive change within a company. Other employee development plans could be centered around the collaborative capabilities of the members and teams within the organization. While an increase in innovation could result in greater productivity, an organization may still focus more specifically on aspects of the development of their employees. Setting goals on an individual and team level can help to improve productivity and motivation across an organization. Direct development into the technical skills of employees can also contribute to greater productivity. There will always be conflicting goals in an organization simply due to time and resource constraints. Employees may have to balance organizational goals with their own personal development. Organizations may not have the funding to contribute to both innovative and productivity goals, resulting in them having to choose one or the other (Wang & Kong, 2019, p. 2658). Employees or teams may be used to focusing more on productivity or innovative thinking, resulting in a resistance to change to the other goals.
Effectiveness Study
I would begin by defining the objective of the effectiveness study and immediately introduce the study to the public. There needs to be cooperation between as many members of a community to truly solve problems within that same community. Proverbs 27:17 says, as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (New International Version, 1978/2011). Different members of the community need to work together to better themselves and each other. Collecting data and information on the stakeholders of the community would therefore be very important. The primary purpose of a police department in a medium-sized community is to serve the members of their community. The strategic constituents approach would be an appropriate method to gauge the communitys perception of the effectiveness of the police department. This would also align well with community-oriented policing or community outreach programs. Those programs involve the law enforcement agencies working directly with members of the community and applicable stakeholders to figure out ways to address rising issues or concerns. Due to the complexity of assessing effectiveness, especially in a public service agency where performance metrics are difficult to establish, a strategic constituents approach is an effective way to achieve this.
Outsourcing
The organizational activities that are most likely to be outsourced are going to be those more routine and repetitive activities that do not directly affect the organizations unique features and abilities. These can include IT, HR, customer service, manufacturing, supply chain, and financial services, depending on the organization. The organizational activities that are least likely to be outsourced are those that will directly affect the organization in significant ways (Ellimäki et al., 2021, p. 2849). These include strategic planning operations, research and development, executive leadership functions, marketing strategies, customer relationship management, and QA/QC processes. Again, these depend on the organization and the nature of their business or service.
References
Aboiron, E., & Aboiron, J. (2022). The Shared Information System: A relevant solution for knowledge sharing and decision making process. Contemporary Applied Business Research in Light of Standard Academic Literature, 3(1), 4348. https://doi.org/10.51137/ijarbm.2022.3.1.6
Bryan, T. K., Robichau, R. W., & LEsperance, G. E. (2020). Conducting and utilizing evaluation for multiple accountabilities: A study of nonprofit evaluation capacities. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 31(3), 547569. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21437
Ellimäki, P., Aragón-Correa, J. A., & Hurtado-Torres, N. E. (2021). Efficiency and the scope of outsourced services: A client firms absorptive capacity perspective of knowledge-intensive services. Management Decision, 59(12), 28482863. https://doi.org/10.1108/md-09-2020-1192
New International Version Bible. (2011). The NIV Bible. https://www.thenivbible.com (Original work published 1978)
Wang, Y., & Kong, Q. (2019). Financial constraints, institutions, and firm productivity: Evidence from China. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 55(11), 26522667. https://doi.org/10.1080/1540496x.2019.1577236
